Written Answers Nos. 166-186
166. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if the deadline for objections has been extended in relation to the prospective mining licence for a company (details supplied) as per the emergency motion passed on 10 January 2022 by Clare County Council. [2074/22]
View answerThe Minerals Development Acts of 1940 to 1999, under which prospecting licences are granted, require 21 days' notice of the Minister's intention to grant or renew a prospecting licence and for the receipt of any submissions. However, it is the practice of the Department to keep the consultation period open for a total of 30 days. The consultation period, in this specific case, has been extended by a further 14 days. The consultation period will now close on 23 January, 2022.
168. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the environmental impact statement conducted prior to publishing the announcement to grant a licence to a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2117/22]
View answerDesktop studies, geochemistry and surface geophysics are temporary, non-intrusive activities, involving minimal disturbance and have a limited zone of influence. Such activities are not subject to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) under national and EU legislation. In the event that a prospecting licence holder does identify a target for drilling, any proposed drilling activity will be subject to further environmental screening assessments by the Geoscience Regulation Office, including EIA Criteria Assessment, to determine whether screening under the EIA Directive is required, in accordance with national and EU legislation.
169. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of connections made in each county and in each month of 2021 under the National Broadband Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2136/22]
View answerThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in the over 554,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with some 679 schools. National Broadband Ireland has made steady progress on delivery of the new high speed fibre broadband network under the National Broadband Plan with 54,000 premises available to order and pre-order across 21 counties : Carlow, Clare, Cavan, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Louth, Mayo, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow. In total, over 290,000 premises in the Intervention Area across all counties have been surveyed, with over 154,000 premises constructed or under construction demonstrating that the project is reaching scale. Connections have been made in 11 counties : Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Louth, Monaghan, Roscommon and Tipperary. Almost 5000 premises were connected in 2021 and that number will continue to grow. To date the level of connections are in line with projections and in some areas are exceeding targets.
170. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will report on the initial meeting of the newly established Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce; if he will provide the contact details for the Taskforce; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2151/22]
View answer171. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the expected date for the finalised work programme of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce; the full membership of the Taskforce; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2152/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 170 and 171 together.
The Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce is co-managed by my Department and the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD). Membership is drawn from a range of Departments and bodies including the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage; the Department of Transport; Transport Infrastructure Ireland; the Roads Management Office; the Local Government Management Agency; the County and City Management Association; and the Office of Public Works (OPW).
The work of the Taskforce is supported by ComReg, acting as an independent advisor to the Taskforce, and has ongoing engagement with the Telecommunications Industry including through Ibec. Inputs will be sought by the Taskforce from other bodies as appropriate.
The State stakeholders of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce ('the Taskforce') reconvened on 15 December 2021. The meeting, which was co-chaired by me and the Minister for Rural and Community Development, served as an orientation discussion, providing each of the State stakeholders with an opportunity to propose actions under a number of priority areas to form the focus of the new Work Programme, including permit granting, planning and licencing issues; efficient use of infrastructure and assets; improving outdoor mobile phone coverage; and consumer protection measures.
Following on from the meeting, both my Department and Department of Rural and Community Development look forward to working closely together and engaging bilaterally with the various stakeholders of the Taskforce, including with ComReg and with Industry in relation to the priority areas of focus. The Taskforce intends to meet throughout 2022, and is currently finalising a new work programme for formal agreement at the next meeting in February.
Relevant links associated with the work of the Taskforce including the secretariat contact point can be found at: gov.ie/en/publication/db7f83-mobile-phone-and-broadband-taskforce/.
172. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the engagements his Department has had with a company (details supplied) following a product becoming commercially available in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2153/22]
View answerTelecommunications service providers are privately owned companies, operating in a liberalised market, regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), which operates independently of my Department. I understand that Starlink Internet Service Limited registered with ComReg in 2020. I welcome the addition of new service providers to the Irish market, which will benefit consumers. My Department keeps apprised of new developments in the market and meets regularly with operators as well as operator representative groups to discuss their plans to develop the sector and introduce services. This has included a number of meetings with SpaceX to apprise the Department of its plans for the Irish Market.
173. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if there are plans to reform the better energy warmer homes scheme to enable applicants to access the scheme for upgrades every five years or to shorten the permitted intervals between applications by some other period of time. [2162/22]
View answer181. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will amend the SEAI rule on a one home one visit in the SEAI warmer homes scheme to allow homeowners reapply for works that were not supported by grants in the 2014 scheme such as external wall insulation on houses in which walls were solid and could not be insulated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2520/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 173 and 181 together.
The Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme is funded by my Department and administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The scheme delivers a range of energy efficiency measures free of charge to lower income households vulnerable to energy poverty. To date over 143,000 homes have received free upgrades under the scheme leaving them better able to afford to heat their homes to an adequate level. During the first 9 months of 2021, the approximate average value of the energy efficiency measures provided per household was €17,100.
