Neasa Hourigan
Question:1. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report for the first quarter of 2023 of the climate action plan. [29296/23]
View answerClimate Action Plan
Questions (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Mary Lou McDonald
Question:2. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report for the first quarter of 2023 of the climate action plan. [29328/23]
View answer
Marc Ó Cathasaigh
Question:3. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report for the first quarter of 2023 of the climate action plan. [29515/23]
View answer
Gary Gannon
Question:4. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report for the first quarter of 2023 of the climate action plan. [29337/23]
View answer
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:5. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report for the first quarter of 2023 of the climate action plan. [29543/23]
View answer
Bríd Smith
Question:6. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report for the first quarter of 2023 of the climate action plan. [29546/23]
View answer
Paul Murphy
Question:7. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report for the first quarter of 2023 of the climate action plan. [29549/23]
View answer
Mick Barry
Question:8. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report for the first quarter of 2023 of the climate action plan. [29627/23]
View answer
Christopher O'Sullivan
Question:9. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report for the first quarter of 2023 of the climate action plan. [29761/23]
View answerOral answers (18 contributions)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 9, inclusive, together.
The Climate Action Plan 2023 sets out how Ireland will accelerate the action required to respond to the climate crisis, putting climate solutions at the core of Ireland's social and economic development. The plan includes actions across all sectors that will transform and improve life in Ireland. It will help us to break free from our reliance on imported fossil fuels and tap into our abundant resources of renewable energy. It will allow us to improve our buildings and homes to make them more energy efficient and much less expensive to heat. It will improve how we travel, how we work and how we use our land. The transformation on which we have embarked in all these sectors will present significant economic and social opportunities, with new sectors and jobs emerging all over the country.
The Department of the Taoiseach prepares quarterly progress reports on the implementation of the actions committed to under the annual updates of the climate action plan. The reports provide a detailed breakdown of completed and delayed actions each quarter. Once approved by Government, they are published. The latest progress report for the climate action plan was published on 4 May and refers to actions that were due to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2023. The report has been published on the Department of the Taoiseach's website.
The quarterly reports detail progress in each of the six high-impact sectors identified in the climate action plan. These are agriculture, transport, electricity, land use, buildings and industry. They also provide context for the actions in terms of emissions targets and trends, key performance indicators, and further detail on actions of particular significance. The completion rate for the first quarter stands at 75%, with 27 of 36 actions completed on schedule. All delayed measures from the first quarter will be carried forward and reported on in the second quarter.
High-impact measures completed in the first quarter include implementation of the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, implementation of the energy efficiency obligation scheme, publication of phase 1 of the land use review; the launch of the public sector climate action strategy, and the introduction of a new tax incentive to encourage small-scale landlords to undertake retrofitting works while tenants remain in situ. The second progress report on the Climate Action Plan 2023 is being drafted at present.
I thank the Taoiseach for the progress report. There is renewed concern about meeting our climate targets and about our emissions, given recent reports. Something I have been chasing up is our progress on geothermal energy. Based on the reply to a previous parliamentary question, it seems that what we really need is completion of the policy statement. The Minister tells me the policy statement is meant to run from 2023 until 2027. We are in June 2023. In my constituency, and I imagine in that of the Taoiseach, a number of very large institutions are absolutely gagging to be involved in geothermal energy. Some experimental boreholes have been drilled. What they need to move forward is certainty. They need a policy that is complete and a geothermal map of Dublin to move ahead. We are looking at a situation where if they had this, not only could they be servicing their own needs and reducing emissions but very likely they could be offering free heat or power to the local community and domestic houses.
Land use and agri-environmental schemes will be very important and the Taoiseach mentioned ACRES. At European level some progress was made in the Council's approach to the nature restoration law. What approach will the Government take on this? Sinn Féin has set out our proposals on the need for funding, public participation and assurances on the voluntary nature of schemes to maintain the ambition. Will the Taoiseach outline what role he, as a Prime Minister or Taoiseach of the European People's Party, EPP, will play to ensure the nature restoration law is ambitious, supported, successful and delivered?
