Written Answers Nos. 75-94
75. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the progress made to develop carbon capture and storage technologies in Ireland; if any private companies are carrying out CCS in Ireland; how CCS is regulated and monitored if carried out by private companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8701/24]
View answerThe Government in December 2023 approved the Climate Action Plan 2024 (CAP 24). This is now subject to a public consultation and a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). Within CAP 24, Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technologies are recognised as means of mitigating emissions from hard to abate activities. CAP24 proposals include the establishment of a Carbon Capture and Removals Working Group by the end of Q2 2024 to advance the policy position. The Department is currently unaware of any private companies carrying out CCUS at scale in Ireland.
Directive 2009/31/EC on the geological storage of carbon dioxide provides a regulatory framework for the safe transport and storage of carbon dioxide. This includes requirements for site selection, operation, closure and post-closure of storage sites. This Directive was transposed by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, as S.I. No. 575/2011 - European Communities (Geological Storage of Carbon dioxide) Regulations 2011 and will inform the regulation of CCUS when carried out in Ireland.
76. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the work the Government is undertaking to prepare for a potential collapse in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation; what representations the Government has made regarding the EU’s preparations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8708/24]
View answerClimate breakdown represents an existential threat for all of humanity, and addressing it has been a central focus of this Government. We must continue to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. Ireland is already experiencing increased precipitation, floods and droughts, as well as the longer term risk of the potential collapse of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). We need to prepare for unavoidable impacts to ensure our society, economy and infrastructure are climate resilient, and take measures to prevent those that we can.
The new draft National Adaptation Framework (NAF), Ireland’s policy framework to address the risks presented by climate impacts, has a medium degree of confidence that the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation will not collapse abruptly before 2100. We must work to prevent this risk ever being realised. In terms of the impacts we are now experiencing and further ones that are coming, the NAF outlines a whole-of-Government-and-society approach to climate adaptation in Ireland through ongoing engagement with key sectors, Local Authorities and the research community. Public consultation on the new NAF was completed on 19 February, 2024 and I expect to submit the new NAF to Government for approval shortly.
The EU is currently finalising an EU Climate Risk assessment which is a fast-tracked and expert-driven assessment primarily based on a review and synthesis of existing data and knowledge from various sources. The assessment focuses specifically on complex climate risks such as cross-border, cascading and compound risks. The executive summary is expected to be published around mid-March, with the full report published by April.
Work has also commenced on a National Climate Change Risk Assessment (NCCRA), which will set out the priority impacts of climate change for Ireland. The NCCRA, which is being led by the Environmental Protection Agency, is due to be delivered by the end of Q1 2025.
77. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the officials associated with the Climate Change Advisory Council who are considered designated public officials under the Regulation of Lobbying and Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) (Amendment) Act 2023. [8711/24]
View answerOne member of the Climate Change Advisory Council is a designated public official, within the meaning of the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 (as amended). Eoin Moran is the Director of Met Éireann, which is a prescribed position under the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 (Designated Public Officials) Regulations 2015. None of the other members of the Climate Change Advisory Council, nor the staff employed to act as its Secretariat, are designated public officials within the meaning of the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 (as amended). Similarly, no individual is a designated public official under the Act by virtue of their association with the Climate Change Advisory Council.
78. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when a location (details supplied) will have access to multiple broadband suppliers. [8751/24]
View answerIn December 2022, the Department published Ireland's Digital Connectivity Strategy which supports the ambition outlined in the National Digital Strategy and sets out a number of ambitious targets, including that:
• all Irish households and businesses will be covered by a Gigabit network no later than 2028,
• all populated areas will be covered by 5G no later than 2030, and
• digital connectivity will be delivered to all schools and broadband connection points by 2023.
These targets will be achieved through commercial operators investing in their networks, complemented by the State’s National Broadband Plan intervention. When taken together, all premises in the State will have access to high-speed broadband in every part of the country, no matter how remote.
