Written Answers Nos. 38-55
38. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if further advance facilities will be considered in respect of County Kerry in view of the relatively poor performance of the county in relation to foreign direct investment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40395/21]
View answerIDA Ireland staff across the globe are conscious of the importance and impact of winning investments to locations such as Kerry and other regional locations.
The IDA Ireland Strategy 2021-2024 includes a commitment to build a new (second) Advance Technology Building in Tralee. The site selection process is already underway for this building. While it will take time to secure planning permission and construct the building, it is a strong statement of continued commitment to Kerry to support the winning of new investments.
IDA Ireland’s Strategy 2021-2024 sets a target of 800 investments for Ireland over the period, 400 of which will be outside Dublin. Each region has its own individual target over the strategy, with the South West Region (Kerry and Cork) having the largest target of any region outside Dublin of 118 investments.
IDA Ireland is operating in a very challenging environment over the past 18 months with little or no international travel globally as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic. However, IDA continues to engage with new companies on promoting Ireland as a location for their business, utilising virtual site visits as opposed to physical site visits. In June 2021, IDA Ireland organised a virtual site visit for a US company showcasing Kerry for a potential project. IDA will continue to position Kerry for more of these virtual site visits over the rest of 2021.
39. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if interest has been expressed by any potential investors in relation to a site registered with Enterprise Ireland and the IDA (details supplied); if so, if he will provide details of the inquiries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40396/21]
View answerThe property mentioned is not under the ownership of IDA Ireland or Enterprise Ireland. However, the IDA has included it in its suite of property marketing material for clients looking at this location. The IDA has not been made aware of any potential project for the facility. Enterprise Ireland will also continue to market this location as a potential site in the Kerry region.
40. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the funding that has been allocated by his Department for projects and initiatives in County Tipperary over the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40497/21]
View answerThe past 12 months have been unprecedented in terms of supports offered to businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside the normal enterprise supports that continued to be provided by my Department.
Enterprise Ireland (EI), an Agency of my Department, have paid out a total of €10,009,199 to companies in Co. Tipperary over the last 12 months, these figures exclude infrastructural clients, recipients of DTIF; Employment Subsidy Schemes I and II, Community Enterprise Centres and Shannon Free Zone transfer companies, and Innovation Partnerships & Innovation Vouchers.
Under my Department’s Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF) administered by Enterprise Ireland, over the three calls to date, the Mid-West region has secured total funding of over €15 million across eight projects. Two Tipperary based projects, the Irish Bioeconomy Foundation and Tipperary Innovation Engine secured a total of over €5.1m under the fund. Please see supplementary table for the breakdown of the Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF) details for Co. Tipperary and projects with an element in Tipperary but not based there.
The COVID-19 Online Retail Scheme, administered by Enterprise Ireland on my Department’s behalf is to support companies in the indigenous retail sector who have already started an online journey and to further enhance and strengthen their online presence. To date there have been three competitive calls under the COVID-19 Online Retail Scheme. The total amount of grants awarded to businesses in Tipperary over the 3 calls is €450,073.
The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) is the “First Stop Shop” for anyone seeking information and support on starting or growing a business in Ireland. LEO Tipperary received a total of funding (including non-pay and capital) for the year 2020 of - €3,823,645 and for 2021 of - €2,507,599 giving a total allocated of €6,331,244.
The IDA are the Agency principally tasked with attracting foreign direct investment to Ireland, there are currently 12 IDA Client companies in Tipperary, employing 4,180 people. Grants paid in a particular year are not necessarily linked to either the investments won, or the jobs created in that 12-month period. Grants are generally drawn down over the lifetime of a project which is normally over a period of three to five years. Some investments which result in job creation may not be grant aided and some well-established firms may no longer be receiving grant payments. The latest available figures for IDA grant assistance to county Tipperary are that for the 12 months to 31 December 2020 the total IDA grants paid to Co. Tipperary amounted to €4,792,342.
