Such cases are the reason the State is putting money into this project. We have had differences in the House in terms of how it should be delivered and what the exact contact arrangements should be. I did not hear that and in my role in opposition I was always in support of the need for the plan at significant cost, but I believe it is worthwhile. The excuses the Deputy has mentioned as to Covid-19 were a reality. We all know that the working world did in many instances come to a halt because protecting workers’ sa…

The North-South interconnector is critical to improving the efficient operation of the single electricity market and increasing security of electricity supply across the island of Ireland. It will also help us to move towards 70% renewable electricity, a commitment made in the Programme for Government - Our Shared Future. A resilient and well-connected energy infrastructure is vital for Ireland’s economic well-being and the ability to respond to the future needs of energy consumers. The option of undergrounding the…

This is a real issue of concern for the Deputy’s constituents and for many of the people in this House and the people they represent. It is an issue that goes back a long time. I first engaged on this issue in 2003 or 2004 when, in the Oireachtas committee of which I was then a member - Deputy Durkan will remember that period - the vital strategic nature of this project and the optimal nature of the infrastructure that was recommended at that time was made very clear to us. That was 16 or 17 years ago. In that inte…

This is a technically complex issue when one looks into it but I would have to say that the Deputy’s colleagues in the Administration in Northern Ireland, where Sinn Féin is in power, have agreed with the assessment that I have come to, which is that this infrastructure is absolutely vital. We are all agreed on that. We need an all-island market and, with the granting of the planning commission up North, they clearly see that this is the approach that should be taken. Rather than looking at the political aspect of …

I will conclude on that.

By all means, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I did not mean to misinterpret Sinn Fein’s position and I am happy to come back to discuss the North-South interconnector if I did. The programme for Government recognises the importance of community involvement as new energy infrastructure is installed. Specifically, the programme for Government commits to ensuring that community energy can play a role in reaching at least 70% renewable electricity target. That target includes the introduction of a community benefit fund and a community category within the renewab…

The answer is "Yes". I am in contact with the energy regulator because if we go back to a position where Ministers or politicians are directly regulating the price of electricity, it would lead to higher prices as there would be less confidence in the system and more political interference. It would not work. The key way to bring down electricity prices in the long run is to switch to renewables. Our exposure to high fossil fuel prices is the greatest risk and the greatest cost. There are many other reasons for pri…

The Deputy is absolutely right. Templederry is a great example. However, it is only an early example. As I said, I would like to see 100 Templederrys and if we got that we would look at the next 100. I believe there is huge benefit to this country in the development of community ownership of renewable energy. It is a power supply that lends itself towards more distributed ownership systems. The current constraint is at the community level. That is why the resourcing of the SEAI to support communities and give them …

The programme for Government published in June this year commits to publishing an electric vehicles strategy which will ensure charging infrastructure stays ahead of demand. Preliminary work has already been undertaken to inform the electric vehicle, EV, charging infrastructure strategy with the completion, in June this year, of an updated needs analysis for fast chargers. This analysis had regard to the 2019 climate action plan projection of having 75,000 EVs on the road by 2022. The needs analysis took into accou…

The Deputy is absolutely right. The development of chargers right across the country is critical because even if a person living in south Dublin wants to go to Leitrim, he or she would want to make sure that he or she can get there and back and that there is infrastructure at every point along the way. A scheme to support the installation of on-street charging points for EVs opened for applications from local authorities in September 2019. The funding supports the rolling out by local authorities of up to 1,000 on-…

This refers to the earlier question on solar power. Under the SEAI sustainable communities programme, a range of communities around the country are considering innovative mechanisms to develop clean energy supplies. That would be a mechanism for the Deputy's community, or any other, in seeking to develop solutions. EV sales to date have been relatively slow by comparison with what we expected but the period of slow uptake will come to an end. We are going to see all the car companies starting to deliver a variety o…

I thank the Deputy for the question. She is correct that the Government is fully committed to supporting the significant expansion and modernisation of the EV charging network over the coming years as part of an overall suite of measures to deliver the programme for Government goal of significantly decarbonising our transport fleet. We have committed €10 million from the climate action fund to promote the charging network, and this has leveraged a further €10 million investment from ESB to reach the €20 million fun…

I have full confidence in the ESB to deliver on its commitments in this regard. Ireland was actually one of the first countries in the world to get a national network. To go back ten or 12 years, the ESB was one of the first companies in this area with real expertise. Back in 2009, we signed an agreement with Renault-Nissan, I believe, and developed genuine expertise in the ESB in respect of charging networks and infrastructure, to the extent that when Transport for London sought a company to commission to roll out…

The Government has been supportive of local authorities through this most difficult time. Regarding the loss of commercial rates, the Government is guaranteeing to step in and offer support. The grant provided by the Government, of 75%, is significant in terms meeting the overall cost. The benefits to local community in this regard will be significant. That is why I have drawn attention to the fact that local authorities would be representing their communities by availing of that 75% grant, and even to test in Coun…

The national broadband plan, NBP, State-led intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland, NBI, under a contract signed last November. As I outlined in my reply to Deputy Murphy earlier, the national broadband plan network offers a high-speed broadband service with a minimum download speed of 500 Mbps from the outset. This represents an increase from the 150 Mbps committed to under the contract. The deployment plan forecasts premises passed in all counties within the first two years and more than 90%…

My understanding is that there is not a decision to go from the centre out to the periphery. In fact, the whole nature of the broadband plan is that it will have to jump over most villages and towns where Eir, under its previous arrangement, agreed to provide high-speed broadband to that area. This whole project goes straight into the heartland of rural Ireland and there will not be any one county, or any one area in one county, that should be disadvantaged in that. I understand the first areas where it will be rol…

The surveying work being done at the moment is to make sure we get the design right and that will determine the choice. It is not on the basis of which is closest to the centre or which is further out. It is designed to make it the easiest possible delivery. Included in that could be the use of ESB poles instead of Eir poles or looking at different options of delivery. This whole project, however, is designed to support rural Ireland. To my mind, the most rural areas have just as much priority as anywhere else. To …

One of the few positives, if there are any-----

To answer those two questions first, there was a strategic decision in the application of fibre that the vast majority would be delivered in this manner. It is only the very last percentage most distant from an accessible pole where fixed wireless may be used. I believe that is the technology of the future and the technology we will need for the highest possible standards, so I do not see technological developments around that. Unfortunately, the reason these areas are selected and are in the amber region is becaus…