Written Answers Nos. 1268-1289
1268. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his Department has an updated position subsequent to April 2014 regarding the proposed renewable energy export policy and development framework; if he has had further discussions with his UK counterpart regarding same in the interim period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54659/17]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Energy Co-operation with the UK Government in January 2013, a joint programme of work was undertaken to consider how Irish renewable energy resources, onshore and offshore, might be developed to the mutual benefit of both Ireland and the UK. Economic analysis conducted by the Department at the time clearly indicated that, under agreed policy and regulatory conditions, renewable energy trading could deliver significant economic benefits to Ireland and the UK, as well as being attractive to developers. However, subsequent to this, given the economic, policy and regulatory complexities involved, and some key decisions that were not taken by the UK to progress energy trading, delivery of renewable energy trading with the UK by 2020 is not considered a realistic proposition and the matter has not progressed any further since then.
1269. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding broadband speed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54693/17]
View answerThe Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector so that today over 67% of the 2.3m premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband and this is set to increase to 77% (1.8m premises) by the end of 2018 and to more than 90% (2.1m premises) by the end of 2020. In April 2017, I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).
The Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode:
- The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP and are the subject of an ongoing procurement process.
- The BLUE represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services.
- The Light BLUE areas represent eir's commercial rural deployment plans to rollout high speed broadband to 300,000 premises by the end of 2018 as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with me in April.
The premises referred to by the Deputy falls within an AMBER area and will be able to access a high speed broadband connection via the planned State led intervention under the NBP. I note that the premises is close to eir's ongoing rural deployment of high speed broadband to 300,000 premises. However, decisions made by private telecommunication operators relating to the rollout and siting of infrastructure to provide high speed broadband services are undertaken on a commercial basis by competing service providers operating in a liberalised market and are not decisions in which I have a statutory role.
My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company or companies who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. That procurement process is now at an advanced stage. “Detailed Solutions” submitted by two bidders last September are being evaluated by the NBP specialist team. This is the last stage of the procurement process before moving to the final tender stage and subsequently the appointment of a preferred bidder or bidders. My Department will engage with the winning bidder(s) to ensure the most efficient deployment as part of the contract.
The NBP State led intervention will play an integral role in revitalising businesses across provincial towns and rural Ireland. It will allow rural businesses, such as small enterprises and family farms, to operate and do business on-line as required. Delivering connectivity to the 542,000 premises that fall within the State led intervention under the NBP remains a Government priority and my Department will engage with the winning bidder(s) to ensure the most efficient deployment as part of the contract.
In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.
Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen. These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities. The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure. There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.
1270. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the name and number of organisations in receipt of funding from his Department that have expended resources seeking the repeal of the eighth amendment; the amount of funding these organisations have received from the State in the past five years; the amount of money they have spent on this particular campaign during that time; the number of organisations in receipt of funding from his Department that have expended resources seeking the retention of the eighth amendment; the amount of funding these organisations have received from the State in the past five years; and the amount of money they have spent on this particular campaign during that time. [54761/17]
View answerMy Department has not made any payments during the period concerned to the organisations set out in the list provided by the Deputy to my officials on 12th January 2018.
1271. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when a company (details supplied) in County Meath can expect to have good quality and reliable broadband; and his views on whether existing poor broadband is severely affecting the ability of businesses to achieve their targets. [54899/17]
View answerThe Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector so that today over 67% of the 2.3m premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband and this is set to increase to 77% (1.8m premises) by the end of 2018 and to 90% (2.1m premises) by the end of 2020. In April I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).
The Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode:
- The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP and are the subject of an ongoing procurement process.
- The BLUE represents those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services.
- The Light BLUE areas represent eir's commercial rural deployment plans to rollout high speed broadband to 300,000 premises by the end of 2018 as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with me last April.
The premises of the company referred to by the Deputy is in an AMBER area.
My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company or companies who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. That procurement process is now at an advanced stage. “Detailed Solutions” submitted by two bidders last September are being evaluated by the NBP specialist team. The next stage in the procurement process is the receipt of final tenders followed by the appointment of a preferred bidder(s) and contract signature.
My Department will engage with the winning bidder(s) to ensure the most efficient deployment as part of the contract.
