Written Answers Nos. 998-1019
998. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department or an agency under its remit including the Marine Institute contacted Inland Fisheries Ireland to request either the scales or carcasses of the farmed salmon stock recovered from the Delphi, Erriff, Kylemore-Dawros, Newport and Bunowen catchments in August 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25458/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, during 2017 my Department noted media reports of salmon being found in rivers on the western seaboard which may have been from farmed stock. My Department advised Inland Fisheries Ireland that where anglers or officers of Inland Fisheries Ireland suspected that they had collected salmon from farmed stock that the fish should be sent to the Marine Institute for analysis, with a view to determining whether they were in fact from farmed stock.
This information was communicated directly by my Department to Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in writing on 2 October 2017. The specific Marine Institute address to which the fish should be sent was also provided to IFI in this communication.
999. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions taken by his Department following the notification of a fish escape incident at a salmon farm located at Glinsk, Mulroy Bay, County Donegal in July 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25459/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs soon as the incident referred to by the Deputy was reported to my Department an inspection of the site was carried out by my Department’s Marine Engineering Division and a detailed report was prepared. As the Deputy is aware my Department’s records indicate that all relevant stakeholders, including Inland Fisheries Ireland, were informed of the incident in accordance with the applicable aquaculture licence conditions.
1000. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 494 of 30 January 2018, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the United Kingdom, Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Norway and the Netherlands have banned commercial fur farming on the grounds of animal welfare; the reason for allowing the practice of commercial mink farming to continue here; if the phasing out of the licensing system for these three remaining farms will be considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25540/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has statutory responsibility for the welfare and protection of farmed animals under the European Communities (Welfare of Farmed Animals) Regulations, 2010(Statutory Instrument No 311/2010) and the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. Irish fur farmers are, in this regard, subject to the same animal welfare legislation as other livestock farmers.
A review of all aspects of fur farming in Ireland was commissioned in November 2011. The Terms of Reference of the Review Group were:
(i) To review fur farming in Ireland taking into account existing legislative provisions for the licensing of mink farming;
(ii) To comment on the economic benefits of the sector;
(iii) To consider the effectiveness of existing welfare controls, and
(iv) To make appropriate recommendations
The Review Group invited submissions from the public and interested parties and considered over four hundred submissions which were received.
The Group concluded that it did not find the arguments in favour of banning the farming of fur animals in Ireland compelling and recommended that instead, fur farming be allowed continue under licence and subject to official control.
On foot of the Review Group’s deliberations, my Department introduced more rigorous controls on licence holders in the areas of animal welfare, animal accommodation, security and nutrient management. Licensees are subject to regular inspections, including unannounced inspections by Department officials.
Notwithstanding the position in other European countries, given the recommendations from the review group and in view of the enhanced controls being carried out by my Department, there are no plans to phase out the licensing of fur farming.
1001. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his Department's capital allocation in each of the years 2019 to 2023; and the areas to which funds will be allocated in each of those years. [25563/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe recently published National Development Plan (NDP) 2018-2027 includes indicative Exchequer allocations for each Ministerial vote group up to 2022. It is intended that the indicative allocation for 2023 will be announced in Budget 2019 this October. The indicative allocations for my Department are set out in the following table:
|
Year |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
Capital Allocation (€M) |
255 |
258 |
265 |
275 |
While the distribution of the allocations for each of the years will only be confirmed as part of the annual Estimates process, I can say capital expenditure by my department over the period will include support for On farm investment, the forestry programme, food sector company investment, the development of Fisheries Harbour Centres and local authority harbours, support for the development of the seafood sector, funding for the state bodies including research and innovation facilities as well as for certain facilities and premises for my department itself and its state bodies.
1002. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason an appeal by a person (details supplied) with the Forestry Service is taking so long to finalise. [25688/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe grounds for appeal have been fully considered and the appeal has now been finalised. All parties have been notified of the decision.
1003. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the EU fines paid in each of the years 2015 to 2017, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25725/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe following table details the EU disallowances paid by my Department in the years 2015, 2016 and 2017.
|
Year |
Amount |
|
2015 |
€67,839,695.67 |
|
2016 |
0 |
|
2017 |
0 |
The EU disallowance set out above occurs in the form of the exclusion from EU funding of EU funded and co funded agricultural schemes. €66,759,681.34 was for various schemes for the seven year period 2008 to 2014 inclusive. This relates mainly to Commission findings that some aspects of Irish control systems were insufficiently robust at excluding ineligible land from payments to farmers in EU funded schemes and represents 0.5% of the €12 billion in EU funding for these schemes in this seven year period. Some €64m of the amount was in respect of the years 2008 to 2012.
