Climate Action Hub

Sustainability in the Houses of the Oireachtas

Sustainability objectives

The Houses of the Oireachtas Service is committed to operating as a sustainable parliament. As a public sector organisation, we recognise that we have a responsibility to take on a leadership role in meeting Ireland’s national climate commitments.

There are two key aspects to this:

1. How we deliver our services

The Sustainability Unit is responsible for understanding how the Service can reduce its impact on the environment while continuing to deliver an effective parliament. We are working on our first sustainability strategy.

2. What services we deliver

Rather than solely focusing on resource efficiency and adapting how we work to reduce our impact on the environment, we have looked at what it is the Service does and what we can deliver to benefit the environment. By creating a Climate Action Hub, we are continuing to build on the sustainability analysis, research and advice that we provide to elected members.

Energy and emissions

Over the last number of years we have made improvements to how we operate to reduce our energy use and our energy-related emissions.

We have improved our energy efficiency by 45% since 2009. By 2022, our energy-related greenhouse gas emissions had reduced to 1.6 million kg CO₂ eq. from our baseline emissions of 2.7 million kg CO₂ eq.

Our Climate Action Roadmap sets out how we will continue to improve our environmental performance by using less energy and less resources in delivering our services.

The two headline targets for the Houses of the Oireachtas Service are to:

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030.
• Increase the improvement in energy efficiency to 50% by 2030.

We will meet these targets by making changes to how we think about and manage energy use on our campus. This includes the leadership structures we have in place, engaging and training staff, developing a better understanding of our energy use and management, and working with the OPW to identify projects and programmes that will deliver sustained reductions.

Our priority projects over the next 3 years include:

• Completing an energy audit to better understand our consumption.
• Implementing a certified energy management system.
• Targeted energy management and awareness activities.

and, working with the OPW to:

• Make improvements in our worst performing buildings.
• Optimise and upgrade our heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
• Complete a solar PV feasibility study.
• Continue rolling out the LED lighting project.

Travel

The Service has been awarded the Smarter Travel Mark at bronze level by the National Transport Authority. In achieving the Smarter Travel Mark, we are demonstrating a commitment to changing attitudes and behaviours regarding walking, cycling and public transport by implementing measures that facilitate, support and encourage sustainable travel options for our staff and visitors.

The Smarter Travel Mark recognises the Houses of the Oireachtas Service as an organisation that prioritises the importance and value of sustainable travel initiatives and the associated environmental benefits. We will continue to identify additional measures over the coming years that we can implement to support sustainable travel choices.

The Service is committed to providing and maintaining bicycle friendly buildings for everyone in the parliamentary community. We have over 100 secure and accessible bicycle parking spaces throughout the campus. We will be expanding the number of spaces during the coming years and upgrading existing spaces where required. To help facilitate and encourage cycling to work, the Service maintains showering and changing facilities throughout the campus. We also promote the Cycle to Work scheme and hold bike maintenance and service workshops.

Along with the expansion of bicycle parking spaces we are working with the OPW to install electric bicycle charging points. In addition, there are currently six electric vehicle charging points on the Oireachtas campus and we are currently working with the OPW to assess how we can provide additional charging points on the campus.

The Service has a blended working policy that allows staff to work from home up to three days a week, where roles allow. This helps to reduce the need for staff to commute to the office. As a parliament, we support virtual attendance at Committee meetings to reduce the necessity for witnesses to travel to the Oireachtas campus.*

*It should be noted that witnesses giving evidence from within the parliamentary precincts are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they give to a Committee. Witnesses who give evidence from a location outside the parliamentary precincts may not benefit from the same level of immunity from legal proceedings as a witness giving evidence from within the parliamentary precincts and may consider it appropriate to take legal advice on this matter.

Waste and water

Waste

As part of our public leadership role, we will continue reviewing our paper-based processes. This includes promoting a digital-first approach that will allow us to, in the first instance, prevent waste from being generated.

The Service’s finance, salaries and procurement units became paperless in 2021. A part of this process involved engaging with staff but also with the Service’s suppliers to remind them of our paperless payments procedure to help reduce our impact on paper use across our value chain.

The Service’s digital transformation team continues to implement its Digital Parliament programme. The programme has delivered several procedural applications that facilitate a reduction in paper usage across the campus. Most significantly, the development of the Dáil Business website has removed the reliance on print copies of the Order Paper and supplementary Order Papers.

The rollout of laptops allows staff of the Service to move about, attend meetings and work remotely without the need to print documents. As we continue to transition to a digital-first approach, we have switched to using recycled paper.

In 2019 the Service introduced compostable cups and containers in our self-service restaurant and coffee dock and removed single-use, plastic-containing products. Over the next year we will implement measures to further reduce the number of disposable products used.

Water

We participate in the Water Stewardship Ireland Community of Practice and have a certified water steward on our staff. We are reviewing potential water efficiency projects, awareness campaigns and management systems. We are aware of the impact of climate change on Ireland’s water supplies and also the energy required to abstract, treat, deliver and heat water, and to collect, treat, and discharge wastewater.

We are committed to embedding an ongoing culture of sound water management in accordance with water stewardship principles. We will work to reduce both our impact on Ireland's water resources and the emissions we cause by using water.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity initiatives are promoted on the Oireachtas campus and managed by the OPW.

In support of the All-Ireland National Pollinator Plan wildflower planting has been established on the grounds of Leinster House and pollinator friendly planting in timber planters has been used throughout the campus. In 2021, two hay type meadow areas were established that are cut once a year using battery powered mowers.

The next step is the completion of biodiversity audit, which will inform what actions are taken next.

Procurement

The procurement unit in the Houses of the Oireachtas Service considers green criteria for selection and award criteria when procuring goods and services, using the published Green Public Procurement guidance and criteria sets.

Draft tender documents are examined by the procurement unit to help determine the best approach to applying the principles of Green Public Procurement. The procurement unit has developed a standard operating procedure to help ensure sustainability is considered across all the Service’s tender processes.