I recognise the importance of availability of high speed connectivity for all businesses in Ireland and the frustration for those that do not currently have access to this level of connectivity. The NBP state led intervention will play an integral role in revitalising businesses across provincial towns and rural Ireland. It will allow rural businesses, such as small enterprises and family farms, to operate and do business on-line as required. Delivering connectivity to the 542,000 premises that fall within the State led intervention under the NBP remains a Government priority.
In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.
Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen. These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities. The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure. There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.
1272. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the possible dissolution of an RTÉ concert orchestra would have to be sanctioned by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54912/17]
View answerUnder Section 114 of the Broadcasting Act 2009, RTÉ is obliged to establish and maintain orchestras, choirs and other cultural performing groups. It is a matter for the board of RTÉ to decide the manner in which it ensures its statutory obligations are met and performed efficiently and effectively. The BAI undertakes an annual assessment of RTÉ’s performance against its performance commitments in the year under review. In this context, the BAI may take a view on the achievement of the broadcaster’s statutory objects and its performance against its commitments. However, the BAI does not have a decision-making role in relation to the RTE orchestras.
1275. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the conditions eel fishermen must meet to qualify for compensation will be clarified. [55089/17]
View answer1276. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the number of fishermen who are involved in the eel fishing compensation scheme will be clarified. [55090/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1275 and 1276 together.
I recognise fully the difficulty faced by eel fishermen. However, there is no property right attaching to public eel licences and, consequently, the issue of compensation does not arise. Notwithstanding this, criteria for a potential support measure for former licenced eel fishermen are being examined.
Ireland’s Eel Management Plan (EMP), including the closure of commercial fishing, was originally approved by the European Commission under EU Regulation 1100/2007. In that regard, consultation and discussion with the European Commission is required before the terms and conditions for, or the prospective number of participants in, any potential support measure can be elaborated on. It is also likely that consultation with the Reven ue Commissioners will be required.
1277. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on the construction of a project (details supplied) being carried out in a particular area; his further views on whether this will impact the area in question; and the status of this project. [55095/17]
View answerThe Celtic Interconnector is an estimated €1 billion electricity interconnector jointly proposed by EirGrid and their French counterparts, the French transmission system operator, RTÉ (Reseau de Transporte d’Électricite). It is proposed as a 500km long (subsea), 700MW high voltage direct current line that would run from the north-west coast of France to Ireland’s south coast. At this scale it would be able to provide electricity for some 450,000 homes. The Celtic Interconnector has the potential to provide a reliable high-capacity electricity link between Ireland and France that would have significant benefits for the people of Ireland. The project would provide access to the European electricity market, leading to expected increased competition and lower prices in Ireland. It would also improve security of electricity supply and facilitate increased capacity for renewable energy here via export access to the mainland European markets.
Assessment by EirGrid via independent consultants has comprehensively examined two potential landing points, east Cork and west Wexford. The anlaysis suggested that an east Cork connection point may be more efficient and EirGrid have shared the findings of the assessment via public consultation.
There remain a number of potential landing sites being considered under the current phase of the project and convertor stations would need to be built at either end of the line. I understand that EirGrid's consultants have carried out a variety of land studies considering environmental, technical and planning constraints in their consideration of landing and connection points. In addition, whilst a full marine study of the potentail route has already been undertaken, further marine studies near the shore are planned. EirGrid has also carried out a social impact assessment screening process that has led to a formal social impact assessment of the project. Naturally, EirGrid as project promoter would have to meet all environmental and planning requirements in progressing the project.
The project is currently in the initial design and pre-consultation phase and there are a variety of approvals required including regulatory and planning consents, before construction could commence. The interconnector is currently planned to be operational in 2025-26.
1278. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will address a matter (details supplied); if a meeting will be facilitated on the matter; if so, the date for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55172/17]
View answerIn 2017 I met with colleagues from across the political spectrum on two occasions on this project - 8th February and 16th May. These engagements were important in my decision to commission two independent studies into the project. The first is examining the technical feasibility and cost of undergrounding the interconnector and the second is focused on the compensation provided to land and property owners in proximity to high-voltage transmission lines in a European context.
I will of course be happy to meet with colleagues again on this issue and my office will make the arrangements for a meeting in the coming weeks.
