Written Answers Nos. 161-182
161. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if a passport application by a person (details supplied) will be reviewed and expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28143/23]
View answerWith regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, this application is within the current turnaround time and has not yet reached its issue by date. The Passport Service has advised the applicant's parent of the option of booking an Urgent Appointment for passport renewal.
162. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of staff seconded to his Department from a company (details supplied) in the past ten years to date; the title and-or role they filled; and the duration of same. [28178/23]
View answerNo individuals from the named company have been seconded to my Department in the past ten years.
163. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of instances in which his Department availed of services and-or consultancy and-or advices from a company (details supplied) in the past ten years to date; the costs of same; the number of contracts between the company and his Department; and the duration and costs of same. [28197/23]
View answerMy Department has not engaged the named company centrally to perform work in the past ten years and no fees have been incurred during this period.
164. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will ensure that the renewal of a passport for a child (details supplied) will be processed urgently by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28209/23]
View answerWith regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, supporting documentation for this application was most recently received on 1 June 2023. Turnaround time for applications for which further supporting documents have been submitted is 15 working days. This application is within the current turnaround time and has not yet reached its issue by date. The Passport Service has advised the applicant's parent of the option of booking an Urgent Appointment for passport renewal.
166. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he agrees that the best interest of a child (details supplied), whose passport application was denied due to their father's student status, was absent in the decision-making process; and if he will ensure that this application is reconsidered. [28267/23]
View answerAll passport applications are subject to the terms of the Passports Act 2008, as amended (“the 2008 Act“). Section 7(1)(a) provides that a person must be an Irish citizen in order for the Minister for Foreign Affairs (“the Minister”) to issue a passport to that person. Accordingly, every applicant for a passport must submit a complete application form with supporting documents positively confirming to the satisfaction of the Minister, among other things, that that person is an Irish citizen and as such is entitled to a passport.
The entitlement of a person to citizenship is governed by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended (“the 1956 Act”). The Minister does not have a discretion to grant a passport if the applicant has not satisfied him as to his/her citizenship and therefore is not entitled to a passport as a matter of law. The absence of discretion is confirmed by section 12(1)(a) of the 2008 Act.
The submitted application was checked for passport entitlement on 6 April 2023. However, the proofs submitted do not establish the applicant's entitlement to Irish citizenship under section 6A(1) of the 1956 Act, since residence that arises from permissions to remain in the State that have been issued to a person for study reasons is excluded for the purposes of section 6A(1) of the 1956 Act by section 6B(4)(b) of that Act.
As the application was considered to be incomplete, the Passport Service first contacted the applicant’s father on 19 April 2023 to inform him of the situation. It was suggested to him at that stage to consider submitting proofs relating to the applicant’s mother to see if her lawful residence could demonstrate her son’s entitlement to Irish citizenship. A further and similar email on this matter was sent by the Passport Service on 17 May 2023. To date, no additional proofs have been submitted by the applicant’s parents for the consideration of the Passport Service.
It remains open to the applicant's parents to submit the requested documentation in support of the application, which remains live.
167. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Irish Ambassador to Germany has visited any military facilities within Germany in 2022 and to date in 2023. [28447/23]
View answerThe Irish Ambassador to Germany has not visited any military facilities within Germany in 2022 or to date in 2023.
168. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when a decision will be made in the application for foreign birth registration by a person (details supplied), who applied in February 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28454/23]
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.
FBR applications are currently being processed within the normal turnaround time of between 6 and 9 months from receipt of supporting documents. Applications which require further supporting documents will take longer to process.
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 FBR application about which the Deputy has enquired, documents remain outstanding for this application. A member of the FBR team contacted the applicant on 8 June 2023 to clarify the outstanding documents required for the application.
170. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the allocation to overseas development aid in each of the years 2017 to date; the corresponding percentage of GNI; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28525/23]
View answerFor 2023, the Government provided a gross allocation for Official Development Assistance (ODA) of over €1.233 billion. 2023 is the ninth consecutive year in which Ireland’s ODA has increased, and the second consecutive year in which the allocation has reached over €1 billion.
Each year the Department of Foreign Affairs reports to the OECD Development Assistance Committee on overall expenditure on ODA against a set of internationally agreed statistical standards. The reports include details of total ODA expenditure and its corresponding GNI percentage. They are available publicly on the internet (Where the Money Goes - Department of Foreign Affairs (irishaid.ie).