Revisits under this scheme are currently not available. This enables the work programme to prioritise eligible homes that have not previously received free upgrades under the scheme. There are currently over 7,000 homeowners on the Warmer Homes Scheme work programme who have never received any upgrade works under the scheme. The National Retrofit Plan includes a commitment to review ways to improve how current energy poverty schemes target those most in need. Recommendations on the implementation of changes to the scheme to better target those most in need will be finalised shortly.
It is important to note that the grants available through SEAI aim to maximise emission reductions and deliver energy savings for the widest range of homeowners possible. The grants which are available, and their respective eligibility criteria, were selected as the most likely to deliver significant energy savings to homeowners as well as the best value for money for the Exchequer.
174. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the supports, grant funding and other opportunities available to persons in specific non-domestic settings, such as schools, community buildings and farm settings, to invest in rooftop solar power generation and to benefit from the announced feed-in tariffs schemes in addition to SEAI grants for those generating up to 5.9kW; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2177/22]
View answerThe pending introduction of the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) tariff represents the first phase of a comprehensive enabling framework for micro-and small-scale generators in Ireland which will allow them to receive payment from their electricity supplier for all excess renewable electricity they export to the grid, which reflects the market value of the electricity.The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) published a decision on an interim enabling framework for the CEG on 1 December 2021. This decision outlines the interim arrangements for implementation of the CEG, including eligibility criteria and remuneration methodology. The CEG will become available upon the transposition of Article 21 of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) into Irish law and will be available to both new and existing micro- and small-scale generators who fulfil the eligibility criteria set out in the CRU decision.The second phase of the enabling framework is the Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS). The final design of the MSS was approved by Government on 21 December 2021, and the scheme will open on a phased basis in 2022. Under the MSS, non-domestic applicants generating up to 6.0kW will be eligible for a Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) grant at the same levels as domestic customers (max €2400), in addition to the CEG. This grant will become available later in 2022.Solar PV is also one of a range of measures funded under the SEAI Communities Energy Grant Scheme which makes grant funding available to improve the energy efficiency of the building stock, and is open to domestic and non-domestic applications. For farm enterprises, grant supports for solar PV are also available from the Department for Agriculture, Food and Marine, under the Pig and Poultry Investment Scheme as part of the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes (TAMS).
175. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of public sector workers under his remit by sectors (details supplied) in each of the local electoral areas in County Clare in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2346/22]
View answer176. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of public sector workers under his remit in each of the local electoral areas in County Clare in each of the years 2016 to 2021, in tabular form under headings (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2361/22]
View answer177. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of public sector workers under his remit in each of the local electoral areas in County Clare in each of the years 2016 to 2021, in tabular form under headings (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2384/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 175, 176 and 177 together.
I understand that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will provide the information relating to the Civil Service directly to the Deputies.
In relation to the non-commercial state agencies under the aegis of my Department, this is an operational matter for each agency and I have asked the relevant agencies to respond directly to the Deputies with the information requested.
178. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the status of the Avoca mines remediation project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2399/22]
View answerA feasibility study undertaken by my Department in 2008 developed integrated rehabilitation and management plans for the Avoca mine site, addressing human and ecological concerns, safety and physical hazards, heritage, future uses and long-term site monitoring and management. The overall estimated cost for the works included in the 2008 study was over €50m with works envisaged to take place on a phased basis. Since the publication of the feasibility study, the Department has prioritised recommendations that addressed the most critical safety, human health and environmental concerns at the site.
To date, in excess of €5 million has been expended on remediation and monitoring costs at the site. As well as the health and safety work, environmental monitoring of the site is undertaken to ensure no significant change in conditions occurs without detection.
My Department has allocated €450,000 in 2022 to further support the monitoring and maintenance of the Avoca mines and to re-evaluate the 2008 Feasibility study to reappraise the approach to managing and restoring the site.
179. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the details of the exchanges enabled in County Clare under the National Broadband Plan to date; the details of scheduled and planned enabling of broadband exchanges in County Clare under the National Broadband Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2415/22]
View answerThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in the over 554,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along some 679 schools. Despite the unprecedented challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, National Broadband Ireland has made steady progress on delivery of the new high speed fibre broadband network under the National Broadband Plan with over 290,000 premises surveyed or with survey underway across all counties and 154,000 premises constructed or under construction. NBI has also advised that 54,000 premises are available to order and pre-order across 21 counties as of 7 January 2022.