A financial correction/exclusion of €1,055,704.33 was imposed in respect of legislation governing the EU Scheme of Aid for Producer Organisations in the Fruit and Vegetables Sector for the 2009 and 2010 Scheme years and there was a €24,310 exclusion in respect of debtor notifications.
1004. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the likely penalties that will be paid by Ireland for failure to meet EU 2020 carbon emissions targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24489/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra1007. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated number of fines Ireland will receive from 2020 onwards for missing emissions targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25242/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra1023. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of Ireland’s obligations in respect of the Kyoto Protocol including the purchase of carbon credits over the period from the signing of the protocol (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24907/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1004, 1007 and 1023 together
Under the first period of the Kyoto Protocol (2008-2012), Ireland committed to limiting total national greenhouse gas emissions to 13% above 1990 levels. In anticipation of a requirement for the State to purchase carbon credits in partial fulfilment of Ireland’s Kyoto Protocol and ongoing obligations, the Carbon Fund Act 2007 established a carbon fund for this purpose and empowered the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) to undertake such purchases on behalf of the State, under my policy direction in consultation with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.
Prior to the enactment of the Carbon Fund Act 2007, the State entered into investments in a number of multilateral funds to invest in projects aimed at achieving greenhouse gas emissions reductions, namely the Multilateral Carbon Credit Fund, managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well as the Carbon Fund for Europe and Bio-Carbon Fund, both managed by the World Bank. Ongoing management of these investments is a matter for my Department. However, since enactment of the Carbon Fund Act 2007, payments in respect of these funds are made by the NTMA through the Carbon Fund in accordance with the provisions of the Act. The BioCarbon Fund remains the only Fund with outstanding payment commitments and these currently amount to $756,781 (approximately €640,000 at current exchange rates).
In addition to these three funds, the NTMA has engaged in a number of direct market transactions for the purchase of carbon credits directly from the market in order to assist with compliance with Ireland’s obligations under the first period of the Kyoto Protocol.
Through the direct market purchases and investment in the three funds listed above, a total of 8,382,380 credits were received by the State and a further 620,000 are expected to be received on foot of the State’s investment in the BioCarbon Fund. Of this total, 3,052,416 have been surrendered for compliance with the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.
Details of all transactions entered into the NTMA are published annually in a Carbon Fund Report at www.ntma.ie in accordance with section 6 of the Carbon Fund Act 2007.
The following table details the level of expenditure on these funds and transactions in the period between 2006 and 2017. All amounts are in millions of euro.
|
YEAR |
Multilateral Carbon Credit Fund |
Carbon fund for Europe and BioCarbon Fund |
NTMA Market transactions |
Total |
|
2006 |
20 |
|
|
20 |
|
2007 |
|
3.7 |
|
3.7 |
|
2008 |
|
|
53 |
53 |
|
2009 |
|
2.3 |
33.8 |
36.1 |
|
2010 |
|
4.1 |
|
4.1 |
|
2011 |
|
1.9 |
|
1.9 |
|
2012 |
|
0.4 |
|
0.4 |
|
2013 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
2014 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
2015 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
2016 |
|
0.4 |
|
0.4 |
|
2017 |
|
0.4 |
|
0.4 |
|
|
20 |
13.2 |
86.8 |
120 |
Ireland’s commitments under the second period of the Kyoto Protocol, (2013-2020), will be discharged via the 2009 EU Effort Sharing Decision 406/2009/EC (ESD). The ESD established annual emission limits for the period 2013 to 2020 for each EU Member State. For the year 2020 itself, the target set for Ireland is that emissions should be 20% below their value in 2005. This is jointly the most demanding 2020 reduction target allocated under the ESD, and one shared only by Denmark and Luxembourg. The latest projections of greenhouse gas emissions, published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in May 2018, indicate that emissions from those sectors of the economy covered by the ESD could be between 0% and 1% below 2005 levels by 2020.
While this is very disappointing, it is not surprising given the recent pace of economic growth, and the consequent increases in emissions from the agriculture and transport sectors in particular. The projected shortfall to our targets is further exacerbated by both the constrained investment capacity over the past decade due to the economic crisis, and the extremely challenging nature of the target itself. In fact, it is now accepted that Ireland’s 2020 target was not consistent with what would be achievable on an EU wide cost-effective basis.
