Local Authorities

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 February 2023

Tuesday, 28 February 2023

Questions (61)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

61. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide details of any analysis carried out by his Department with regard to carrying out a pilot project for local authority decarbonisation zones, in advance of the national roll-out of local authority decarbonisations zones, so that the results of the pilot project could feed into the national roll-out; if he will provide details of any engagement he or his Department has had with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9835/23]

Oral answers (8 contributions)

Deputy Catherine Connolly

The rules do not allow me but I should have taken the two questions together to develop this a bit more. In utter frustration then, the second question is put down because of the decarbonisation plans sitting in the Department. I asked whether it is possible to have a pilot project to learn, to roll them out and let the local authorities do their jobs, and learn from it. In my six seconds, has the Department issued the direction that it is legally obliged to issue to the local authorities, to prepare the local action plans?

Deputy Ossian Smyth

The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 strengthens the role of local authorities in climate action. The Act sets out a statutory requirement for each local authority to prepare a local authority climate action plan within 12 months from when the Minister issues a request to the sector to begin the preparation of such plans. The Minister issued this request last Friday.

Each plan will include a decarbonisation zone which is selected by the local authority. A separate technical annex has been developed as part of the guidelines to assist local authorities with this. Decarbonisation zones are intended to be the focus for a range of climate mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity measures in each local authority administrative area and will help to identify projects which will contribute to the delivery of the national climate objective. Action 165 of the national Climate Action Plan 2019 sets out that each local authority should identify and develop plans for one decarbonising zone within its respective administrative area.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage issued a circular in February 2021 to all local authorities setting out guidance around developing the zones. Action 80 of Climate Action Plan 2021 required each local authority to integrate the development of its decarbonisation zone into its local authority climate action plan. Technical Annex D of the guidelines provides specific guidance on the decarbonisation zones.

The development of the decarbonisation zone concept in Ireland has been informed by good practice in other jurisdictions and in Ireland, including the Dundalk Sustainable Energy Community, SEC, Project 2020, the Portlaoise Low Carbon town and the Dingle Hub under the Dingle SEC. These projects and experiences can be considered to be pilot projects. They have influenced the roll-out of decarbonisation zones nationally.

As test-beds and demonstrator areas, the decarbonisation zones are themselves pilot projects. The intention is that trialling decarbonising measures in smaller areas will lead to learning and the development of good practice that will then be shared nationally. The local authority climate action plan guidelines were published last Friday. This will begin the formal process to commence the development of the local climate plans and local authorities have 12 months to complete these.

Deputy Catherine Connolly

We have clarification. The guidelines were issued last Friday. They will be made public within a month. We may have to wait another month to suit the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, presumably. A direction has also been issued to all the local authorities to prepare an action plan. Is that what the Minister of State said? I do not have the reply in front of me. Let us be very clear now because I have four pages of background here and the levels of frustration are quite high. The Minister of State still has not answered me. What was the delay for two years? Have the 31 local authorities now submitted their decarbonisation plans? Also a very quick history lesson, as the Minister of State read out, Climate Action Plan 2019 was about each local authority identifying a decarbonisation zone. That was to be for the end of 2019. The 2020 election intervened. I will resume on my second minute.

Deputy Ossian Smyth

I thank the Deputy. She has a specific question about whether a legal direction has yet been issued. I have to check that. I know that the guidelines were circulated last Friday but I do not know whether they constitute a legal direction. I believe she asked for some history of how these decarbonisation zones were developed. She wants to know why we are issuing these guidelines.

Deputy Catherine Connolly

I am asking why it has taken up until now to get the guidelines, while welcoming them. I will not interrupt.

Deputy Ossian Smyth

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage issued Circular LGSM/01/2021 in February 2021 to chief executives and directors of planning which provided instructions around developing zones for local authorities. Action 80 of the national Climate Action Plan 2021 required each local authority to integrate the development of its decarbonisation zone into its local authority climate action plan. Accordingly, each local authority will take forward its decarbonisation zone as a component of its local authority climate action plan. At this point, responsibility for the decarbonisation zone process was transferred from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.

Deputy Catherine Connolly

I am going to try again. Has the Minister issued the direction to the local authorities to prepare their climate action plans? The Department is under a legal obligation to do that within 18 months. That 18 months is up next Tuesday, 7 March. Has that happened? If it has not happened, will it happen before 7 March?

In regard to a history lesson on the decarbonisation zones, let me put on the record that I am praising Galway City Council. In April 2021, Galway City Council submitted its application, expecting to get approval and make an implementation plan by the end of 2021. As of February 2022, one year ago, 29 of the 31 local authorities, and this is my third time to say this, had submitted applications for decarbonisation zones. Two years later, no decarbonisation zone has been implemented despite the urgency and the emergency declared, because they had to wait for the statutory guidelines that were published last Friday. We still do not know whether the legal directions have issued, as they are legally required to do.

Deputy Ossian Smyth

I am not sure what the idea is of asking a question and when I give a direct answer the Deputy asks the same question again. She has asked me whether a legal direction has been issued. What I told her is that I know the guidelines were circulated last Friday but I do not know whether they constitute a legal direction. I will find out and come back to her. That is really all I can say on that.

In regard to decarbonisation zones, there is a five-stage process on this: to identify and define the decarbonisation zones, set out a vision and objectives, baseline and scope to establish the emission inventory policy context on alignment; to identify and map the stakeholders; to register opportunities; to compile a portfolio of actions, projects, technologies and interventions; and then to set out the actions to be achieved and devise a strategy for implementation. This will be a distinct component of the local authority climate action plan. As a delineated area with specifically targeted interventions it will have a clear-cut focus. It will be presented in a separate chapter and section in each local authority climate action plan. That is what the guidelines sent around last Friday include.