Parliamentary questions

Ukraine War

Richard Bruton

141. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the role of Ireland in supporting efforts to end the war in Ukraine. [22924/22]

Renewable Energy Generation

Richard Bruton

186. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the terms of the financial support made available to the generators of renewal energy under RESS 1 for the different types of renewable energy. [22826/22]

Energy Infrastructure

Richard Bruton

208. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the details of the Irish reserves of oil and gas; the way that they are held; if they comply with European Union requirements; and if there are plans to expand such reserves. [23283/22]

Energy Infrastructure

Richard Bruton

209. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the details of Irish energy interconnection for the supply of energy that is, gas, electricity, oil and so on; and the way that the capacity for delivery compares to average daily usage in each case. [23284/22]

Energy Infrastructure

Richard Bruton

210. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the total capacity of battery storage either held by energy utilities or through supply and demand management agreements; and the way that the capacity compares to average daily usage. [23285/22]

Energy Policy

Richard Bruton

211. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the obligations in Ireland to share access to gas supplies should the supply of gas from any source to be curtailed; and the way that this is being factored into preparations. [23286/22]

Offshore Exploration

Richard Bruton

212. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the aggregate offshore areas in which licences to explore for gas or oil exist; the areas in which recent activity in terms of surveys or preliminary drilling have been sought; if these have been approved; and his views on their potential. [23287/22]

Offshore Exploration

Richard Bruton

213. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the volume of recoverable gas which remain in proven fields in the Irish offshore; and the way that it compares to Irelands annual gas consumption. [23288/22]

Energy Policy

Richard Bruton

214. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if the withdrawal of Britain from the European Union creates new concerns from an energy security point of view; if not, if it creates new obligations for Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23289/22]

Driver Licences

Richard Bruton

250. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if a person who paid for a ten-year licence, but whose duration was curtailed due to their reaching 70 years of age before the ten years were reached, should now be able to extend the cover of the ten-year licence to its full ten-year duration without incurring further charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23282/22]

State Examinations

Richard Bruton

498. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if dates have been set for the publication of the leaving certificate results 2022. [22833/22]

Third Level Admissions

Richard Bruton

588. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if dates have been set for the publication for the first round of CAO offers. [22833/22]

Third Level Fees

Richard Bruton

589. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if persons who undertook undergraduate study without access to free fees that is, in a private college will be given the opportunity to access free fees in another degree course undergraduate entry in cases in which a career change became necessary. [22622/22]

Departmental Reports

Richard Bruton

23. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the proposed approach that Government is taking to the report by the Media Commission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22144/22]

Ukraine War

Richard Bruton

58. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures he proposes to introduce to address the needs of people arriving from Ukraine. [22142/22]

Housing Schemes

Richard Bruton

92. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress that is being made under project Tosaigh to bring sites with outstanding permissions forward to deliver homes at affordable prices. [22141/22]

Electricity Generation

Richard Bruton

103. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if there are plans to expand the microgeneration support scheme to make it more accessible for schools, community groups, large housing developments and businesses to partake; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22405/22]

Electricity Generation

Richard Bruton

104. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if the use of micro-generation for domestic use will offset rising energy costs and the increased cost of living; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22406/22]

Energy Policy

Richard Bruton

105. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the status of potential policies and legislation relating to anaerobic digestion plants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22407/22]

Energy Policy

Richard Bruton

106. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on whether large centralised anaerobic digestion is being underutilised as a form of renewable energy as this country has a large number of livestock producers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22408/22]

Energy Policy

Richard Bruton

107. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if anaerobic digestion as a renewable energy will be used as an alternative policy measure to cut emissions from the agricultural sector instead of cutting the herd number; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22409/22]

Energy Policy

Richard Bruton

108. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the steps he is taking to develop potential opportunities for farmers from anaerobic digestion as was outlined in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22410/22]

Energy Policy

Richard Bruton

109. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if there will be additional supports introduced particularly in the area of the food and beverage production industry to incentivise companies to establish anaerobic digestion plants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22411/22]

Energy Policy

Richard Bruton

110. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if time of use tariffs will be made mandatory along with smart meters in order to make use and production cheaper; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22414/22]

Climate Change Policy

Richard Bruton

111. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if there is potential to create a carbon credit system for companies here to help lower emissions and to help this country reach its global climate targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22416/22]

Climate Change Policy

Richard Bruton

112. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the steps that can be taken to prevent companies from using carbon credits to buy themselves out of reducing their emissions; the steps that can be taken to prevent the use of carbon credits as a greenwashing technique; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22417/22]

