I thank Deputy Daly. Specifically with regard to the roll-out of renewable energy onto the grid, it is an absolute priority for the Government. We have very exacting targets. We also have a climate action plan. We are making progress on renewables. We have further renewable resources we can tap into. We have offshore renewables but I believe we have more capacity for onshore renewables. We have been successful, particularly with regard to onshore renewables. The PSO levy charged to all electricity final customers i…

All of us understand and accept that we have vast future potential to harness additional renewables that will deliver price savings and stability in our energy market, which we need unquestionably, and help us to reach the exacting targets we have set with regard to climate. We saw very recently in some areas of the country how fragile our grid is to withstand very severe weather events. That is something we take very seriously as well. As the Deputy rightly said, we have committed in the programme for Government t…

Fundamentally, as the Deputy will know, the grid itself is owned by the State. We operate an all-island electricity market. The State owns the grid itself both North and South. The further expansion of that to harness offshore renewables in particular, as the Deputy knows, are the RESS auctions. We have five applications in planning right now. They are a very important part of actually expanding our renewables. There are other funding methods available. The Deputy will be aware of the corporate power purchasing agr…

As outlined in the programme for Government, the Government is committed to taking decisive action to radically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and achieve a 51% reduction in emissions from 2018 to 2030, and to achieving net-zero emissions no later than 2050. In the programme for Government, we also set out commitments to achieving 80% of Ireland’s electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030 and to take all necessary action to ensure and protect Ireland’s energy security. It is through delivering on t…

Right, I do not know where to start with that. There is a reality. The Deputy has dismissed the report that was done and the research that was carried out with regard to energy security full stop. What would this country do if there was an unforeseen event that disrupted our gas supplies while we are transitioning away from fossil fuels? We have done that very successfully. I commend the previous Minister on the work he did in that area. I know the Deputy was consistently critical of the work he and his Department …

There is no secret deal done at all. I have mentioned and the Deputy has ignored completely the issue of what Ireland would do right now, next week, the week after or next year if there was a disruption to our gas supply. Gas is in our system right now and we are reducing our reliance on it. What would we do? Would we just have no strategic reserve of gas? Would we not run our hospitals for a period of time?

It is a very serious proposition. If we have no energy and a major disruption to our gas supply, we need to have a reserve in place. This did not come about by any kind of deal that the Deputy suggests. It is about ensuring we have the adequate supports in place should there be a disruption to our gas supply while we are expanding renewables and increasing our interconnection, as the Deputy knows we are doing also. It is about the security and stability of our energy system for our people - nothing more, nothing le…

I thank Deputy O'Gorman for raising this important question. The Government has committed to deliver up to 5.7 TWh of indigenously produced biomethane by 2030. In response to this ambitious target, my Department, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, published the national biomethane strategy in May 2024. Implementation of this strategy is ongoing and requires collaboration across key Government Departments and agencies. The strategy contains 25 key strategic actions to ensure the …

I agree with the Deputy's analysis that there are major opportunities with biomethane. The original grant scheme was to the tune of about €40 million with 22 applications received. Within that, some of those are to expand existing facilities and others for new ones. The RHO will be an important component in allowing us to grow the sector even further. It will operate similar to the existing renewable transport fuel obligation which has been in place since 2010. We are actively engaging with the Commission. I do not…

The best way we can protect this sector is to grow it and support it. That is where the work on the RHO is particularly important. The Deputy can be assured that I see the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund as a very obvious fit within my Department and the work we are doing on energy transition. That is something we will be discussing and agreeing with colleagues. The previous Government and the previous Minister have very clear views on that, many of which I would support. The best way to protect our indigen…

I thank the Deputy for his question. The warmer homes scheme aims to improve the energy efficiency and warmth of homes owned by people in energy poverty by providing fully-funded retrofits. The scheme is operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, on behalf of my Department and is funded through the carbon tax receipts and the European Regional Development Fund. Last year saw a record spend of almost €230 million under the scheme. This resulted in 7,743 upgrades being provided to low-income house…

I am glad the Deputy has raised this today because while I have been able to read into the record details of a reduction in waiting times from 26 months to 18 months, which is fine, that is still a significant length of time for anyone to be waiting. The waiting time has reduced for E, F and G homes, so there is a prioritisation of the worst affected. I will be engaging with the SEAI to see if there is an opportunity to consider age cohorts as well, to see if we can prioritise our senior citizens living in energy p…

Growing green skills across the country was something in which the last Government was heavily involved and work is ongoing to grow this new sector. New apprenticeships are now in place and we will be working with the Minister, Deputy Lawless, and other colleagues to further advance that. I visited many of those centres myself during the term of the last Government and was impressed. Obviously, there is pressure on skills across the economy because of full employment. That is a good thing but it comes with its chal…

I thank the Deputy. It is an important scheme. We will continue it and there are exacting targets there. I would not say it is not working; it is. All schemes can always be improved somewhat. Ireland has one of the most ambitious home retrofit targets in the world. The national retrofit plan sets out how these targets will be met, including an €8 billion financial investment to 2030. There is an absolute commitment by this Government and successive Governments to do this. A range of measures have been introduced in…

I gave quite a detailed answer to Deputy Cleere earlier, particularly on the warmer homes scheme because it focuses on lower income and more complex homes with BER E, F and G ratings. I want to see a reduction in the waiting period. The Deputy mentioned a constituent in Dingle who waited 18 months for a decision. The average processing time has reduced from 24 to 18 months but I want to see it reduced further but it cannot be turned over overnight. However, there have been 162,000 home energy upgrades - more than 5…

I am reviewing all the schemes. There is an opportunity when a new Minister comes in to look at what is working and what can be improved. I would like to see us accelerate the transition from solid fuel but we should not rubbish the existing schemes. From 2020 alone, what Ireland is investing in this area is unprecedented - €1.1 billion and 162,000 home energy upgrades, which I mentioned already, and almost 230,000 grant support applications received by the SEAI. I will look in particular at our more senior citizen…

Storm Éowyn was an unprecedented weather event. We have had debates and discussions in this Chamber. Many Members have views on it. At the peak, 768,000 homes, businesses and farms had no electricity. I commend all the crews - more than 3,000 ESB Network contractors and colleagues who assisted from Britain and the EU were out there to restore power to our citizens. I acknowledge this was incredibly difficult for a lot of our citizens, the very last of whom were three weeks without power. That means we have to work …

I am sharing time with the Ministers of State, Deputies Canney and Buttimer. I welcome the opportunity to address the House this afternoon to update it on road safety measures. As we all know, travel is an essential component of economic and social life. It needs to be available, accessible, sustainable and, above all, safe. This Government is committed to reducing road deaths and creating safer roads for everyone in Ireland. In 1997, which is almost three decades ago, we saw 472 fatalities on Irish roads. I think …

Serial objectors - €300,000 new houses.

You rejected data, actually.