Written Answers Nos. 1-18
1. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will consider waiving passport fees for children who are in foster care under the aegis of Tusla; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18442/23]
View answerPassport fees are set out in Statutory Instrument No. 259/2019 Diplomatic and Consular Fees (Amendment) Regulations. Although there is no provision to waive the fee for children who are in foster care, the Passport Service has a dedicated team that deals with passport applications made on their behalf. This ensures that such applications are processed with due care and attention given their complexity.
The Passport Service has reduced the fee for all passports applied for through the online channel. I would encourage all persons applying for passports on behalf of children in foster care to apply online to avail of this reduced fee, which is 33% less expensive than the paper application fee for children.
2. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when an FBR application (details supplied) will be completed, considering that the supporting documents were received by his Department over twelve months ago; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18528/23]
View answerMy Department is responsible for processing Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) applications for people who are born abroad and claim Irish citizenship through a grandparent born in Ireland or through a parent who has claimed citizenship also through FBR, Naturalisation or Post Nuptial Citizenship.
Demand for this service increased significantly as a result of the Brexit vote in the UK. The service was also impacted by necessary Covid-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021 and the unprecedented demand for passports seen in 2022.
During 2022, my Department implemented a number of measures to address the volume of FBR applications on hand, with a view to significantly reducing the processing time for these applications. These measures, which include increased staffing directed towards the processing of FBR applications, have been successful in reducing the waiting time for applicants. FBR applications are now being processed within the normal turnaround times of between 6 and 9 months from receipt of supporting documents, down from over 2 years in September 2022.
Foreign Birth Registration, by its nature, is a detailed and complex process, often involving official documentation relating to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. Such documents take considerable time to validate.
With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, this application is currently being processed by the Passport Service. A member of the FBR team will be in contact with the applicant in due course.
3. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the status of a passport renewal (details supplied) given the applicant's target issue date has been exceeded by a number of months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18566/23]
View answerWith regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, this application was received by the Passport Service on 7 November 2022. The turnaround time for paper based applications is 8 weeks. The Passport Service requested further supporting documents from the applicant on 20 December 2022. Further supporting documents were received by the Passport Service on 10 March 2023. The application is being processed by the Passport Service and contact has been made with the applicant in this regard.
4. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he can explain the circumstances (details supplied) behind the anomaly in the An Post pension system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18467/23]
View answerUnder section 46 of the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, approves any superannuation schemes submitted by An Post. The operation of the schemes is a matter between the management of An Post, staff representatives and the trustees of the schemes. I have asked An Post to correspond directly with the Deputy on this matter.
5. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications further to Parliamentary Question No. 140 of 2 March 2023, whether the Local Government Management Agency has yet submitted draft codes of practice for the purpose of setting standards for the operation of CCTV and other mobile recording devices in order to deter environmental pollution and to facilitate the prevention, detection, and prosecution of littering (Section 33) and illegal dumping (Section 22) offences; when he expects to receive these draft codes, and the timeframe in which local authorities can commence the installation of CCTV cameras in the vicinity of bottle banks and other waste collection locations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18405/23]
View answerAs required under Sections 22 & 33 of the Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022, the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) are currently working on the preparation of these Codes of Practice, which will be submitted to me, as Minister, for approval on completion. This a complex process and requires consultation with, inter alia, the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Minister for Justice, and the Data Protection Commission. Separate Codes of Practice are required for the operation of CCTV schemes under both the Litter Pollution Act and the Waste Management Act, while a further Code of Practice is required for the use of “mobile recording devices” under the Waste Management Act. Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) must also be prepared as part of this process. The approval process will begin on receipt of the draft Codes of Practice, timescales regarding their submission are a matter for the LGMA..
Following approval by the Minister, the Codes of Practice must be laid before both Houses of Oireachtas by the LGMA and published on a website maintained by or on behalf of the Minister or the Government. Local authorities will only be in a position to initiate litter and waste enforcement measures involving the GDPR compliant use of technologies such as CCTV when this process is entirely complete.
