No. The amendment, from my perspective, is around us requiring a gas storage facility, which has both onshore and offshore components. With regard to those two systems, offshore planning is different from onshore planning, and by the very nature of such a storage facility, it might be both so we have to make sure that if there was a future application for such a facility, there would not be an incongruity. It was not in any way drafted with a view for any other planning application in mind. We are not going to draf…

I have not received a formal report from my Department on the actions undertaken by the Biden Administration as referenced in the question. The Government approved and published the Energy Security in Ireland to 2030 report last November which concludes that Ireland’s future energy will be secure by moving from a fossil fuel-based energy system to an electricity-led system, maximising our renewable energy potential, flexibility and being integrated into Europe’s energy systems. With regard to gas, the report determ…

The Deputy is right. That is an issue for CRU and in the end, An Bord Pleanála is the relevant planning authority in any application for such a facility. CRU's role in gas regulation goes back, by my recollection, to the whole Corrib issue, where this was a central issue - whether we could guarantee the safety of local communities. CRU does that on an ongoing basis. I have not asked it, to be honest; I would have to go away and check what its most recent analysis is but I am not aware of it commissioning any specif…

By all means. Obviously, if any facility is built, that would be the first thing for consideration by both the regulator and the planning authority. You would have to make sure that you have all the processes and procedures in place. However, we are not at the position where we are deciding whether we would have any LNG facility. There is further analysis needed. The Deputy mentioned the international aspect to this in the US but there is also European analysis. I mentioned earlier on that I was at the European Ene…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 57 and 62 together. The North-South interconnector is an essential transmission infrastructure project that will link the electricity transmission networks of Ireland and Northern Ireland, leading to a more secure, affordable and sustainable supply of electricity across the island. It will facilitate the connection of 900 MW of renewable generation, enough to power 600,000 homes through green energy. As a transmission project, it is being undertaken by EirGrid, which is independentl…

We have to maintain a certain independence. Sometimes as Minister it can be frustrating because I always seem to say in the first line of a response that I do not have responsibility for something or have to retain a certain distance, but that is true because of our legal systems and the need to allow regulatory agencies like the CRU and the ESB to operate. I have been across this project for 20 years. I will be honest. My view is that the project is badly needed. I hope EirGrid will be able to deliver it while sup…

I do not think the northern authorities want to go back to the drawing board. I agree with them. As I said, we attended a meeting of the European Energy Council today and Mario Draghi's report was discussed. It is all about the grid and the future economy. Economic development in the North is not easy at the moment, given budget constraints and so on. If we do not develop the economy around this sort of infrastructure, it will be in deep trouble. I expect the North would like to see the project proceed and not go b…

I expect the project will advance. While maintaining my independence, my message is that we need to build the interconnector. It is good for the North and the South. In fact, if we do not have it, it would be a disaster for this country to go back to a divided energy system. That would be the worst outcome for this country and all of our people.

The programme for Government committed to allocate revenues raised from the increase in carbon tax rates out to 2030 to ensure that the increases in the carbon tax are progressive by spending €3 billion on targeted social welfare and other initiatives to prevent fuel poverty and ensure a just transition, to provide €5 billion to part-fund a socially progressive national retrofitting programme and to allocate €1.5 billion of funding to encourage and incentivise farmers to farm in a greener and more sustainable way. …

The Covid-19 pandemic was the main reason. It is not rocket science that during that period we were not allowed to build anything. We were not allowed to go into another house. Nothing could be retrofitted because people could not go outside a 2 km or 5 km radius. It took some time to ramp up from that but we have really ramped up. We will spend all the money this year and next year. There is a reasonable, clear and understandable explanation for why there was a significant underspend. Regarding reporting, the mone…

I am not using Covid-19 as an excuse. I am just pointing out the reality, as the report also does. I am not evading or avoiding that the Comptroller and Auditor General said we should be looking to audit an account and track it in a different way. I do not rule that out. I accept the point being made. We may need to look in the future at whether we want to hypothecate in a way that is much more specific and traceable and different from the rest of Government expenditure, where if there was an underspend, it would n…

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, manages a number of residential and community energy upgrade grant support schemes on behalf of my Department. Grant support of up to €6,500 is available to install heat pumps under the better energy homes scheme, and up to €10,500 under the national home energy upgrade scheme or the community energy grant scheme. The SEAI has advised that, to the end of September 2024, grant support was provided for 2,584 heat pump installations. The SEAI only records the specific…

I accept the Deputy's point. The option is there, and it is a matter for the developer and the residents as to whether they want to go down the route of being able to avail of a 40% grant and whichever is the most suitable technology. To be more innovative and consider other measures, my Department is drafting a new heat Bill to establish a regulatory model for district heating, including communal heating systems, ensure consumer protection and deliver a vibrant district heating industry. Within the Bill, we could …

As I recall, the original plan for the scheme was for wood-fired systems.

Gas only kicked in due to supply difficulties. Another avenue for us to consider this matter would be through revisions of the support scheme for renewable heat, SSRH, but that would have to fit into whatever we do with the heat Bill. I accept the Deputy’s point. We will have to consider this matter further and see how we can deliver district heating in so many guises. It is taking longer than I would like. We have seen it working in other countries. We need to make it work here and we need to learn. There are rela…

True, but it is an important matter that we need to get right. We need to learn from what has happened at the likes of Carlinn Hall so that we can help communities further.

As the Deputy may be aware, under section 9F of the revised Electricity Regulation Act 1999, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities is responsible for the regulation of gas installers in terms of safety. The CRU will shortly seek to introduce a statutory instrument to regulate non-domestic gas works by expanding the scope of the registered gas installers, RGI, scheme. My Department has delegated to the CRU responsibility for carrying out the proportionality assessment for this proposed regulation, as required u…

As with Deputy O’Rourke, I welcome the sort of feedback Deputy Ó Murchú is providing. We can be confident in some ways. In a sense, we regulated the domestic first and the lessons learned from that will help to ensure that any legal or other training issues are ironed out quickly, giving confidence to the commercial enterprises that are getting work done and to the industry that is carrying out that work.

I welcome the opportunity to outline the position on the matter. I am aware of the impact that decisions relating to changes in An Post operations have on communities and individuals, in both rural and urban areas. An Post is a commercial State company with a mandate to act commercially and, as such, day-to-day operational matters, including decisions relating to the size, distribution, and future of the network, are matters for the board and the management of the company and not ones in which either the Minister o…

I am frightened that I might intervene in matters which we, as an Oireachtas, have given An Post a statutory responsibility to fulfil. Risking that, I might well approach the chief executive. I, too, would be interested. It is a really good company that is trusted and well managed and deals with a large volume of transactions across the State. The underlying reality, however, is that the mail system is declining. Private letters are a thing of an 18th century novel. The core business mail, which was still maintaini…