As the Taoiseach knows, climate change, among other things, results in extreme weather events. One impact and consequence that is becoming apparent in my area, and in other areas with swimming spots around Dublin Bay, is that when we get these torrential downpours the pumping stations that deal with foul water overflow. The good weather of the past week or so has meant thousands of people are swimming. Yesterday, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council had to issue a no-swim notice. This was not because it knows there is pollution but because it is not sure. As a result of the rainfall there are fears of overflows. This has to do with the lack of capacity at the Ringsend sewage treatment plant. For years we have been told it will be upgraded and expanded to address this problem but it has not been done. The consequence now is that even though we will not know until Saturday the test results of the water at Seapoint, Sandycove and other swimming spots, there will be no swimming until the weekend. This is because of the rain. This is a crazy situation and it needs to be addressed with proper investment in the Ringsend plant.
The context for this discussion is that report on the climate action plan and its progress. It is remarkable to hear a report from the Taoiseach that did not mention that the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, recently told us the first two carbon budgets will not be met. Not only will they not be met, they will not be met by a significant amount. The EPA predicts at best a 29% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This is far short of the legally binding target of 51%. An Taisce has called this pretty hopeful and inventive accountancy. We need to acknowledge there is a disconnect between the Government, the measures that it is willing to take, the scale of the crisis and the scale of the failure to cut emissions that we are facing.
It is almost a case of denial. That was really shown up by the actions of the Taoiseach's party colleagues in the EU on the question of biodiversity loss and the habitats directive. As the evidence mounts, we can see the scale of this crisis, with marine heatwaves, record heatwaves, temperature records being broken and biodiversity loss on a massive scale, but we cannot see a business model or a political determination from the Government to deal with this. Instead, it is facilitating data corporations to build more and more through their private investments and to deny the biodiversity loss that we are facing. I would like the Taoiseach to address those urgent questions.
I have a simple question. Does the Government have any intention of meeting the 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030? Did it ever intend to do it? Was it just something to give to the Greens to say there was a target, before the Government then said to the data centres, big tech companies and big agribusiness not to worry because we do not actually intend to meet these targets? As Deputy Smith pointed out, the EPA has indicated we are miles off target. In the best case scenario, if the Government does the things it has promised to do, we are heading for a less than 30% reduction, rather than a 51% reduction. An Taisce has pointed out that it is even worse because of a basic maths issue and the carry-on effect of stuff not being done until now not being taken into account in the EPA's calculations. Professor John Sweeney said, "The reality of the current emissions trajectory toward the end of 2025 means a carbon budget overshoot to be removed from the 2026-30 budget [is] so significant it will be much more difficult for the next Government to stay within the legal requirement." He continued, ""This means that highly effective emergency course-correction measures must be immediately enacted by the present Government to limit the overshoot." What measures does the Government have in mind?
The European state of the climate report states that 16,365 people died in Europe last year as a result of meteorological, hydrological and climate-related hazards and that a further 156,000 people were adversely affected in a direct way by these hazards. Meanwhile, every EU country is expected to submit a draft energy plan by 30 June, which is in nine days. We are told Ireland will miss the deadline. It is not the first deadline the Government has missed on these issues. It hardly inspires confidence that the environment is a serious priority for the Government. The EPA now tells us that this State is set to miss its target of a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 by a country mile. This is a very poor performance indeed. In the context of what this means for people's lives and well-being, would the Taoiseach not say the Government is falling disgracefully short of the targets it has set for itself?
In order to reach this 51% reduction by 2030, we will clearly have to look at every measure possible. I am wondering if it is time to consider free public transport in this country. Transport, as we know, is responsible for 18% of emissions. Of that, fossil fuel from car travel is responsible for 13%.
A very good People Before Profit policy.
Two of the barriers to public transport are accessibility, in that the public transport is not there, and affordability. In Ireland, we have some of the most expensive public transport in Europe. There was an EY report that suggested this move would achieve a 1% reduction in emissions. That was almost portrayed as a negative thing, but in this race against global warming, we need every single percentage reduction in emissions possible and this will achieve a 1% reduction. Many measures are met with resistance and controversy. This is a measure that will get buy-in from everybody across the country, so it should be considered.
I previously brought up the issue of Carlinn Hall and the communal heating system fed by gas. There is a particular issue with these designs. The district heating steering group would need to report. I like to think that report would contain that sort of information. A geothermal feasibility study has been carried out in Carlinn Hall. In fairness, as I said, the Taoiseach's office came back to me about a timeline and it has been updated since. The first part of the report is to be at the end of June and the second is at the end of the summer. We would need to make sure there is a grant scheme that would facilitate the switching to something like geothermal. We also need to look at it from the point of view of a proper district heating survey and scheme across the board.