The Restart Grant and Restart Grant Plus Scheme was introduced by Government as part of the package of COVID-19 enterprise measures in 2020, to help with the cost of reopening or adapting business premises so that normal business could resume. Funding was provided for this purpose by my Department to the Local Authorities who administered the Scheme. The Scheme closed to applications on 31st October 2020. Within the Tipperary Local Authority area 4,273 grants were paid to a value of €20,401,593.
In relation to the Small Business Assistance Scheme COVID (SBASC) and funding provided in Co. Tipperary, under Phase 1- €336,000 was paid, under Phase 2 - € 428,000 was paid giving a total of €764,000 funding paid to businesses in Co. Tipperary.
I remain committed in ensuring continued support to all regions of our country.
41. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of short-term and long-term jobs created from each existing data centre in Ireland in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40577/21]
View answerThe Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment does not collect or store the type of detailed information requested on data centre location and employment by data centre. While not all data centres are operated by multi-national firms, IDA Ireland has further advised me that it does not maintain a register of data centres.
In terms of full-time permanent employment in the data centres themselves, it is estimated that each data centre requires between 30 and 50 well paid and secure direct jobs in roles such as management, IT and systems engineers, mechanical and electrical maintenance and repair management. However around 20,000 direct jobs in the Irish economy are supported by those who operate large data centre infrastructure here. The wider technology sector in Ireland employs in excess of 150,000 people.
Data centres are an increasingly important part of the digital and communications sectors and are core infrastructure in remote working and our increasingly digital services economy. Data centres facilitate critical functions such as e-commerce, payroll processing, securities transactions, banking, fraud protection, telecommunications, content streaming, and disaster recovery services. Indeed, the important economic and societal role of data services, such as, video calls, streaming services, and other remote work technology has become ever more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data centres securely store and manage the data which keeps much of our information-based economy and society moving.
42. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the last occasion on which a Department-wide review of all funding within his Department took place; the frequency of such reviews; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40633/21]
View answerAs part of the programme of Public Sector Review following on from the financial crash, a process of Comprehensive Spending Reviews was instigated for all Government Departments. The first round of such Reviews were conducted over the budgetary period 2012-2014. The second such round of Reviews covered the period 2015 to 2017. My Department used both these series of Reviews to review expenditure across all of our programmes so as to ensure that the best value for money was being achieved from the public monies provided to our Vote.
Aside from the series of Comprehensive Spending Reviews, the public sector reform programme also introduced a series of rolling, selective reviews to cover the totality of Government spending. The Spending Review process allows for the systematic examination of existing spending programmes to assess their effectiveness in meeting policy objectives and also to identify scope for re-allocating funding to meet expenditure priorities. My Department has engaged intensively with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and particularly with Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) of that Department in the various Spending Review rounds since their inception. As parts of these Reviews, evaluations of a number of the Department’s programmes have been carried out by both the Department and by IGEES. The Reports of these evaluations can be accessed on the IGEES website.
Aside from the foregoing reviews, my Department regularly engages with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to the various programmes being funded through our Vote.
It is important that Government Departments systematically examine their spending programmes to assess their effectiveness in meeting policy objectives and achieving the best value for money. My Department is fully committed to doing so through the aforementioned Spending Reviews and related processes.
43. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the 2018 Government policy statement on the role of data centres in the enterprise strategy has been assessed in the context of projected energy demand, climate emissions and environmental impacts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40664/21]
View answerIn June 2018, my Department published the ‘Government Statement on the Role of Data Centres in Ireland’s Enterprise Policy’, which sets out the strategic importance of data centres to Ireland’s overarching enterprise policy and attracting foreign investment in the ICT sector. The Statement was developed following an agreement of the Government, in October 2017, to create a strategic policy framework to support the continued development of data centres in Ireland. The Government Statement highlights that data centre presence in Ireland raises our visibility internationally as a technology-rich, innovative economy. This in turn places Ireland on the map as a location of choice for a broad range of sectors and activities which are increasingly reliant on digital capabilities including manufacturing, animation, retail, medical devices and financial services.