For 2022, final data will be available in the coming months. Preliminary analysis notes that, including eligible costs for Ukrainian refugees' first year in Ireland, total ODA amounted to €2.33 billion, representing 0.64% of GNP. Excluding theses costs, the 2022 ODA figure is €1.4 billion, representing 0.40% of GNP. It should be noted that none of the eligible Ukrainian refugee costs were sourced from the Government’s allocation for ODA in 2022.
171. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when a passport will issue to a child (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28556/23]
View answerWith regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, this application is within the current turnaround time and has not yet reached its issue by date.
172. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when passports will issue to siblings (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28557/23]
View answerWith regard to the specific applications about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service received the applications on 11 April 2023. The turnaround time for paper applications is 8 weeks. Further documents for the applications were requested 2 June 2023. The applications cannot proceed until the required supporting documents have been received.
174. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the security protections in place for remote workers within civil and public service organisations to safeguard against personal information of members of the public in audio, text and electronic form being inadvertently exposed to unauthorised third parties within the remote setting; if he can provide a copy of the remote working best practice guidelines for civil and public service workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28633/23]
View answerAll staff approved for blended working must abide by the Department’s Blended Working policy which is in line with the Civil Service Blended Working Framework. The policy requires that all applicants for blended working must complete the necessary Cyber Security training, and must have a specified workstation which complies with the Department’s security requirements, including Cyber Security. Any consideration of role suitability for blended working includes consideration of the performance of tasks that are security sensitive.
For reasons of operational and national security it is not appropriate to disclose technical details of the Departments Cyber Security arrangements.
The Department’s Blended Working policy is available via this link: dfa-ie.sharefile.eu/d-sc3015435dc4d46f68d1bda0e27dc3fed.
175. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications further to Parliamentary Question No. 279 of 26 November 2009, to detail where in the Government books is the €176 million special dividend from the ESB from 2009, accounted for as received and allocated. [27423/23]
View answerAny decision by the Board of the Commercial Semi State Bodies regarding declaration of a dividend is agreed jointly between the Body, my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPENDR). Dividends are not voted expenditure and so do not fall within the Estimates or Revised Estimates process.
My Department does not have a role in the allocation of ordinary dividends. These dividends are paid by the State Body directly to the exchequer, and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform has responsibility for its allocation. With regard to the €176m special dividend, the Minister for Finance and I, as Shareholders, further requested that the proceeds of this special interim dividend would be paid on our behalf into a special fund established by ESB, from which the Large Energy User Credit could be drawn down by ESB in order to finance this credit.
ESB disbursed funds to EirGrid on a monthly basis following appropriate validation of requested amounts. ESB provided monthly reports to my Department on the financial status of the special fund.
In August 2010, I wrote to the Chairman of ESB requesting that by 30th September 2010, any sums remaining in the “Special Interim Dividend” bank account be transferred to the relevant bank account of the Commission for Energy Regulation, from which future payments to Large Energy Users would be made. The balance remaining in the account including accrued interest up to 30th September 2010 was €58,351,824.58 and this total was transferred to CER Carbon Levy Account on that date.
The rationale at the time for the measure was high Irish energy costs remaining a significant concern for all sectors of the economy, having risen significantly above EU average in previous years, despite global energy costs declining in 2010. This was primarily due to structural factors including Ireland's high dependence on imported fossil fuels, geographic isolation, a small and widely dispersed population and programmes of very significant investment in energy infrastructure, following two decades of under-investment in the networks. Recognising the concerns of indigenous business and the inward investment community, the Government put in place a number of measures to mitigate the cost of energy for business. All electricity users benefitted in 2009 from direct subsidies totalling €567m. These were made up of an ESB rebate to consumers of €315m, a repayment of certain Public Service Obligation (PSO) levies of €87m and the deferral of some ESB network revenues until after October 2009.
Following the 2009 Government Decision, the CRU, then the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), published Information Note CER/09/117, which is attached for reference. This note outlines the CER decision to continue the rebate scheme set out in Information Note CER/09/002, also attached, for all LEUs to ensure they did not face any rise in their network tariffs.
