Written Answers Nos. 97-111
97. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of air quality monitoring stations being monitored by his Department; their locations and when they will come online; the new monitoring stations that will be installed until the end of 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22266/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe national Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme is operated, maintained and monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rather than my Department. However, my Department has provided funding for a significant upgrade to the network in recent years, such that the number of monitoring stations has increased from 29 in 2017 to 102 today. All stations collect air quality data for a range of pollutants in order to provide information to the public, and for assessment against European legal limit values and World Health Organisation guideline values. Details of the locations of all monitoring stations currently in operation, along with real-time and historic data from each station, can be found at: www.airquality.ie The final expansion of the network will be completed this year and will increase the number of official stations to 110. I have no function in determining the location of new monitoring stations. The EPA decide upon the most appropriate locations based on best practice and EU requirements, and questions in relation to proposed sites may be addressed to them directly.
98. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of fixed penalty notices issued by local authorities for alleged offences relating to the marketing, sale and distribution of prohibited fuels in low smoke zones for each year since 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22289/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnforcement action against breaches of the Air Pollution Act (Marketing, Sale, Distribution and Burning of Specified Fuels) Regulations 2012 is a matter for Local Authorities. My Department does not compile statistics in relation to the number of complaints received, prosecutions taken or fines imposed. Local Authorities report information to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) annually regarding enforcement activities under environmental legislation. Details of Local Authority enforcement of environmental legislation are available from the series of Local Authority Environmental Performance Assessment reports compiled by the EPA. These reports can be accessed at: www.epa.ie/our-services/compliance--enforcement/support-and-supervision-of-local-councils/la-performance/ It should be noted that discussions with the Local Authority sector have commenced with the intention of establishing dedicated resources to provide co-ordination, expertise and advice to support consistent implementation of air quality legislation across the country. I have secured funding of €1.2 million for 2022 to enhance enforcement expertise, including through the provision of additional supports for the most effective model of enforcement.
99. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when the final report of the urban transport related air pollution group will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22292/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Urban Transport Related Air Pollution Working Group (UTRAP) was formed in Autumn 2019 to consider and address rising concerns about the level of transport-generated air pollution. An interim report was published in 2021, which can be accessed at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/3f634-urban-transport-related-air-pollution-utrap-working-group/ Since the publication of the interim report, the group has met to consider a number of developments, such as the publication of the Five Cities Demand Management Study and the Dublin Air Quality Management Plan. The group has also been tracking the progress of the original recommendations and preparing its final recommendations based on consideration of the original objectives.
The preparation of the final report is currently underway and is expected to the completed in the coming months in conjunction with the publication of the Clean Air Strategy.
100. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his attention has been drawn to the fact that micro businesses have major issues in accessing the national retrofitting scheme given that most micro businesses do not meet the minimum €10,000 spending condition on lights and heating for their premises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22315/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe SEAI’s Support Scheme for Energy Audits (SSEA) offers SMEs a €2,000 voucher towards the cost of a high-quality energy audit. In most cases, this will cover the total cost of the audit.
SMEs from all sectors can apply. The criteria for the SSEA include that businesses applying to the scheme must be:
- non-obligated entities
- tax compliant
- registered in the Republic of Ireland
- spend at least €10,000 on energy per year at the site being audited.
The €10,000 threshold has been put in place to ensure value for money.
For businesses who spend less than €10,000 on energy per year, the SEAI provides free energy management training carried out by an energy expert. This training helps SMEs develop an energy action plan for their business, which can help them save energy and money. Businesses can also access a full suite of online training modules on the SEAI Energy Academy, which have been designed to support SMEs looking to reduce their energy use and transition to renewable energy.
There is no minimum number of employees that a company needs to have to be eligible to apply for the scheme.
More information is available at www.seai.ie/business-and-public-sector/small-and-medium-business/supports/energy-audits/.
101. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide a schedule of fines and totality of the amount paid in respect of fines issued by the EU on his Department for failing to transpose EU directives; if he will include the directive that was not transposed on time; and if he will indicate the directives that are still not fully transposed for the past 25 years to date in 2022. [22324/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has been reconfigured on several occasions over the time period referenced by the Deputy. In view of this, the information sought by the Deputy is not readily available and its compilation would involve a disproportionate amount of time.
