Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 March 2023
367. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he consulted with or plans to consult with the Climate Change Advisory Council in relation to the efficacy, or lack thereof, of the procedures in Circular 01/2020 in offsetting the carbon emissions from official air travel. [13368/23]
View answerCircular 01/2020 enables the public sector to lead by example on climate action by internalising the cost of greenhouse gas emissions from air travel within public sector organisations, with the revenue raised from this being allocated to the Climate Action Fund administered by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. This action is necessary because the cost associated with greenhouse gas emissions from the aviation sector is not currently fully incorporated into the price for air travel. The EU intends to fully incorporate the emissions impact of the airline sector within the scope of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) over time, and developments in this area will be monitored and updates made as appropriate.
The Climate Change Advisory Council was not consulted on the development of Circular 01/2020, and there are currently no plans to consult the Council on the procedures outlined therein. Assessment of the impact of the Circular on decision making within Departments about the use of air travel, or the beneficial impact of the additional funding for the Climate Action Fund, are matters for each individual Department and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, respectively.
