I welcome the opportunity to outline the position on these matters on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan. The Minister apologises for not being available to attend in person. I should point out that Bord na Móna is a commercial State company. Operational matters such as land use are the responsibility of the board and management team and not matters in which the Minister has any direct role or function. Bord na Móna's repositioning as a climate so…

As Deputy Cowen knows, the midlands have historically been very important in Ireland's energy production. Bord na Móna was a large part of that, as was the ESB, and many people derived a living, an income and, later, a pension from Bord na Móna and the ESB. I know that is significant. The great efforts the Deputy went to secure just transition funding at the EU and national levels and in the programme for Government to ensure areas in the midlands are compensated and helped to change also have to be acknowledged. C…

I think there was some confusion in the Dáil. The amendment was not accepted and then later on I said it was accepted and I think whatever I had said first was taken. We had to amend it in the Seanad to put it back to the way it was and back to the format it is in. I can understand why that would seem strange.

Exactly. There were a number of references to public order in the Dáil that had to be corrected in the Seanad because they were not correctly amended when we were in the Dáil.

I am making this deletion because it was accepted in error. Section 25 of Part 3 which serves the same purpose by a high-risk vendor notice to specify the Minister considers it necessary to take the measures contained in the order to control risks to the security of electronic communications networks or electronic communications services which may affect national security and where the Minister considers that consultation would be contrary to the interests of national security the reasons why this is so.

I will. I thank the Deputy for the question. This is an amendment that was proposed by Senator Higgins in the Seanad. It is one of a number of amendments I accepted. It strengthens the customer charter provisions in the Bill. It ensures each provider must measure its performance against the standards set out in its customer charter and then it must report to the Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg, on such performance in such form and manner as ComReg specifies. This amendment will lead to a better res…

I suggest the Bill has already been passed by this House.

I welcome the students from Mitchelstown. I am attending the House on behalf of the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I will read out the answer he provided for this but I will address those very specific questions Senator Flynn put in the follow-up. The Government is acutely aware of the impact the recent increases in global energy prices are having on households. Throughout 2022 the Government introduced a €2.4 billion package of supports as part of budget 2023, and has intr…

There are 387 Traveller households affected by this issue. The amount of money transferred to the local authorities was €284,000 to be split between them. That is to cover not just the three new payments but also the original payment that families missed out on. The local authorities were told that they had to use the money and pay it directly to the Traveller families so it should not go into a Traveller accommodation fund. I have met with the Senator before on this matter. In order to advance this I am happy to m…

Yes, it is National Traveller MABS that is doing all the work.

I sincerely thank the Social Democrats for bringing this motion forward. It is very welcome to see a constructive set of proposals around a very serious problem that is facing us all. I am happy to see that. It is a form of constructive opposition. When I look at the motion I see that the Government agrees with most of what is in it. I will first address some specific questions that were raised by some Deputies. Deputies Cian O'Callaghan and Harkin asked about the timeline on windfall taxes. The windfall divides in…

I thank Senator Ward for raising this matter which, of course, I consider a priority. Ireland's national waste policy, a Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy 2020, sets out Ireland's commitment to tackle the environmental degradation caused by single-use plastics and packaging and includes our ambition to lead EU efforts in dealing with disposable cups through the introduction of a single-use cup levy. An environmental levy on single-use hot cups, commonly referred to as the coffee cup levy, is now being introd…

I assure Senator Ward that the consultation is a genuine exercise. The point of it is that we receive submissions from people who have first-hand, domain expertise because all they do all day is sell coffee or make paper cups or whatever. It would not be right for me to design these things from a desktop point of view. I wait for what comes in and I am surprised by what comes in and then I implement that. To give Senator Ward an idea to compare with, the plastic bag exempts butchers and fishmongers because a person…

I thank Senator O'Loughlin for affording me the opportunity to speak about the blueway. The rural regeneration and development fund was established under the National Development Plan 2018-2027 to provide investment for ambitious projects in towns and villages with populations of fewer than 10,000 people and outlying areas. It will deliver on the national strategic objective of strengthened rural economies and communities and achieve sustainable economic and social development in these areas. The rural regeneration…

I agree with everything the Senator has said. A 46 km free facility which people can use to have a day out with their friends and family at no cost is a great thing to deliver. It will be very significant and to have 46 km of this is amazing. My experience of being on the Mayo greenway is that I saw so many people employed along the way, whether in hotels, cafés or restaurants, with bikes and walkers outside them that never would have been there if it was not for that greenway. When we think of how we bring jobs to…

Amendments Nos.1, 21 to 29 and 31 to 34, inclusive, relate to the transfer of renewable transport fuel functions from the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to the Minister for Transport, as set out in Part 3 and, inter alia , under section 18, the power of the Minister for Transport to make regulations concerning the functions under Part 5A of the Act, which is the renewable transport fuel obligation, RTFO. I advise Senator Higgins and others that I do not propose to accept these amendments. …

The overarching goal we are trying to achieve in transferring functions is to ensure all the responsibility to reduce emissions does not remain with a single Minister. Climate change and emissions reduction are not considered to be solely the responsibility of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. That is why we are transferring functions and saying to all Ministers they have responsibility for the sectoral emissions ceilings in their area. We are saying they cannot just continue with their …

I have just consulted my departmental staff. They would be happy to brief the Senator on that.

I am going to speak to amendments Nos. 2, 3, 6 and 18 together. I examined these proposals carefully to understand their implications because I appreciate what the Senators are trying to achieve, but I do not propose to accept them. The Bill provides that the Minister for Transport, in making the regulations under sections 44D, 44G(1B) and 44GA, shall consult the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, a…

I note the Senator's consideration of the potential for biodiversity and other public health impacts within the context of debate on renewable transport fuels, and I believe these considerations have already been provided for in the drafting of the Bill. In sections 44G(1B) and 44GA, it provides that the Minister for Transport “may have regard to such other matters as he or she considers appropriate relating to the effects, if any, of increased consumption of renewable transport fuel in the State on economic activi…