The Statement itself acknowledges that, as large consumers of electricity, data centres also pose challenges to the capacity of our electricity grid and the future planning and operation of a sustainable power system. It commits that enterprise policy will seek to ensure that any downside costs of growing energy demand are minimised by encouraging data centre investments in regions where we have infrastructure capacity to facilitate investments of this scale, and where they contribute to regional development and create high quality, sustainable jobs.
The ‘Government Statement on the Role of Data Centres in Ireland’s Enterprise Policy’ does not include a detailed analysis of the requirements of our electricity infrastructure or renewable energy targets, as these necessarily require a wider technical analysis, beyond one sector, and are more appropriately the work of Eirgrid, ESB Networks, their regulator the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, and electricity policy broadly under the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.
My Department and I are acutely aware of the challenges that significant electricity demand growth poses for the management of Ireland’s grid, and in particular the capacity constraints faced in the Dublin region as a result of demand growth, principally from data centres. Recent public consultations from Eirgrid (‘Shaping Our Electricity Future’) and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (‘Proposed Direction to the System Operators related to Data Centre Grid Connections’) demonstrate an appropriate, timely, and planned approach to managing these challenges on the part of the organisations tasked with delivering and managing our electricity grid. My Department continues to work pro-actively and constructively with these bodies and all stakeholders to ensure that Ireland is planning appropriately for new demand in the context of national electrification and decarbonisation ambitions, facilitating the energy needs of a growing enterprise base including our data centre sector, and ensuring that we are stimulating future energy markets and infrastructure that will deliver smart and competitively priced services for all electricity customers.
44. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide an update on the remote working strategy implementation; if his attention has been drawn to initiatives such as remote hubs in Sneem, County Kerry; his views on the potential of further similar hubs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40678/21]
View answerMy Department is driving the implementation of the National Remote Work Strategy. Published on January 15th, 2021, the Strategy aims to ensure that remote work is a permanent feature in the Irish workplace the maximises economic, social and environmental benefits.
The Strategy contains 15 actions to progress remote work into the future. Each action has been attributed actors for its delivery and a deadline of Q1, 3, or 4 of this year. Lead actors report progress on the actions to the Interdepartmental Group (IDG) on Remote Work. This IDG has met twice to date this year. At these meetings it was established that good progress is underway to achieving the actions by their deadlines. The IDG will meet again in September to further drive the implementation of the Strategy.
There is a strong focus on hubs under Pillar 2 of the Strategy. Actions under this Pillar include investing and mapping in the national hub infrastructure. DRCD lead the National Hub Network. On July 22nd, they announced €8.8 million in funding for 117 projects across Ireland as part of the Connected Hubs Call. This investment will support the ongoing development of ConnectedHubs.ie, which already has 113 hubs using the platform and 408 hubs mapped nationally.
Furthermore, the number of hubs identified through the Western Development Commission's hub discovery process has increased to 505. These are in the process of being verified before they are mapped on connectedhubs.ie/nationalhubsmap.html. This interactive map provides useful information in relation to each of the hubs and the services that are available at each site.
45. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to give workers a right to work remotely in co-operation with their employers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40697/21]
View answerOn 1 April, the Tánaiste launched a public consultation to put the right to request remote working into law. Introducing the right to request remote working will provide a clear framework around which requesting, approving or refusing remote work can be based.
The closing date for receipt of submissions was Friday 7 May. The consultation has been reviewed by officials in tandem with a review of international best practice on the matter, which will inform the deliberative process in drafting the proposed legislation.
The intention is to introduce a mechanism for employees to request remote working which is fair to all and does not place an undue burden of costs on employers.
It is recognised that not all sectors, organisations, occupations, or particular roles within an enterprise, will be suitable for remote working. Therefore, even in cases where employers want to facilitate workers and be as flexible as possible, it will not always be an appropriate or suitable option. The Government will take a balanced approach with the new legislation.