The ESD includes a number of flexibility mechanisms to enable Member States to meet their annual emissions targets, including provisions to bank any excess allowances to future years and to trade allowances between Member States. Using our banked emissions allocations from the period to 2015, Ireland is projected to comply with its emissions reduction targets in each of the years 2013 to 2017. However, our cumulative emissions are expected to exceed targets for 2018, 2019 and 2020, which will result in a requirement to purchase additional allowances. While this purchasing requirement is not, at this stage, expected to be significant, further analysis will be required to quantify the likely costs involved, in light of the final amount and price of allowances required.
At present Ireland holds a total of 5,329,964 credits (5,255,000 Certified Emission Reductions [CERs] and 74,964 Emission Reduction Units [ERUs]) on behalf of the State in the NTMA Account on the EU Registry, of which 5,265,088 are eligible for compliance under the Effort Sharing Decision.
1005. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the policy on the use of incineration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24981/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra1006. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will consider reinstating the incineration levy abolished in 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24982/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1005 and 1006 together.
Government waste management policy is set out in A Resource Opportunity - Waste Management Policy in Ireland, published in 2012.
European, national and regional waste management policy is predicated on the waste hierarchy as set out in Article 4 of the 2008 Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC), whereby the prevention, pre-paring for reuse, recycling and other recovery of waste are preferred options to the disposal or landfilling of waste.
Thermal recovery activities such as waste to energy, co-incineration (e.g. at cement kilns), pyrolysis and gasification, where the principle use of the waste is as a fuel to generate energy, sit on the 'other recovery' tier of the waste hierarchy and in line with European policy are preferred to the disposal or landfilling of waste.
In this regard, 21% of managed municipal waste (by weight) was sent to landfill in 2014 compared to 41% in 2012 and 92% in 1995. New waste management targets recently agreed by the European Council include that Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that by 2035 the amount of municipal waste landfilled is reduced to 10% or less of the total amount of municipal waste generated (by weight).
The continued implementation of European, national and regional waste management policy to manage waste in line with the waste hierarchy will help ensure that Ireland is well placed to meet this new target.
The potential introduction of economic instruments designed to improve environmental behaviour are being considered in the context of a review of the Environment Fund.
1008. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to introduce a single use plastics levy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25267/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra1033. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to ban the use of single use plastics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25276/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra1034. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the efforts which have been taken to date to reduce plastic use here; his plans in place to ban single use plastics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25381/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1008, 1033 and 1034 together.
Ireland is currently one of the top performing countries in the EU in terms of recycling and recovery. The EPA Progress Report Towards EU Targets 2017 showed that Ireland recycled 34% by weight of plastics in 2015, counting exclusively material that is recycled back into plastics. The EU target is 22.5% and Ireland is clearly well ahead of this target.
In January 2018, the European Commission published the European Strategy for Plastics in the Circular Economy. The strategy focuses on plastic production and use. It sets a goal of ensuring all plastic packaging will be recyclable by 2030.
Since then, I have written to the European Commissioner with responsibility for the environment to welcome the plastics strategy. I assured him Ireland fully embraced the ambitions of the new strategy. However I also asked the Commission to focus, in particular, on the most difficult non-recyclable plastics such as soft wrapping, film and single use items such as plastic straws. I am determined to make sure these products, if they come onto the market here or elsewhere in Europe will be recyclable or compostable and that they will not go into landfill sites.
I have also welcomed very recent proposals by the European Commission to tackle the problems posed by single-use plastic items, and I am expecting both the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers to progress these proposals as soon as possible. I believe that working proactively with our European colleagues will achieve a greater environmental benefit quicker.
In line with the potential for European bans and restrictions, I am considering what financial incentives or penalties I can introduce in Ireland, to tackle the problems caused by single-use plastic items in a way that is compatible with EU legislation.
I am looking to bring forward shortly practical solutions along with my government colleagues responsible for the marine environment and fisheries that will work in an Irish context.
1009. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if additional charge points will be provided for electric cars in Killarney and surrounding areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25331/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe vast majority of electric vehicle charging happens at home, which aligns with both technology and patterns of use of vehicles. To support home charging, I introduced the Electric Vehicle Home Charger Grant scheme this year. This scheme, which came into operation on 1 January 2018, supports the cost of installing a home charger up to a maximum of €600 for buyers of both new and second-hand electric vehicles. In terms of the number and extent of publicly accessible charging, the National Policy Framework on the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure for Transport in Ireland notes that Ireland's current electric vehicle charging network infrastructure is ahead of current market demand. However, it is recognised that the future development of electric vehicle public charging needs to progress alongside the growth of electric vehicles.
