Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:1. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with the circular economy will next meet. [19912/23]
Ceisteanna - Questions
Cabinet Committees
Paul Murphy
Ceist:2. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with the circular economy will next meet. [19915/23]
Bríd Smith
Ceist:3. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with the circular economy will next meet. [19918/23]
Alan Dillon
Ceist:4. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change will meet next. [20576/23]
Christopher O'Sullivan
Ceist:5. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change will meet next. [21442/23]
Ruairí Ó Murchú
Ceist:6. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with the circular economy will next meet. [21452/23]
Ruairí Ó Murchú
Ceist:7. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change will meet next. [21453/23]
Ivana Bacik
Ceist:8. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change will next meet. [21481/23]
Mick Barry
Ceist:9. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with the circular economy will next meet. [21667/23]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 9, inclusive, together.
The Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change last met on 20 April 2023, and the next meeting will be scheduled shortly. Climate change is the most pressing global challenge of our time and the science is indisputable. We must break the link with fossil fuels. This urgency of action is reinforced by Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.
We must not just see climate change as a burden however. It is also a moment of opportunity. Achieving energy independence is our 21st century moonshot, but we can only achieve this by harnessing our untapped renewable energy resources. Ireland has some of the best offshore renewable energy potential, with a sea area that is seven times our landmass and the strongest regional wind speeds.
Ireland’s climate ambitions are now reflected in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act, which sets out challenging emissions reduction targets for 2030 and a target of achieving a climate-neutral economy by 2050. The Department of the Taoiseach has responsibility for preparing quarterly reports on the implementation of measures committed to under the climate action plan. The latest progress report for the plan was published last Thursday, 4 May 2023, and refers to actions that were due to be completed in the first quarter of 2023. The report was published on the Department’s website.
The first whole-of-government circular economy strategy was launched in December 2021, which set out an overall approach for this important area. This was followed by the enactment of the Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 last July. The Act further underpins Ireland’s move towards adapting patterns of production and consumption, preventing waste generation, and extending the productive life of all products. It also provides a clear legislative framework for Ireland’s transition to a circular economy. The second version of the circular economy strategy is currently being developed by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. I understand it is due to be submitted to the Government for approval by the end of the year.
Ireland also continues to engage fully with the European Commission’s European Green Deal proposals to make sustainable products the norm in the EU, to boost circular business models, and to help reduce unnecessary waste in our production and consumption.
I have just returned from the funeral of a very lovely man, Mr. Owen Gallagher, a friend and fellow activist. I once again pass on my sympathies to his partner, Carolann, and his family. I raise it under this particular question because I first met Owen when he was a bin man working for the council in Bray. He was fighting against the then drive to privatise waste collection services. He was very passionate, along with his colleagues, in fighting the privatisation of waste collection services. The other feature of Owen's life was that he was an absolutely passionate environmentalist all of his life. The privatisation and the introduction of charges at the time was framed as being done to some degree to improve the environmental situation, but part of Owen's motivation in fighting the privatisation of waste collection services was that he believed this was not true, that the opposite would happen, that charges would ratchet up and ratchet up, and that it would not improve but would worsen the environmental situation. I believe Owen and his colleagues were proven right. When we consider the introduction of charges now by private waste companies for brown bin collection, we really see how the worst fears of people like Owen Gallagher and those who fought the privatisation of waste collection have turned out to be right.
Does that lead the Government to consider the growing campaign to re-municipalise and bring waste collection services back under public ownership so they can be managed in an environmentally sustainable and beneficial way?
The Business Post reported that, in the end, the Irish auction for offshore wind is set to result in the world's most expensive offshore wind. The results are likely to deliver average prices close to the €150 per MWh price cap. That is more than three times the price of offshore wind in Scotland and much higher than that in other European countries. The result for consumers will be electricity prices that are no lower than the very high points we saw over the course of the winter.