Furthermore, in proposing to install/operate CCTV schemes, local authorities will be required to prepare a site management plan in respect of each individual scheme, setting out proposed arrangements for the monitoring, recording and disclosing of the images produced and for preserving the recordings, within the meanings assigned under the Data Protection Act 2018. Data Protection Impact Assessments must also be completed in accordance with section 84 of the Data Protection Act 2018.
6. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will outline when he intends to publish a national hydrogen strategy for Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18411/23]
View answerHydrogen provides us with an incredible opportunity in Ireland. It provides the potential for long duration energy storage, dispatchable renewable electricity, the opportunity to decarbonise some parts of high temperature processing and a potential export market opportunity, given Ireland's offshore renewable energy potential. The Government has set an initial target of 2 GW of floating offshore wind to be in development by 2030, which may include the development of projects devoted to production of green hydrogen, to create the necessary environment to develop an indigenous hydrogen industry, and projects devoted to other non-grid uses. Hydrogen and decarbonised gases should be a critical component of Ireland’s energy ecosystem and decarbonisation pathway. A hydrogen strategy for Ireland is being developed, with an anticipated completion timeline of Q2 2023.
7. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will outline when he intends to launch a public consultation into the use of direct lines and private wires; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18412/23]
View answerClimate Action Plan 23 includes a commitment to carry out a public consultation on Private Wires and a deadline for publication of Q4 2023 has been set. Private wires are an issue that is of interest and importance to many stakeholders. The policy area of Private Wires is broad in nature and as such detailed consideration must go into formulating the consultation in order to ensure that all aspects of the policy area are considered.
Publishing a consultation and, ultimately, providing a clear policy position on the issue of Private Wires is a priority for me. Work on this policy area is ongoing within my Department with my officials engaging directly in recent months with interested stakeholders as part of the consultation formulation process.
My officials look forward to their continued engagement with interested stakeholders as they continue to develop this important policy area.
8. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will outline his views on the EU Electricity Market Reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18413/23]
View answerIn January the European Commission launched a public consultation on the reform of the European Union's electricity market design to better protect consumers from excessive price volatility, support their access to secure energy from clean sources, and make the market more resilient. It will involve making amendments to a number of current EU legislation Regulations and Directives.
The consultation closed in mid-February and the Commission published a suite of legislative proposals on 14th March. Ireland submitted a position paper on the 13th February which can be accessed at gov.ie ( www.gov.ie/en/publication/9d196-european-commission-public-consultation-on-reform-of-electricity-market-to-support-a-clean-and-affordable-energy-transition/). Ireland is currently engaging closely in European dialogue in relation to the proposals.
While Ireland is supportive of reform, we should not depart from the competitive principles of our market design, which would undermine the cost-effective decarbonisation of our energy system, jeopardize affordability and risk security of supply. Nevertheless, it is appropriate to look at the market design with a view to improving it particularly in context of increased renewables. Ireland will engage closely in this process working with European colleagues to strike the right balance in relation to investment opportunities to accommodate increasing renewable penetration, as well as flexibility signals for storage, demand side response and back up generation technologies.
It is critical that market design and energy market contracts operate so that consumers receive the full direct benefit of low-cost renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
9. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will outline his intentions to publish a national solar strategy for Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18418/23]
View answerThe Climate Action Plan sets out Ireland's Solar Strategy to deliver a target of 8 GW of solar energy by 2030 and up to 5 GW by 2025 as one of the measures to meet the carbon budget programme for the electricity sector.
A range of measures are in place to support the accelerated roll out of solar energy including regular rounds of auctions under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) to deliver grid scale solar energy to homes and businesses. There is currently over 500 MW of solar energy connected to the electricity grid and I expect significantly more to be energised by year end.