The High-Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie, shows the areas included in the National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led intervention, as well as areas targeted by commercial operators. The map is colour-coded and searchable by address and Eircode. Premises in the AMBER area will be provided with high-speed broadband through the State led Intervention via National Broadband Ireland (NBI). The BLUE area represents those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering, or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services.
Marino, Dublin 3 is in the BLUE commercial area. The Department defines high-speed broadband as a connection with minimum speeds of 30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload. The activities of commercial operators delivering high-speed broadband within BLUE areas are not planned or funded by the State and the Department has no statutory authority to intervene in that regard.
If a person lives in the BLUE area and after contacting their Retail Service Provider are told they cannot get access to greater than 30Mbps, they should raise a query via the DECC webform at: secure.dccae.gov.ie/forms/NBP-Customer-Service.aspx and DECC will escalate with open eir to investigate this matter further.
Commercial operators’ fibre rollouts are progressing at pace. Open eir have already passed over over 1.1 million homes. SIRO has recently reached a milestone of enabling over 545,000 premises for full fibre and is on track to reach 700,000 premises by 2026. Virgin Media recently announced a €200 million investment plan to upgrade its cable network to bring full fibre to up to 1 million premises over the next three years, to date it has passed 252,000 premises with full fibre.
Recent ComReg data shows that Quarter 2 of 2023 saw a 7.4% increase in fibre broadband subscriptions compared to the first 3 months of the year, and a 33.7% increase when compared to Quarter 2 of 2022. This demonstrates that take-up of fibre connectivity for homes and businesses is increasing substantially as it is deployed to areas where it had previously been unavailable. The same ComReg data also indicates that c. 40% of homes and business throughout the State now have access to gigabit services through either fibre (576,856) or cable (359,669) infrastructure.
79. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if changes have taken place to legislation (details supplied); if so, to outline same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8764/24]
View answerA number of amendments have been made to the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983 since it was first enacted. Details of all legislation, and amendments thereto, are available in the Irish Statute Book which can be accessed online. The following link shows all of the amendments made to the 1983 Act referred to by the Deputy: www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/isbc/1983_24.html
80. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if an analysis has been conducted of the volume of emissions reductions associated with each euro spent by the climate action fund. [8819/24]
View answerThe Climate Action Fund may fund a number of projects, not all of them relate directly to emissions reductions. The following lists the types of projects the CAF may fund under section 37B (9) of the NORA Act 2007 (as revised):
(a ) to support projects that seek to reduce, or support the reduction of, greenhouse gas emissions in the State;
(b ) to support projects that seek to increase the production, or use, of renewable energy in the State;
(c ) to support projects that seek to improve energy efficiency in the State;
(ca ) to support projects that seek to increase climate resilience in the State;
(cb ) to support nature based projects that enhance biodiversity and seek to reduce, or increase the removal of, greenhouse gas emissions or support climate resilience in the State;]
(d ) to support initiatives involving potentially innovative solutions to—
(i) reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the State,
(ii) increase the production or use of renewable energy in the State,
(iii) increase energy efficiency in the State,
(iv) increase climate resilience in the State,
(v) increase the removal of greenhouse gas in the State,
(vi) enhance biodiversity through nature based projects that seek to reduce, or increase the removal of, greenhouse gas emissions or support climate resilience in the State;]
(e ) to support research in relation to—
(i) reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the State,
(ii) increasing the production, or use, of renewable energy in the State,
(iii) increasing energy efficiency in the State,
(iv) increasing climate resilience in the State,
(v) increasing the removal of greenhouse gas in the State,
(vi) enhancing biodiversity through nature based projects that seek to reduce, or increase the removal of, greenhouse gas emissions or support climate resilience in the State;]
(f ) to support projects and initiatives in regions in the State and within sectors of the economy impacted by the transition to a low carbon economy.
Estimated greenhouse gas savings may be calculated for relevant projects at application and validation stage. However, the actual figure of emissions reductions associated with each euro spent will not be known until the projects complete, and their final report is assessed. Currently no such projects have completed.
81. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if it is the latent policy of the inland fisheries division to legitimise all anthropogenic freshwater fish introductions in County Galway (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8827/24]
View answerThere is no policy, latent or otherwise, within my Department or within Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), the statutory authority for the protection, management and conservation of Ireland’s inland fisheries and sea angling resources to legitimise the introduction of any non-native, invasive freshwater fish species anywhere within the State.
As Minister, I am concerned with the threat posed by the presence and spread of any such non-native, invasive fish species in all Irish waters and the impact they pose to our native fish populations' species and our ecosystems.
82. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if officials in the inland fisheries division are content to see a population of pacu, conserved in Garadice Lake and the Shannon-Erne Waterway under the Conservation of and Prohibition on Sale of Coarse Fish By-Law No. 806 of 2006 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8828/24]
View answerIFI, as the statutory body tasked with the protection, management and conservation of the inland fisheries resource, is examining and investigating this matter.
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has established a specific email address for queries from Oireachtas members so that queries in relation to operational matters can be addressed promptly, in line with IFI’s objective to deliver services to the highest standards. The email address is oireachtas@fisheriesireland.ie
As Minister, I am concerned with the threat posed by the presence and spread of any such non-native, invasive fish species in all Irish waters and the impact they pose to our native fish populations' species and our ecosystems.
83. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the reason the appropriate assessment screening document was not made available to angling stakeholders during the four-week consultation period (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8829/24]
View answerI refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 38 of 22 November 2023 which provides the necessary information regarding the appropriate assessment screening (AAS). The AAS Conclusion Statement was published by IFI on 11 December 2023 - within the thirty day public consultation window.
84. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if officials in the inland fisheries division plan to conduct retrospective appropriate assessment screenings on the Conservation of and Prohibition on Sale of Coarse Fish By-Law No. 806 of 2006 and the Conservation of Pike By-Law No. 809 of 2006 for SAC/Natura 2000 waterbodies, when reviewing the said by-laws as per recent statements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8830/24]
View answerIFI is currently carrying out a review of relevant inland fisheries bye-laws in force for 10 years or more and their continued application and the Conservation of and Prohibition on Sale of Coarse Fish Bye-Law No. 806 of 2006 and the Conservation of Pike Bye-Law No. 809 of 2006 are being examined as part of this work.
IFI has established a specific e-mail address for queries from Oireachtas members so that queries can be addressed promptly, in line with IFI’s objective to deliver services to the highest standards. The email address is oireachtas@fisheriesireland.ie.
85. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when infrastructure to ensure access to high-speed fibre broadband will be installed in the case of a premises (details supplied); when high-speed fibre broadband will be available to this premises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8917/24]
View answerIn December 2022, my Department published Ireland's Digital Connectivity Strategy which supports the ambition outlined in the National Digital Strategy and sets out a number of ambitious targets, including that:
• all Irish households and businesses will be covered by a Gigabit network no later than 2028,
• all populated areas will be covered by 5G no later than 2030, and
• digital connectivity will be delivered to all schools and broadband connection points by 2023.
These targets will be achieved through commercial operators investing in their networks, complemented by the State’s National Broadband Plan intervention. When taken together, all premises in the State will have access to high-speed broadband in every part of the country no matter how remote.
The BLUE area represents those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high-speed broadband services. The Department defines high-speed broadband as a connection with minimum speeds of 30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload. My advisors have checked this premises with Openeir and according to their records this premises is capable of receiving broadband speeds of up to 100mbps.
If a person lives in the BLUE area and after contacting their Retail Service Provider are told they cannot get access to greater than 30Mbps, they should raise a query via the DECC webform at: secure.dccae.gov.ie/forms/NBP-Customer-Service.aspx and DECC will escalate with open eir to investigate this matter further.
The Department expects that the majority of the Blue area of the NBP Map will be served with high-speed broadband from commercial operators. The European Electronics Communications Code (EECC) requires a broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) to be implemented by Member States, which provides an assurance that all premises can access a high-speed broadband connection. This provides another tool to help deliver upon the NBP’s policy objectives that every home and business in the country will have access to high-speed broadband.