1279. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the vacant properties and land not in use, owned, rented or leased by his Department or by bodies and agencies under the aegis of his Department by square footage for buildings and acres for land, in tabular form; the address and location of these properties; and the last date of occupancy or use of these properties. [55207/17]
View answerAll property occupied by my Department is either leased or owned by the Office of Public Works and my Department has no vacant property or land holdings.
The information sought by the Deputy regarding the bodies under the aegis of my Department is an operational matter for each organisation. I will request the relevant bodies to reply directly to the Deputy on the matter.
1280. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a proposal (details supplied) by Monaghan County Council will be considered. [55255/17]
View answerIn April I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP). The Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode:
- The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP and are the subject of an ongoing procurement process.
- The BLUE represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services.
- The Light BLUE areas represent eir's commercial rural deployment plans to rollout high speed broadband to 300,000 premises by the end of this year as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with me in April.
There are approximately 33,000 premises in Monaghan. Just over 15,600 (47%) fall within the AMBER area and will be covered under the State led Intervention. Nearly 14,000 (42%) of premises are in a BLUE area and are, or will be, covered by commercial providers, while approximately 3,500 (11%) are LIGHT BLUE and fall to be covered by eir's planned rural deployment.
Under this rural deployment, eir is bound to provide access to the premises included in the LIGHT BLUE areas of the Map, including the 3,500 premises in Co Monaghan. My Department is in regular contact with eir in relation this work and will continue this engagement with the aim of ensuring the requirements of the Commitment Agreement are met. According to information submitted to the Department as of September 2017, eir has already passed over 1,200 premises in Monaghan as part of their rural deployment of high speed broadband.
1281. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his Department’s estimate of the percentage and number of households and the corresponding number of persons living in energy poverty here; the basis on which these figures have been calculated; and the way in which this compares with previous estimates and with rates in comparable countries. [1033/18]
View answerThe Government’s first energy poverty strategy -the Affordable Energy Strategy used the expenditure method of calculating energy poverty. This looks at the proportion of household income (net of housing costs) that is devoted to meeting energy needs. If a household needs to spend more than 10% of their income on energy they are considered to be in energy poverty, with the severity of energy poverty increasing as the proportion of income spent on energy increases. It was calculated in that strategy that slightly over 20% of all households in the State were potentially in energy poverty in 2009. There are limitations to the expenditure method of calculating energy poverty. In particular, analysing what people actually spend on energy may deliver an inadequate picture of energy poverty since many of those in energy poverty may be living in homes that are inadequately heated. The Government’s second, and current Strategy to Combat Energy Poverty2016-2019, was accompanied by the publication of an assessment of the level, and extent, of energy poverty in Ireland using an objective methodology. This methodology looked at modelled fuel expenditure as a proportion of income using Household Budget Survey data adjusted for inflation, data from the BER register and a residential building stock model developed by Element Energy on behalf of SEAI. This was used to estimate the percentage of households in particular categories (e.g. living in detached houses) whose required energy spend (required to keep their home adequately heated) exceeds certain thresholds (10%, 15%, 20%). This analysis which is available at https://www.dccae.gov.ie/en-ie/energy/topics/Energy-Efficiency/energy-costs/Pages/Energy-Poverty-Strategy.aspx found that 28% of households in Ireland could be in energy poverty, and that social housing and homes heated via oil and solid fuels are more likely to be in energy poverty.
In terms of comparable countries the EU-wide Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) asks respondents whether they were unable to keep their household adequately warm. The latest data from the SILC finds that 5.8% of people surveyed in Ireland reported in 2016 that they were unable to afford to keep the home adequately warm, a decrease on the 2015 figure of 9%. This is below the EU average of 8.7% and slightly below the UK figure of 6.1%. One advantage of using a subjective measure of energy poverty like this question in the SILC is that it is undertaken annually and is conducted EU-wide. This facilitates comparisons across EU states, providing a benchmark for Government efforts in addressing energy poverty. However, self-reported energy poverty may give misleading impressions to policy makers on the extent of energy poverty. The findings of the SILC, and the study for the current Strategy referenced above yield very different results and points to the need for further work to increase our understanding of the extent of energy poverty in Ireland. My Department is planning to undertake this work in 2018.