The current plan is to prepare the general scheme of a Bill by end of Quarter 3 2021, with a view to having the Heads of the Bill finalised, published and progressed through the Houses as soon as possible thereafter.
46. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the status of Ireland’s position on the EU Digital Services and the Digital Markets Acts. [40895/21]
View answerAs part of the European Digital Strategy, Shaping Europe’s Digital Future, the European Commission published its proposals for a Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act on 15 December 2020. These proposals aim to create a safer digital space in which the fundamental rights of all users of digital services are protected; and establish a level playing field to foster innovation, growth, and competitiveness, both in the European Single Market and globally.
The Digital Services Act proposal seeks to ensure the best conditions for the provision of innovative digital services in the internal market, to contribute to online safety and the protection of fundamental rights, and to set a robust and durable governance structure for the effective supervision of providers of intermediary services. The Digital Markets Act introduces rules for platforms that act as “gatekeepers” in the digital sector. The Digital Markets Act builds on the horizontal Platforms-to-Business Regulation and sets out harmonised rules defining and prohibiting unfair practices by these platforms and provides for an enforcement mechanism based on market investigations.
This Department has engaged in an extensive cross-Government collaboration of relevant departments and a wider national stakeholder consultation on both proposals, including a public consultation for stakeholders in January 2021 and ongoing bilateral consultations with companies and regulators during the negotiation process to date. The submissions received have contributed to the preparation of Ireland’s formal negotiating position on the proposal.
Ireland welcomes the Digital Services Act proposal and the fact that the Act builds upon the core principles of the e-Commerce Directive, particularly the country-of-origin principle, as well as its harmonising approach to the issue of notice and takedown and the arrangements for cross border co-operation that it puts in place.
We also welcome that the proposal seeks to contribute to online safety and the protection of fundamental rights, and to provide for the effective supervision of providers of intermediary services especially those that have been seen to play such a key role in providing much needed information in time of crisis. It is important that this information can be relied upon and the measures contained in the proposal are intended to ensure that this is the case.
It is important that this Regulation continues to provide the clarity for business that the e-Commerce Directive has done for the past twenty years whilst promoting innovation. The approach proposed for the removal of illegal content online and the method of co-ordinating the resolution of cross border complaints to ensure that clarity is maintained needs to be considered carefully.
Officials in this Department are currently considering a compromise text for the Digital Services Act published in June 2021.
Ireland agrees with the problem definition as defined in the Digital Markets Act and fully supports the high-level objectives outlined therein. To deliver on these objectives however, the regulatory regime must be agile, flexible and future-proofed to meet the challenges posed by contemporary digital markets. We do feel there are areas of the Digital Markets Act proposal where improvements are necessary to ensure the obligations proposed are proportionate and for it to provide the optimal level of legal and regulatory certainty for all affected stakeholders.
The Commission have set a schedule to have a general approach on both proposals agreed by November 2021.
47. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will take steps to address claims that retail workers are being docked pay or required to stay back late to account for time taken to receive a Covid-19 vaccine during a work shift; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40984/21]
View answerCOVID-19 vaccinations are an extremely important public health measure in the fight against the spread of COVID-19 in the community and in workplaces.
I would encourage workers to engage with their employer in the first instance once they are assigned a vaccination appointment to explore all options available to enable them to receive the vaccination should it fall during working time. I would also encourage all employers to be as flexible and supportive as possible with a view to maintaining good employment relationships over the long term.
While there is no provision under occupational safety and health legislation to obligate employers to give employees time-off to avail of COVID-19 vaccinations, employers should bear in mind that in offering employees time off to facilitate COVID-19 vaccinations they are, in fact, ensuring that the greatest level of workplace safety against COVID-19 can be maintained in their business. Facilitating workers to avail of COVID-19 vaccination appointments will greatly assist in the recovery of individual businesses and of the wider economy.
