Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 February 2023
171. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the amount of funding allocated to the green skills programmes in 2021, 2022, and to date in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5360/23]
View answerThe Green Skills programmes are a matter for my colleague, the Minister of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and it would be appropriate for his Department to respond on the funding allocated to these programmes.
The Deputy might be interested to note that in 2021 The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN), the Secretariat for which is based in my Department, undertook a study on the nature and quantity of skills required between now and 2030 to deliver on some of the key enabling measures in the Climate Action Plan. The resulting study, Skills for Zero Carbon: The Demand for Renewable Energy, Residential Retrofit and Electric Vehicle Deployment Skills to 2030, was published by the EGFSN on 24th November 2021, and the Government committed to acting on its findings in both Housing for All - A New Housing Plan for Ireland and the Climate Action Plan, through a range of upskilling, reskilling and apprenticeship supports.
My Department also provides green transition supports to enterprise which includes the Green Transition Fund, Enterprise Emissions Reduction Investment Fund and Green4Micro. Two new State backed loan schemes to aid sustainability were also announced as part of Budget 2023; the recently launched Ukraine Credit Guarantee Scheme and the Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme, which will be launched in the market in the first half of 2023.