The EU’s clean energy legislation package, currently under negotiation,will form the basis for energy policy in the EU post 2020. The package includes related proposals on energy poverty, including a requirement on Member States to measure and report on national objectives with regard to energy poverty, as well as the number of households affected by energy poverty. Ireland has been supportive of this proposal. If it is accepted it will mean that there will be more robust measurement of levels of energy poverty. This will facilitate better comparisons across Member States as well as sharing of best practice in how to alleviate it.
1282. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he has satisfied himself with the amount of waste material that is recycled here in view of recent announcements that certain types of materials that are widely recycled elsewhere, such as soft plastic bags and film packaging, will not be accepted. [1041/18]
View answer1283. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to introduce additional measures or investment to increase the types of material that Ireland's recycling system can process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1042/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1282 and 1283 together.
Under the EU Packaging Directive, at least 60% of Ireland’s packaging waste must be recovered and 55% must be recycled. Ireland has met and exceeded the overall packaging waste recovery rate and the recycling rate targets since they came into force. The most recent Waste Packaging Statistics for Ireland, published by the EPA in May 2016, show that Ireland’s recovery rate has gone from 70% in 2009 to 88% in 2013; and Ireland’s recycling rate has gone from 65% in 2009 to 70% in 2013.
My role as Minister is to provide a comprehensive legislative and waste policy framework to ensure that, inter alia, waste is managed in line with the waste hierarchy, whereby the prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling and recovery of waste are prioritised over the landfill of waste.
The collection and processing of waste, including recyclable waste, is largely undertaken by the private sector. Up until last year, different collectors accepted different items for recycling, which lead to some confusion on which items go in which bin. Now however, following co-operation between my Department, the regulatory authorities, the waste industry, Repak and environmental NGOs, we have a single, standard national list of items and materials that can be placed in the recycle bin. Removing confusion will play a huge role in improving the quality of the material presented for recycling. This will help to ensure that these items are actually recycled, as opposed to being contaminated accidentally by householders and sent to landfill.
Supporting householders to 'do the right thing' in terms of recycling is important. In addition to simplifying the household recycle bin, this is also being achieved though awareness and education initiatives such as the Recycling Ambassadors Programme and recyclinglistireland.ie. These measures will reduce contamination rates and ensure higher quality recycling, reduce our impact on the environment and leave Ireland in a more competitive position in terms of securing markets for our recyclate.
Notwithstanding the above, recycling in Ireland and indeed across the world is evolving. The finalisation of the Circular Economy package and the Strategy on Plastics at EU level in the coming weeks, as well as our ambitious national waste policy which aims to prevent and recycle more waste, means that all matters recycling related, including the 'recycling list', will be kept under review in conjunction with the key stakeholders.
1284. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the grants and support schemes that are available to new companies in the renewable energy sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1044/18]
View answerThere are a number of grants and support schemes which enable companies to choose renewable energy options. In addition to benefiting the companies availing of these programmes and schemes, the resulting increased demand for renewable energy and energy efficient technologies also benefits the companies which supply these products and services. The Accelerated Capacity Allowances scheme is a tax incentive whereby businesses can offset the cost of investment in qualifying energy technologies against their tax liabilities in year one rather than over eight years, thus aiding their cash flow. The scheme currently covers 10 different equipment categories and 52 associated technologies. This includes renewable energy technologies such as wind turbines, photovoltaic systems, biomass boilers and solar thermal collectors.
The Excellence in Energy Efficient Design programme provides advice and support leading to certification for businesses to establish a systematic approach to design, construction, and commissioning processes for new investments and upgrades to existing assets. This scheme has delivered impressive efficiency improvements in recent years. Results achieved over the 2016-17 period show average energy efficiencies of 28% being achieved.
The Better Energy Communities programme is open to applications that include businesses. Under this scheme, community based partnerships can apply for funding to upgrade the energy performance of a range of homes, community facilities and businesses in a local community. As well as energy efficiency measures, renewable technologies such as solar panels are supported under this scheme. The scheme has supported more than 300 community energy projects over the last five years throughout the country. There is €28 million available in grant supports for community energy projects under the 2018 scheme. The closing date for applications is 26 January 2018.
Budget 2018 contained a package of measures to support the increased deployment of electric vehicles. One of those measures aimed specifically at businesses is the new Benefit-in-Kind 0% rate to incentivise EVs without mileage conditions with the stated intention of continuing the incentive for a minimum of three years. The rules will also ensure that there is no Benefit-in-Kind liability associated with recharging electric vehicles in workplaces. In addition, the Electric Vehicle Public Engagement Programme currently being developed by the SEAI will include commercial fleet trials as well as an awareness campaign to highlight the benefits of electric vehicles and the supports that are available.