Statutory and contractual employment terms apply in relation to the payment of wages. The Payment of Wages Act 1991 regulates how wages and salaries are paid and what deductions may be made from same. Under this Act, an employer is not permitted to make deductions from an employee's wages unless the deduction is authorised under the contract of employment, required by statute or is made with the prior written consent of the employee. Failure to pay all or part of the wages due to an employee is considered an unlawful deduction and a complaint can be made under the Payment of Wages Act, 1991 to the Workplace Relations Commission. Complaints should be made using the online complaint form available on workplacerelations.ie.
48. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the full details of the recent IDA acquisition of two large sites in County Louth, one in Drogheda and one in Dundalk; the cost of each site; the exact locations of each; the proposed plans for each site; if he will provide any other relevant details; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41040/21]
View answerIDA Ireland recently announced that it has acquired two landbanks in Co Louth. The land acquisitions, with a combined total of 149 acres, situated at the townland of Killally, in Dundalk and Mell in Drogheda form part of IDA’s long term strategic plans to position Louth and the wider North East region to compete for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
The cost to acquire each site is commercially sensitive information. IDA Ireland engaged accredited agents to act on its behalf and is satisfied that the prices agreed are in alignment with expected market opinion and conditions.
The timely provision of appropriate, cost-effective property and infrastructure solutions to meet the needs of MNCs remains essential to winning FDI. IDA’s regional property programme ensures the continued supply of land, buildings and infrastructure in regional locations to meet the needs of current and prospective clients. A robust property and infrastructure ecosystem can be the key differentiator in winning FDI projects. IDA Ireland is pleased to have acquired these two landbanks enhancing the offering in the North East. Over the last five years, IDA’s Regional Property Programme enabled the winning of capital-intensive projects of significant scale to regional locations. IDA will continue to work with commercial property developers and Local Authorities to market other property solutions where they exist.
The FDI performance in the North East Region has been strong over the past five years with employment growing among IDA clients within the Engineering & Industrial Technologies, Medical Technologies, Technology, International Financial Services and Life Sciences sectors. Co. Louth is home to 30 IDA Ireland client companies employing more than 4,372 people. In recent years, IDA Ireland supported companies including WUXI, Wasdell, Almac, PCI Pharma Services, Amazon Web Services and Simply NUC have announced investments and expansions for Co. Louth which has driven the demand for property solutions.
49. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the full year 2022 budget for Health and Safety Authority inspections. [41261/21]
View answerThe Exchequer allocation for the Health and Safety Authority for 2022 has not yet been determined.
The 2021 Exchequer allocation for the Health and Safety Authority is €24.75m which covers pay, pension and non-pay costs. This allocation enables the Health and Safety Authority to deliver on a broad remit of work across a wide mandate which includes occupational health and safety, chemical safety, market surveillance and national accreditation.
In the area of occupational health and safety the Health and Safety Authority is involved in the provision of advice, tools, education and support as well as inspection, investigation and prosecutions. In any given year the Health and Safety Authority carries out circa 10,000 inspections and investigations under safety, health and chemicals legislation. The focus on inspection and investigation is risk based and evidence led with the highest levels of inspections and investigations taking place in construction, agriculture, manufacturing, wholesale and retail with written advice, improvement notices and prohibition notices for more serious breaches observed.
The costs associated with the Health and Safety Authority’s inspection function arise in the context of both pay and non-pay costs associated with preparation for inspections, carrying out of inspections, follow-up to inspections including any enforcement action being pursued.
50. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the specific role the Health and Safety Authority will play in relation to indoor hospitality in respect of enforcement of the regulations on entry to such facilities and in ensuring that the workplace conditions are safe for staff; the additional resources which have been provided for this purpose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41281/21]
View answerThe Health (Amendment) (No.2) Act 2021 provides for the lawful operation of certain indoor premises subject to conditions including the provision of a robust and enforceable system of verification of the vaccination or COVID-19 recovery status of certain patrons. The Act also provides for “relevant bodies” to designate compliance officers. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has been named as one of the relevant bodies under the Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021, the other being the Health Service Executive.
