Written Answers Nos. 166-174
166. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide an update on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14495/23]
View answer167. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide an update on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14496/23]
View answer168. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide an update on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14497/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 166, 167 and 168 together.
The Climate Action Plan and National Retrofit Plan commit set ambitious targets to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2/cost optimal and the installation of 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes to replace older, less efficient heating systems by end-2030.
In February last year, Government announced an enhanced package of measures to support the uptake of home energy upgrades including:
- A new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme operated through a network of registered One Stop Shops with increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical deep retrofit to a B2 BER standard.
- Alignment of grants available for relevant measures under the Better Energy Homes Scheme and the Community Energy Grant Scheme to the rates available under the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme.
- A significant increase in the number of free energy upgrades provided to those at risk of energy poverty alongside changes to the operation of the Warmer Homes Scheme. This includes ensuring the Scheme prioritises those in the worst performing homes first and opening the Scheme for homeowner ‘revisits’ thereby allowing them apply for deeper energy upgrade measures now available under the scheme.
- A special enhanced grant rate, equivalent to 80% of the typical cost, for attic and cavity wall insulation for all households. This will help to urgently reduce energy use as part of the Government’s response to current exceptionally high energy prices.
As the figures below show, demand across the SEAI supported residential retrofit schemes and increased significant since 2020:
- 27,200 home energy upgrades were supported in 2022, compared to 17,546 in 2020, representing a 55% increase.
- Of these, 8,481 upgrades were to a post works Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2 or better in 2022, compared to 3,280 in 2020, representing a 158% increase.
- 4,438 free energy upgrades were delivered under SEAI energy poverty schemes, compared to 1,473 in 2020, representing a 200% increase.
The information requested in the questions is included in the attached table:
|
SEAI Home Energy Upgrade Programmes |
|
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
To date in 2023 |
|
No of property upgrades |
15,223 |
11,711 |
21,823 |
5,514 |
|
|
Individual Energy Grants |
Capital Expenditure |
€26.1m |
€24.7m |
€61.0m |
€14.9m |
|
No of property upgrades |
1,473 |
2,398 |
4,438 |
466 |
|
|
Fully Funded Energy Upgrades |
Capital Expenditure |
€25.5m |
€41.4m |
€98.0m |
€14.2m |
|
No of property upgrades |
850 |
1,137 |
938 |
145 |
|
|
One Stop Shop including Pilots* |
Capital Expenditure |
€26.9m |
€32.7m |
€29.2m |
€3.0m |
* Comprises National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme, Community Energy Grant Scheme, Deep Retrofit Pilot.
My Department is working with SEAI to build on the strong performance of 2022. A record €356 million in funding has been allocated to SEAI for residential and community retrofit for 2023 to support the delivery of 37,000 retrofits this year.
169. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the protocols and or guidelines he has issued in respect of the use of personal social media accounts by officials in his Department; the number of sanctions imposed by his Department on its own officials in the past ten years to date in respect of social media output by its officials, verbal, written or otherwise; if social media platforms are restricted on his Department’s network; if an application (details supplied) is available to use and or download onto Departmental-issued mobile phones; and if not, if it is barred from use. [14511/23]
View answerMy Department has in place a social media usage policy to guide staff when using social media in a private capacity when at work. The aim of the policy is to protect staff, the reputation of the Department, and the security and integrity of the Department’s computer networks. The policy is available on the Department’s intranet and applies to all permanent and contract staff. A limited amount of personal use of the internet and social media is permitted on the Department’s equipment, provided that a number of rules, as outlined in the policy, are observed. Any breaches of policy may result in sanctions under the Civil Service Disciplinary Code: www.gov.ie/en/circular/7dc8d03f09c943d3b95d561f8b05c684/ .
The National Cyber Security Centre, which is part of my Department, issues guidance to Government Departments and office holders on the security of mobile devices. This guidance is based on risk assessments appropriate to the circumstances and is kept under continuous review by the NCSC.
Earlier this month, the NCSC reviewed and updated its current mobile phone guidance for Government officials. The new guidance recommends that officials strictly limit their use of third-party apps on official devices, particularly apps such as social media, gaming, gambling or fitness apps. The guidance also provides advice to officials on precautions to take regarding their devices while travelling.
The NCSC is presently working on a comprehensive guidance document on device security for public sector bodies in Ireland, which will include mobile phones. This work is being conducted with the assistance of the Data Protection Commission and other State bodies, together with information gathered from international partners. This work has been underway for some time and will conclude in the coming months.
170. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will report on the transition to a plan-led approach in offshore wind farming and the engagement of industry and stakeholders in the offshore wind delivery task force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14524/23]
View answer171. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will report on the transition to a plan-led approach in offshore wind farming; if this will prompt any changes in the structuring and resources of the offshore wind delivery task force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14525/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 170 and 171 together.
The Policy Statement on the Framework for Phase Two Offshore Wind approved by Government aims to accelerate the delivery of 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030, as well as the wider Climate Action Plan objective of achieving 80% renewable electricity.