I thank Deputies for their questions. Deputy Hourigan asked about progress on geothermal energy. I am familiar with one or two proposals in the south west of Dublin, which have been around for a long time, about 15 or 20 years. They are interesting and exciting. I do not know enough about the technology to know to what extent they are viable but the Deputy is correct in saying that we need to have a policy framework. I am not sure what the timeline for that is but I will check with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and get back to Deputy Hourigan as soon as I can.
On the nature law, despite the existence of habitats and birds directives for several decades, the EU, including Ireland, continues to see an alarming loss of biodiversity. The nature law is all about arresting and reversing it. Consideration of draft regulations is continuing at the moment. As Deputies will know, there are different proposals. There is the European Commission proposal, the European Council proposal which has just been adopted, and a draft proposal at the European Parliament, which it has not yet adopted. There will be a trilogue. I support the Council proposal, which was agreed by the Minister, Deputy Ryan, yesterday. I believe it is realistic in its targets, flexibilities and compensation that will be provided to landowners.
It is particularly significant that the Council proposal yesterday allows for the fact that when it comes to renewable energy, the installation, grid, wires and so on will be considered imperative reasons of overriding public interest, IROPI, and effectively exempt from the nature law. That totally proves that those who said there was not a conflict between renewable energy and climate action and the Parliament's proposal got it wrong, whether it was MEP, Mr. Wallace, the Social Democrats, People Before Profit, or others. That provision would not be in the Council proposal adopted yesterday if there were not genuine concerns about how an overly restrictive nature law could impact on climate action and renewables. I am glad to see that in the Council proposal yesterday. It now goes into trilogue. As a Government, we support what was agreed yesterday.
That is some spin.
On the EPA issue, the latest greenhouse gas emissions figures from the EPA highlight the challenge that Ireland faces in meeting its climate objectives.
What about Ringsend - the swimming?
The EPA has projected that Ireland is on course to reduce emissions by 29% by 2030. However, if all the unmodelled actions and as yet unallocated emission savings in the climate action plan are included, then the EPA's projected emissions reduction would be 42%. While projections show that emissions are expected to decrease in almost all sectors, it is clear that Ireland has work to do to meet our challenges and legally binding emissions targets. Change is now under way across our economy and society to realign ourselves to a low-carbon future. Reducing emissions is now at the heart of our policies and sectors. It is essential that we quickly translate our high-level goals and plans to meaningful actions on the ground.
We need to implement fully the actions of the Climate Action Plan 2023 and strengthen additional measures needed to reach our targets. I can confirm to the Deputies that of course we intend to meet our 51% reduction target by 2030. Rather than treating industry as enemies, we are engaging with industry. It is interesting to meet firms like Diageo, for example, in the brewing sector, and Lilly in the pharmaceutical sector, to see how ambitious and feasible their plans to meet net zero are, because they know it is in their economic interest to do so.
What about the swimming?
I will get a reply from the Minister for the Deputy. I have run out of time.
Cabinet Committees
Questions (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
Neasa Hourigan
Question:10. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [29297/23]
View answerMary Lou McDonald
Question:11. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [29329/23]
View answerRuairí Ó Murchú
Question:12. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [29523/23]
View answer
Cian O'Callaghan
Question:13. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [29567/23]
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Alan Dillon
Question:14. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [29568/23]
View answerGary Gannon
Question:15. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [29338/23]
View answer
Peadar Tóibín
Question:16. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [29398/23]
View answerRichard Boyd Barrett
Question:17. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [29544/23]
View answerBríd Smith
Question:18. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [29547/23]
View answerPaul Murphy
Question:19. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [29550/23]
View answer
Rose Conway-Walsh
Question:20. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [29811/23]
View answerChristopher O'Sullivan
Question:21. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [29762/23]
View answerOral answers (28 contributions)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 to 21, inclusive, together.
The Cabinet committee on the economy and investment was re-established in January 2023 and met on 25 May.