The HSA will utilise its existing cohort of inspectors to carry out its role under the Health (Amendment) (No.2) Act 2021. The main role of the compliance officer will be to establish that the operator of an indoor premises covered by the Act has complied with the necessary conditions concerning entry to indoor hospitality.
Fáilte Ireland has produced detailed updated guidelines for the tourism and hospitality sector to coincide with the re-opening of indoor hospitality and has also developed support materials for hospitality businesses to communicate with their customers, which are available on their website. In addition, Fáilte Ireland continues to operate its COVID safety charter. Businesses who sign up to this voluntary charter are subject to spot checks by Fáilte Ireland to confirm that the business is complying with all public health protocols and Government Guidelines and that all employees have undertaken infection prevention control training.
The HSA will, of course, continue to address all aspects of worker safety through the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 as well as COVID-19 specific requirements under the Work Safely Protocol.
Sanction was recently given to the HSA for the recruitment of an additional 12 temporary clerical officers in the HSA Workplace Contact Unit. The Workplace Contact Unit has been to the forefront in dealing with complaints and queries from employees, employers as well as members of the public in relation to compliance with the public health measures set out in the Work Safely Protocol. The HSA is currently progressing a recruitment campaign to increase the number of staff in inspector roles, with additional inspectors having already joined the HSA in the last month.
51. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the progress being made towards the rewetting of industrial bogs and the restoration of peatlands, creation of a carbon sink to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions from; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40820/21]
View answer104. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the progress by the State for rewetting of industrial bogs and the restoration of peatlands, creation of a carbon sink to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions from; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40779/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 51 and 104 together.
The Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry Regulation ((EU) 2018/841) will apply a new EU land-use accounting system for land-use from 2021. Under the new system, emissions and removals will be assessed over two consecutive accounting periods, the first from 2021 to 2025, and the second from 2026 to 2030.
The impact of emissions and removals from five out of six land use sectors will be included in the new system from 2021 (Managed Cropland, Managed Grassland, Afforestation, Deforestation, and Managed Forests), with Member States having the option to include the impact of the sixth, Managed Wetlands, in this first period. Ireland has opted to include the impact of Managed Wetlands on greenhouse gas emissions and removals from the beginning of 2021. This voluntary accounting puts Ireland on a stronger footing for accounting for greenhouse gas emissions and removals and in making the strategic changes required to support the country to meet our national, European and international climate change targets.
Although land has the potential to absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, Ireland is currently a net-emitter from land-use activities, with the EPA reporting net-emissions of 4.8MtCO2eq. in 2018. Wetlands contributed to this position through net-emissions of 2.5MtCO2eq.. Almost all peatlands in Ireland have been modified to some degree and require some level of management, either to prevent further degradation or to improve and enhance their condition.
Factors which will support a reduction of the net emissions from wetlands include:
- a reduction in peat extraction activity, for example, through the recent cessation of peat harvesting by Bord Na Móna; and
- the restoration and rehabilitation activities planned under the Bord na Móna Enhanced Decommissioning, Rehabilitation and Restoration Scheme and other schemes led by the National Parks and Wildlife Services. These schemes represent an opportunity to reduce, and over time, reverse the emissions of greenhouse gases, restore the wetlands to a carbon sink, enhance their biological diversity and water management capacity, as well as providing for a just transition for the Midlands region.
In addition to schemes to rehabilitate wetlands and to assist in the delivery of our climate ambitions, the Programme for Government has committed to a national land use review. My Department, together with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine are evaluating the potential climate contributions from land use improvements, to develop a land-use strategy. Land-use offers significant potential to sequester additional carbon and may provide a new source of family farm income and rural economic benefit.
52. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when the recipients of the circular economy innovation grant scheme will be announced; when the grants will be awarded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39113/21]
View answerI refer to the reply to Question [PQ no. 37381] of 13 July 2021. The position is unchanged.
53. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the current status of the energy security review of the State’s electricity and natural gas systems; when the review will be completed; when the final report and recommendations will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39114/21]
View answer151. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide the evidence base of the including of increased electrification in the heat and transport sectors as a relevant factor in the technical analysis to inform a Review of the Security of Energy Supply of Ireland’s Electricity and Natural Gas Systems request for tender given EirGrid’s analysis shows increased demand for electricity will come exclusively from data centres and not electrification of heat and transport. [41120/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 53 and 151 together. I propose to take Question Nos 53 and 151 together.
The review of the security of energy supply of Ireland’s electricity and natural gas systems is focusing on the period to 2030 in the context of ensuring a sustainable pathway to 2050.
The review, which is underway, includes a technical analysis which will help inform a public consultation. The technical analysis includes identification and examination of the key risks to the security of supply in the electricity and natural gas systems; identification of options that could address or mitigate these risks in the period to 2030; and appraisal of these options in the context of ensuring a sustainable pathway to 2050.
In carrying out this technical analysis the consultants are having regard to projected electricity and gas supply and demand. Datacentres will represent an important proportion of this electricity demand. The consultants will have regard to a range of information sources, including analyses by gas and electricity Transmission System Operators and the increased climate ambition in the Programme for Government to reduce harmful climate emissions in the energy sector for heat, transport and electricity.
It is planned that the technical analysis will be published and the public consultation undertaken in the second half of this year. The methodology of the technical analysis report will be set out in order to facilitate the consultation process. The review, which I expect to complete in the first half of 2022, will be submitted to Government. While it is a matter for Government, I expect the outcome of the review would then be published.
54. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the status of the proposed introduction of a national ban on smoky coal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39402/21]
View answerEach year, some 1,300 people die prematurely in Ireland due to air pollution from solid fuel burning. It is estimated that there are over 16,200 life years lost, while many people also experience a poor quality of life due to the associated short, and long-term health impacts of this form of pollution. I remain committed to addressing this critical public health and environmental challenge through a nationwide ban on smoky coal and enhanced regulation of other solid fuels.
The recent public consultation, which sought views on how we regulate all solid fuels that contribute to air pollution, was the first step in this process. My Department received more than 3,500 responses to the technical consultation, survey and questionnaire. A summary of the consultation along with the technical submissions are available on the Public Consultation webpage of Gov.ie.
Regulations, informed by the consultation process, are currently being drafted, and it is my intention to publish a new, legally robust, and evidence-based framework for how we regulate all solid fuels in the near future.
55. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the status of plans to allow homeowners using solar energy to sell any surplus solar energy back to the grid. [39407/21]
View answerThe Programme for Government commits to expanding and incentivising micro-generation, including solar-PV, to help citizens, farms and businesses generate renewable electricity for their own use and to sell any excess electricity back to the grid. Under the Climate Action Plan, a Micro-Generation working group, chaired by my Department, is developing an enabling framework for micro-generation which tackles existing barriers and establishes suitable supports within relevant market segments.
My Department outlined proposals for a new Micro-generation Support Scheme in a public consultation that closed on 18 February last. A summary report of the submissions received has now been published on my Department's website. Analysis of these submissions will help to inform the final scheme design, to be approved and announced later this year.
While the primary aim of a micro-generation scheme is to enable a household to meet its own electricity needs, it is envisaged that a suitable payment for excess electricity generated on site and exported to the grid will be available to all renewables self-consumers in the second half of 2021, subject to regulatory arrangements, in line with Articles 21 and 22 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources. My Department is engaging with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel with a view to transposing these Articles into Irish law at the earliest opportunity.
It is expected that the Commission for Regulation of Utilities will publish a draft framework later this year which will outline the details, including eligibility criteria and timescales for introduction, of the Clean Export Guarantee payment for exported renewable electricity, to give effect to the above-mentioned articles and allow for the commencement of export payments to micro- and small-scale generators.