Commercial operators’ fibre rollouts are progressing at pace. Open eir have already passed over over 1.1 million homes. SIRO has recently reached a milestone of enabling over 545,000 premises for full fibre and is on track to reach 700,000 premises by 2026. Virgin Media recently announced a €200 million investment plan to upgrade its cable network to bring full fibre to up to 1 million premises over the next three years, to date it has passed 252,000 premises with full fibre.
Recent ComReg data shows that Quarter 2 of 2023 saw a 7.4% increase in fibre broadband subscriptions compared to the first 3 months of the year, and a 33.7% increase when compared to Quarter 2 of 2022. This demonstrates that take-up of fibre connectivity for homes and businesses is increasing substantially as it is deployed to areas where it had previously been unavailable. The same ComReg data also indicates that c. 40% of homes and business throughout the State now have access to gigabit services through either fibre (576,856) or cable (359,669) infrastructure.
86. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide an update on the reinstitution of the price monitoring group to monitor the cost of residential waste collection to households; his plans to ensure price stability across the sector and prevent price gouging in areas that do not have the option of more than one service provider; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8977/24]
View answerThe waste management market is serviced by private companies, in accordance with the requirements of their waste collection permits as issued by the National Waste Collection Permit Office (NWCPO).
The terms and conditions of contracts, including pricing plans, are matters between those companies and their customers, subject to compliance with all applicable waste and consumer rights legislation. However, in line with commitments given in A Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, my officials are currently working with the NWCPO to examine whether fair and transparent pricing is consistent in the market and how that information is disclosed to customers.
My officials are also working with the NWCPO to carry out a study on incentivised charging structures in the waste collection market. This study will examine what, if any, improvements are needed to ensure that waste collection systems are fully incentivising waste prevention and improved source segregation practices.
87. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of SEAI home energy upgrades that have been grant supported since 2020, per county; and the amount of grant funding paid out in euro under home energy upgrades, per county, in tabular form. [8985/24]
View answerThe Climate Action Plan and National Retrofit Plan set ambitious targets to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2/cost optimal and the installation of 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes to replace older, less efficient heating systems by end-2030.
To promote and incentivise the achievement of these targets, the Government has put in place a package of supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills.
In recent years, demand across the SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes has been exceptionally high. Data from SEAI shows that in the period 2020 to end-January 2024, almost 112,000 property upgrades have been supported through the residential and community energy upgrade schemes, including the Solar PV scheme, across all counties. Almost €568 million has been provided in grant payments in the same period. A county-by-county breakdown of this data is provided for the Deputy for the years in question in the following table.
A record capital budget of €437.2 million for SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes has been allocated for 2024. The overall allocation will mean that the progress made last year under the National Retrofit Plan will be further built on in 2024.
A more detailed overview of the SEAI performance against annual targets on the residential and community energy efficiency schemes can be found in their recently published quarterly report, which can be found on the SEAI website at: www.seai.ie/publications/SEAI-Retrofit-Quarterly-Report-Q3-2023.pdf. The 2023 Annual Review will be published shortly by SEAI.
