Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 February 2019
529. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the relationship between the national mitigation plan, the national energy and climate plan and the all-of-Government action plan on climate disruption. [8315/19]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, I am currently preparing an All of Government Climate Plan which will set out the actions which must be taken to make Ireland a leader in responding to climate change. I am working with colleagues across Government to develop new initiatives across electricity, transport and heat, as well as a range of other sectors. The All of Government Plan will have a strong focus on implementation, including actions with specific timelines and steps needed to achieve each action, assigning clear lines of responsibility for delivery. It will also be informed by successful approaches in other countries, where such approaches could be adapted for implementation in Ireland. The All of Government Plan will build on the previous actions and framework put in place by both the National Mitigation Plan and the National Development Plan, and is to be completed by the end of March this year.
My Department is also working closely with other relevant Departments and Agencies on the preparation of the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP). The preparation of an NECP is a requirement under EU law and for the first time brings together energy and climate planning into a single reporting framework. A draft of Ireland’s NECP was published by my Department in December 2018 for public consultation and a final version must be submitted to the European Commission by the end of 2019. I intend that new commitments to be included in the All of Government Plan will also inform the finalisation of the NECP during the course of 2019.