The next meeting of the committee is not yet scheduled. The committee has a function similar to that of the Cabinet committee on economic recovery and investment, which met six times during the course of 2022. The membership of the committee comprises me, the Tánaiste, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and for Transport, the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Other Ministers or Ministers of State will be invited to participate as required, as is the case with officials and advisers.
The committee oversees the implementation of programme for Government commitments aimed at sustainable economic recovery, and investment in job creation, including through the implementation of Harnessing Digital, our national digital strategy. As with all policy areas, economic issues are regularly discussed at full Government meetings where all formal decisions are made.
There are potentially 12 Deputies offering on this topic. I ask Members to keep as tight as possible in their questionings.
Will the flagged idea of a sovereign wealth fund be on the agenda for the next meeting, as it is possibly one of the most important investments this Government will make? We have seen sovereign wealth funds perform very well around the world. However, they are now almost all engaged in an environmental, social and governance, ESG, framework, which acts very similarly to climate targets insofar as sovereign wealth funds have to be retro-engineered to be carbon neutral or zero carbon. Will the Taoiseach make any comment on whether the sovereign wealth fund will be on the agenda and whether a carbon-neutral version of it is intended?
I raise the case of Tara Mines and the 650-plus jobs under threat there. Are the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coveney, at the table with Tara Mines? Have they met the company? SIPTU is in discussions with the management at Tara Mines. Specific requests have been made of the Government regarding direct support for energy costs. It was rumoured and reported that the Government is looking at a potential scheme in that regard. Has the Taoiseach an update on that?
I spoke earlier about the issue of geothermal. If it is feasible to carry out some of these schemes, we need to make sure we have a support scheme for renewable heat, SSRH, grant scheme in play. Have any thoughts been given since Deputy Brady's proposed legislation on the banning of the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF, which is obviously a State entity, from investing in companies involved in the annexation of Palestinian lands? The Government sounded somewhat receptive to coming up with a solution. I would like to see where that is at present.
The Taoiseach might not have been aware of this, but the Writers Guild of Ireland have been protesting in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America, whose members have been on strike, essentially over streaming companies and film producers robbing them of their residuals or royalties for the work they do on films, which massively cuts into the income of writers and artists. This echoes issues I have raised in the House for years regarding the use of buy-out contracts by film producers in this country, which are funded by public money but are robbing writers, actors, performers and artists of their entitlement to royalties on the use of their intellectual property. The issue of security of employment is also part of the strike. I have also repeatedly raised, and it is now in the budget scrutiny report on section 481, the issue of the systematic, ongoing abuse of fixed-term workers' contracts by film producers which, again, are in receipt of public money.
Will the Government seriously address the recommendations on section 481 regarding these matters affecting film crews, actors and performers? As a former Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, will the Taoiseach tell me who I, or the representatives of workers and performers, can talk to in the Department who deals with the copyright directive and fixed-term workers' legislation so we can engage and explain the issues? Clearly, the Government does not seem to understand those issues.
Any serious economy will depend on workers to function. This is why I keep raising the question of workers' rights, as I did this morning on the issue of Iceland workers who have been locked out of their jobs. I will raise another such issue, namely, that of the security workers who were awarded a relatively tiny increase in their pay more than a year ago, which has been blocked by the industry. Yesterday, that industry again had security workers in the High Court on the spurious grounds they were trying to block an employment regulation order, ERO, which I understand the Government is supporting and will defend. Will the Taoiseach give an update on what the situation is as regards advocating for those security workers, their absolute legal entitlement to that pay increase under the ERO, and the obscene way in which the industry is blocking giving them that pay rise? How can an economy expect to recruit and retain workers if this is how they are treated in this State?
I raise the issue of the Iceland workers. These workers have been treated abysmally since ownership of its stores in Ireland was transferred to a different company. They have been left without wages on occasion, without air conditioning in various of the company's shops, and many workers arrived at work this morning to find their jobs were gone and they were locked out of their own stores. One woman said she turned up to work this morning to no job, which is disgraceful after seven years of service. She is absolutely right. The workers in Iceland at Coolock are correct to occupy that premises to attempt to save their jobs. One of the interesting things is the company was in the High Court yesterday seeking the appointment of an interim examiner. Part of what was presented was that the company has €36 million worth of debts but €34 million of that is to the parent company. In other words, these are debts owed to the company itself and are not real debts to an external supplier. Will the Taoiseach support the workers in Iceland and the demand for the jobs to be kept?