The Taoiseach is a deeply ideological man who is deeply committed to neoliberalism and the idea that only the free market can resolve these things, but I implore him to live in the real world. This is an absolute disaster for the environment and consumers. Rather than trying to attract all these private companies in with extremely high prices, would it not make much more sense for the State to say it has this huge surplus at present, that it will invest it, and have public investment in and development of offshore renewable energy?
The urgency of addressing climate change has never been more apparent. Innovative solutions, such as green hydrogen, are crucial to our shared effort for a sustainable future. Green hydrogen produced using renewable energy offers immense potential in our transition towards a carbon neutral society and could significantly reduce emissions in industries where decarbonisation is a particular challenge. As we push for a greener Ireland, it is paramount that our Government vigorously supports the development of green hydrogen. This technology not only aligns with our environmental goals but also presents an opportunity to establish Ireland as a leader in a sector that is poised for substantial growth globally. However, the path for harnessing the potential of green hydrogen is not clear. We need a strategic, detailed roadmap that outlines how we will scale production infrastructure and usage. We also need policy support that ensures it is commercially viable and competitive.
My question to the Taoiseach is twofold. What current policies are in place to support the development and deployment of green hydrogen? When can we expect the Government to issue a comprehensive pathway for the production of green hydrogen in Ireland? Our progress on this front is not merely an economic imperative but an economic opportunity we cannot afford to miss.
I add my voice to the call to look at the re-municipalisation of waste collection services. We all know about the issue of costs in that regard, which have spiralled, and that of people who cannot afford to take out services, in addition to those who abuse their neighbours and others by dumping. This is an issue that needs a greater amount of resourcing, whether it is through local authorities or whatever, in ensuring they have all the necessary tools to deal with it. We need to look at something. Even if waste collection is not within public ownership, it should at least be under public co-ordination to get the best bang for our buck for society, local authorities and individuals. We can then offer a service that delivers for all the people, ensuring there is less dumping and that we can have a more co-ordinated approach to best practice, from an environmental perspective, as regards recycling and all those other factors that are required.
I join with others in calling for a re-municipalisation of waste services, including green waste services. I will host a briefing by the Fórsa union in the audiovisual room at 3 p.m. on precisely that topic. Fórsa will present research it has conducted into this issue. I ask the Taoiseach to engage with the union on that.
I also raise the issue of offshore wind and the concerns I am hearing from many stakeholders regarding the lengthy delays in developing the necessary infrastructure by the Government to ensure, in particular, that the necessary framework is in place for floating offshore wind. There have been more moves on fixed-bottom wind generation but floating offshore wind seems to have been pushed much further off, since the intervention of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, in February. There is real concern about why that is so, which is why I raise it.
I hear of immense problems faced by people in communal heating schemes who have astronomical bills. Has the report of the district heating steering group been submitted to the Government and considered by the Cabinet committee on environment and climate change?
Yesterday, we discovered that one factory, Dairygold in Mitchelstown, emitted more carbon last year than the entire population of the town in which it is based. We discovered that 100 factories, power plants, airlines, etc. emitted nearly 25 million tonnes of CO2 and greenhouse gases last year, which is more than one third of the total for the entire State. This includes Ryanair, Irish Cement, Aer Lingus, Bord Gáis and Energia - I could go on. If and when, and currently it looks more like when, the State fails to reach its carbon emission targets, and the European Union imposes potentially very heavy fines on the State, will the Government knock on the doors of the big business polluters to pay those fines or will it make the poor bloody taxpayer pay once again?
A key part of reducing our emissions is taking steps to ensure we reduce the demand side of things. Some 1.2 million smart meters have been rolled out so far across Ireland. Only 80,000 of those consumers are availing of smart tariffs. That is approximately 6% or 7%, which is far too little. A big part of the problem is the fact the night-time rate begins at 11 p.m. when nobody wants to turn on appliances, or have their washing machine or dishwasher on, because it causes disruption, especially for those who may have children in bed. It is a big issue. I ask the Taoiseach what I asked the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, yesterday. Will it bring that time forward to 8 p.m., make sure more people avail of the smart tariffs and the cheaper tariffs, and move away from the high-peak demand between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.? It makes sense. It would reduce demand at peak times but, most importantly, it would save people money in the long run. They would be able to opt for those cheaper tariffs. The Taoiseach's intervention could encourage the CRU to bring forward that cheaper night-time rate.