Under Phase Two, offshore renewables capacity will continue to be procured through the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS), with the size and regularity of auctions required to meet the 5 GW target to be determined by onshore grid and marine spatial constraints, and the outcome of Phase One. Phase Two auction participants will compete for supports to develop offshore wind capacity within Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Designated Areas, which will be designated according to legislative provisions for Designated Maritime Area Plans (DMAPs) in the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021.
I established the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce in order to accelerate and drive delivery of offshore wind by public bodies, and to maximise the economic benefit to Ireland of offshore wind. The work of this taskforce is framed by the overarching objective of deploying 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030, and as such its remit includes Phase Two. No changes to its structure have been required on foot of the recent policy statement. The Taskforce is working with representatives from the offshore wind industry, who are currently actively contributing to workstreams examining supply chain and skills needs.
172. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the reason a house (details supplied) that is not in receipt of a broadband signal of 30mbs is not covered by the roll out by National Broadband Ireland of high-speed broadband; if it is now intended to include this and other neighbouring houses in this roll out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14526/23]
View answerThe High-Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie, shows the areas included in the National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led intervention as well as areas targeted by commercial operators. The map is colour-coded and searchable by address and Eircode. Premises in the AMBER area will be provided with high-speed broadband through the State led Intervention. The BLUE area represents those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services.
It is noted that the premises referred to in the question is indicated as being in the BLUE area. Following a review by the Department’s technical team it has been confirmed that this premises is not currently capable of getting high speed broadband through commercial means.
Commercial operators have recently indicated their plans to supply Gigabit services to all premises in the BLUE area of the NBP Map as part of their commercial network rollouts. However, due to the specifics of this premises, in terms of its location and high-speed broadband provision in the surrounding areas it has been decided that this premises will be reclassified and served by NBI under the National Broadband Plan.
In terms of next steps, reclassification will require a formal change to ensure that this premises is included on the broadband maps. My Department is working with NBI to execute this change and to ensure it is factored into the build programme.
173. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he intends to introduce legislation to ensure that all customers in the State pay the same standing charge for their electricity, as opposed to the present arrangement where there is an urban standing charge and a rural standing charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14527/23]
View answerThe electricity and gas retail markets in Ireland operate within a European Union regulatory regime wherein electricity and gas markets are commercial, liberalised, and competitive. Operating within this overall EU framework, responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets, including the matters raised by the Deputy, is solely a matter for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), which was assigned responsibility for the regulation of the Irish electricity and gas markets following the enactment of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA), 1999.
The CRU is an independent statutory regulator and is accountable for the performance of its functions to the Oireachtas, and not to me as Minister.
I understand that electricity customers are allocated to a Distribution Use of System (DUoS) Group. This is done and set out as part of the connection agreement. The allocation of a customer to a particular group can be based on several factors including the type of use, the voltage a premises is connected at, the type of meter installed, or if electricity is exported. In this regard it is of note that a domestic customer, for the purpose of electricity supply, can be defined as any premises whose main purpose is that of a single residence and where the connection agreement is with a private individual, with an MIC (Maximum Import Capacity) up to 29KVA.
ESB Networks, the electricity Distribution System Operator, published, with the approval of CRU, ‘Rules for Application of DUoS Tariff Group’. This document outlines the rules for applying the correct Distribution Use of System (DUoS) tariff (DUoS Group) to a customer premises or connection point and is available at: www.cru.ie/wp-content/uploads/2004/07/cer04300.pdf .
The CRU provides a dedicated email address for Oireachtas members, which enables them raise questions on energy regulatory matters, such as the matter raised in this question, to CRU at oireachtas@cru.ie for timely direct reply.
174. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will seek a report from NBI about the continuing issues in an area (details supplied) where broadband was installed in the estate over three years ago but still has not been activated for the majority of households in the estate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14530/23]
View answerThe area referred to in the Question is located in the BLUE area on the NBP High-Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website at www.broadband.gov.ie.
BLUE areas are not included in the State intervention area covered by the National Broadband Plan as commercial operators are already providing high-speed broadband or have indicated future plans to do so. My Department defines high-speed broadband as a connection with minimum speeds of 30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload. Under State aid rules, my Department is not permitted to displace commercial investment by intervening in areas where commercial investment exists or is planned, as to do so would be an infringement of these State aid rules. The activities of commercial operators delivering high-speed broadband within BLUE areas are not planned or funded by the State and my Department has no statutory authority to intervene in that regard.
In December 2022 my Department published Ireland's Digital Connectivity Strategy which supports the ambition outlined in the National Digital Strategy and sets out a number of ambitious targets namely:
- all Irish households and businesses will be covered by a Gigabit network no later than 2028;
- all populated areas will be covered by 5G no later than 2030, and
- digital connectivity will be delivered to all schools and broadband connection points by 2023.
The majority of digital connectivity across the State will be delivered through commercial investment by the telecommunications industry and this will be complemented by the National Broadband Plan.
The estate referred to in this question has access to high-speed broadband and the fibre broadband build is in progress. My Department does not have visibility of the commercial operator’s completion schedule.