Debenhams, here we go again.
Last week, the Minister for Finance signed a statutory instrument that repeals public access to the register of beneficial owners. That followed a Court of Justice of the European Union ruling last year that struck down the right to public access to the register of public ownership. This is a major blow to corporate transparency. Indeed, Transparency International Ireland described the ruling as "extremely worrying and might be the biggest setback for the fight against corruption, organised crime and tax evasion in Europe". Thankfully, the court's judgment advised that those with a legitimate interest in beneficial ownership, including journalists, should have a legal right to access that information. Media and civil society organisations have been using publicly available beneficial ownership registers since 2018, when EU member states were required to create them.
Will the Taoiseach confirm that the legislation the Minister signed last week will in no way limit the ability of journalists and other civil society organisations to access information on corporate ownership through the beneficial ownership register?
It was very positive to see our economy perform so strongly in recent years, despite ongoing geopolitical tension, inflation, and other challenging issues. Yesterday's World Competitiveness Ranking placed Ireland in second place behind Denmark. That should not be overlooked or taken for granted. We have a strong track record of competitiveness and in how we compete for foreign direct investment. We have seen record unemployment levels that are the lowest in the history of the State with thousands of jobs created throughout the country.
However, the economy ranked less well when it came to infrastructure, landing in 19th place. It is very important for our long-term competitiveness that we develop our infrastructure systems to provide sufficient housing, quality transport links, robust energy networks and the appropriate health and education services. I ask that any shovel-ready projects in the capital development plan and the national development plan, NDP, are prioritised over the next number of months and years. I also ask that the Minister on the NDP board prioritise these projects.
I voice my strong support for workers in the Iceland supermarket at Coolock, Dublin, who are sitting in this lunchtime to defend jobs. I also voice my strong support for all Iceland workers, many of whom found themselves locked out this morning following four months of total and disgraceful mismanagement by the new owners, who are arguably the biggest cowboys since the days of John Wayne and the Wild West.
The company was in the High Court yesterday to be placed in interim examinership and 344 jobs are at stake across the country, including 50 in Cork. Examinership is no friend of working people so I welcome the independent action of the Coolock workers. I hope their bold example to safeguard jobs is followed by Iceland workers in Cork and across the country.
I thank Deputies for their questions. Unfortunately, almost all the matters raised have not been considered by the Cabinet committee on economy and investment. That is fair enough. Notwithstanding that, I will do my best to answer the questions but I may have to come back to Deputies in writing with some replies because they do not relate directly to the work of the committee.
Deputy Dillon highlighted that Ireland is now ranked second in the world for competitiveness, just behind Denmark, which means we have gone up in the rankings. That is encouraging for the future prosperity of the country. He pointed out we need to continue to invest in infrastructure, one of the areas where we are not in the top ten. We would like to be in the top ten or 20 in most indexes. We have a rapidly growing population and because we became a relatively wealthy country relatively recently, in the past few decades, we have a deficit of infrastructure that we need to build. We have programmed an increase in capital spending next year of €1 billion on top of the spend for this year. In my conversations with the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, he has been given the specific role of making sure the NDP happens more quickly and shovel-ready projects and those in the pipeline are advanced. It is a priority for me as Taoiseach to make sure that happens.
Deputy Hourigan raised the establishment of a new sovereign wealth fund. This will be in addition to our existing sovereign wealth fund, which is ISIF. It will be used to fund future investment in infrastructure and help to cover future liabilities when it comes to pensions and social care. We have not given consideration yet to an ethical framework around investment but will have to do that. The establishment of the new fund will require primary legislation so there will be an opportunity to stitch into that legislation a requirement for an ethical framework around investments, which I would support. The detail of that will have to be debated.
On Tara Mines, I understand an engagement is under way between SIPTU and the management. It is important we allow that to happen. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, is engaging with the company. The company assures us the mine will reopen. We want to make sure it reopens sooner rather than later and are willing to talk to the company about how to do that. There are limitations on what we can do. We want the mine reopened and those jobs restored and we are willing to engage with the company to help to make that happen.
Deputy Boyd Barrett raised royalties. I commend him on his concern for the protection of intellectual property and the extent to which he is advocating that intellectual property be protected.
