Climate Action Plan

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 February 2022

Thursday, 24 February 2022

Questions (83)

Carol Nolan

Question:

83. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will report on the consultation process by his Department for the draft territorial plan necessary to access funding under the European Union just transition process; the number of submissions that his Department received during the recent public consultation process; when he envisages the final version of the territorial plan will be completed and submitted to the European Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10535/22]

Oral answers (6 contributions)

Deputy Carol Nolan

My question seeks from the Minister a report on the consultation process by his Department in respect of the draft territorial plan necessary to access funding under the EU just transition process, the number of submissions his Department received during the public consultation process and when he envisages the final version of the territorial plan will be completed and submitted to the Commission?

Deputy Eamon Ryan

The EU just transition fund is a newly established fund for the 2021-2027 period operating within the framework of the EU cohesion policy. The fund is to address the adverse socio-economic effects of the climate transition by supporting the most affected territories and workers and ensuring a fair transition.

Ireland must prepare a territorial just transition plan and accompanying programme for approval by the European Commission to secure access to our allocation of €84.5 million under the fund. I have appointed the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly, EMRA, as managing authority for the fund. My Department and the EMRA are jointly developing the territorial just transition plan and programme.

I launched a public consultation on a draft of the territorial just transition plan on 20 December, which was open until 14 February 2022. The draft plan provisionally identifies east Galway, north Tipperary, counties Longford, Laois, Offaly and Westmeath, west Kildare and County Roscommon as the functional territory to be targeted for investment under the plan. Feedback on the draft plan was gathered through an online survey and online workshops. My Department and the EMRA have also held dedicated briefing sessions for Oireachtas Members and members and staff of relevant local authorities in the identified counties. It is planned to publish a report summarising all responses received. Responses to public consultation will be used to develop further and finalise the draft territorial just transition plan before it is sent to Government for agreement and subsequently submitted, together with the EU just transition fund programme, to the European Commission for approval during 2022.

Deputy Carol Nolan

Unfortunately, the Minister's response poses more questions than it answers. How many submissions has the Department received to date? I do not think the Minister gathers how serious this matter is. I remain opposed to the transition, which is not fair. The Minister mentioned its fairness but I can tell him it is far from fair. The Government is nonetheless steamrolling ahead and imposing this cost on people who are suffering from all sorts of issues, such as the cost of living. The Government is still imposing this cost. My main concern is we get a fair level of funding into the counties that are bearing the brunt of this.

The Minister also mentioned the publication of a report. Can we have a date for that? We need a plan here. We need dates and timeframes and, unfortunately, the Minister has not provided any of those.

Nowhere is it more applicable than County Offaly, which is expected to bear the brunt of the majority - 53% - of job losses associated with the just transition process. That is clear for all to see. It was also made clear to me by the cathaoirleach and chief executive of Offaly County Council and the corporate policy group of the council that the following issues require urgent consideration. Only 30% of the 47 strand 2 projects have received their final offer from the Department. Many strand 2 projects are still not finalised. Some 70% of projects are not yet at contract stage.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I will give the Deputy some of the numbers involved in response to her question about the survey. There were 82 responses to the online public consultation survey and 41 submissions from individuals and groups. We are only just assessing those at the moment so I do not have a timeline yet for the delivery of the report, but as soon as I do, I will share it with the Deputy.

With regard to the existing projects, 55 just transition projects have entered into contract and are delivering. The total value of projects in delivery mode is €30 million, with €20.5 million in grant funding. We estimate there are 154 direct jobs in those grantee organisations and there will be 932 indirect jobs. There are three remaining projects yet to have their grant agreements finalised. My Department is working closely with those remaining projects to try to finalise them as soon as possible. That work shows we will deliver. We will deliver new jobs and opportunities in the midlands that I believe will be able to deliver on the just transition.

Deputy Carol Nolan

I hope the Minister escalates the process of delivering the funding as much as he escalated the process for the transition, which was, as I said, totally unfair. I remind the Minister that only 30% of the strand 2 projects have received their final offer from the Department. There are still too many strand 2 projects - 70% of them - that have not been finalised. Those 70% of projects are, therefore, not at contract stage. I was informed by the local authority that a number of projects have encountered difficulties in accessing matching funding. From the council's perspective, the situation that arises in Offaly is serious and raises the question of the viability of these projects. I repeat my concerns that Offaly County Council is not in a position to provide direct funding to just transition projects in terms of the matching funding the council is seeking. All interventions to expedite the finalisation of these outstanding projects with the Department should be done. This should be done by the Minister's Department so that solutions for communities can be found. It is no good for the Minister to tell us he has delivered a handful of jobs when we are losing hundreds of jobs. That will not wash. It will not cut it.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I had the pleasure of visiting County Offaly late last year and meeting council officials, the people involved in organising these transition fund projects and a number of those who are involved in the projects. Rather than it being a story of a lack of success, what I heard from both the council and the people involved was that this is working. It took time. If I was in here saying the process around the spending of public money did not have every i dotted and t crossed, I would be lacerated. We have done that and are now seeing that those projects are starting to deliver. They will not all survive or succeed but many will.

We are also seeing a transformation and revival of Bord na Móna. There has been a massive increase in investment and significant numbers of new jobs are being created. That is the model to follow. Our Department is working closely with Offaly County Council to ensure it has a key role in managing, monitoring and delivering these projects. That is the right way to go. We are also working with the eastern midlands region on the European just transition plan. I think it is working.