The following extract is taken from the CER Information Note CER/09/002, which sets out the details of the rebate mechanism.
"PSO Related Rebate Monies from the sale of some ESB power stations under the CER-ESB Asset Strategy agreement will be rebated to all customers. Some of these generation stations received support through the Public Service Obligation (PSO) mechanism and following their sale a rebate can be given to all electricity customers in 2009...
While the above contributions have offset price increases for ESB Customer Supply customers, they also benefit customers of all Independent Suppliers. Both rebates will be passed from ESB through the networks companies, EirGrid and ESB Networks Ltd. to suppliers who will distribute them to their customers."
This rebate mechanism was continued for the 2009/2010 tariff year, as outlined in the CER Information Note CER/09/117.
The following extract from CER Information Note CER/09/117 outlines the value of the rebate scheme for LEUs. The CER determined this as a targeted response to the industrial competitiveness concerns arising during the economic circumstances that pertained in 2009.
"The Government have stated their continuing concern about the impact of energy prices on Large Energy Users (LEUs), who contribute so substantially to employment and are particularly affected by electricity prices. It has therefore been decided that there will be a continuation of the rebate scheme for LEUs.
This should ensure that LEUs do not face any rise in their network tariffs from October 2009. The rebate will comprise: 1.5003 cent/kWh and €8.63/kVA per annum for the period 1st October 2009 to 30th September 2010."
The amounts received depended on the energy consumed by each LEU in that period, and the rebates were passed through the network companies, EirGrid and ESB Networks Ltd.
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), which has full independent responsibility to regulate network charges, provides a dedicated email address for Oireachtas members. This enables members to raise questions directly to the regulator for timely reply. If further clarification is required on the above, please contact oireachtas@cru.ie.
176. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the status of chemical recycling for flexible plastic packaging and other mixed polyethylene/polypropylene in Ireland; the plans to improve the infrastructure for this recycling in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27063/23]
View answerThe term chemical recycling is generally understood to cover a range of technologies that can include the use of heat and chemicals such as solvents in varying degrees. As matters stand, there is neither a formal definition of chemical recycling in Irish or European waste law nor policy agreement as to its place within the waste hierarchy.
My Department has no plans in relation to infrastructure specifically for chemical recycling. More generally, through Repak, the national packaging Extended Producer Responsibility scheme, Ireland incentivises domestic recycling infrastructure ahead of recycling abroad by providing, for example:
- an additional reprocessing subsidy for household collection which was introduced in 2020 and is only available to plastic re-processors with operations in Ireland. In 2022, this subsidy increased from €35 per tonne to €50 per tonne.
- a stepped subsidy system for commercial collection with the highest subsidy payable where material is recycled in Ireland, mid-range funding where material is recycled in EU/UK, and a reduced subsidy for material sent outside Europe.
It should also be noted that the Local Authority Sector's draft National Waste Management Plan is currently the subject of a public consultation. The Plan includes proposals to address infrastructure needs which can provide for greater circularity and self-sufficiency and to reduce the risk and reliance on waste exports. The Plan may be accessed on the MyWaste.ie portal.
177. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when householders who produce surplus solar energy will be paid (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27171/23]
View answerOn 15 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-and small-scale generators so that they will receive payment for excess renewable electricity they export to the grid, reflective of the market value. It is our understanding that most suppliers have already begun payment processes.
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) published a decision on an interim enabling framework for the CEG which outlines the arrangements for the implementation of the CEG, including eligibility criteria and remuneration methodology. More information is available here: Clean Export Tariff - Commission for Regulation of Utilities (cru.ie).
I understand that suppliers have published a range of CEG tariffs which allows customers to shop around and switch suppliers to obtain the best rates for selling and purchasing electricity.
The underlying principle, and primary advantage of microgeneration is self-consumption by consumers of their own electricity which can help consumers shield against electricity costs. While there is potential for payment for any excess electricity, export is an additional benefit but not the primary driver for engaging in microgeneration.
The CRU advises customers to contact their supplier to obtain information on their suppliers' CEG tariff arrangements.
178. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the options available to a priority vulnerable electricity customer (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27172/23]
View answerThe electricity and gas retail markets in Ireland operate within a European Union regulatory regime wherein electricity and gas markets are commercial and liberalised. Responsibility for the regulation of retail electricity and gas markets was assigned to the CRU under the 1999 Electricity Regulation Act and subsequent legislation. In line with long standing policy on deregulating price setting, CRU ended its regulation of retail prices in the electricity market in 2011, and in the gas market in 2014. Price setting by electricity suppliers, including standing charges is a commercial and operational matter for the companies concerned.
The CRU has a legislative obligation to protect the interest of energy customers and promote competition in retail energy markets. Under its legal mandate, the CRU is responsible for implementing customer protection measures, including those for vulnerable customers, which is done by the CRU through the placing of requirements on electricity and gas suppliers and electricity and gas network companies. These obligations are set out in the Electricity and Gas Suppliers’ Handbook and electricity and gas suppliers must comply with these obligations under their supply licence conditions.
Vulnerable customers who are critically dependent on electricity powered equipment, which includes but is not limited to life protecting devices, assistive technologies to support independent living and medical equipment, cannot be disconnected for non-payment of account at any time.
There is an obligation on suppliers to place all registered vulnerable customers on the most economic tariff available for their chosen payment method and billing format.
The SEAI are also rolling out a scheme to provide Solar PV to vulnerable customers registered as being dependent on electrically powered assistive devices. Solar PV Scheme For Medically Vulnerable Households (activ8energies.com).
179. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the steps he is taking to ensure broadband is provided to a household (details supplied). [27203/23]
View answerThe Question refers to a premises located in the AMBER area on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website www.broadband.gov.ie.The AMBER area represents the area to be served by the network to be deployed under the NBP State led intervention.
I am advised by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) that, as of 02 June 2023, 147,159 premises are passed across 26 counties and available for immediate connection. 42,805 connections have already been made to the NBP high-speed broadband network. NBI has advised that as of 02 June 2023, 18,074 premises in County Cork are passed with a high-speed fibre broadband network and available for immediate connection with 5,385 premises connected.
Further details on specific areas within County Cork can be monitored via nbi.ie/reps. A county update can be selected to provide the overall number of premises in the Intervention Area, the overall NBP investment in the county, the number of premises passed and connected to date and the status of each of the Deployment Areas with the anticipated date for connection over the lifetime of the project. NBI has a dedicated email address, reps@nbi.ie, which can be used by Oireachtas members for specific queries.
The network rollout for the NBP is divided into 227 Deployment Areas (DAs) across the country. These are typically an area of approximately 25km in radius and in total they cover 96% of Ireland’s landmass. The network is specifically designed based on the NBI network coming from the eir exchanges or the metropolitan area networks (MANs) which allows NBI to reach every premises as quickly as possible. Villages, townlands and counties are covered by a number of DAs which means there are differing timescales for the rollout across county areas.
The NBP network build, that started in 2020, is scheduled to be completed by 2027. NBI advise that the premises referred to in the question is at a status of ‘Pending Survey’.
Surveys are needed to establish the condition of existing poles and ducts, to ascertain whether repairs are needed. NBI’s contractors walk the fibre route to inspect infrastructure and gather detailed information on local conditions and this work is on-going. Further steps are then required prior to fibre build and connections including:
• Results from surveys are sent to NBI’s design teams who then develop detailed designs for each of the 227 Deployment Areas for submission to the Department for “Approval to Proceed” with fibre build;
• Repair/activities (“Make Ready”) carried out to ensure existing infrastructure is sufficiently prepared to pass the premises with fibre;
• Installation of and connection to electronic equipment in each Local Exchange building;
• Laying of the physical fibre along the poles and ducts;
• Fibre build quality checks, network testing and handover within NBI;
• Upload of specific fibre build details by premises to computer systems within NBI, enabling retail service providers to make connection orders visible on their respective systems which in turn allows premises’ owners to place orders.
• On completion of network build works customers can then place an order and request a connection to be scheduled with the retail service provider of choice.
All of these activities must be completed before the premises can be designated premises passed status.
Strategic Connection Points (SCPs) are a key element of the NBP providing high-speed broadband in every county in advance of the roll out of the fibre to the home network. As of 02 June 2023, 926 SCP sites have been installed and the high-speed broadband service will be switched on in these locations through service provider contracts managed by the Department of Rural and Community Development for publicly accessible sites and the Department of Education for school BCPs. In County Cork 24 BCP’s have been installed to date. Further details can be found at nbi.ie/bcp-map/.