My Department is developing a new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme which will be designed to assist Ireland in meeting its renewable energy contribution to EU-wide targets out to 2030. The design of the new scheme has included an extensive independent economic appraisal. This appraisal compared the cost of supporting a range of commercial renewable technologies, including Solar PV, Anaerobic Digestion, Wind Energy at various scales including small and micro-generation, to ensure that the new scheme delivers value for money for energy users whilst also delivering on the energy pillars of sustainability and security of supply. The assessment also included analysis of the optimum financial support mechanisms for renewable technologies, in line with the 2014 EU State Aid Guidelines.
I recently announced the planned introduction of a Support Scheme for Renewable Heat. The scheme is designed to financially support the replacement of fossil fuel heating systems with renewable energy for commercial, industrial, agricultural, district heating, public sector and other non-domestic businesses. The scheme will consist of two types of support mechanism – an operational support (paid for up to 15 years) for biomass heating systems or anaerobic digestion heating systems; and a grant to support investment in renewable heating systems that use heat pumps. The scheme will contribute to meeting Ireland’s renewable energy and emission reduction targets. In addition, by providing a market for crops such as biomass and waste products from forestry, agriculture and food production, the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat presents a key opportunity for the domestic bioenergy sector. This will have significant benefits for farmers, foresters and rural communities.
1285. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the date by which high-speed broadband will be provided to a location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1081/18]
View answerThe Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector so that today over 67% of the 2.3m premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband and this is set to increase to 77% (1.8m premises) by the end of 2018 and to 90% (2.1m premises) by the end of 2020. In April I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).
The Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode:
- The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP and are the subject of an ongoing procurement process.
- The BLUE represents those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services.
- The Light BLUE areas represent eir's commercial rural deployment plans to rollout high speed broadband to 300,000 premises by the end of 2018 as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with me in April.
The premises referred to by the Deputy is in an AMBER area.
My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company or companies who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. That procurement process is now at an advanced stage. "Detailed Solutions” submitted by two bidders last September are being evaluated by the NBP specialist team. The next stage in the procurement process is the receipt of final tenders followed by the appointment of a preferred bidder(s) and contract signature.
My Department will engage with the winning bidder(s) to ensure the most efficient deployment as part of the contract.
In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.
Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen. These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities. The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure. There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.
1286. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated cost of extending the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, electric vehicle grant in each of the years 2020 to 2022. [1145/18]
View answer1287. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the annual expenditure on the SEAI grant scheme for plug-in electrical, PEV, and HBEV vehicles in each year since its introduction; the amount that was spent each year on battery electric, BEVs, and plug-in hybrid electric, PHEVs, respectively; and the average grant amount for each of PHEVs and BEVs. [1146/18]
View answer1306. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount his Department has earmarked for the installation of home charge points for electric vehicles in 2018; the amount spent on same in 2017, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1619/18]
View answer1307. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount his Department has earmarked for public awareness campaigns on electric vehicles in 2018; the amount his Department spent on same in 2017, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1621/18]
View answer1308. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount his Department has earmarked for the expansion of the public electric vehicle charger network; the amount his Department has spent on same in each of the years from 2011 to 2017 and to date in 2018, by year and expenditure on regular versus rapid chargers, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1622/18]
View answer1309. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his Department is considering initiatives or measures to make it more convenient for residents in apartment blocks to install electric vehicle chargers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1623/18]
View answer1310. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the ownership status of the State’s electric vehicle infrastructure. [1624/18]
View answer1337. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on whether the recent decision by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (details supplied) to prevent ESB networks from using distribution use of system, DUoS, charges to fund electric vehicle-charging infrastructure will result in user charges for electric vehicle users; and, if so, his plans to introduce financial supports to minimise or eliminate user charges. [1999/18]
View answer1338. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on the future ownership of the electric vehicle-charging infrastructure; and his plans to expand or upgrade the infrastructure, with particular regard to fast chargers. [2000/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1286, 1287, 1306 to 1310, inclusive, 1337 and 1338 together.