I thank the Deputies for their various questions. I will try to cover as many as I can in my reply. On waste collection, from my experience, which I appreciate might not be everybody's, we have a much better refuse service than we had 20 or 30 years ago. We have black, green and brown bins and higher recycling rates. A lot has been achieved in that regard. Re-municipalisation should be a matter for local authorities. There would be an upfront cost in changing to that system as well as ongoing costs, which would probably have to be met in the form of higher local property tax, higher commercial rates or both. I say to anyone to put forward the proposal, be honest about it, show what it would cost upfront, what the ongoing costs would be, what the benefits would be, set it out, and make it part of the local election campaign to see whether people want to vote for it.
Good idea.
I put it as simply as that, but do not expect somebody else to pay for it. You have to be honest with people that a cost would be associated with it, which they would have to bear, whether that is in the form of property taxes, commercial rates or something else.
Deputy Paul Murphy wishes to characterise me in a certain way, but I am not deeply ideological. Perhaps I was ten or 20 years ago but, at this point, I am only interested in outcomes for people and not ideology. Perhaps time and experience in government teaches you that and you try to get things done. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has assured me the report in the Business Post on Sunday was not accurate. The prices we pay will be similar to those in similar jurisdictions. The best way to harness the enormous potential we have offshore is through a mix of public and private investment. That will involve the State and State-owned enterprises but also private developers and private capital.
That is a practical approach. If we only go public or only go private, we will get less done than if we involve both the public and private sectors in getting this done. That is the same approach I take to housing. If Deputies want to ascribe any ideology to it, it would be the ideology of the social market economy, which is the ideology that the European People's Party and my party subscribe to. It is not a neoliberal one. The social market economy goes back to the Christian Democrats of decades ago and involves the private and public sectors working together for the common good.
In response to Deputy Dillon's question, green hydrogen has great potential. It is a relatively new technology. When I was Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, I tried to go somewhere to visit a major green hydrogen plant and see it operating. There was none. It still is very much a new technology, but it is one we have an interest in. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is setting up a task force to see what the potential for it is. The theory at least is that we could use surplus electricity to create green hydrogen, green fertiliser and sustainable aviation fuels. However, to the extent this is being done at all anywhere in the world, it is being done on a small scale. Things start like that. We need to be part of it and try to be early movers on it if we can.
Cabinet Committees
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Ceist:10. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [19983/23]
Cian O'Callaghan
Ceist:11. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [21382/23]
Paul McAuliffe
Ceist:12. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [21443/23]
Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Ceist:13. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [21444/23]
Peadar Tóibín
Ceist:14. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [21445/23]
Ivana Bacik
Ceist:15. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [21480/23]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:16. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [21530/23]
Paul Murphy
Ceist:17. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [21533/23]
Bríd Smith
Ceist:18. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [21536/23]
Mick Barry
Ceist:19. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [21668/23]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 to 19, inclusive, together.
The Cabinet committee on housing last met on 17 April. The next meeting will be held in June. The committee works to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the implementation of Housing for All. The plan is working. In the first quarter alone, more than 6,700 new homes were built, almost 20% more than the same quarter last year, carrying on the momentum of approximately 30,000 homes being built in 2022. That number does not include student accommodation or derelict homes brought back into use. Building started on more than 7,000 new homes in the first quarter of this year. Many more than 10,000 new mortgages were drawn down in the first quarter, with first-time buyers accounting for slightly more than half of these mortgages, making home ownership a reality again for thousands of people. This means more than 400 people are buying their first home every week, which is the highest since the Celtic tiger period.