In relation to the current position, the Deputy may wish to note that there are no cases where fines have been levied or are being paid resulting from non-compliance with EU Directives by my Department.
The table below, relating to the last 5 years, sets out information on Directives which have yet to be fully transposed.
|
Directive |
Current Position on Transposition |
|
Directive 2019/944/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for the internal market for electricity and amending Directive 2012/27/EU |
The vast majority of the Directive has now been transposed, with work on the remaining elements at an advanced stage. |
|
Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment |
The Department is currently finalising the transposition of the Directive, and has already given effect to the EIA Directive on an administrative basis where provisions have not yet been transposed. |
|
Directive 2018/2001/EU on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources |
It has not been possible to achieve a full transposition of the Directive prior to the prescribed deadline of 30 June 2021;. The Directive has been partially transposed. My Department continues to progress the steps necessary to give full effect to the Directive. A third statutory instrument is at an advanced stage of completion; this statutory instrument will cover several additional articles in the Directive. |
|
Directive 2018/2002/EU on Energy Efficiency |
The Directive has been substantially transposed but there are some provisions. This is being progressed as a priority and it is expected the remaining transposing legislation will be in place this year. |
102. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will address a series of matters in relation to retrofit grants (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22342/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme introduces a new, highly customer centric, way to undertake home upgrades. SEAI registered One-Stop-Shops will provide an end-to-end service for homeowners. This includes surveying; designing the upgrades; managing the grant process; helping with access to finance; engaging contractors; and quality assurance. The Scheme offers unprecedented grant levels, increased from circa 30% to 50% of the cost of a typical B2 home energy upgrade with a heat pump. Furthermore, many of the grant supports available under the new Scheme have also been aligned to other relevant schemes including the Better Energy Homes Scheme to support a step-by-step, self-managed approach to retrofit; and, the Community Energy Grant Scheme for homeowners that want to retrofit their homes as part of a community project.
Following Government approval, the SEAI registration portal opened for companies to apply to be a One-Stop-Shop, building on the preparatory work already undertaken. SEAI are focused on engaging organisations capable of professionally managing all aspects of a One Stop Shop service. Therefore, the registration process, for this new service, must be robust. The new Scheme will also be grounded in robust governance and oversight processes to ensure the OSSs are meeting the necessary customer and quality performance indicators.
The SEAI advise that five One Stop Shops have now been registered and SEAI is actively working with other applicant organisations to support them through this registration process.
Details of the registered One Stop Shops, including their contact numbers, are available on the SEAI website. A guide to advise homeowners through the various steps to completing a whole house upgrade under the One Stop Shop Service is also available on the SEAI website. The other schemes operated by SEAI are also available for applications.
I am confident that the higher grant levels, in tandem with the scaling up of the infrastructure to support a much larger level of retrofit activity, will deliver very positive results for consumers, the overall economy and society in general .
103. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he has given consideration to implementing a programme similar to the shared rural network as was recently rolled-out in the UK; if essential mobile coverage will be provided to those areas in rural Ireland which currently experience little to no coverage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22343/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMobile coverage obligations are set out in licences granted by the independent regulator, ComReg, to mobile operators. ComReg advises that the current minimum coverage obligations in those licences are being considerably exceeded by all operators. Capital investment by telecommunications operators over the last 5 years was in the order of €3.3 billion for both fixed and mobile services. This has significantly enhanced the availability of services, both voice and data, throughout Ireland, including in rural areas. ComReg is currently in the process of running another Multi-band Spectrum Award to assign rights of use in four spectrum bands. The award comprises 470 MHz of spectrum and represents a 46% increase in the harmonised spectrum assigned for the provision of wireless broadband services in Ireland. This will significantly enable the market to provide improved services to meet increasing consumer demand for mobile data and new services. The proposals include significant coverage obligations for prospective winning bidders.
To assist consumers to choose the network provider that best meets their needs, ComReg has developed a national outdoor coverage map (available at this link). This map provides consumers with very clear information on where operators have good 2G, 3G and 4G coverage.
