I will have to wait for the completion of the report. I do not want to second-guess it. The independent group has to conclude its work. As I said, there is a distinction, which we discussed earlier, between group central heating systems and district heating. We will, in all likelihood, need both. In my mind, the real large-scale development is on the district heating side. The real benefit there is that a waste product is used and turned into a useful resource. It is common across many European jurisdictions. It ha…

We have to be careful. There are real benefits and advantages to many communal heating systems. I was at the SEAI energy show a number of months ago. It was interesting to see how it is evolving, including new ground-sourced and air-sourced heat pumps. A whole range of different technological innovations are happening.

There can be real benefits from communal heating systems as well as from district heating. We just have to make sure-----

If there are particular circumstances where market price volatility really seems to be shooting up, I think communal heating systems as well as district heating can be designed in a way that gives some of that stability. We have to be careful we do not throw the baby out with the bathwater. There are real benefits of communal heating systems. We just need to get the design and technology right so that there are not any price shocks for householders. There will always be variability. Sometimes that can be on the pos…

Work is under way on a number of initiatives in this vein as outlined in Climate Action Plan 2023, CAP23. That plan includes a commitment to carry out a public consultation on private wires, and a deadline for publication of quarter 4 of 2023 has been set. The policy area of private wires is broad in nature and, as such, detailed consideration must go into formulating the consultation to ensure all aspects of the policy area are considered. Publishing a consultation and, ultimately, providing a clear policy positio…

I met EirGrid, the ESB and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities recently. Therefore, this issue is at the top of our agenda and minds at the moment. The Deputy is right that the grid is key in this transformation. Having a flexible grid of a sufficient scale is vital. I will pick out three examples of what we are learning from that. First, I have huge confidence in EirGrid. We have given it the task of developing the offshore grid. It will need to be resourced and given the financial capability to deploy that…

I expect it to be concluded before the end of this year. I will have to come back to the Deputy on exactly how long it will take to put in the regulatory systems. I will finish on the third point I was going to raise, which addresses the Deputy's question, in a sense. It comes out of recent conversations with EirGrid on its shaping of our electricity 2.0, as it were. Very good work has been done by EirGrid on that. One of the ways the electricity system is evolving, and we saw this during the offshore auctions, is …

Significant work has been undertaken over the past two years to develop the regulatory framework to enable the construction and operation of offshore wind farms and associated infrastructure. The national marine planning framework was adopted by the Government in May 2021 and is Ireland’s first marine spatial plan. The Maritime Area Planning, MAP, Act was enacted in December 2021 and established the legislative foundation for the new marine planning system. Under the MAP Act, a new maritime area consent, MAC, regim…

We will publish the DMAP for phase 2 this summer and move towards delivering the parameters of the auction by the end of this year. The auction will start early next year. There is likely to be a second phase 2 to make sure we meet the full 2030 targets. At the same time, and there will be no real delay, the next iteration after that will be the move towards the enduring regime and future framework. Our Department is working flat out on that. To answer the Deputy's question, we see the development of floating offsh…

To go further into the issue of wet storage, the Deputy will be aware that Shannon Foynes Port Company commissioned a report by the Bechtel group, which is a major international consultancy house on engineering and design. That report should demonstrate the need, when working with offshore floating wind, depending on weather windows and a standardised production schedule, for a location where the turbines can be stored floating in the sea, with their concrete or steel foundations in place. Bechtel will set out exac…

We intend to introduce it before the end of this year. It is taking longer than we wanted, mainly because the European Investment Bank is a key partner and it is the first time it has engaged in direct consumer-related lending. We had to change the structure of it to facilitate its concerns. I will make a wider point. We discussed at length in earlier questions how we go further to meet our climate targets and close the gap. I will give two examples to give people a sense of what is possible. One area for which the…

I absolutely agree with the Deputy. I met my officials about this issue yesterday. We are confident we can deliver a scheme in the autumn to meet the gap the Deputy has mentioned. I look forward to delivering that.

I echo Deputy McAuliffe's point. This is part of a long process. It has taken a long time because it is complex legislation. It has so many different aspects. I absolutely accept what the Deputy said about the use of scramblers, which relates to an earlier section. This is a real issue for communities across this country and across Dublin city. I commend members of Deputy McAuliffe's community in Finglas who have been involved in trying to highlight and address the problem. I am glad we will be able, subject to it …

They are largely technical.

I might, if I can, because this and another amendment are a development from the Dáil debate and are not technical in nature. Section 45 will insert a new section 77A into the Roads Act 1993 which will provide the basis in future for the use of traffic cameras and other data-gathering devices by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, and local authorities and for the use of data from those cameras as part of this process. Section 41 inserts a number of definitions into section 2 of the Roads Act. The present group …

I agree with Deputy Kenny and am glad of his support.

It is substantial. The amendments made in the Seanad were not insignificant. During the passage of the Bill through the Seanad, the issue of data protection related to traffic cameras and other devices was raised. Any processing of personal data is, by definition, subject to the general data protection regulation. In addition, the Bill contains a number of further provisions which offer an extra level of data protection. These provisions include the option of making regulations on data protection in two ways. In th…

If I might make a closing remark, I thank the Ceann Comhairle for facilitating the Bill in being reported back from the Seanad. This has been an example of the Houses working well, given there were some significant amendments from the Seanad. I very much welcome and appreciate Senators' contributions to the legislation. It is very wide ranging in its implications and will have significant benefits for local communities, road safety, insurance and so on. I could not list the full extent of the provisions in the Bill…

My apologies but, unfortunately, I have to attend a Cabinet sub-committee meeting shortly so I have a very limited timeframe but I am very glad to be able to speak on this motion. I will start by quoting the Green Party motto, which is Think Global, Act Local. I want to follow Deputy Bacik by going very local and talking about Dublin. So often when we talk about biodiversity, the discussion is framed in a rural context but it is an urban issue too. In terms of how we restore nature, stop runaway climate change, hal…

That 8 ha of land, which is completely underutilised and which is planned to be turned into a container park, should be an extension of the Poolbeg nature reserve. Deputy Bacik knows and I know - I do not know if the Ceann Comhairle has ever walked down that direction - that it is a most stunningly beautiful place in the middle of our city. It is absolutely doable for us to extend spaces for nature. We do it. I would go upriver, if I may be local, to look at not the Liffey in my case but the Dodder greenway and to …