Written answers
Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Department of Environment, Community and Local Government
- Marine Protected Areas
110. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the resources being put into the development of legislation for the creation of the Marine Protected Areas (General Scheme... - Renewable Energy Generation
111. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will examine the proposal from an organisation (details supplied) to expand support for on-farm renewable energy,... - Environmental Schemes
112. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the supports that are available for innovative Irish solutions that encourage reusable packaging, reduce single-use waste,... - Legislative Process
114. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when he will publish the revised Heat (Networks and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024, as announced on 10 July 2026.... - Litter Pollution
115. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government whether the sampling, survey and scoring methodologies of the national litter pollution monitoring system have been... - Departmental Funding
117. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the details of the funding that has been provided to Wexford County Council in the past five years to implement local... - Departmental Budgets
118. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the total value of unredeemed deposits retained by Re-turn in each year since the scheme's launch; the mechanism by which... - Departmental Staff
119. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the total remuneration paid to senior management of Re-turn in each of the past three years; whether the Department has... - Environmental Schemes
120. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the current status of Re-turn's proposal to allocate €60 million of unredeemed deposits to a plastics recycling... - Legislative Measures
121. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the general scheme of the private wires Bill; when he expects legislation to be... - Environmental Policy
122. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will review the environmental licensing framework to provide explicit powers to require fly management measures... - Environmental Investigations
123. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if responsibility for investigating serious fly infestations affecting neighbouring households is clearly assigned between... - Environmental Policy
124. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will examine the feasibility of introducing a national repair bonus scheme similar to France's bonus... - Departmental Communications
127. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for an update on the level of engagement his Department has had with Enterprise Ireland, the IDA and other enterprise... - Departmental Funding
128. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when the two capital grant support programmes referenced in the National Biomethane Strategy will open for applications;... - Departmental Reports
129. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when the Biomethane Implementation Group will publish its operational delivery plan; the updated timelines for the... - Environmental Policy
130. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for an update on the number of anaerobic digestion plants currently in construction or undergoing upgrades; the projected... - Inland Fisheries
133. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide an update on the investigation by Inland Fisheries Ireland of the recent mass fish kill on the River Glyde; if... - Electricity Grid
134. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of renewable energy projects currently connected to the electricity grid in County Clare; and to provide... - Environmental Policy
135. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the protections he will make for peatlands, blanket bogs and other environmentally sensitive habitats within any revised... - Waste Management
136. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department plans to publish, or otherwise formally recognise, a list or register of organisations that qualify as... - Food Waste
137. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government given the evidence from other jurisdictions that mandatory food waste reporting is a low-cost and effective driver of food... - Departmental Projects
138. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the efficiency and reform proposals that his Department has submitted to the Department of Public Expenditure,... - Energy Infrastructure
139. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will review the eligibility criteria of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland’s micro-generation... - Departmental Bodies
140. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the most up-to-date contact list for queries from Oireachtas members to agencies under his Department, in tabular form.... - Departmental Expenditure
141. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding any product or service purchased from Japan by his Department in 2025 or to date in 2026, broken... - Energy Policy
142. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of households in energy poverty that have been directly supported through measures arising from the National... - Renewable Energy Generation
143. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the volume of renewable electricity dispatched down in 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; and if he will make a statement on... - Recycling Policy
144. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the total value of unredeemed deposits under the deposit return scheme in 2025 and to date in 2026; the amount retained by... - Energy Conservation
145. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the projected contribution of HVO and other sustainable biofuels to decarbonising home heating; whether HVO will be... - Energy Policy
146. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of warmer homes scheme applications received, approved, rejected and completed in 2024, 2025 and to date in... - Artificial Intelligence
147. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number and proportion of staff who have completed AI-related training programmes since January 2024; the levels of... - Departmental Programmes
148. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he has considered expanding Action 15 of the National Hydrogen Programme Implementation Plan working group on the legal... - Marine Protected Areas
149. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the status of a maritime area consent application (details supplied); and his views on MARA's application processing... - Solar Energy Guidelines
150. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of free solar panels that have been installed for homeowners who are registered under the life support category... - Electricity Generation
151. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government whether his Department has undertaken any assessment of the potential impact of introducing full indexation for renewable... - Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan
155. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government whether the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority has sufficient resources to implement the Competitive Maritime Area Consent... - Electricity Grid
156. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the level of Exchequer funding provided for electricity grid reinforcement in each of the past five years; and the funding... - Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan
162. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the projected contribution of offshore wind generation to Ireland's electricity demand by 2030 and 2050; and the breakdown... - Renewable Energy Generation
163. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the steps being taken to reduce Ireland's dependence on imported fossil fuels through the accelerated deployment of... - Electricity Grid
164. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government whether sufficient regulatory and grid infrastructure is in place to deliver the Government's offshore wind ambitions; and... - Data Centres
165. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding any work ongoing within his Department to minimise the impact that data centres have on the energy... - Renewable Energy Generation
169. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding the commitment in the programme for Government to "explore ways to use surplus renewable energy to... - Data Centres
171. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he has conducted any review of the water demand of data centres; if this data is collected; and if not, the reason.... - Climate Change Policy
172. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to give a detailed up-to-date response to climate change concerns by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a... - Inland Fisheries
173. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the independent review of the governance arrangements and operations of Inland Fisheries Ireland committed... - Protected Disclosures
174. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of protected disclosures received by his Department or its predecessor relating to Inland Fisheries Ireland in... - Departmental Staff
175. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the safeguards in place across bodies under the aegis of the Department to protect employees who report suspected... - Protected Disclosures
176. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of protected disclosures relating to Inland Fisheries Ireland that are currently under investigation or active... - Departmental Projects
178. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for an update on the work ongoing by his Department in the tailings pond in the Silvermines, County Tipperary; the cost of... - Departmental Policies
179. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the measures his Department is taking to find a sustainable solution to industrial cooling; and if he will make a... - Climate Action Plan
180. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the measures his Department is taking to ensure we have a more robust climate action strategy to help communities deal... - Food Waste
181. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government whether a food business that has an existing commercial arrangement or partnership with a surplus food redistribution... - Data Centres
183. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government whether his Department, EirGrid or the Commission for Regulation of Utilities has carried out any assessment of the impact... - Recycling Policy
187. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to clarify matters (details supplied) regarding the operation of the deposit return scheme. [56457/26] - Just Transition
188. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of funding that has been allocated to a region in County Kildare (details supplied) under the EU Just... - Waste Management
191. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of household waste collection operators currently providing kerbside glass collection services nationally; the... - Renewable Energy Generation
194. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider expanding the small-scale renewable electricity support scheme to include biomass and gasification... - Departmental Programmes
195. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the proposed biomethane capital grant programme under the Irish Nature and Climate Fund; and if he will make... - Solar Energy Guidelines
196. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the current status of work to develop the regulatory and technical standards required to facilitate the use of plug-in... - Vacant Sites
198. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of publicly owned buildings that were vacant on the latest date available, broken down by purpose and/or last... - Poverty Data
199. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the estimated number of households in County Kerry experiencing energy poverty; and the equivalent figure for each of the... - Departmental Data
200. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of domestic electricity disconnections for non-payment recorded in County Kerry in each of the past five years,... - Sustainable Energy Communities
201. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of homes that received SEAI retrofit grants in each of the years 2020 to 2025 and to date in 2026, by scheme... - Renewable Energy Generation
203. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the amount collected by communities in County Kerry through community benefit funds associated with renewable energy... - Energy Usage
205. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the average annual household expenditure on electricity and home heating in County Kerry; and the way in which this... - Departmental Schemes
206. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the current average waiting time for the home surveys that are required to access the Sustainable Energy Authority of... - Departmental Correspondence
207. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the correspondence his Department has issued and-or received from a company (details supplied) on Israeli Settlements in... - Public Procurement Contracts
209. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the total value of non-compliant public procurement identified within his Department and in bodies under the aegis of his... - Artificial Intelligence
210. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the usage of artificial intelligence within his Department; the categories of usage; the usage of artificial intelligence... - Climate Action Plan
211. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 228 of 16 July 2026, the reason for the delay in delivering each of the 36 legacy... - Defective Building Materials
212. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department has conducted, commissioned or reviewed a specific impact assessment on administrative barriers faced by... - Illegal Dumping
214. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware of the ongoing issues of illegal dumping and littering at clothing recycling banks and bottle banks in... - Data Centres
215. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the policy surrounding e-waste, particularly around data centres; the way in which the tracking from cradle to grave is... - Climate Action Plan
219. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for an update on the timelines for consultation on, and publication of, Ireland’s Social Climate Plan, and the... - Energy Policy
220. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide an update on the energy affordability action plan in relation to the diversion of surplus renewable energy to... - Greenhouse Gas Emissions
221. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the Government's progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the past three years; and if he will make a statement on... - Climate Action Plan
223. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the Climate Action Strategy and supports available to help communities deal with heatwaves, periods of drought and flash... - Data Centres
225. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of data centres in Dublin and the rest of the State; the average energy usage per data centre; the average... - Waste Management
226. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the actions his Department is taking to assist waste companies in the disposal of nitrous oxide canisters; if a strategy... - Departmental Priorities
227. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for an update on Ireland’s policy priorities ahead of COP31 and Ireland’s position leading negotiations for... - Energy Policy
228. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government whether the National Energy Affordability Taskforce is examining additional targeted measures to reduce home heating oil... - Departmental Budgets
229. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide a detailed breakdown of his Department’s budget for the EU Presidency; the details of any planned gifts... - State Gifts
230. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide a detailed breakdown of all gifts received in his capacity as Minister; the nature of these gifts and potential... - Departmental Data
231. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide a detailed breakdown of spending on media training or strategic consultants by his Department and all bodies... - Artificial Intelligence
232. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide an overview of the AI policy in place within his Department; if AI has been incorporated into any work streams;... - Ministerial Communications
233. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he uses personal emails for Government business; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58673/26] - Greenhouse Gas Emissions
236. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for an update, as of July 2026, on Ireland’s target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030; and if he will... - Departmental Funding
237. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide an update on the current balance of the market cap fund; a detailed breakdown of a recent or planned... - Climate Action Plan
238. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide an update on the current balance of the climate action fund; a detailed breakdown of a recent or planned... - Departmental Data
240. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the current level of unredeemed deposits related to the Re-turn scheme, by county; the plans in place to use this funding... - Recycling Policy
241. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to address concerns related to the access and reliability of Re-Turn machines; the steps being taken to rectify this; and... - Departmental Data
242. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide a detailed breakdown of the number of businesses that have applied and been successful in securing an exemption... - Departmental Expenditure
243. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if the money from the Sceirde Wind Project has been recouped by the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter.... - Renewable Energy Generation
244. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government whether he will review the current SEAI grant supports for rooftop solar installations with a view to introducing... - Departmental Policies
245. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government whether all households registered as vulnerable in Ireland, including renters, are afforded the same protections against... - Departmental Data
246. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for further detail on a consumer's ability to register as vulnerability, based on a situation (details supplied) where a... - Departmental Budgets
249. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the profits Re-Turn has made since its inception; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59445/26] - Departmental Funding
251. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the 100 non-governmental organisations that received the highest levels of public funding in the most recent year for...
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