In this case.
That is the point I am making.
I know.
There is an inconsistency in the Deputy’s approach to intellectual property. He wants to protect some people’s property but not others.
I want to protect the workers.
It makes no sense to me because I want to protect everyone’s property.
It is a class issue.
On section 481, I will ask the Minister for Finance to reply on that. On the copyright directive, there is an official and a team in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Their names escape me but the Minister, Deputy Coveney, would be the main person to engage with on that.
And the fixed-term workers. Could the Taoiseach try to get me the contacts?
Yes.
Thanks.
On Deputy Bríd Smith’s question, I do not have an update on the security ERO, but we will defend it. That is our intention. That decision was made by the then Minister of State, Deputy English, with my support a year ago. I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, to provide the Deputy with an update.
On what is happening with Iceland, I do not know all the facts and want to be careful in what I say. On the face of it, it seems the workers are being very shabbily treated by the new owners. They have legal rights and it is important those are upheld, whether in the courts, the WRC or other bodies. We will work to make sure that is the case.
In relation to the beneficial ownership register, I think the answer to the question on the legislation is that there are no concerns for journalists. We will come back to Deputy Conway-Walsh with a more detailed reply.
On ISIF, the occupied territories and the companies, have we any update on finding a solution to that?
I do not but will ask the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, to come back to the Deputy.
I appreciate it.
Official Engagements
Questions (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
Seán Haughey
Question:22. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the meeting of the European Political Community in Moldova on 1 June 2023. [27438/23]
View answerMary Lou McDonald
Question:23. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the recent meeting of the European Political Community, held in Moldova. [28323/23]
View answer
Bernard Durkan
Question:24. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent meetings in Moldova and any issues arising therefrom. [28327/23]
View answerRuairí Ó Murchú
Question:25. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the meeting of the European Political Community on 1 June 2023. [29524/23]
View answerAlan Dillon
Question:26. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the meeting of the European Political Community in Moldova on 1 June 2023. [29569/23]
View answerGary Gannon
Question:27. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the meeting of the European Political Community on 1 June 2023. [29339/23]
View answerPeadar Tóibín
Question:28. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the meeting of the European Political Community on 1 June 2023. [29399/23]
View answerRichard Boyd Barrett
Question:29. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the meeting of the European Political Community on 1 June 2023. [29545/23]
View answerBríd Smith
Question:30. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the meeting of the European Political Community on 1 June 2023. [29548/23]
View answerPaul Murphy
Question:31. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the meeting of the European Political Community on 1 June 2023. [29551/23]
View answerMick Barry
Question:32. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach to report on his attendance at the meeting of the European Political Community on 1 June 2023. [29625/23]
View answerBernard Durkan
Question:33. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Taoiseach to report any recent discussions he has had with the Ukrainian President or Ukrainian authorities, directly or at European level. [29828/23]
View answerBernard Durkan
Question:34. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Taoiseach to report on any recent discussions he has had with the British Prime Minister, directly or at European level. [29827/23]
View answerOral answers (10 contributions)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 to 34, inclusive, together.
I attended the meeting of the European Political Community, EPC, in Chiinu, Moldova on 31 May and 1 June. The EPC is an informal forum which brings together leaders from across the continent of Europe to discuss issues of shared concern. It first met in Prague last October and will meet again in October of this year in Granada, Spain, during the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Nearly 50 leaders participated, including from 27 EU member states, EU candidate countries in the western Balkans and most of our eastern European neighbours, including the President of Ukraine, but excluding Belarus; as well as our own closer neighbours such as Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom. The presidents of the European Commission, European Parliament and the European Council also participated. The broad and open EPC format provides a valuable opportunity to hear the perspectives of the wider European family and to explore synergies on pressing issues such as energy, connectivity and security.
The summit was the largest event of its nature ever held in Moldova. I commend the Moldovan Government on its excellent organisation. The decision to hold the summit in Chiinu was in part to send a signal to Moscow of the strength and breadth of solidarity with Moldova in the face of Russia’s relentless bullying tactics aimed at undermining its democracy and sovereignty and to show respect to Moldova for the support it has offered its neighbour, Ukraine.