The Electric Vehicle Purchase Grant, introduced in April 2011, provides grant aid of up to €5,000 towards the purchase of a new Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) or new Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV). From the introduction of the scheme to the end of 2017, grant support has been provided for the purchase of a total of 2,636 new vehicles at a cost of €12.36 million in grant support. Almost €4.3 million was provided in 2017 to support the purchase of 908 new electric vehicles. The table shows details of the number of electric vehicles supported each year, the cost in that year, the breakdown between BEVs and PHEVs, and the average grant amount per vehicle.
|
Year |
No of Grants |
Amount (Euro) |
% BEVs |
% PHEVs |
Average grant amount per vehicle (Euro) |
|
2011 |
42 |
198,000 |
100% |
0% |
4,714 |
|
2012 |
183 |
767,400 |
100% |
0% |
4,193 |
|
2013 |
53 |
242,200 |
98% |
2% |
4,570 |
|
2014 |
257 |
1,203,400 |
86% |
14% |
4,682 |
|
2015 |
555 |
2,647,800 |
85% |
15% |
4,771 |
|
2016 |
638 |
3,038,800 |
61% |
39% |
4,763 |
|
2017 |
908 |
4,262,000 |
68% |
32% |
4,694 |
The grant scheme will continue with €6 million allocated in my Department’s budget this year. This provides a 40% increase on the level of expenditure in 2017. The scheme will be kept under review in relation to funding and grant amounts for future years. As the purchase grant scheme is demand-led it is not possibly to accurately predict how many vehicles will be supported in future years.
Budget 2018 also contained a number of new measures to encourage the take-up of electric vehicles.
The new Electric Vehicle Home Charger Grant scheme , which came into operation on 1 January 2018, supports the cost of installing a home charger up to a maximum of €600. Up to the end of 2017, the ESB, through its eCars programme, had provided home charge points to purchasers of new electric vehicles. The new grant scheme applies to both new and second hand BEVs and PHEVs.
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland are currently developing an Electric Vehicle Public Engagement Programme which will include an awareness campaign; a driver experience roadshow which will give people the opportunity to drive an electric vehicle and experience the benefits for themselves; and public sector and commercial fleet trials. This programme will be rolled out throughout 2018.
Funding has also been allocated to support the provision of public charging, with a particular focus on increasing the number of rapid chargers.
The allocations provided for these three measures in 2018 are listed in the table. As these measures are new initiatives, no budget allocations were provided in previous years.
|
2018 allocations |
Current (€m) |
Capital (€m) |
Total (€m) |
|
Electric Vehicle Home Charger Grant |
0.1 |
1.0 |
1.1 |
|
Electric Vehicle Public Charging Support |
0.3 |
1.5 |
1.8 |
|
Electric Vehicle Public Awareness Programme |
0.3 |
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The ESB, through its eCars programme, has rolled out both publicly accessible charging infrastructure and domestic charge points for electric vehicles. There are approximately 900 EV charge points in Ireland of which circa 70 are rapid chargers.
In March 2014, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities approved an application from ESB Networks to recover the costs of a pilot project to a maximum of €25 million from use of system charges to cover the rollout of this infrastructure. Following a public consultation process, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities published its independent regulatory decision in relation to the ownership of this infrastructure in October 2017. A key outcome of the decision is that the charging network should not form part of the regulated asset base and therefore expansions of the network should not be funded from network charges. This is in keeping with the proposals set out by the European Commission in the Clean Energy for All Europeans package which was published in 2016.
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities also envisages the future sale of the infrastructure by ESB Networks. However, the continued ownership of the charging network by ESB Networks for a transitional period of up to ten years is provided for. This ensures no short to medium term impact on the electric vehicle charging infrastructure and allows the ESB to continue to provide electric vehicle charging across Ireland.
The decision also set out the need for the electric vehicle charging infrastructure to operate on a commercial basis. Currently, recharging electric vehicles at public charge points is free and unlimited. The Deputy will appreciate, however, that free fuel for electric vehicles, funded by electricity consumers, is not sustainable in the longer term as the number of EVs increases. At the same time, it is important that if payments for use of public charge points are introduced in the future, they are at a level which does not disincentivise the uptake of electric vehicles.
