The goal of our agricultural emissions reduction policy and our agricultural climate policy is not to reduce, increase or stabilise the herd. The goal is to cut emissions and, at the same time, to increase farm incomes. Those are the two things we are trying to do at the same time. How we get there is another question. We do not have to state that farmers must do it in a particular way. Methane is extremely damaging to the environment. The IFA is beginning to understand that this is a significant opportunity, that …

The goal is to cut emissions and increase farm incomes. Farmers may choose to reduce their herd if that is the best way for them to get there. The Deputy referred to the Teagasc report. It states that total farm greenhouse gas emissions in dairy increased in 2020, largely due to an increase in the average herd size. However, greenhouse gas emissions per hectare on dairy farms remained relatively stable because the average dairy farm area increased. The greenhouse gas emissions intensity of milk production or, in ot…

At the request of my Department, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, is currently developing a comprehensive national heat study for Ireland. The study aims to examine options to decarbonise the heating and cooling sectors in Ireland to 2050 and includes the examination of a range of options and pathways. These options include the potential use of sustainable bioenergy such as bioliquids in place of fossil fuels in heating systems. The national heat study is almost complete and I expect that the SEAI…

To give the Deputy more information on the SEAI national heat study to which I referred, it will focus on achieving net-zero emissions in the heat sector by 2050 but it also aims to provide a detailed evidence base, including technology and policy pathways, data and insights for the Government, industry and other stakeholders, and enhanced energy sector modelling capacity developed by SEAI. The completion of the heat study is expected in mid-January 2022. The publication will come out in a number of different secti…

The Deputy asked earlier about examining the experience of other jurisdictions, including Northern Ireland. Of course, we will do that very carefully and we will see what experience they had with their renewable heat obligations and incentives. He also asked about the SEAI and whether a person who previously received a grant can apply for another grant. He indicated such people are excluded. I will have to check out the rules of its scheme in that regard. As to whether we can convert boilers to alternative fuel sou…

The first question is about the equity investment, how much money went in, what form it was in and so on. The investors are providing equity funding in NBI Infrastructure and NBI Deployment through the purchase of shares and the provision of shareholder loans. Using both of these instruments is a standard form of investment infrastructure and this is in compliance with the project agreement. The interest earned on shareholder loans forms a large part of the overall commercial returns for the investors and this is a…

I am absolutely happy to discuss with the Deputy the best way to get him the most information as quickly as possible. The whole purpose of this relates to the number of premises passed. We have a fixed-price contract for a fixed term and we must deliver 540,000 homes in seven years connected to fibre. That is the overall point of the exercise. It is to be done for a fixed price of €2.1 billion. We have a larger budget than that but that is what the contract states. We have been informed that by the end of December,…

I have given the Deputy figures for the end of December and they are projections. I do not have figures for the end of January but I will come back to the Deputy with those tomorrow. I am happy to do that. ComReg's quarterly report details what is going on in the broadband market and it is completely independent of the Government. It reports that 120,000 Irish households were connected to fibre in the past 12 months, which is a 50% increase on where we were a year ago, which itself was a 50% increase on where we we…

I thank the Deputy. It is a question close to my heart. I spent several years in local government and came across this matter. My Department published the general scheme of the circular economy Bill 2021 on 15 June 2021. It is my intention under the Bill to facilitate not only the use of CCTV but also the use of a broad range of audiovisual recording equipment in order to assist local authorities in their efforts to combat litter and illegal dumping. Drafting of the Bill is well advanced, as is, I understand, the p…

Privacy concerns are the issue here and a number of local authorities have gotten into hot water where they have been found, by whatever State agency, to be breaching privacy concerns. With that in mind and in light of the precepts of the GDPR legislation, one of the rules concerns whether it is lawful to do something that is permitted under primary legislation. That is why, when I bring in the circular economy Bill in the spring with, I hope, the Deputy's help, we will provide in primary legislation a statutory un…