In February last year, I signed the Regulations that create an obligation on suppliers to offer the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) tariff to new and existing micro generators so that they will receive payment for excess renewable electricity they export to the grid, reflective of the market value. This represented the first phase of a comprehensive enabling framework for micro-and small-scale generators in Ireland, including solar PV.
The Clean Export Premium (CEP) feed-in tariff, is a mechanism as part of the Government's Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS), designed to support non-domestic microgeneration installation sizes greater than 6kWp up to 50kWp. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) will consult on an implementation plan for the CEP tariff later in 2023.
My Department is also developing the Small-Scale Generation scheme for generators above 50kW to support the deployment of rooftop and community/local ground-mounted solar PV. This scheme is expected to be launched later in 2023.
In addition, the Department of Education provides funding for schools to install solar PV through the Summer Works Scheme and the Department of Agriculture provides grant support for qualifying farms through the Solar Capital Investment Scheme as part of the broader Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme.
10. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the steps he is taking to fulfil the Programme for Government commitment 'As Ireland moves towards carbon neutrality, we do not believe that it makes sense to develop LNG gas import terminals importing fracked gas, accordingly we shall withdraw the Shannon LNG terminal from the EU Projects of Common Interest list in 2021. We do not support the importation of fracked gas and shall develop a policy statement to establish that approach.' [18456/23]
View answerThe Policy Statement on the Importation of Fracked Gas set out that pending the outcome of the review of the security of energy supply of Ireland’s electricity and natural gas systems, it would not be appropriate for Ireland to permit or proceed with the development of any LNG terminals.
The review of the security of energy supply of Ireland’s electricity and gas systems is focused on the period to 2030, but in the context of ensuring a sustainable transition up to 2050. A range of measures to mitigate the risks identified as part of the review were examined in the technical analysis accompanying the Department's consultation document published in September 2022. The Department received over 450 submissions from a broad range of individuals and organisations in response to the consultation. The consultation responses were reviewed and analysed, and they have provided important insights on a number of aspects such as risks, mitigation options and policy measures. I will bring recommendations arising from the review to Government in Q2 for its consideration.
11. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the conservation requirements which led to the suspension of draft net fishing on inland rivers; if draft net fishing can resume on certain rivers (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18503/23]
View answerSalmon management is aligned with scientific advice. In that regard, the primary determinant of facilitating fishing is the availability of a harvestable surplus above the individual river’s conservation limit, which is the number of adult spawning fish required to maintain a viable population as scientifically established.
On the general matter of these conservation requirements, I wish to advise the Deputy that while the percentage of groundwater bodies and coastal water bodies in satisfactory quality is well above the European average, our rivers, lakes and estuaries are not doing as well. Only 50 per cent of rivers, 69 per cent of lakes and 36 per cent of estuaries are in satisfactory ecological health. Furthermore, while there have been some improvements, these are being cancelled out by declines during 2016-2021. There has been a marked decline in the water quality of our estuaries, with an additional 15.7% that are no longer in a satisfactory condition. Significant agricultural pressures include run-off of nutrients and sediment from agricultural lands and farmyards, and the contamination of surface waters with pesticides. Nutrients and other substances discharged from waste water treatment plants can lead to organic and nutrient enrichment with consequent impacts on dissolved oxygen levels and biological communities Further Details are available from the EPA website: www.epa.ie/our-services/monitoring--assessment/assessment/irelands-environment/water/
Harvest of rivers below their conservation limit is not permitted as this would increase pressures on already vulnerable stocks and potentially severely damage their longer term viability and the biodiversity in their aquatic habitat. In that context, facilitating harvest in these circumstances would be irresponsible and run counter to the conservation imperative and the EU Habitats Directive. Scientific assessments are carried out annually and the status of each stock will be reviewed again later this year.
I have been advised by IFI that Conservation Limits for the rivers Feale, Galley and Brick have not been achieved to facilitate responsible harvest, either recreationally or commercially, in 2023. Consequently, in adherence to scientific and management advice, these rivers are open for Catch and Release Angling only in 2023.
12. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the pre- and post-BER ratings of all deep retrofits completed in 2022 under all SEAI schemes, by scheme, pre-BER, and post-BER, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18595/23]
View answerThe Climate Action Plan and National Retrofit Plan 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.
To promote and incentivise the achievement of these targets, in February 2022, Government launched a package of supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills.
Following the introduction of the new measures, demand across the SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes was exceptionally high in 2022 and as the figures below highlight, there was an increase when compared to 2021 levels:
• 27,200 home energy upgrades were supported in 2022, compared to 15,246 in 2021, representing a 79% increase year-on year.
• Of these, 8,481 upgrades were to a post works Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2 or better, compared to 4,345 in 2021, representing a 95% increase year-on-year.
In line with the respective terms and conditions of the various SEAI energy efficiency schemes, not all homeowners are required to have a pre-works Building Energy Rating (BER) in advance of works commencing. This is the case for the Individual Grants Schemes, while the requirement for a pre-works BER was only introduced under the Free Energy Upgrade Schemes in February 2022. A pre-works BER is required for all homes under the deep retrofit schemes i.e. National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme; Community Energy Grant Scheme; and Deep Retrofit Pilot.
A post-works BER is required on completion of the works across all schemes and this allows SEAI to determine the Building Energy Rating (BER) achieved following retrofit works.
Based on the data available to SEAI for 2022, and provided to the Department, the One Stop Shop programme had a median pre works BER rating of D1 and a post works median BER rating of B1, while for the same period for the Fully Funded Warmer Homes Programme the median pre works BER rating was D2 and the post works median BER rating was C2. Further detail on the post works BER ratings achieved by retrofit schemes in 2022 are set out in the attached table.
A more detailed overview of the SEAI 2022 performance against annual targets on the residential and community energy efficiency schemes can be found in their recently published quarterly report, which can be found on the SEAI website at: www.seai.ie/news-and-media/home-energy-upgrades-2022/
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.
|
SEAI SCHEME |
Post Works BER Ratings Achieved 2022 |
||||||||||||||
|
A1 |
A2 |
A3 |
B1 |
B2 |
B3 |
C1 |
C2 |
C3 |
D1 |
D2 |
E1 |
E2 |
F |
G |
|
|
Better Energy Warmer Homes |
|||||||||||||||
|
2022 |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.21% |
0.75% |
2.88% |
11.37% |
17.99% |
16.53% |
13.23% |
11.30% |
8.61% |
5.04% |
2.91% |
3.35% |
2.56% |
|
Better Energy Warmth and Well-being |
|||||||||||||||
|
2022 |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.57% |
1.72% |
5.17% |
19.54% |
28.16% |
17.24% |
9.77% |
10.34% |
2.87% |
0.57% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
1.15% |
|
Better Energy Homes |
|||||||||||||||
|
2022 |
1.06% |
3.07% |
8.00% |
4.05% |
8.52% |
17.36% |
17.02% |
13.61% |
9.94% |
7.61% |
4.81% |
2.13% |
1.34% |
0.91% |
0.43% |
|
Solar PV |
|||||||||||||||
|
2022 |
3.89% |
4.44% |
9.55% |
17.23% |
19.64% |
16.33% |
9.89% |
6.73% |
5.94% |
2.19% |
1.63% |
0.65% |
0.47% |
0.40% |
0.23% |
|
National Homes Retrofit (One Stop Shops) |
|||||||||||||||
|
2022 |
3.89% |
7.47% |
33.90% |
43.55% |
10.58% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
|
Communities Energy Grants |
|||||||||||||||
|
2022 |
4.41% |
13.90% |
41.69% |
35.59% |
4.41% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
13. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the figures for all retrofits completed in Q1 2023 under all SEAI schemes, by scheme, pre-BER, and post-BER; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18596/23]
View answer14. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the figures of retrofits completed under the SEAI 'one-stop-shop scheme' in Q1 this year, pre-BER, and post-BER; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18597/23]
View answer16. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the figures of retrofits completed under the SEAI's 'warmer homes' scheme in Q1 this year, pre-BER, and post-BER; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18599/23]
View answer17. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the average waiting home for a retrofit under all SEAI schemes in Q1 this year by scheme, per BER rating pre-completion, and per BER rating post-completion, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18600/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 14, 16 and 17 together.