The Low Emissions Vehicle Taskforce, which is co-chaired by my Department and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, is considering a range of measures and options available to Government to accelerate the deployment of electric vehicles. A key focus of the work of the Taskforce is examining options for infrastructure, regulation and pricing in order to devise a sustainable policy framework for effective and efficient electric vehicle charging. This includes examining options for providing convenient charging for apartment dwellers and other homeowners who do not have access to off street parking.
1288. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount of funding his Department is providing to the green climate fund in 2018; if this is his Department's only contribution to overseas climate adaptation and mitigation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1147/18]
View answerI refer to the replies to Questions Nos. 397 of 29 November 2017 and 595 of 14 December 2017. As set out in reply to these questions, Ireland made a commitment at the Paris Climate Change Conference in November 2015 to provide at least €175 million in public funding in support of climate action in developing countries between 2016 and 2020. This support will be provided primarily for bilateral assistance in respect of climate change adaptation goals in developing countries and will come from the Vote of Irish Aid managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In addition, Ireland committed to commencing contributions to the Green Climate Fund in 2016 with a view to building up our support over the coming years.
An initial contribution to the Green Climate Fund of €2 million was made from my Department's Vote in 2016, as part of an overall amount of €52.66 million provided by Ireland in public financial support to address climate change in developing countries in 2016.
At the twenty-third Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, (UNFCCC COP 23) in November 2017, I announced that a further contribution of €2 million would be made by the Government to the Green Climate Fund in 2017. This is part of a package of additional funding by my Department totalling €2.5 million in 2017, which also included support for the UNFCCC’s Adaptation Fund, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the NDC Partnership.
While no decisions have yet been taken in respect of contributions for 2018, any such decisions will take account Ireland’s commitments, referred to above, regarding building up its support to the Green Climate Fund in the coming years.
1289. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the cost of establishing a bottle deposit scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1148/18]
View answerThe “International Review of Waste Management Policy”, published in 2009, was a major review of waste management policy in Ireland. This report was commissioned by the then Minister for the Environment John Gormley. It reported on a deposit and refund scheme stating “the evidence is not sufficiently strong to support a recommendation of this nature, principally because the information regarding implementation costs is not such that the costs can be said to unequivocally justify the benefits”.
In July 2014, the then Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan published a Review of the Producer Responsibility Initiative model in Ireland. As part of this review, a wider examination of issues within the packaging sphere, which includes bottles, was undertaken and consideration was given to the introduction of a deposit and refund scheme. The review report did not recommend the introduction of a deposit and refund scheme and concluded that to establish such a scheme was inappropriate, in view of the operation of the existing successful packaging scheme.
A feasibility study identified - based on practice overseas, previous relevant studies, and stakeholder consultations – the projected financial implications of introducing a deposit and refund scheme in Scotland. The identified costs are:
- One-off set up costs = £15m sterling
- Machine take back (p.a.) = £29m
- Manual take back (p.a.) = £8m
- Logistics (p.a.) = £20m
- Counting centres (p.a.) = £3m
- Administration (p.a.) = £3m
That is £78 million pounds sterling – in excess of €88 million.
Deputy Eamon Ryan and Green Party Leader when introducing a Private Members’ Bill on the subject, suggested a deposit and refund scheme would cost €276 million to implement in Ireland. A study investigating the possible introduction in the UK puts a figure of €790 million per year.
There is a lack of clarity around the costs associated with the introduction of a deposit and return scheme. Without a complete understanding of the cost implications on the taxpayer, on employers, on retailers and on customers it would be financially reckless of me to proceed with its introduction here without proper scrutiny. Our national approach to date for dealing with waste packaging has been based around the Extended Producer Responsibility principle – EPR. EPR seeks to ensure that the producer of a product bears a significant portion of the cost of dealing with the waste disposal of the product they supply. In Ireland this has been done very effectively through a producer funded compliance scheme, operated by Repak. Similar schemes operate in other waste streams such as batteries, waste electronic and electrical goods, farm plastics and end-of-life vehicles.
Notwithstanding this, on foot of a Private Members Bill tabled by Deputy Ryan, I have asked the Joint Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment to look at the merits of a deposit and refund scheme at a national level in the context of the associated costs and the contribution it could make in achieving our national waste targets under EU legislation.
In a 2014 Review of the Producer Responsibility Initiative model, it was concluded that Ireland has achieved significant progress in recent years in recovering and recycling packaging waste.