The statistics are really important because they show whether the law is functioning. I fully commit to providing county-by-county details on successful waste prosecutions and I will be happy to revert to the Deputies on that. Most people go to a lot of trouble to dispose of their waste correctly and wonder whether an item should go into the green or black bin or whatever the case may be. They are conscientious and they represent the vast majority of the population. They can be contrasted with somebody who, as was …

I was very happy to manage to secure additional funding in the budget for next year for anti-dumping initiatives, for exactly the reasons I was talking about in response to the previous question. Public information works for most people but not for that small cohort of society who are recidivist, shameful, furtive dumpers. The annual anti-dumping initiative, ADI, was introduced in 2017 to encourage a collaborative approach between local authorities, communities and other State agencies in tackling the problem of il…

Yes, there may be a way to use CCTV in places that are repeatedly used for fly-tipping. That is the way it happens. There may be a certain place or laneway that is very quiet, people will begin to use it all the time and the entire field will start to fill up. I will certainly examine the legislation to see whether CCTV can be used in those circumstances. In my initial reply to the question, when I spoke about where money is being spent to reduce littering and improve waste enforcement, I mentioned that 150 local a…

I have spoken to the Lord Mayor of Dublin, who brought in a scheme whereby there are yellow bins, which are not to everybody's visual liking, in the city centre that can be used for recyclable items, and I welcome that kind of initiative. The idea for bulky waste the Deputy mentioned is good. I had not heard of it but it could be something we would promote through other local authorities. The Tidy Towns groups really came to the fore during the lockdown. There was little else to do and it was hard to meet up with p…

I thank Deputies Mairéad Farrell and Patricia Ryan, the proposers of the Bill. I welcome the opportunity to address the House on the subject of abnormally low tenders and poor past performance in the procurement of public works contracts. The Bill is well intended and seeks to address the issue that arises on public works tenders from time to time where a contractor will bid low to win the contract and seek to recover its costs through claims under the contract. The Government, having considered and reflected on th…

I thank the Deputies. I will address one or two of the points raised. Deputy Farrell raised the question of cost overruns. They are real and on particular projects there have been some dramatic overruns which have been the subject of investigations. We can learn from those and make sure we do not repeat them in the future. It has to be borne in mind that when we are comparing the cost agreed and the actual cost outturn, we need to compare the irrevocable contract price that was signed on the tender, not the price t…

As the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications mentioned, Ireland has one of the best offshore renewable energy resources in the world with a sea area of 400 km², which is about seven times the size of our land mass. We have more offshore energy potential than most other EU member states. Ireland's coast is one of the most energy-productive in Europe with a long-term potential of 70 GW of ocean energy opportunity, which includes wind, wave and tidal, within 100 km of the Irish coastline. The climat…

I will reply on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Government. I welcome the opportunity to set out the actions being taken by the Government in response to the announcement of the closure of the peat-fuelled power stations and the end of peat harvesting by Bord na Móna. The work of Kieran Mulvey, as just transition commissioner in the midlands over the past year, has seen a comprehensive engagement with relevant stakeholders, including the ESB, to address the challenges …

I thank the Senators. The Senator is correct in that the just transition commission was meant to be wound down at the end of this month, and it was decided at the time of the climate action plan that it will be put on a permanent footing. I cannot comment on who will be the person who will be appointed and, to be honest, I do not know. I will convey the Senator’s support for Kieran Mulvey to the senior Minister. The roles of Bord na Móna and the ESB have been critical in the midlands. They have been very significan…

The programme for Government commits Ireland to an average 7% per annum reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions from 2021 to 2030, a 51% reduction over the decade, and to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. To contribute to the achievement of these targets, the Government has committed that up to 80% of electricity consumption will come from renewable sources by 2030 on a pathway to net-zero emissions. It is vital that as Ireland transitions to a low- and then a zero-carbon electricity system, security of e…