There is also a strong pipeline of social and affordable housing, with almost 20,000 social homes at various stages of construction and more than 2,700 more affordable homes already approved for funding. We continue to see progress, including the growing take-up of the first homes scheme; the Land Development Agency receiving planning permission for more than 1,000 new homes; additional staff and board members for An Bord Pleanála to try to reduce the backlogs; and a further €41 million being provided in capital funding for student accommodation provided by third level institutions. We are progressing fundamental reforms in land management and planning and promoting innovation in construction.
We know we need to do more, which is why on 25 April we announced further actions under Housing for All to respond to the challenges in the external environment, such as rising costs of construction and financing. The package includes a commitment of up to €750 million via the Land Development Agency and other providers to complete 4,000 to 6,000 additional affordable homes to be available under the cost-rental system. We are reducing the cost of construction by suspending the development levies required to connect new homes to public infrastructure, such as water and other services, which we estimate will reduce building costs by approximately €12,000 per unit.
While these measures will bring forward newly built homes, we also recognise that often the most efficient way to deliver is to renovate buildings that already exist. For this reason, we increased the vacant property refurbishment grant from €30,000 to €50,000 for vacant properties and from €50,000 to €70,000 for derelict properties. It is now possible to get this grant for homes built prior to the end of 2007. Those grants are available to people who will live in these refurbished homes and to those who will rent them out. These measures and others in Housing for All are the most effective way to accelerate housing supply. Without additional supply, we will not be able to resolve this crisis.
I welcome many of the programmes the Taoiseach mentioned, especially the Croí Cónaithe scheme,. The latter will be beneficial going forward. One of the biggest barriers we are still experiencing in County Cork is the provision of wastewater treatment plants when it comes to servicing new housing estates in smaller villages outside the city boundary such as Carraig na bhFear, where we are happy to be opening a new school shortly. There is a large brownfield site in the middle of the village that cannot be serviced. Houses cannot be built there and brought into stock. There is currently a development of 100 homes in Whitechurch but the second phase of a further 50 homes cannot commence because of wastewater restrictions. A development in Ballyvolane was held up for three years. That development will deliver 2,500 to 3,000 units in time but the process relating to it took three years. Will any additional investment be going into wastewater infrastructure? The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, made an announcement last year about upgrading many wastewater treatment plants.
Since the Government took office, rents, house prices and the number of people who are homeless and living in emergency homeless accommodation - almost 12,000 people - have reached record levels. At the same time, almost €1 billion that was allocated to be spent on housing has not been used for the purpose of building social and affordable homes. This year, spending on housing is running 32.5% behind where it is meant to be. When we raised this last year we were told not to worry and that the Government would catch up by the end of the year, but that did not happen. The Government did not catch up. Hundreds of millions of euro that should have been spent building social and affordable homes was not spent. Instead, some of these moneys are being handed over to developers who are exempt from paying development levies. What is the Taoiseach doing to ensure that money that has been allocated to be spent on building social and affordable homes will actually be spent for that purpose?
I echo the point the Taoiseach made with respect to the progress we have made. It is worth noting that since the Government came into office, we have built more homes for more people, increased eligibility, built more public homes than ever before and we have a higher total output than has been the case for many years. However, I will flag two matters that the Cabinet sub-committee should examine. The first relates to the approved housing body, AHB, sector, which is producing in volume. We must be careful of the borrowing requirements of AHBs in order to ensure that they can maximise output. The Department has compiled a report. I ask that the Cabinet sub-committee consider the full implications of that report with respect to the AHB balance sheet and the restrictions on it. That needs to be examined.
My second point relates to the tenant in situ scheme and the cost-rental backstop. I have been approached by people who have received the devastating news of eviction notices. Within a matter of weeks, the tenant in situ scheme has transformed their housing situation. Regardless of where they are placed on the list, they are able to secure a home forever, which is the home they want. Dublin City Council has confirmed that small numbers of people are also being considered for the cost-rental backstop. We can go further with that scheme. We should be purchasing homes for people who are waiting for a significant period on the waiting list, even if they are not facing immediate eviction.