|
Year |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 (to end January) |
Total |
||||||
|
Counties |
# Property Upgrades |
Amount Funded |
# Property Upgrades |
Amount Funded |
# Property Upgrades |
Amount Funded |
# Property Upgrades |
Amount Funded |
# Property Upgrades |
Amount Funded |
# Property Upgrades |
Amount Funded |
|
Co. Carlow |
106 |
€ 344,146 |
136 |
€ 547,497 |
307 |
€ 1,745,271 |
553 |
€ 3,537,515 |
49 |
€ 219,950 |
1,151 |
€ 6,394,381 |
|
Co. Cavan |
250 |
€ 641,001 |
197 |
€ 1,035,170 |
376 |
€ 2,218,242 |
638 |
€ 3,767,433 |
60 |
€ 338,964 |
1,521 |
€ 8,000,810 |
|
Co. Clare |
264 |
€ 822,711 |
278 |
€ 1,035,937 |
621 |
€ 2,787,688 |
1,172 |
€ 4,670,992 |
130 |
€ 351,680 |
2,465 |
€ 9,669,008 |
|
Co. Cork |
2,889 |
€ 5,307,837 |
1,823 |
€ 6,667,418 |
3,160 |
€ 16,416,751 |
5,732 |
€ 28,490,301 |
329 |
€ 1,442,219 |
13,933 |
€ 58,324,526 |
|
Co. Donegal |
305 |
€ 984,845 |
445 |
€ 1,888,603 |
770 |
€ 4,721,493 |
1,594 |
€ 9,506,812 |
121 |
€ 428,508 |
3,235 |
€ 17,530,260 |
|
Co. Dublin |
5,142 |
€ 18,697,970 |
4,530 |
€ 28,802,057 |
6,349 |
€ 51,884,866 |
11,073 |
€ 84,169,245 |
875 |
€ 5,390,286 |
27,969 |
€ 188,944,424 |
|
Co. Galway |
936 |
€ 2,253,387 |
946 |
€ 2,907,112 |
1,980 |
€ 7,709,203 |
3,190 |
€ 13,356,170 |
336 |
€ 1,148,410 |
7,388 |
€ 27,374,282 |
|
Co. Kerry |
396 |
€ 1,341,816 |
481 |
€ 2,090,640 |
1,029 |
€ 5,076,532 |
1,806 |
€ 8,114,169 |
162 |
€ 659,881 |
3,874 |
€ 17,283,039 |
|
Co. Kildare |
816 |
€ 2,198,348 |
792 |
€ 3,697,407 |
1,209 |
€ 6,268,399 |
1,974 |
€ 11,605,286 |
181 |
€ 709,823 |
4,972 |
€ 24,479,263 |
|
Co. Kilkenny |
243 |
€ 981,167 |
268 |
€ 841,490 |
503 |
€ 2,300,537 |
977 |
€ 4,160,741 |
83 |
€ 384,179 |
2,074 |
€ 8,668,114 |
|
Co. Laois |
200 |
€ 572,101 |
247 |
€ 712,146 |
496 |
€ 2,309,859 |
871 |
€ 4,846,484 |
78 |
€ 211,421 |
1,892 |
€ 8,652,010 |
|
Co. Leitrim |
89 |
€ 228,109 |
105 |
€ 402,253 |
257 |
€ 1,142,390 |
433 |
€ 1,834,749 |
41 |
€ 122,134 |
925 |
€ 3,729,635 |
|
Co. Limerick |
722 |
€ 1,419,894 |
537 |
€ 1,809,006 |
983 |
€ 4,248,966 |
1,981 |
€ 8,803,113 |
140 |
€ 462,680 |
4,363 |
€ 16,743,659 |
|
Co. Longford |
97 |
€ 279,918 |
66 |
€ 375,781 |
208 |
€ 1,494,672 |
297 |
€ 1,668,023 |
19 |
€ 51,652 |
687 |
€ 3,870,046 |
|
Co. Louth |
605 |
€ 967,652 |
397 |
€ 1,260,960 |
619 |
€ 2,472,852 |
1,179 |
€ 4,696,635 |
146 |
€ 575,675 |
2,946 |
€ 9,973,775 |
|
Co. Mayo |
369 |
€ 1,376,573 |
383 |
€ 1,876,017 |
964 |
€ 4,881,575 |
1,654 |
€ 8,787,950 |
146 |
€ 634,158 |
3,516 |
€ 17,556,273 |
|
Co. Meath |
1,034 |
€ 2,338,584 |
680 |
€ 2,753,256 |
1,211 |
€ 6,609,684 |
2,138 |
€ 12,243,949 |
215 |
€ 1,025,482 |
5,278 |
€ 24,970,955 |
|
Co. Monaghan |
108 |
€ 447,200 |
120 |
€ 380,878 |
287 |
€ 1,512,829 |
504 |
€ 3,132,751 |
50 |
€ 273,220 |
1,069 |
€ 5,746,878 |
|
Co. Offaly |
304 |
€ 704,610 |
203 |
€ 923,269 |
415 |
€ 2,273,418 |
745 |
€ 4,112,825 |
57 |
€ 292,107 |
1,724 |
€ 8,306,229 |
|
Co. Roscommon |
197 |
€ 972,865 |
225 |
€ 1,066,442 |
548 |
€ 2,649,837 |
966 |
€ 4,931,627 |
67 |
€ 251,281 |
2,003 |
€ 9,872,051 |
|
Co. Sligo |
213 |
€ 880,318 |
227 |
€ 863,543 |
555 |
€ 3,521,954 |
956 |
€ 4,286,519 |
75 |
€ 215,933 |
2,026 |
€ 9,768,266 |
|
Co. Tipperary |
447 |
€ 1,894,387 |
494 |
€ 2,026,125 |
937 |
€ 4,573,386 |
1,703 |
€ 9,415,741 |
143 |
€ 588,659 |
3,724 |
€ 18,498,298 |
|
Co. Waterford |
552 |
€ 1,643,527 |