During the summit, I participated in a round table on energy and connectivity co-chaired by the prime ministers of Belgium and Norway. We have all learned in the past year that the only way to guarantee price stability and security of supply will be to accelerate the transition to green and renewable sources of energy, and that in doing so regional and continental co-operation is essential.
I had a bilateral meeting with the President of Montenegro. I congratulated him on his election as President and reaffirmed Ireland’s strong endorsement of Montenegro’s EU ambition.
On the margins of the summit, I met with the Prime Minister of Moldova, the President of Kosovo and other leaders in attendance, including Prime Minister Sunak.
It is significant that the second meeting of the EPC took place in Moldova, a small state of 2.6 million people which is a pro-European democracy and is under constant threat from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. That brings me to the question of EU enlargement generally. Moldova and Ukraine have candidate status and hopefully Georgia will have that status soon. In the western Balkans, countries are waiting to join. Russia is engaging in ongoing attempts to destabilise these countries and is eyeing up Transnistria.
What is Ireland’s approach to these applications? Obviously they have to meet the criteria for membership but should we give an increased weighting to the prevailing geopolitical situation in these regions and the malign influence of Russia when considering these applications? Is there a danger they may give up on Europe if their applications are delayed further? This seems to be the view of President Macron.
I ask about energy security. As we head into winter 2023, were there discussions on gas storage capacity? This was a huge issue in the run-in to last winter and had a huge impact on prices. Notwithstanding what the Taoiseach said about the move to renewables, this winter gas will be important for us. I ask also about energy market reform to decouple the price of gas from the price of electricity.
The location was very impressive, as was the attendance, at a time in European development that will be regarded as crucial when European history comes to be written.
To what extent were representatives of traditionally neutral countries in attendance? Was there any discussion of neutrality, the ability of traditionally neutral countries to defend themselves, whether they will receive assistance from their neighbours and whether they will have to stand alone? Was cognisance taken of neutral countries that were overrun recently, such as Ukraine, and the host of countries overrun in the Second World War that were depending on neutrality to defend themselves, which did not happen? What action is likely to be taken in view of that?
We live in a world of threats, including those associated with hybrid warfare, cybersecurity, weaponised social media and disinformation. In this regard, we must also consider the positives and dangers of artificial intelligence. At the conference, the Taoiseach spoke about an EU- or NATO-led mission that he would welcome to strengthen the protection of undersea cables. Are there any proposals on this at this stage? We need co-operation and capacity but cannot let these sorts of conversations be a stalking horse or trojan horse to move us away from where the Irish people are on non-alignment and military neutrality.
I welcome the pupils and teachers from Dooagh National School, Achill Island, who left at 6 a.m. this morning to be here. I hope they enjoy their visit to Dáil Éireann.
Following the Taoiseach's attendance at the EU leaders' meeting in Moldova, I would like to raise two key areas of great importance to the people of Ireland, the first being the discussion of high energy prices and security of supply, which is of the utmost importance. The Taoiseach emphasised the need for a transition to green, renewable sources to achieve greater security and price stability and reduce emissions. Could he provide us with more details on specific measures our Government is taking to accelerate this transition?
Moving beyond the energy sector, I would like the Taoiseach to address the critical issues discussed at the EU meeting on cybersecurity and the protection of critical infrastructure, which are of pressing concern. Could he elaborate on how we are collaborating with our EU partners to develop comprehensive strategies and frameworks to address these challenges?
We have highlighted over recent days and weeks our fear that the Government's consultative forum is stacked with pro-NATO voices, NATO employees, generals, brigadiers, people involved with the military-industrial complex and those generally in favour of militarisation. The Taoiseach said – yesterday, I believe – that he would consider the possibility of rebalancing the forum. Has he done so? At the moment, it is just a sham and reflects an incredibly pro-NATO, pro-militarisation basis.
The political community meeting reflects the same sort of bias although it concerns itself, rightly, with the criminal behaviour of Vladimir Putin. Interestingly, we had five Russian anti-Putin, anti-war activists in Leinster House yesterday. Every single Deputy and Senator was notified but not a single representative of the Government bothered to turn up. People are actually fighting Putin. Did those at the political community meeting discuss what the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine is here to discuss today, which is what she describes as the shocking double standards in the treatment of Israel for its crimes against the Palestinians and the treatment of Putin for his crimes against Ukraine? We have referred to this many times.