Climate Change Policy

Richard Bruton

113. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of carbon credits this country purchased in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22418/22]

Climate Change Policy

Richard Bruton

114. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if there are plans to introduce carbon credit schemes similar to the one introduced by Dublin City Council which would invest in carbon offsetting projects that would result in generating carbon credits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22419/22]

Climate Change Policy

Richard Bruton

115. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if there is a potential market to expand the sale of carbon credits to other industries outside of the agricultural sector such as construction and aviation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22421/22]

Electricity Generation

Richard Bruton

147. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the changes that can be introduced in order to speed up the planning permission process for other forms of microgeneration aside from solar panels, such as wind turbines and hydropower; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22403/22]

Electricity Generation

Richard Bruton

148. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on replicating the microgeneration process in Northern Ireland in which projects do not require additional planning permission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22404/22]

Environmental Schemes

Richard Bruton

95. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of smart electricity meters installed; the geographic distribution of the smart meters installed; and the amount of funding that has been spent on the installation of smart meters. [22225/22]

Electric Vehicles

Richard Bruton

111. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider grant aiding the conversion of fossil-fuelled cars to electric as a way of acceleration of the conversion of the fleet to electric. [21714/22]

Public Sector Pensions

Richard Bruton

161. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if persons who are paying into public service pension schemes have to continue making contributions after they have reached the maximum 40 years' service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22070/22]

Construction Industry

Richard Bruton

175. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if steps are being taken to adopt modular building material methods with off-site manufacture of modules in order to speed up the construction time of needed housing. [21698/22]

Animal Culls

Richard Bruton

178. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the scheme undertaken on a pilot basis to carry out a cull of seagulls has been assessed; and if there are plans to consider extending that approach elsewhere. [21771/22]

Site Acquisitions

Richard Bruton

256. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if a permanent site for a school (details supplied) has been identified; and construction of a permanent building is scheduled. [21700/22]

Site Acquisitions

Richard Bruton

257. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she has completed the assessment of the starting date for the new secondary school (details supplied) taking into account the very large number of new homes completed or under construction in the area. [21703/22]

State Pensions

Richard Bruton

294. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is considering allowing contributions to be made for pensions from rental income given the move to auto-enrolment. [21702/22]

Community Employment Drug Rehabilitation Projects

Richard Bruton

320. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the acute problems in reinstating important services for rehabilitating drug dependent young person's due to the lack of community employment youth workers such as in a case (details supplied); and if she will consider changing current community employment regulations to allow key support workers be retained. [22241/22]

Banking Sector

Richard Bruton

41. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he has assessed the support to consumers in rearranging their affairs as banks exit the Irish market; and if he has discussed the matter with the Central Bank. [21003/22]

Public Sector Pay

Richard Bruton

99. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his approach to calls for pay increases to match rises in the cost of living; the way he will calculate the affordability of such calls; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21002/22]

Public Procurement Contracts

Richard Bruton

121. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department measures the penetration of green procurement within total procurement; the estimated penetration levels achieved; and the adequacy of policies to achieve increased penetration. [21001/22]

Electric Vehicles

Richard Bruton

143. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if the lifetime costs of electric versus fossil fuel vehicles justifies recommending to public bodies under his auspices to switch procurement strategies bearing in mind the likely trends in fuel costs. [21000/22]

Transport Policy

Richard Bruton

153. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if he has assessed the potential to move travel requirements to a service model by using sharing platforms, vehicle sharing and ride sharing; and if he will consider providing a fund to stimulate innovation in this area. [20999/22]

Energy Prices

Richard Bruton

214. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when the Enterprise Forum last met; if the forum has discussed rising energy costs within the industry sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20995/22]

Energy Prices

Richard Bruton

215. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on the consultation that his Department is holding with industry representatives in relation to rising energy costs; the mechanism by which the consultation operates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20996/22]

Waste Management

Richard Bruton

232. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will list the extended producer responsibility schemes that are in place for recovering waste material funded by a levy on the product put on the market; if he will list in respect of each the volume of material recovered in weight and the way that compares with the current volume of sales; if he will indicate in each case the level of the levy imposed to fund the operation; the outlets for the recovered material; and if he will provide the latest report on the operation of the respective schemes. [19287/22]

Telecommunications Infrastructure

Richard Bruton

323. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the progress that is being made as regards to reviewing the policy position on the development of private wires and direct lines; if a public consultation will be held; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20993/22]

Environmental Policy

Richard Bruton

324. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his Department intends to introduce further legislative measures pertaining to existing industrial emissions licence holders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20994/22]