Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2024
71. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide an update on the progress being made in local authorities to establishing climate action plans; what additional funding will be provided to councils for the implementation of these plans over their lifespan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21526/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraLocal Authorities had a statutory requirement to prepare Local Authority Climate Action Plans (LA CAPs). I made a request to each Local Authority to begin preparation of their plans in February 2023 and issued statutory guidelines to support them in this work in March 2023. All 31 LA CAPs have been adopted by the elected members in each Local Authority area.
In 2022, €3.2 million was paid by my Department to Local Authorities to begin Phase 1 of the LA CAPs, with a further €4.7 million in 2023 for Phase 2. My Department is currently preparing the Service Level Agreement (SLA) for Phase 3 – Implementation, which will cover the five-year period 2024 to 2029.
In September 2023, I was pleased to announce €12 million in funding for 2023 to 2029 for the Climate Action Regional Offices to continue their work in supporting local government to coordinate climate actions.
My Department also supports upskilling and capacity building by funding the Local Authority Climate Action Training Programme. This will assist Local Authorities in delivering their LA CAPs and has an annual allocation of €500,000. The previous training programme ran from 2021 to 2023 and provided training to approximately 27,000 Local Authority staff. A new Training Programme and SLA is currently being developed by my Department in conjunction with Kildare County Council, to run from 2024 to 2027.
