Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 October 2023
92. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications how the people of Clare will benefit from his Department’s allocations in Budget 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45772/23]
View answerMy Department has secured €1.159 billion in Budget 2024 to support families and communities with energy costs while continuing the drive towards a climate neutral, sustainable and digitally connected future. This is an additional €115 million in expenditure compared to the Budget 2023 allocation.
The various programmes and measures rolled out and delivered by my Department, with the exception of the Just Transition programme, are nationwide and not focused on specific geographic areas.
A number of key measures that will continue to be funded include:
Three €150 energy credits giving over two million households €450 towards energy bills throughout Winter 2023/2024 to help lessen the impact of energy bills as price reductions begin to take effect. There will be one before Christmas and one each in the January/February and March/April billing cycles.
A record €380 million allocation from carbon tax revenue for the SEAI residential and community energy upgrades schemes (including the Solar PV scheme) to support the delivery of our National Retrofit Plan. This funding will support the expansion of a range of schemes, to make homes warmer, healthier, more comfortable and less expensive to heat. Figures from the SEAI show that in the first half of 2023, 479 property upgrades in County Clare were supported. This compares to 162 for the same period in 2022.
€348 million has been prioritised to further progress the roll-out of the high-speed broadband network under the National Broadband Plan (NBP) state led intervention, delivering high-speed broadband services to an additional 100,000 homes and businesses in Ireland next year. In County Clare, to date nearly 5,300 premises have been passed with a connection to high-speed broadband under the NBP with this number increasing in 2024.