Like previous speakers, I deal with housing queries on a daily basis. Lately, there seems to be a huge issue with communication between the Department and local authorities. On issues like this, we must ensure that we are all on the same wavelength. I recently encountered a lady who had to go into emergency accommodation because the ban on evictions was lifted. Her child is autistic and has to be picked up from a homeless shelter and brought to school on a bus. There is not enough leniency for me to be able to fight this particular case. In fairness to Carlow County Council, it is understaffed. I am aware it needs many more staff. They are needed in the housing department. However, the Department needs to provide more guidelines. Extreme cases like this that need to be looked at as a matter of urgency must be given priority. I have spoken to the Minister about this matter, as the Taoiseach would expect, but we must have more communication, and I will ask for it.
Transfers have become a huge issue for me, and I have spoken to many other Deputies about them. I have been contacted by a lot of genuine people who need transfers but they are only getting them on medical grounds. While that is welcome, I also know there are genuine cases where people need to be transferred and are not getting a transfer. I can say hand on heart that when people owe money to a local authority, they are told straight away they have to put a payment plan in place. I understand that. I know good work is being done and I can only compliment Carlow County Council but I ask that there be more communication between the Department and local authorities.
I want to raise another problem with the tenant in situ scheme that has come to my attention, along with the difficulties with a lack of capacity in local authorities. Owing to the chronic shortages in housing in Dublin, including in my constituency of Dublin Bay South, many people are in house-shares with different types of tenure and lone parents, older people and a mix of full private rent and housing assistance payment, HAP, tenants are often living in one house. When a landlord goes to sell, however, all of them clearly get eviction notices. They are all subject to the same treatment in eviction but if one of the tenants is on HAP, our understanding is that he or she is not eligible for a tenant in situ scheme if the others in the house-share are private tenants. We understand they are also excluded from cost-rental tenant in situ schemes. This is a serious issue for many people involved in these shared tenancies, which are becoming increasingly common, as we know, given the chronic housing shortage. Will the Taoiseach ensure that the cost-rental scheme will cover all of those in shared tenancies, whatever their status? Otherwise we will see an even greater increase in homelessness than we had sadly anticipated might occur with the lifting of the eviction ban.
In the Dublin Rathdown constituency, which is not even my constituency, a family with working parents - one works in a bakery and his wife works in an insurance company - and two children have been evicted. They are HAP tenants, they have a court order against them and the sheriff is due around. The house is owned by receivers, Ernst & Young, which want to sell it. I contacted the receivers and asked if they would sell to the council. They said they thought they would get a better price on the market and they wanted the sale to be quick and therefore they would not sell to the council. I then contacted the Minister and the council and asked them to get on to the receivers and tell them they would pay the market price and that they are serious about trying to buy the property. That has been done but we do not know what will happen because it is entirely in the hands of the receivers. We need to supplement this with a first refusal option for councils in cases where people are threatened with eviction in order that a council has some power to ensure families are not evicted where it is willing to buy the property to prevent families being evicted.
I want to raise an issue of planning, which I presume is dealt with by the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The issue is the use or abuse of section 254 licences to erect phone masts without having any process of public notice, consultation or whatever. Hundreds of masts have been put up in this way by Cignal, which recently changed its name to Cellnex. People are not opposed to masts and we need to have them as part of public infrastructure but they want to have a say in where they go, how they look and so on. A new issue has arisen recently in my estate whereby a mast is being put up under this section. There is an ongoing appeal to An Bord Pleanála yet the mast is still being put up. This was raised as a Topical Issue last night by a number of Deputies. The Minister of State was not clear as to whether the law states that the company has to stop while the appeal is ongoing, as is the case for everything else in planning, or if it can proceed as the company claims it can.
