Written answers
Wednesday, 15 October 2025
Department of An Taoiseach
Climate Action Plan
Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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2. To ask the Taoiseach to provide an update on the progress of the annexe of actions contained with each annual climate action plan; to provide a breakdown of the actions completed, that are in progress and/or remain outstanding, by year, for the years 2020 to 2024, and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [55844/25]
Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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3. To ask the Taoiseach to provide a breakdown of any legacy actions that are yet to be completed, that is, are overdue, in each of the climate actions plans that have been published since 2021, in each of the quarters from Q3 2022 to date; the reasons the action has still not been completed; and to provide an update on when the action is expected to be completed, in tabular form. [55861/25]
Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 3 together.
Under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, updates of the Climate Action Plan (CAP) are published on an annual basis. They detail climate policies, measures and actions required to reduce Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions in pursuit of statutory emissions reduction targets. The CAP and its Annex detail specific actions that Government departments, agencies and public bodies commit to take together with a timeline for the completion of each action.
To track delivery of actions, the Department of the Taoiseach prepares quarterly progress reports, in collaboration with implementing Departments. Detail on every action due in that quarter is published as an Appendix to each report.
Once approved by Government, progress reports are published online. These reports, as well as detailed tables of actions completed and delayed since CAP19, are available online at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/55fde-climate-action-important-publications/.
Six Progress Reports were produced under Climate Action Plan 2019 . These reports show that, overall, 78% of the 500 measures in the Climate Action Plan 2019 due by the end of 2020 were completed.
Four progress reports were produced under Climate Action Plan 2021. Between Quarter 4 2021 and Quarter 4 2022, 79% of the 965 measures due for delivery were completed.
Four progress reports were produced under Climate Action Plan 2023 (CAP23). These reports show that 65% of the 290 actions due for delivery in 2023 were completed within the year.
In preparation of CAP23, a decision was taken to focus on a smaller number of more significant actions than in previous updates. A legacy exercise was conducted on the 205 outstanding actions that had not been completed by the end of 2022. The more significant of these were retained for reporting under CAP 23. A separate table was published that details how delayed measures from 2022 and actions listed in CAP21 for delivery later than 2022 were accounted for in the preparation of CAP23 or if they were actioned elsewhere.
Two progress reports, providing details on two quarters each, were published under Climate Action Plan 2024 (CAP24) and show an overall implementation rate for the year of 64%, with 80 of 125 actions completed in 2024. For CAP24, a report on legacy actions, those not completed in 2023, was published alongside the Q4 2023 Progress Report. Delayed actions were retained for progress reporting in Q1 2024 and beyond, until completion, alongside the CAP24 actions.
One progress report has been published to date under Climate Action Plan 2025 (CAP25). This report shows that 4 of the 6 new actions due for delivery were complete. Of the 64 delayed CAP23 and CAP24 legacy actions remaining, 10 were completed in Q1 2025.
Publication of the Q2 progress report under CAP25 (including reporting on legacy CAP23 and CAP24 actions) will be combined with results from Q3 which are currently being compiled. Once finalised, this combined Q2/Q3 progress report will be presented to Government for its consideration and approval for publication.
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