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Climate Action Plan

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 September 2020

Tuesday, 22 September 2020

Questions (70)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

70. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Climate Action and Communication Networks the engagement he has had to date with the north Atlantic seaboard climate action regional office, particularly in respect of climate adaptation at local level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25145/20]

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Oral answers (7 contributions)

What interaction have the Minister or his Department had with the climate action regional office, CARO, which deals with counties Mayo, Galway and Donegal?

In January 2018, my Department entered into a five year financial commitment of €10 million to establish four climate action regional offices, CAROs. One of these CAROs covers the Atlantic seaboard north region, encompassing the local authorities of Galway city and counties Galway, Mayo, Sligo, and Donegal. Mayo County Council is the lead local authority for Atlantic seaboard north CARO. While I have had no direct interaction to date with the north Atlantic seaboard CARO, my Department engages with all four CAROs on a regular basis, in particular through participation in the national local authority climate action steering group, and the CARO steering group, at which all aspects of the CARO work programme are discussed. My Department approves the CARO work programmes and is in frequent contact with each CARO to monitor progress in delivery. Under the national adaptation framework each local authority developed an adaptation strategy. These strategies are now being implemented, and each CARO is working with the local authorities in its region to both facilitate and monitor implementation of the local climate adaptation actions within the strategies.

I left out County Sligo; there are four counties in the region. I have been looking at the local newspaper which has the headline: "Council coffers Covid collapse". There is no money in Galway city. That is one local authority and I am sure it is going to be repeated. A briefing document issued last Monday by Galway County Council set out its strategic projects. There was one little paragraph on climate change in the whole 20-page document. It referred to the regional office, but did so in the context of the need for dedicated staff on the ground and dedicated resources. It set it out absolutely clearly. I am fully on the Minister's side where the need for urgent steps on climate change is concerned - we have no choice about it. Using these words and giving me an answer like that without any recognition that on the ground there are no staff and no resources to implement any plan, not to mention the national adaptation framework to which he referred and which was passed by Galway County Council back in 2019, is disappointing.

It is my intention to try to provide the resources to ensure local authorities can serve their communities by preparing for the climate future that is ahead of us. The Bill I referred to earlier, which will amend the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015, will include provisions about the role of local authorities and strengthening them in the delivery of new climate action plans. As I said, I have not yet had any direct dealings with the CARO representing the Atlantic seaboard north region. However I have had a series of meetings with Galway County Council, Galway Chamber, and environmental and community groups in Galway on a number of related issues. These were partly about the adaptation side but were focused in particular on transport issues in Galway. In those meetings I said we need to transform our vision for development for the region. To be honest, I was shocked when I saw the likes of the Connemara greenway, which was funded by €2 million several years ago and on which there has been no progression to date. Similarly, there was a decision to not progress with the greenway along the Salthill route. Those two routes could connect. Those are two examples of projects which are climate projects in a way, in the sense that they are mitigation projects but they also have potential for providing a really improved local environment, which is what we need to do with climate. As such I encouraged the city manager, the mayor, councillors, chamber of commerce and others to have Galway come forward with applications for projects which will help either with climate mitigation or adaptation. I do not believe lack of funding is the key constraint, but probably a lack of resources at the local level or some other reason local ambition has not yet been as significant as it should be.

I appreciate the Minister's goodwill, but the newspaper is telling us that Galway will not balance its budget next year. The report from Galway County Council is telling us it has the mitigation plan in place but it has no resources. I cannot help but think that this is a huge doubling-up of levels of bureaucracy now that we have regional offices as well. I gather they do good work in collecting data but one wonders why we needed that when we should have just resourced the local authority which is crying out for resources, because it has the plan and everything else.

On the amendment to the 2015 Act, perhaps the Minister will clarify what his response is to the quashing of the national mitigation plan by the Supreme Court. Will he be bringing forward another such plan as a matter of urgency?

It is not part of my question but now that the Minister has mentioned the amendment of the 2015 Act I will ask where is the mitigation plan that has been quashed. What assessment has been done of the resources needed on the ground to make climate action a reality?

I welcomed the Supreme Court judgment at the time and I still do. The amendments we will make to the Act will, I hope, reflect the judgment and set in place, as I said earlier, the graduated budgeting process that would allow us to deliver a step by step approach to meeting our climate targets.

Without being critical of any one council, I should reflect that in the series of meetings I had throughout the country, particularly on the July economic stimulus, I encouraged councils to make as many applications as they could to allow for investment in these climate projects and I said directly at the meetings, and it is on the record, that Galway did not have the most ambitious response. There was no shortage of funds available from central level but, unfortunately, other counties and cities throughout the country were far more ambitious in the applications for funding they made. I cited the example of the Connemara greenway where funding was provided but has not been spent. In many instances I do not believe it is just a lack of funding. There must be some other obstacles that are preventing the development of projects that would be of benefit to the local community and the climate. I raise this because I believe Galway needs to start investing significantly in this. It is not always a lack of central funds that is the obstacle or the problem.

Questions Nos. 75 to 77, inclusive, replied to with Written Answers.

As just a minute and a half remains, I will take a written reply to Question No. 78 and perhaps Deputy Ó Murchú might forego his introduction to Question No. 79.

Question No. 78 replied to with Written Answers.
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