The existing fleet of public chargers was rolled out by the ESB, through its eCars programme. A map showing the charge points, including the status and availability of the charge points, is available on the ESB’s website at www.esb.ie/ecars. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities approved an application from ESB Networks to recover the costs of this project to a maximum of €25 million from use of system charges.
Following a public consultation process, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities published its independent regulatory decision in relation to the future ownership of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure in October 2017. A key outcome of the decision is that the charging network should not form part of the regulated asset base and therefore expansions of the network should not be funded from network charges. This is in keeping with the proposals set out by the European Commission in the Clean Energy for All Europeans package which was published in 2016.
The decision also set out the need for the electric vehicle charging infrastructure to operate on a commercial basis. In the absence of State-led support, this is unlikely to happen in the near term. Funding has, therefore, been allocated in my Department's budget this year to support the provision of public charging.
A key aspect of the work of the Low Emission Vehicle Taskforce, co-chaired by my Department and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, involves examining how best to support the development of the public charging network. The first phase of the Taskforce's work, which focuses on electric vehicles, is nearing completion and I expect to bring forward proposals that will support the provision of effective and efficient publically accessible electric vehicle charging.
In this regard, funding for public charging in local communities is already available through the Better Energy Communities Scheme. The scheme, which is administered by the SEAI, supports community based partnerships to improve the energy efficiency of homes, businesses and community facilities in a local area.
1010. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he has considered the need for rules for media organisations regarding the character or professional reputation of potential investors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24235/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMergers and acquisitions in respect of media organisations in the State are subject to a robust regulatory regime.
Firstly, as a result of amendments made to the Competition Act 2002 by the Competition & Consumer Protection Act 2014, mergers and acquisitions involving one or more media businesses must be notified to me as Minister. Following an assessment of the proposed media merger's impact on the plurality of media in the State, including in relation to diversity of ownership, editorial ethos, governance and ownership and control, I must make a determination whether or not the proposed media merger may proceed.
The examinations of all previous proposed media mergers conducted by my Department are available on my Department’s website, as are a number of supplementary materials and a FAQ page concerning the media mergers process.
Secondly, the Broadcasting Act 2009 requires the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to ensure the provision of open and pluralistic broadcasting services; to promote diversity in viewpoint, outlet and source, and to promote diversity in control of the more influential commercial and community broadcasting services.
One way in which the BAI achieve these goals is to assess licence applications and proposals for ownership and control changes under the BAI Ownership and Control Policy 2012, including in relation to character, expertise and experience. This Policy is currently under review by the Authority.
Further information regarding the work of the Authority can be found on its website.
1011. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the measures in place to prevent or minimise threats to the electricity and water infrastructure in view of threats described in an article (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24237/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is a unit of my Department, has been engaged in a series of actions around assisting Government Departments and State Agencies in preserving the security of their networks and data since its establishment in 2011. The NCSC engages with national and international stakeholders, gathering information and acting as a conduit for sharing this with constituents including operators of Critical National Infrastructure (including electricity and water infrastructure), businesses, and Government Departments and Agencies. The NCSC also provides expert advice and analysis on cyber security related issues and coordinates responses to significant incidents. This involves collating and analysing data from cyber-attacks and coordinating with those targeted to introduce mitigation measures. As such, the NCSC continues to work with utility operators and with similar bodies in other jurisdictions to ensure that risks to infrastructure in Ireland are managed appropriately, including the active management of ongoing issues. The unit also participates in international Cyber Security training exercises, including a pan European exercise on 6-7 June 2018. The NCSC is also home to the national Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT-IE) which has received international accreditation and plays an active role in a number of European and international organisations. The NCSC has been heavily engaged in work to prepare for implementation of the EU Network and Information Security Directive, which places binding security requirements on critical infrastructure operators and certain key Digital Service Providers. These requirements, which will be legally enforceable, involve a series of technical measures that operators will have to take to secure their systems and to be able to react in the case of an incident. They will also be obliged to report any serious incidents to the NCSC, which will assist in both national and EU level incident response.
1012. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the rationale for the new bye-law to allow for the removal of pike from certain waters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24259/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have given notice of proposals to make a Designated Salmonid Waters Bye-Law and instigated a public consultation seeking observations on the draft proposals at any time during the period of 21 days which concluded on 25 May 2018. The principal intention behind the proposed (draft) Bye-Law is to give statutory status to the existing policy designation of seven distinctive waters for their management primarily as brown trout waters.
