Departmental Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 December 2023

Tuesday, 12 December 2023

Ceisteanna (140, 141, 142)

Darren O'Rourke

Ceist:

140. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the estimated cost to double the allocation to the climate action fund. [54975/23]

Darren O'Rourke

Ceist:

141. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to provide a breakdown of funding drawn from the climate action fund in 2020, 2021, 2022 and in 2023, including details of proposed purpose of each project, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54976/23]

Darren O'Rourke

Ceist:

142. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the amount allocated to the climate action fund in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and in Budget 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54977/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications

I propose to take Questions Nos. 140 to 142, inclusive, together.

The Climate Action Fund (CAF) does not receive a Voted allocation. It receives income from multiple sources as set out below. Increases in revenues paid into the CAF are dependent on external factors. For example, income from the NORA Levy would require either an increase in the levy rate or an increase in oil use across the country. Increasing the income from flight emissions offsets would require either an increase in flights taken by officials or in the offset rate applied to flights. Additional income can be transferred into the CAF but must follow the requirements set out in the NORA Act.

Income from the NORA levy for 2023 is expected to be received by the end of this year and the figure shown is an estimate only. Similarly, 2023 income relating to flight emissions offsets will not be known until next year.

As the CAF was only established in 2020 there is no recorded expenditure from the fund in that year.

The details of the revenues paid into the CAF are provided below in tabular format.

CAF Income (€)	2020	2021	2022	2023
NORA Levy	28m	96m	92m	80m*
Energy Efficiency National Fund unspent monies	-	21.5m	-	-
Civil Service Emissions Offsets	79k*	95k*	350k*	Not yet known
Vote transfer for Bord na Mona Enhanced Decommissioning, Rehabilitation and Restoration Scheme	-	7.6m	-	-

(*estimate only)

The table below sets out expenditure from the CAF for the years 2021, 2022 and 2023 to date with a brief description of the purpose of each project.

Expenditure (€)
Project Name	Purpose	2021	2022	2023 to date
Hybrid Drive for Inter City Rail car (ICR 22000) fleet	This project is testing hybrid drive technology on intercity rail cars	€318,000	€320,160
ESB Electric Vehicle High Power Charging Infrastructure Development Project	This project is installing new modern electric vehicle chargers across the country as well as upgrading the existing charging network.	€1,378,291	€541,889	€428,165.66
Enhanced Decommissioning, Rehabilitation and Restoration Scheme (Bord na Móna Bog Rehabilitation Scheme)	The Scheme will rehabilitate 33,000 hectares of industrially degraded peatlands, protect the storage of millions of tonnes of carbon, sequester additional carbon out to 2050, enhance biodiversity, support up to 350 jobs and will contribute to Ireland’s target of being carbon-neutral by 2050	€7,636,517.37	€12,707,362.33	€18,092,710
Driving HGV Efficiently into Brexit	Telematics equipment is being installed in heavy goods vehicles and appropriate training for the drivers is being provided in order to support the transport sector in reducing reduce fuel consumption and emissions from vehicles	€77,871.78	€192,825.36	€207,658.08
Community Climate Action Programme -strand 2 Pobal	This is for projects and initiatives that facilitate community climate action through education, capacity building and learning by doing, which is being run by Pobal on behalf of the Department.		€1,426,180.91	€1,248,403.44
The South Dublin County Council Tallaght District Heating Scheme	This project contributed to the building of a facility that uses waste heat from a Data Centre to heat surrounding buildings in the area.		€1,202,715	€1,930,600.17
Community Climate Action Programme -strand 2 Creative Climate Action	This is for creative and cultural projects that proposed innovative ways to engage the public on climate change, with an emphasis on transforming that connection into behaviour change or climate action.		€1,000,000
Total		€9,410,680.15	€17,391,132.60	€21,907,537.35

Question No. 141 answered with Question No. 140.

Question No. 142 answered with Question No. 140.

Question No. 143 answered with Question No. 112.

Question No. 144 answered with Question No. 112.