I want to talk to the Taoiseach about mortgage prisoners. There are more than 30,000 households in this State that have not only had their mortgages snapped up by vulture funds but that have been told they cannot go on fixed-rate mortgages. Many of them are paying interest rates of 8% or 9%. That is on the Government because the State imposes maximum rates on moneylenders but not on the loan sharks that are the vulture funds. Yesterday, Tullamore Circuit Court disregarded appeals from a vulture, or its representatives, and approved a personal solvency assessment that imposed a fixed rate of 2.5% over 25 years. No doubt thousands of people will be contacting personal insolvency practitioners about escaping the prison and taking cases. Rather than forcing these people to go down this route, which takes time and expense, the Government should short-circuit the situation, intervene and force the vultures to offer fixed rates and, more important, to cap those charges.
I ask Deputy Ó Murchú to be brief or the Taoiseach will not have time to respond.
Yesterday, I brought up the issue of housing adaptation grants for older and disabled people and I need the Taoiseach to revert to me on that.
Carlinn Hall is a large housing estate in Dundalk with a communal heating system that is gas-fed having previously been biomass-fed. A feasibility study was carried out on the use of geothermal heating. I ask that the results of that study be expedited. Deputy Bacik also spoke about the report on district heating systems. We need to ensure this problem does not recur. We need to make the switch to geothermal as quickly as possible to facilitate those residents who are living with huge costs.
The Taoiseach has 12 seconds to respond.
The Acting Chairman should extend the time.
We regularly do that. The Cathaoirleach often gives the Taoiseach an extra five minutes.
I invite the Taoiseach to respond briefly.
We all have places to be but I will be happy to answer if we can take the additional time off the next group of questions.
It is normal practice.
The Deputies who asked the questions in the next group might agree to disagree.
I met Uisce Éireann a few months ago and it has a work programme. Understandably, it prioritises wastewater investments that will result in the greatest return in new homes, new housing estates and developments and new industry. I am aware, and I hear this from my Deputies and councillors all over the country, that a number of small towns and villages around the country are constrained and cannot have any natural growth or even build a small number of houses because of the need to invest more in wastewater. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has a scheme that is targeted at the small towns and villages. In the run-up to the revised national development plan ceilings we can see if it is possible to increase the budget for Irish Water. I would be in favour of doing that but there are capacity constraints. We would want to increase the budget by enough that we get more and do not just drive up the cost of things, which is always a risk when we are hitting capacity constraints across the economy.
Any time we talk about underspends in the housing budget it is disingenuous not to acknowledge that it is the biggest housing budget ever, certainly in cash terms, amounting to €4.5 billion per year. That is the context to any underspend. There was a massive increase in the housing budget and that is the context under which underspends occur. What are we doing to try to avoid a repeat of that this year? We are reallocating funding earlier in the year. We are trying to figure out earlier in the year if projects are slow or stalled and then reallocating it to projects that can be sped up, which is what we want to do.
On the comments made by Deputies, we should acknowledge that house prices are, at long last, falling in Ireland. They have been falling for several months and probably peaked last year. They peaked at the same level they peaked at roughly 14 years ago, which is still too high, but it is encouraging to see house prices coming down in this city and across the country.
Deputy McAuliffe asked about the tenant in situ scheme and spoke about going further. I would be sympathetic to his sentiments in that regard. We have told local authorities there is a budget in place to buy 1,500 homes where the landlord is selling up. If they can meet that budget, we are well disposed to increasing the figure and allowing them to buy more. We should not be too hung up on where somebody is on the housing list. If a property can be bought by a council or an AHB and that person can be given a more secure and long-term tenancy, that is a good thing and we should not get hung up on where they are on the housing list. We also should not lose sight of the fact that when landlords are selling up, the person they often sell to is a first-time buyer or a family trading up, which can be a good thing too. The underlying problem is just an inadequate amount of housing. Until we clear that deficit of about 250,000 missing homes, we will continue to have these problems.
Deputies raised some of the issues with the tenant in situ scheme. I will endeavour to examine them with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. I know that complications and anomalies arise where there are multiple tenants, and we have not really figured out the right way to deal with that. We are aware of it and will see if we can come up with solutions. The same thing, I think, arises on Deputy Boyd Barrett's question about the possibility of a first refusal for councils or AHBs. Another option is capital gains tax exemption. That might make it more attractive to sell to the council or the AHB.
