Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 December 2023
180. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his Department collects data on public sector organisations’ emissions, and funding of offset initiatives, in relation to Circular (01/2020) on Procedures for Offsetting the Emissions Associated with Official Air Travel; and, if so, if he will publish such information for each body, in tabular form. [55323/23]
View answerMy Department has responsibility for the Climate Action Fund (CAF) into which payments in accordance with the provisions of Circular 01/2020 (Procedures for Offsetting the Emissions Associated with Official Air Travel) are made.
It is important to note that payments are not made directly into the CAF, as any transfers into the CAF are subject to prior approval from the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. This approval is usually sought towards the end of a year so as to allow for error corrections or late payments. It is the responsibility of individual bodies to ensure that the correct payments are made to the CAF in relation to Circular (01/2020).
A breakdown of the payments received and approved for transfer into the CAF in the years 2020 and 2021 is attached in tabular form. The attached table, which sets out payments in respect of 2022, will shortly be sent to the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform seeking approval for the payment into the CAF. Please note that there may be slight adjustments to this table in advance of this. Final figures for 2023 are not yet available.
These figures represent only what has been received by DECC, verified and approved by the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform for transfer to the CAF. There may be some additional payments not included in these tables from various bodies that are still due or need to be verified before approval is sought to transfer into the CAF. This is why additional payments may be made in subsequent years in relation to previous years.