The seven waters are Lough Sheelin in the Limerick Fishery District, Loughs Conn and Cullin in the Ballina Fishery District, Loughs Corrib, Mask and Carra in the Galway Fishery District and Lough Arrow in the Sligo Fishery District.
These seven limestone lakes are quite unique in terms of topography and trout habitat and have long been managed as wild brown trout fisheries via established stock management programmes. From that perspective, these waters are considered especially important.
The scope of the draft Bye-Law is confined to the seven distinctive State–owned waters where established stock control measures are already in place. This represents a small number of the many angling lakes and waters available.
Submissions from the public consultation are currently being considered before the draft Bye-Law is finalised. In addition, the proposed Bye-law is subject to legal consultation.
The complexity of a broader designation of waters and any required management measures, will have to be considered as a matter of primary legislation. Therefore, I have directed that this matter is to be considered in the context of the major Inland Fisheries Consolidation Bill currently being advanced by the Department.
1013. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if funding is available for schools or other organisations to provide safer social media alternatives to children and young persons. [24384/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department does not provide any funding of the nature referred to by the Deputy. As the Deputy is aware, I hosted an Open Policy Debate on the subject of Online Safety in March of this year. The event was supported by five other Ministers and organised in conjunction with the Department of Justice and Equality; Education and Skills; Health; Business Enterprise and Innovation; Children and Youth Affairs.
In opening the event, the Taoiseach announced that it was the Government's intention to prepare an Action Plan on Online Safety. The Department of An Taoiseach is coordinating the preparation of this plan, and my Department is actively contributing to its preparation.
1014. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a matter in relation to SEAI grants for insulation (details supplied) will be examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24452/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra1024. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the insulation grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25037/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1014 and 1024 together.
The Better Energy Programme is funded by my Department and administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The aim of the programme is to improve the energy efficiency of our built environment, in a way which represents the best possible use of Exchequer funding. This involves making difficult decisions and targeting supports like limiting eligible homes to those built before 2006 and limiting each home to one grant per type of energy efficiency upgrade.
Therefore, as new homes are already required to meet specific energy performance standards and to incorporate renewables, grant support is currently focussed on improving the conditions of existing dwellings, and on developing renewables in this area. Grant funding further works in homes that already possess this level of energy efficiency would not represent a cost-effective use of Exchequer funds. For information, grant funding for renewable measures under the programme is available to homes built before 2011.
Neither my Department nor the SEAI is responsible for control of building regulations. The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government leads on the Building Control Regulations which require owners, builders and registered construction professionals to demonstrate through the Statutory Register of Building Control Activity that the works or building concerned have been designed and constructed in compliance with Building Regulations.
It is current Government policy that under the Better Energy Homes scheme a home cannot receive grant funding twice for the same energy efficiency measure. In the case cited, this means that since the home in question has already received a grant for cavity wall insulation it is not eligible to receive another grant for any other form of wall insulation. The rationale for this policy is that applying a second version of wall insulation to a home that has already received one form of wall insulation would result in a lesser amount of energy savings being delivered and since the funds that are available for energy efficiency are limited, I must prioritise their use where they will have the most impact.
I understand the Deputy's point that in order to encourage the move away from fossil fuels that additional wall insulation may become necessary for some properties that previously received grant funding under the scheme. This is why homes that have previously received grant aid, but can now meet the criteria for the new Deep Retrofit Pilot scheme (which is supporting householders to make the next step and move off fossil fuels and get their home up to an A3 Building Energy Rating (BER)), will be eligible for further funding. Further details are available on the SEAI website: www.seai.ie/grants/home-grants/deep-retrofit-programme
1015. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the scale of coffee grain residue from retail outlets in view of the rise in retail coffee consumption in recent years. [24486/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is charged with reporting data on waste management. A wide range of waste statistics is available on the EPA website (http://www.epa.ie/nationalwastestatistics), including national waste reports and data releases containing information on composting and anaerobic digestion of biodegradable waste generated in Ireland. The most recent data release indicates that the quantity of biodegradable municipal waste, which would include used coffee grinds, sent for composting and anaerobic digestion increased by 19 per cent between 2015 and 2016 (from 194 thousand tonnes to 231 thousand tonnes). This is a clear indication that the food waste regulations have had a positive impact on increasing the quantity of municipal waste accepted for composting/anaerobic digestion. The Waste Management (Food Waste) Regulations 2009 place clear obligations on businesses - including coffee outlets, to promote the segregation and recovery of food waste, for purposes of producing energy, compost and digestate, thereby supporting job creation in the waste and bio-energy sectors. The Regulations also facilitate the achievement of the targets set out in the Landfill Directive (Directive 99/31/EC) for the diversion of bio-degradable municipal waste from landfill sites, by directing source-segregated food waste to composting and to other forms of treatment.