I do not know the answers to the questions about the masts or Carlinn Hall but I will check out those matters and come back to the Deputies.
Finally, in response to Deputy Barry, I am aware of the court decision in Tullamore. It is potentially significant but could be appealed as well. We will see what happens if it is, but I know that the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, is particularly concerned about people who have very high mortgage rates with non-bank lenders. He is looking at options as to how we can help and be more proactive in how the State can help.
To be fair, as Members have raised the matter, the Standing Order under which we are operating, Standing Order 47, does not allow for questions or groups of questions to exceed 15 minutes.
It is done regularly, though.
Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements
Mary Lou McDonald
Ceist:20. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the North Sea Summit. [20297/23]
Seán Haughey
Ceist:21. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the North Sea Summit. [21501/23]
Christopher O'Sullivan
Ceist:22. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the North Sea Summit. [21502/23]
Ivana Bacik
Ceist:23. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the North Sea Summit. [21486/23]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 to 23, inclusive, together.
I attended the North Sea Summit in Ostend, Belgium, on Monday, 24 April. There I joined the Prime Ministers of Belgium and Denmark, the President of France, the Chancellor of Germany, the Prime Ministers of Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway and the President of the European Commission. The summit was a valuable opportunity to engage with leading global champions of offshore wind, share insights and learn from best practice.
Climate change is the most pressing global challenge of our time, and the science is indisputable: we must break the link with fossil fuels. The urgency of action has been reinforced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We must see climate change not just as a burden but also as an opportunity.
The summit demonstrated our collective commitment to accelerating the transition to a green and sustainable energy future. Leaders signed the Ostend Declaration, which commits to accelerating the deployment of offshore renewables and improving connectivity within the north seas. It is crucial that we work together when it comes to issues such as port capacity as well as interconnection and grid capacity.
I had the opportunity to hear from industry representatives and I chaired a round-table discussion focused on how best to deepen cross-country co-ordination and co-operation.
After the summit, leaders also met over dinner and discussed a number of international issues, including the situation in Ukraine.
It would be important, in the context of our own decarbonisation and our role in decarbonising the wider European Union energy system, to have our own affairs in order and to realise the potential of our renewables. This morning, on "Morning Ireland", Dr. Frank Crowley of University College Cork, UCC, reporting on EU-funded research, was scathingly critical of the Government and, using a term the Taoiseach himself has used, called us laggards and pointed to a failure to engage with the sector. At the same time, Marie Donnelly of the Climate Change Advisory Council, CCAC, was on "Newstalk Breakfast" sounding the alarm bells as regards planning, including for offshore and onshore renewables, and the repowering of onshore. Tomorrow we will report the highest offshore costs in Europe. That is reflective of the fact that we have the highest renewables costs generally. Is the Taoiseach aware of and concerned about these alarm bells being rung? Will he outline a plan for investment in ports? Will he bring forward a cost-of-renewables task force? Sinn Féin has published legislation in that regard. Will he outline how he will address those barriers in the planning system?
It is great that the Taoiseach was able to attend the summit in Ostend with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. As the Taoiseach said, the development of offshore wind energy is so important in order to tackle climate change and decrease our dependence on imported fossil fuels. The Taoiseach also considered at the summit the provision of offshore grids and electricity interconnection, and that is obviously very relevant to Ireland within the EU. Offshore wind has enormous potential for Ireland, given our unique advantages.
I have two questions. Can the Taoiseach confirm that the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA, is bringing forward the necessary planning framework to facilitate the development of floating offshore wind projects and that it has recruited the necessary skills to do that? Also, are the necessary steps being taken to ensure that our commercial ports are fit for purpose to accommodate these developments?