NBI’s fibre network architecture is centred around existing Openeir exchanges and the State owned Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs). This strategy is based on engineering design principles that allows every premises to be passed as quickly and as efficiently as possible. The fibre network is divided up into 227 Deployment Areas (DA). Each Deployment Area is centred around existing Regional or Local Exchanges. NBI commenced the rollout in the 33 Deployment Areas across Ireland (at least 1 per county where possible) that have regional exchanges as these exchanges already have an established connection back to existing data centres. Regional exchanges are mostly located near urban areas. Once NBI install their equipment in the regional exchange and from there to the data centres, they can then install their equipment in the neighbouring local exchanges and connect them back to the regional exchange.
In terms of County Clare, the regional exchanges are located in the Limerick and Gort Deployment Areas with local exchanges in Kilkishen, Feakle, Ogonnelloe, Corfin, Tiermaclane, Labasheeda, Kilrush, Milltown Malbay, Lisdoonvarna and Behagh. In line with the rollout of the regional exchanges, NBI started works in the Limerick Deployment Area and Gort Deployment Area and these exchanges are enabled supporting the first Premises to be passed in County Clare. Work is ongoing on the Kilkishen Deployment Area and the local exchange is due to be enabled in H2 2022. To date, NBI has surveyed more than 7,900 premises and over 1,500 premises can either order or pre-order today.
Further details are available on specific areas within County Clare through the NBI website which provides a facility for any premises within the intervention area to register their interest in being provided with deployment updates through its website www.nbi.ie. Individuals who register with this facility will receive regular updates on progress by NBI on delivering the network and specific updates related to their own premises as works commence. NBI has a dedicated email address, reps@nbi.ie, which can be used by Oireachtas members for specific queries.
Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) are a key element of the NBP providing high speed broadband in every county in advance of the roll out of the fibre to the home network. As of 7 January, 449 BCP sites have been installed by NBI and the high speed broadband service will be switched on in these locations through service provider contracts managed by the Department of Rural and Community Development for publicly accessible sites and the Department of Education for school BCPs. BCP’s are installed in County Clare at Loop Head Lighthouse, Caherconnell Stone Fort, Obair Family Centre, Loughraney Kids Playschool, Michael Cusack Visitor Centre and Cree Community Centre. Further details can be found at nbi.ie/bcp-locations/.
Kilmurry McMahon National School, Shragh National School, Ennistymon National School, Saint John The Baptist National School, Furraglaun Primary School, Moneen National School, Clooney National School and Stonehall National School have been installed by NBI for educational access. My Department continues to work with the Department of Education to prioritise schools with no high speed broadband, within the Intervention Area, for connection over the term of the NBP. In this regard, an acceleration of this aspect of the National Broadband Plan was announced in December 2020 with an ambition to connect some 679 schools to high speed broadband by the end of 2022, well ahead of the original target delivery timeframes across the NBP fibre program. Further details of schools in scope are available on the NBI website at nbi.ie/primary-schools-list.
180. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the reason his Department is supporting the Pike Conservation Bye-Law No. 809 of 2006 and the Coarse Fish Conservation Bye-Law No. 806 of 2006 on the Lough Corrib special area of conservation given that no appropriate assessment screenings were conducted on these two bye-laws in 2006 to assess their potential impact on the conservation objectives of Lough Corrib as required under Article 6 of the EU Habitats Directive and given that prospective legislation for special area of conservation waters must be subjected to the appropriate assessment process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2431/22]
View answerThe Bye-laws referred to by the Deputy have been in place for some 16 years. However, to provide for the most robust, modern, comprehensive and sustainable management of these waters, I requested Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) to prepare and submit to me comprehensive draft management plan for a number of Lakes, including Lough Corrib. My Department is currently examining this extensive draft plan and legislative change, if any, may be considered in the context of this plan.
182. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when the national clean air strategy will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2584/22]
View answerMy Department is working to finalise Ireland’s first National Clean Air Strategy for public consultation. While it was originally my intention to launch the Strategy alongside a public consultation on a new solid fuel regulation for Ireland, recognising the urgency of taking action to address the health impacts of domestic solid fuel burning, I chose to progress the development of enhanced solid fuel regulations in advance.These regulations will be finalised in the coming months to be in place for the 2022/23 heating season and will be a central element of the Strategy which will also identify and promote the integrated actions across Government required to reduce air pollution. I intend to open the public consultation on the Strategy in the coming weeks.
183. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the status of the microgeneration scheme announced by him and due to be facilitated from January 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2586/22]
View answerThe pending introduction of the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) tariff represents the first phase of a comprehensive enabling framework for micro-and small-scale generators in Ireland that will allow them to receive payment from their electricity supplier for all excess renewable electricity they export to the grid, which reflects the market value of the electricity.The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) published a decision on an interim enabling framework for the CEG on 1 December 2021. This decision outlines the interim arrangements for the implementation of the CEG, including eligibility criteria and remuneration methodology. The CEG will become available upon the transposition of Article 21 of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) into Irish law and will be available to both new and existing micro- and small-scale generators who fulfil the eligibility criteria set out in the CRU decision.The second phase of the enabling framework will see supports for new installations in the form of a capital grant for domestic and small non-domestic applicants, or a premium export tariff for larger non-domestic applicants under the Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS). The final design of the MSS was approved by Government on 21 December 2021, and the scheme will open on a phased basis in 2022. The first phase will see the transition of the current Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) solar PV grant scheme to the MSS in Q1 2022. This will mean that home-owners will continue to be able to apply to the SEAI for a grant towards the cost of installing equipment under the MSS. In 2022, grant amounts under the MSS will be at the same level per kW as the existing SEAI solar PV grant scheme. However, under the MSS, buildings will not have to meet a minimum BER standard, even after any new equipment is installed, and homes built pre-2021 will be eligible.
184. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the steps he is taking to address fuel poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2587/22]
View answerEnergy poverty or fuel poverty is influenced by a person’s income, the energy efficiency of their home and the cost of the energy they use in their home. Analysis carried out in 2016 for the Strategy to Combat Energy Poverty found that 28% of households in Ireland could be in energy poverty on the basis of needing to spend more than 10% of their income on their energy needs. Good progress has been made since the launch of the Strategy as evidenced by ESRI analysis of the number of households at risk of experiencing energy poverty in 2019 and 2020. This showed that the share of households needing to spend more than 10% of their income on their energy needs was 17.5% in 2020. The Survey on Income and Living Conditions supports this, indicating that the proportion of people who report that they are unable to afford to keep the home adequately warm, has fallen from 9% in 2015 to 3.4% in 2020. Government policy to alleviate energy poverty for a number of years has focused on supplementing lower income households through the Fuel Allowance and other payments, as well as providing free energy efficiency upgrades through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland schemes and the Social Housing retrofitting programme.
Budget 2022 has allocated €202 million for SEAI residential and community retrofit schemes. Over half of this (€109 million) will be used to provide free energy efficiency upgrades to households that are in, or at risk of, energy poverty. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage will invest a further €85 million as part of the Social Housing Retrofit Programme this year. Overall, this represents an allocation of €194 million to retrofitting homes of those most at risk of energy poverty - an increase of €20 million on the 2021 allocation. Budget 2022 also provided for a €5 increase to the Fuel Allowance to €33 per week, or €924 per year, as well as an extension of the eligibility criteria for the payment, by the Minister for Social Protection.
In addition a scheme to credit all domestic electricity account holders with up to €100 in 2022 was approved by Government in December 2021. This payment is one of a suite of measures to mitigate the effects of the recent significant rises in electricity prices, which includes support through the social protection system. Approximately 2.1 million domestic electricity account holders will benefit from the scheme for a one-off, exceptional payment to their electricity accounts. The scheme will apply to all domestic accounts, including pay as you go customers.
Protections are also in place for customers falling into arrears on their energy bills. Under the supplier led voluntary Energy Engage Code, suppliers will not disconnect a customer who is engaging with them. Suppliers must also provide every opportunity to customers to avoid disconnection and must identify customers at risk of disconnection and encourage them to engage as early as possible.
A review of the implementation of the Strategy to Combat Energy Poverty will be completed in Q1 2022 and will inform next steps in relation to the development of a new strategy. Measures to support those least able to afford to retrofit their homes have also been included in the new National Retrofit Plan, published as part of the Climate Action Plan last year.
185. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Transport the number of cycling officers employed by local authorities 2020 and 2021, as committed to in the Programme for Government by county in tabular form. [2246/22]
View answerThe Programme for Government – Our Shared Future commits to an expansion and enhancement of dedicated expertise on active travel across our local authority system, including the Regional Design Offices, as well as the appointment of suitably qualified Cycling Officers with clear powers and roles.
The designation of “Cycling Officer” is a matter for each Local Authority. My Department has sought this information from the local authorities and will provide a further update to the Deputy once received.
186. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Transport the number of children that have availed of cycling training through the ramped up Cycle Right Programme as committed to in the Programme for Government by county in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2248/22]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public and sustainable transport generally. Cycling Ireland operate the Cycle Right Programme with funding from my Department. I have forwarded the Deputy's request to Cycling Ireland and hope to have a reply with the Deputy within the next 10 days.
I view Cycle Right as hugely important, we are investing heavily in infrastructure all around the country and Safe Routes to School is an important element of the work being carried out to provide safe, segregated cycling infrastructure. That infrastructure will encourage young people, and their parents, to cycle to school but providing training is also very important to give confidence and skills to those learning to cycle.
The pandemic has impacted our ability to expand the number of sessions and schools that have partaken in Cycle Right in 2020 and 2021 but we have seen strong figures notwithstanding that. I understand that Cycling Ireland will be submitting additional plans for the rollout of Cycle Right to my Department shortly.