I want to raise with the Taoiseach some issues that flow from the briefing we held yesterday with a group of Russians known as Free Russians Ireland. These are people who are steadfast in their opposition to the authoritarian Putin regime, who are completely opposed to Putin's invasion of Ukraine and who are calling for peace and for Ireland to facilitate peace talks. One of the things they spoke about was the repression of anti-war activists in Russia. Approximately 20,000 people have been arrested. Many of them, including friends of those in Free Russians Ireland, were arrested just for holding up blank pieces of paper. The group comprises Russian citizens living in Ireland now. Many of them fear they will be forced to go back to Russia, to a regime they are publicly on record as opposing through speaking in this Parliament. Will the Government accept that fleeing conscription in Russia should be a ground for the granting of asylum to people like those in the group?
The European Political Community strongly supports the increased militarisation of the Continent. Last year, global arms expenditure hit its highest-ever level. It would seem the Government is encouraging Irish companies to jump aboard this arms expenditure trade. The former Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney, said last year that: "even though the perception is that Ireland does not have a defence industry, actually, in terms of the contribution that many Irish companies make in regard to dual-use goods, we have extraordinary capacity in this country".
The Galway session of the forum that starts in Cork tomorrow will involve an entire session on Irish research on innovation in security and defence. That can be dressed up however you please but this is a forum session on Ireland tapping into the global arms race. What say you?
I thank the Deputies again for their questions. I join Deputy Dillon in welcoming everyone who has come all the way from Achill. Tá fáilte romhaibh go léir chuig an Dáil.
I wish to answer Deputy Dillon's questions on security of supply and price stability. We all agree and acknowledge that the best thing we can do to bring about price stability when it comes to energy and improving security of supply is shift to renewables, which cannot happen quickly enough for reasons of economics, security and climate. The main thing we compared notes on at the meeting in Moldova was the need for us to co-operate and share information because every country is now trying to do the same thing, that is, to build up infrastructure and build out renewables. There are limitations regarding the availability of metals, materials and qualified staff. If we do not work together and co-ordinate, all we will do is push up the price of everything and that is why it is important that we co-operate.
On undersea cables, I have not seen any particular proposal for an EU-PESCO programme or a NATO-led one, but that would be examined by the Tánaiste in the first instance. There are many undersea cables around Ireland, including off the coast of Mayo. They are very important for our communications, in particular. We want to ensure they are protected from anyone who might interfere with them.
We expect the retail price of gas and electricity to fall. Wholesale prices have fallen but, as Deputies will know, wholesale prices went up tenfold and retail prices did not. Therefore, there will be a time lag before prices come down.
Deputy Durkan asked about traditionally neutral states who had representatives present. Pretty much every country in Europe had someone present, with the exception of Russia, Belarus and Turkey. That is the difference between the format and the EU. I suppose you could divide the countries into two categories: those which, for very obvious reasons, want to join NATO, which are mainly countries not too far from Russia; and countries that are not very near Russia and do not feel the need to join NATO, including Ireland, Malta, Cyprus, San Marino, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the Vatican. However, it was not really a topic of discussion in Moldova.
I want to be associated with Deputy Haughey's remarks on Moldova. Ireland favours further enlargement into the western Balkans. We are very proud that the last major enlargement happened during the Irish Presidency, under a Fianna Fáil Government. We are very proud that Ireland held the Presidency of the EU when the enlargement into central and eastern Europe happened. We cannot lower our standards for membership, and all criteria for membership have to be met, but I do agree that if we string this out and make countries in the western Balkans, in particular, wait too long, all we will do is help anti-European forces in those countries and malign state actors. We have to say to people in the western Balkans that if they implement the reforms necessary, their pathway to EU membership will be clear. I am glad that is the view of President Macron. It has been our view for a very long time. We think enlargement has been too slow.
Israel–Palestine was not a topic of discussion in Chiinu. We will, of course, consider any application for asylum on its merits. All applications are considered individually. My understanding is that fleeing conscription is taken into account in asylum applications but is not in itself an automatic guarantee that refugee status will be granted.
Is féidir teacht ar Cheisteanna Scríofa ar www.oireachtas.ie.
Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar fionraí ar 2.01 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 3.02 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 2.01 p.m. and resumed at 3.02 p.m.