I wish to return also to the issue of offshore wind. I have raised already the frustration among stakeholders with the delays in getting the infrastructure up and running, particularly for floating offshore wind. We constantly hear from the Government about the enormous potential of offshore wind, but there has been such immense delay in getting these projects started. What is the State doing to speed up publicly owned offshore wind projects. Is the ESB appropriately resourced to speed up development? It says it has plans for 5 GW of offshore wind, but how close are we to getting ESB projects approved and constructed, and can we say for sure that consideration has been given to the royalties, lease payments or taxation of the windfalls operators will make? I am looking at the British approach, whereby we see the Crown Estate making huge profits from new offshore wind farms by leasing sites, with a £1 billion surge this year alone. I think there are examples elsewhere that we can use as to how money can go back to the public purse from the generation of more offshore wind.
It has been said here that we are laggards as to where we need to be as regards the delivery of offshore wind. Many of us have spoken about the fact that we could be a wind superpower. I have heard experts state we could change the entire energy map of Europe, but that matters only if we have the capacity. What are the Government's plans to ensure we have the auctions, planning framework, ports, grid capacity and all the other pieces necessary for a fit-for-purpose system? Are we looking at the State taking an element of public ownership in relation to what should be a windfall across the board?
Was there any discussion at this summit about Nord Stream, in particular the blowing up or destruction of Nord Stream, which had such devastating impacts on people, with the increase in gas prices which was a consequence, and the largest single discharge of methane the world has ever seen, with significant environmental consequences? It seems that nobody is really interested in finding out who is responsible. There was a recent vote at the UN Security Council whereby the US and several of its allies abstained on a motion in order to block a resolution providing for an independent international investigation to find out who was responsible. Was that discussed at the summit? Does the Irish Government agree with the idea of an independent international investigation and will it support efforts to create one?
I thank Deputies for their questions.
When it comes to renewable energy, I do not accept that we are laggards at all. We now produce about 40% of our electricity from renewable energy. That is a lot higher than many other countries. I think what happens sometimes - and it is understandable - is that people who are in a particular subsector or niche see things from their perspective and not from the wider perspective. Often, people who promote floating offshore wind energy see only that. They do not see that there is more to offshore wind energy than floating. They do not see that there is onshore or solar. If we look at things from the point of view of the public interest, we should look at them in the round. Of course, it made sense in Ireland for us to do onshore first. That is why we will do offshore later. Onshore was the quickest, least expensive and most efficient way to do it. Other countries that are more densely populated or have different geography were not able to do as much onshore as we did so they went offshore. That is the way we need to see it. As I mentioned earlier, during one period in recent weeks, 10% of our electricity came from solar. A lot more can be done there, and pretty quickly. Solar can be done very quickly. We will have huge amounts of solar energy in Ireland before the first new offshore wind farm is built because it can be done in months or a couple of years rather than five to seven years, which is probably how long offshore and floating offshore will take.
I am aware of the reports in the Sunday papers about us having the highest cost. The Minister, Deputy Ryan, briefed me on that and informed me it is not the case. Perhaps we are not comparing like with like. I understand that in the UK, for example, the price that is paid for the electricity is index-linked and, therefore, goes up every year whereas we are not going to do that. It might cost more at the start but because it is not index-linked, it gets cheaper over time, if that makes any sense. I will let the economists work out the details of that. The Minister assures me that we are getting a fair price.
Deputy Haughey asked about MARA. The answer to the question is "Yes". I know the authority is recruiting but I do not want to swear to that at the moment. I will make sure the Deputy gets a detailed reply from my office about that.
On the ports, €250 million is going into Rosslare Europort, with more investments to come. We need to invest in our ports. When it comes to public ownership it is best done through our State-owned enterprises like ESB, for example. That is going to happen.
There were no discussions specifically on the Nord Stream pipeline. However, we obviously did have a discussion on the security of pipelines into the future and also undersea cables to make sure they are designed in such a way that they are not easy to tamper with.
Is féidir teacht ar Cheisteanna Scríofa ar
www.oireachtas.ie
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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 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 2.01 p.m. and resumed at 3 p.m.