423 |
€ 2,121,868 |
770 |
€ 3,897,327 |
1,488 |
€ 7,124,498 |
104 |
€ 331,847 |
3,337 |
€ 15,119,067 |
|
Co. Westmeath |
262 |
€ 871,359 |
244 |
€ 1,287,696 |
509 |
€ 3,281,493 |
854 |
€ 4,825,047 |
60 |
€ 193,291 |
1,929 |
€ 10,458,887 |
|
Co. Wexford |
517 |
€ 1,631,271 |
605 |
€ 2,706,373 |
1,222 |
€ 5,252,841 |
1,848 |
€ 8,454,538 |
155 |
€ 536,772 |
4,347 |
€ 18,581,795 |
|
Co. Wicklow |
483 |
€ 1,916,755 |
394 |
€ 1,768,960 |
915 |
€ 5,014,969 |
1,627 |
€ 9,765,450 |
155 |
€ 911,937 |
3,574 |
€ 19,378,070 |
|
Total |
17,546 |
€ 51,718,352 |
15,246 |
€ 71,847,902 |
27,200 |
€ 156,267,031 |
47,953 |
€ 270,308,563 |
3,977 |
€ 17,752,150 |
111,922 |
€ 567,893,998 |
Note:
1. Data includes all SEAI retrofit domestic programmes
2. A small fraction of spend for Fully Funded Energy Upgrades will be paid in the subsequent year as homes are counted as completed when the first payment is made (i.e. receives first payment in December and final payment in January).
88. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on a matter (details supplied). [9036/24]
View answerInland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is the State Agency whose remit is provide scientific and management to advice to me, as Minister, on legislative measures to preserve each of the individual salmon stocks around the country. Annual legislation is enacted based on the conservation imperative that exploitation is only permitted, by the most appropriate method, where there is a sufficient surplus of fish above safe biological limits.
The use of monofilament nets was permitted in both Castlemaine and Cork Harbour following a detailed study carried out by IFI and at a time when salmon were more abundant in these areas. This study was submitted to the then Minister in the context of setting out secondary legislation for salmon management.
This method of fishing is currently under review by IFI in the light of the latest data and, for conservation reasons, there are no plans to extend its use to other areas.
89. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to set out the guidelines reported to now be in place for low-usage customers accessing electricity credit payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9057/24]
View answer90. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if there are plans to review the energy credits for properties that were vacant or had low usage; if his attention has been drawn to the fact a lot of vulnerable people were unable to qualify for the energy credit after receiving an offer of social housing from their local authority as some local authority homes were vacant for a lengthy period of time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9138/24]
View answer93. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications further to Parliamentary Question No. 147 of 30 January 2024, the steps a customer can take having already raised the issue with the supplier and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (details supplied). [9331/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 89, 90 and 93 together.
As part of Budget 2024, Government approved a new tranche of Electricity Credits, which over 2.2 million households will benefit from, totalling €450 per household.
Three payments of €150 (including VAT) are being made between December 2023 and April 2024.