The Climate Action Plan and National Retrofit Plan 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.
To promote and incentivise the achievement of these targets, in February 2022, Government launched a package of supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills.
Following the introduction of the new measures, demand across the SEAI grant supported schemes was exceptionally high in 2022 and to date this year, with data from SEAI showing:
• 27,200 home energy upgrades were supported in 2022, which represents a 79% increase year-on year. Figures to end of March 2023 show 9,946 home energy upgrades have been delivered so far this year.
• 4,438 homes were delivered across the fully funded schemes in 2022 which represents an increase of 85% on the number end of March 2023 show 946 home energy upgrades completed under the Warmer Homes Scheme.
• 8,481 homes upgraded to a post works BER or B2 or better in 2022, representing a 95% increase year-on-year. Figures to the end of March 2023, show 3,304 homes have been upgraded to a post works BER of B2 or better.
• 643 home energy upgrades were completed under the NHEUS (National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme) in 2022. Figures to the end of March 2023 show 255 home energy upgrades completed.
• A more detailed overview of the SEAI 2022 performance against annual targets on the residential and community energy efficiency schemes can be found in their recently published quarterly report, which can be found on the SEAI website at: www.seai.ie/news-and-media/home-energy-upgrades-2022/.
• In line with the respective terms and conditions of the various SEAI energy efficiency schemes, not all homeowners are required to have a pre-works Building Energy Rating (BER) in advance of works commencing. This is the case for the Individual Grants Schemes, while the requirement for a pre-works BER was only introduced under the Free Energy Upgrade Schemes in February 2022. A pre-works BER is required for all homes under the deep retrofit schemes i.e. National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme; Community Energy Grant Scheme; and Deep Retrofit Pilot.
• A post-works BER is required on completion of the works across all schemes and this allows SEAI to determine the Building Energy Rating (BER) achieved following retrofit works.
• 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.
• The BER data sought by the Deputy is not routinely supplied by the SEAI to my Department. I have directed SEAI to reply directly to the Deputy with the data requested, in so far as it is available, as soon as possible.
15. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the figures for all solar installations under all SEAI schemes in Q1 this year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18598/23]
View answer18. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the average waiting time for solar installation under all SEAI schemes in Q1 of 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18611/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 18 together.
Below please find a table with the requested information provided by the SEAI:
|
Applications Received in Q1 2023 |
Applications Paid in Q1 2023 (1) |
Average Time from Application to Approval |
Average Time from Approved Application to Receipt of Payment Request for Q1 2023 (4) |
|
|
Solar PV |
4698 |
3985 |
Immediate (2) |
121 days |
|
Community Grants |
12 |
12 |
No data available (3) |
No data available (3) |
|
One Stop Shops |
108 |
47 |
Immediate (2) |
139 days |
|
Non-Domestic Microgen |
46 |
N/A Q1 |
8 weeks |
N/A Q1 |
Note applications paid in Q1 do not necessarily relate to the applications received in Q1 as it is solely a matter for the applicant to get the works completed once they have an approved application. See note (3) for Community Energy Grants.
For the Solar PV and One Stop Shop schemes – approval of application is immediate once all eligibility criteria are met.
In the case of Community Energy Grants – the approval process relates to the larger community wide project and discrete homes are ultimately only identified to SEAI at time of request grant payment. Hence, in the case of Community Energy Grants, applications and payments relate to the same completed homes.
Note that the average time between application and request for payment is solely a matter for the applicant and their own decisions in respect of scheduling the works with their selected contractor