1016. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if broadband will be provided at an address (details supplied). [24510/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland regardless of location. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. By 2020, 9 out of 10 premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection. This is being achieved via a combination of commercial investment and a State led intervention under the NBP. The premises referred to by the Deputy is in an AMBER area on my Department’s High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. It is therefore included in the State Intervention Area under the NBP.
My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. That procurement process is now in its final stages.
I fully recognise the importance of availability of high speed connectivity for all premises in Ireland including the referenced premises and sincerely appreciate the frustration for communities and businesses that do not currently have access to this level of connectivity. Delivering connectivity to the 542,000 premises that fall within an AMBER area and will be part of the State led Intervention under the NBP remains a priority for me and my Department will engage with the winning bidder to ensure the most efficient deployment as part of the contract.
For those premises currently awaiting access to high speed broadband, practical initiatives are being undertaken through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.
Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen. These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities. The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure.
A list of Broadband Officers, is available on my Department's website at
https://www.dccae.gov.ie/en-ie/communications/topics/Broadband/national-broadband-plan/Pages/NBP-Information-Leaflets.aspx
1017. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the implementation of the Programme for Partnership Government as it applies to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24572/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government recently approved the second Programme for a Partnership Government annual report which provides a comprehensive update on progress since May 2017. I provided input to the Department of the Taoiseach setting out the progress over the last 12 months on the extensive number of commitments relating to my Department. I understand that the annual report will be published shortly and will be available on the website of the Department of the Taoiseach. The commitments for my Department are being progressed according to plan, many of which are critical to the economic and social well-being of citizens and businesses across the State. Some of the main highlights in the 2017 report are as follows: Ireland's first statutory National Mitigation Plan was published in July 2017 and the first statutory National Adaptation Framework published in January 2018.
In 2017 €68.15m was invested in the Better Energy Programme providing energy efficiency upgrades to over 25,000 buildings. An additional €35m was announced in Budget 2018 for the expansion of energy efficiency programmes across the public, commercial and residential sectors, bringing the total investment for the sector to €117m for 2018.
The procurement process to engage a company to build and maintain a future proofed high speed broadband network to 542,000 premises in Ireland is in its final stages.
The stated timelines of reaching preferred bidder stage by September 2018 is still on target.
Funding of €1.3m was provided for the 2017 Anti-Dumping Initiative which saw the successful delivery of over 200 projects across all 31 local authority areas. This supports projects tackling illegal dumping, which incorporates the use of SMART enforcement tools and empowering people to help the environment.
More detailed information on all of my Department’s commitments will be available in the published annual report.
1018. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the meetings that have taken place since 1 January 2011 between him or officials in his Department with a company (details supplied); if meetings took place on 9 March 2011 and 15 July 2011; if so, the details of those meetings; the list of attendees; the purpose of the meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24680/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraA Freedom of Information (FOI) request was received by my Department in December 2017, seeking records of meetings or any correspondence between the company concerned and the Department of the Environment during 2011. My officials conducted an extensive search and all records held were released. The FOI decision was subject to an appeal as the requestor considered the response incomplete. This appeal resulted in a fresh search of records which affirmed the original decision, that no records of meetings referred to by the Deputy on 9 March 2011 and 15 July 2011 are held by my Department. The details requested by the Deputy regarding meetings which have taken place between the company and the Department over the last seven years are being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
1019. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the steps he will take to resolve a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24724/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. Today, 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband. By 2020, 9 out of 10 premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection. This is being achieved via a combination of commercial investment and a State led intervention. The premises referred to by the Deputy falls within an area which already has access to high speed broadband of at least 30 megabits per second through commercial providers. If a premises can access high speed broadband from any commercial operator that premises is considered to be served under the objectives of the NBP.
With regards to the nearby deployment of infrastructure by a company, decisions made by private telecommunication operators relating to the roll-out and siting of infrastructure to provide high speed broadband services throughout Ireland are undertaken on a commercial basis by competing service providers operating in a liberalised market. I have no statutory role or function to intervene in the commercial decisions of private operators, and therefore cannot direct operators regarding infrastructure installation or delivery of services.
