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]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 10 May 2023
Ceisteanna (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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]
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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]
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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]
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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]
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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]
Amharc ar fhreagraRuairí 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]
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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]
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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]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (11 píosaí cainte)
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.