The Shared Rural Network programme which sees the UK Government working in partnership with the four UK mobile network operators was developed to improve digital infrastructure and increase connectivity. This is similar to the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce ('the Taskforce') which has been in operation since 2016 and has been a driving force for improving access to telecommunications services nationwide. It has completed over 70 targeted actions to alleviate connectivity barriers and continues to tackle issues impeding the rollout of mobile and fixed connectivity. The Taskforce is co-managed by my Department and the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD).
Relevant links associated with the work of the Taskforce can be found at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/db7f83-mobile-phone-and-broadband-taskforce/.
104. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he has given consideration to the Commission for Communications Regulator 2018 Report Improving connectivity in Ireland which made it clear that high levels of mobile broadband coverage on a geographic basis would not be achieved in Ireland by the market itself and would require policy or regulatory interventions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22344/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs set out in the 2018 Report, Government initiatives, including the National Broadband Plan (NBP) and the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce, are fundamental to making high-speed broadband fixed connectivity available to all premises in Ireland, and to identifying solutions to barriers obstructing the provision of improved mobile phone and broadband coverage. Mobile coverage obligations are set out in licences granted by the independent regulator, ComReg, to mobile operators. ComReg advises that the current minimum coverage obligations in those licences are being considerably exceeded by all operators.
In terms of regulatory interventions, ComReg is currently in the process of running another Multi-band Spectrum Award to assign rights of use in four spectrum bands The award comprises 470 MHz of spectrum and represents a 46% increase in the harmonised spectrum assigned for the provision of wireless broadband services in Ireland. This will significantly enable the market to provide improved services to meet increasing consumer demand for mobile data and new services.
Since 2016, the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce has been a driving force for improving access to telecommunications services nationwide. The Taskforce met last week to agree a new work programme focused on ensuring access to high quality telecommunications connectivity across Ireland to support social and economic development.
Capital investment by telecommunications operators over the last 5 years was in the order of €3.3 billion for both fixed and mobile services. This has significantly enhanced the availability of services, both voice and data, throughout Ireland. Telecommunication operators have committed to continued investment programmes in the coming years, estimated to be in the region of €700m per annum.
Ireland’s level of connectivity to support digital activity has improved significantly in recent years. The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) is a composite index summarising relevant indicators on Europe’s digital performance. Ireland ranked 5th in 2021 among EU countries, compared to 11th in 2019. The continued investment by commercial operators and by the State through the NBP will ensure that Ireland is set to become the EU leader in connectivity by the second half of this decade.
105. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when the pending survey of the Dunmanway area under the National Broadband Plan will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22360/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in almost 560,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with some 679 schools. I am advised by NBI that as of 22 April 2022, over 321,000 premises have now been surveyed and over 173,000 premises are under construction or complete across 26 counties, demonstrating that the project is reaching scale. I am further advised that almost 64,000 premises are now available to order or pre-order a high-speed broadband connection across 22 counties, with over 47,100 premises passed across 19 counties and available for immediate connection. NBI has further advised that almost 10,200 premises have been connected, as of 22 April, and that this is increasing on a daily basis. To date, the level of connections is in line with projections and some areas are exceeding expectations.
In County Cork surveying is complete in the Deployment Areas of Clonakilty, Templemartin, Tallow, Kanturk and Fermoy, main works are underway in the Deployment Areas of Midleton and Youghal and network build is complete in the Deployment Area of Carrigaline. To date over 39,100 premises in County Cork have been surveyed, with over 16,300 premises under construction or complete and over 6,700 premises now available to order or pre-order. With regard to the area referred to in the Question, NBI has advised that surveying is due to commence in the Dunmanway Deployment Area in H1 2023.
Further details are available on specific areas within County Cork through the NBI website which provides a facility for any premises within the intervention area to register their interest in being provided with deployment updates through its website www.nbi.ie. Individuals who register with this facility will receive regular updates on progress by NBI on delivering the network and specific updates related to their own premises as works commence. NBI has a dedicated email address, reps@nbi.ie, which can be used by Oireachtas members for specific queries.
Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) are a key element of the NBP providing high speed broadband in every county in advance of the roll out of the fibre to the home network. As of 22 April, 556 BCP sites have been installed by NBI and the high speed broadband service will be switched on in these locations through service provider contracts managed by the Department of Rural and Community Development for publicly accessible sites and the Department of Education for school BCPs. In County Cork 23 BCP’s have been installed to date. The site at Castletownkenneigh Community Centre, which is now connected, is located approximately 12km from Dunmanway. Further details can be found at nbi.ie/bcp-locations/.
In County Cork 40 schools have been installed by NBI to date for educational access. My Department continues to work with the Department of Education to prioritise schools with no high speed broadband, within the Intervention Area. Further details of schools in scope are available on the NBI website at nbi.ie/primary-schools-list/.
106. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Transport if, in the context of Ireland’s need to accelerate offshore renewable energy programme he has had discussions with Irish Rail regarding the designation of Rosslare Europort as Ireland’s offshore renewable energy hub; his plans to support Rosslare Europort to prepare for an offshore renewable energy hub; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21663/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport companies.
The issue raised by the Deputy in relation to the possible creation of an offshore renewable energy hub at Rosslare is an operational matter for the company and I have therefore forwarded the Deputy's question to Iarnród Éireann for direct reply.
Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
107. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Transport the current position in relation to the development of a new port access road for Rosslare Europort; the amount that has been allocated for this project in 2022 and 2023; when this project will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21664/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Transport I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to the National Roads Programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 and in line with the National Development Plan (NDP), the planning, design and construction of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. This is also subject to the Public Spending Code and the necessary statutory approvals.
The N25 Rosslare Europort Access Road scheme was allocated €1 million for 2022. Allocations for national roads in 2023 will be determined later this year. I have referred your question to TII for a direct reply as to the latest status of this project. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
108. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Transport the number of road traffic accidents that have occurred on each of the national motorways in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21678/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Road Safety Authority has responsibility for producing such statistics, I am forwarding this query to the Authority for direct response.
I would, however, point out that in general the RSA does not publish statistics until all of the data has been verified and incidents have been concluded. In relation to court cases, inquests, coroners' reports, etc., this may take a number of years. The RSA may therefore not be in a position to immediately provide completely up to date information.
If the Deputy has not received a response within 10 working days he should contact my office directly.
109. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Transport the total number of road traffic accidents on non-motorway routes nationally in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21679/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Road Safety Authority has responsibility for producing such statistics, I am forwarding this query to the Authority for direct response.
I would, however, point out that in general the RSA does not publish statistics until all of the data has been verified and incidents have been concluded. In relation to court cases, inquests, coroners' reports, etc., this may take a number of years. The RSA may therefore not be in a position to immediately provide completely up to date information.
If the Deputy has not received a response within 10 working days he should contact my office directly.
110. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Transport the number of prosecutions of motorists in each of the past five years for failure to make progress and drive at the appropriate speed limit for the road and their vehicle under the rules of the road; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21680/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraProsecutions of road traffic offences are matters for the Director of Public Prosecutions and An Garda Síochána. My Department has no role in prosecutions and does not have any figures in this regard.
111. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider grant aiding the conversion of fossil-fuelled cars to electric as a way of acceleration of the conversion of the fleet to electric. [21714/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraProviding a sustainable, low-carbon transport system is a key priority of my Department. The Programme for Government commits to 7% average annual emissions reduction to 2030; ultimately, the goal is for a zero-emission mobility system by 2050. Electrification will be key to achieving this objective in the transport sector.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are the most prominent transport mitigation measure in the Climate Action Plan and Ireland has set an ambitious target of 945,000 EVs on our roads by 2030. This target is challenging but indicates the scale of the transformation that is needed across all sectors if Ireland is to achieve its climate targets in the coming years.
I am aware of initiatives to retrofit internal combustion engine cars to electric vehicles, and have asked my officials to give the matter active consideration. Innovations that provide reliable solutions for people willing to transition to electric vehicles are to be welcomed, particularly if they provide options for people who might be unable to purchase a new vehicle. At present, the Department is advised that this initiative is yet not commercially viable at scale but we are keeping this technology under review.