In County Cork 90 schools have been installed to date for educational access. My Department continues to work with the Department of Education to prioritise schools with no high-speed broadband, within the Intervention Area. Further details of schools in scope are available on the NBI website at nbi.ie/primary-schools-list/.
180. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications whether his Department has assigned work on preparing a regulatory regime for carbon capture and storage; and whether there is scope for the EU to promote the concept within the emission trading scheme to facilitate paying for carbon removal at the going carbon price. [27227/23]
View answerThe Climate Action Plan recognises the importance of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as a developing means of mitigating emissions from hard to abate activities. Several Irish assessment studies on the issue have been conducted in recent years - SEAI, 2008: "Assessment of the Potential for Geological Storage of CO2 for the Island of Ireland", EPA, 2010: "An Assessment of the Potential for Geological Storage of CO2 in the Vicinity of Moneypoint, Co. Clare" and more recently the GSI 2014: “Irish Sea Carbon Capture and Storage Project”. Within the current Climate Action Plan there are actions to be progressed in 2024 to advance the policy position on CCS depending on feasibility assessments.
The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) has features designed to incentivise CCS deployment. According to the directive underpinning the ETS, CO2 that is captured and safely stored is considered as “not emitted”. While introducing removals to an emission trading system poses significant policy and regulatory challenges, the revised EU ETS Directive, published in May 2023, introduces the possibility of paying for carbon removal in future. Article 30 is amended to include a commission report, and where appropriate, a legislative proposal and impact assessment, to assess how negative emissions resulting from greenhouse gases that are removed from the atmosphere and safely and permanently stored could be accounted for, and how those negative emissions could be covered by emissions trading.
181. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he can suggest a solution to an issue affecting a person (details supplied) who has applied for a one-stop-shop grant from Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland but is being asked to do unnecessary works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27243/23]
View answerThe Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) operates the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme (NHEUS) on behalf of my Department.
The NHEUS supports homeowners wishing to undertake a whole home energy upgrade to achieve a BER of at least B2 through SEAI registered One-Stop-Shops (OSSs). OSSs provide an end-to-end service for homeowners, which includes surveying; designing the upgrades; managing the grant process; helping with access to finance; engaging contractors; and quality assurance.
The Scheme offers unprecedented grant levels of approximately 50% of the cost of a typical B2 home energy upgrade with a heat pump. Homeowners, interested in getting an energy upgrade on their homes through the NHEUS, should, as an initial step, have a Home Energy Assessment carried out on their home.
A grant support of €350 is available to homeowners for the Home Energy Assessment. Homeowners then have the option to proceed on the basis of the Assessment or use that Assessment to get quotes from a number of One-Stop-Shops. SEAI recommends homeowners get a minimum of three quotes from providers.
More information on the Home Energy Assessment process can be found on the SEAI website at: www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/one-stop-shop/home-energy-assessments/.
Individual applications to the NHEUS are an operational matter for SEAI and as Minister I have no function in relation to individual applications. The homeowner can contact SEAI at any time to get further information either by email to onestopshop@seai.ie or by phone to 01-8082004. Oireachtas members can make queries on behalf of applicants by contacting the dedicated email address: oireachtas@seai.ie.
182. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he agrees that most people in rural areas recycle their garden waste on-site and use compost as a fertiliser, and with this in mind, if it is necessary to have extra vehicular presence on rural country roads, adding to the carbon footprint, and adding unnecessary additional costs to the consumer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27274/23]
View answerMy Department is currently drafting legislation which will require every household in the State on a waste collection service to be provided with a separate organic waste collection service. This is in line with commitments given in the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy and will also satisfy the requirements of the Waste Framework Directive for Member States to ensure that, by 31 December 2023, bio-waste (organic waste) is either separated and recycled at source, or is collected separately and is not mixed with other types of waste.
Individuals can and should continue to compost and recycle their garden waste on-site where possible; however, it should be noted that many home composting systems are not suitable for managing meat or dairy products, please see StopFoodWaste.ie for further information. The provision of a separate bio-waste collection service is therefore required to ensure that such material can be kept out of the residual waste bin and put to beneficial reuse through methods such as industrial composting or anaerobic digestion.