The payments are being applied to domestic electricity accounts, including those with Pay As You Go meters, which are subject to distribution use of system charges at the rate for urban domestic customers (DG1) or the rate for rural domestic customers (DG2).
Under Scheme III, usage levels are assessed to ensure that payments are withheld in relation to low usage electricity accounts identified by the distribution system operator, to prevent the payment from being applied to vacant houses.
ESB Networks identified accounts which consumed less than 150 kilowatt hours of electricity per quarter for four consecutive quarters between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023. Domestic electricity accounts flagged as low usage accounts, will not be allocated a payment for that payment period. The payment will not be withheld for accounts with a financial hardship meter, accounts held by registered as a vulnerable customer or accounts which have low usage due to the exporting of energy to the grid through microgeneration.
The Scheme allows for review by a customer’s electricity supplier, if contacted by a customer who has not received the payment. The customer can seek further review by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, which has oversight of the Scheme, following the decision of the electricity supplier. I would encourage any customer who thinks that they should have received the credit to contact their supplier at the first instance, and then the CRU if they have still not received the credit.
The CRU confirmed that as of 12 January 2024, 95.2% of the accounts not designated as low usage accounts received the December payment.
91. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will review correspondence (detail supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9244/24]
View answerThe pricing levels set by telecommunication services providers, including for mobile phone and broadband services, is a matter for those relevant service providers operating in a fully liberalised market regulated by the Commission for Communication Regulation (ComReg). ComReg is statutorily independent in the exercise of its functions in accordance with Section 11 of the 2002 Act and is directly accountable for the performance of its functions to Committees of the Oireachtas in accordance with Section 34(2) of the same Act.
Any proposal to legislate to prevent retail telecoms and broadband providers from offering variable priced contracts based on the Consumer Price Index would require careful consideration. My officials are examining the matter and will also be guided by legal advice on appropriate policy options.
92. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his attention has been drawn to instances of lithium exploration in County Wicklow; the way in which permission is obtained to prospect in this jurisdiction; if he will provide a schedule of the number of licences, to include the location for which he has granted permission to companies and-or individuals to prospect drill here and to include substances being searched for, in each of the years 2020 to date in 2024. [9299/24]
View answerDetails of all prospecting licences are reported to the Oireachtas on a six monthly basis and can be found on gov.ie on the ‘Six Monthly Reports to the Oireachtas on Mineral Exploration and Mining in Ireland’ page. Details in these reports include the name of the companies, the counties, the prospecting licence area numbers, and the minerals being explored under the licences.
All Prospecting Licence (PL) applications are made to the Geoscience Regulation Office (GSRO) of my Department in a prescribed manner, including the provision of information on the proposed work to be carried out, the area of interest, and the mineral for which the company wishes to explore. Prior to my granting any licence, and having conducted environmental screening as part of its evaluation of the licence application, the GSRO advertises my intention to do so on gov.ie, at one or more local places (for example local Garda stations and the relevant county council offices) and, importantly, in newspapers circulating within the locality, to allow the public to make submissions on the granting of the Prospecting Licence. The GSRO allows a 30 day consultation period. All valid submissions are considered in advance of a final decision being made on whether to issue the PL.
All mineral exploration activities take place within a framework of Irish and EU legislation that has been implemented to ensure that the environment is protected. The GSRO publishes Environmental Screening Determinations and Decisions related to mineral exploration activities on www.gov.ie/en/publication/7d726-environmental-screening-determinations-and-decisions/. Specifically, in relation to drilling activities in Co. Wicklow, 6 environmental screenings were carried out from 2020 to 2024 for Prospecting Licence numbers 3850, 4032, 2558. Before any drilling can take place, the consent of the relevant landowner or tenant should be obtained by the PL holder.
94. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the location of the data centre or centres used by his Department; the reason it was chosen; the distance it is from his Department’s offices; if he will identify the centres used by each agency under his Department’s aegis; and the distance these data centres are to their offices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9395/24]
View answerFor operational and security reasons, my Department cannot disclose details of its systems and infrastructure.
