Climate Action Plan
1. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Taoiseach for an update on the first progress report of Climate Action Plan 2025. [68209/25]
2. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Taoiseach for an update on the first progress report of the Climate Action Plan 2025. [4030/26]
3. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach for an update on the first progress report of Climate Action Plan 2025. [7898/26]
4. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Taoiseach for an update on the first progress report of Climate Action Plan 2025. [7903/26]
5. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Taoiseach for an update on the first progress report of Climate Action Plan 2025. [8092/26]
6. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report of the climate action plan. [8096/26]
7. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report of the climate action plan. [8099/26]
8. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach for an update on the first progress report of Climate Action Plan 2025. [8271/26]
9. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Taoiseach for an update on the first progress report of the Climate Action Plan 2025. [9561/26]
10. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report of the climate action plan. [9923/26]
11. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach for an update on the first progress report of the climate action plan. [9965/26]
12. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Taoiseach for an update on the first progress report of the climate action plan. [10028/26]
13. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Taoiseach for an update on the first progress report of the climate action plan. [10090/26]
14. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Taoiseach for an update on the first progress report of the climate action plan. [11880/26]
15. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report of the climate action plan. [12128/26]
16. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report of the climate action plan. [12130/26]
17. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Taoiseach for an update on the first progress report of the climate action plan. [12292/26]
18. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Taoiseach for an update on the first progress report of Climate Action Plan 2025. [12367/26]
19. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report of the climate action plan. [12465/26]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 19, inclusive, together.
The Department of the Taoiseach tracks the delivery of actions committed to by Government Departments in the climate action plan and publishes quarterly progress reports. The progress report for quarter 1 of the Climate Action Plan 2025 was published in July 2025. The latest progress report was published in January and is available on my Department's website. It details progress made on actions due for delivery in quarters 2 and 3 of 2025. The report also covers progress on actions delayed from quarter 1, as well as delayed actions from 2023 and 2024. In total, 23 of the 39 new actions due to be completed during the two quarters were delivered on time. Of the 54 high impact actions delayed from 2023 and 2024, ten were completed by the end of quarter 3. The progress report for the final quarter of 2025 is currently being compiled and will be published following consideration by the Government.
The programme for Government restates our determination that Ireland, together with our EU partners, will play its full part in tackling climate change - protecting this and future generations. It is clear that change is under way across our economy and society to steer Ireland towards a low-carbon future. Reducing emissions is now at the heart of all our policies and sectors. We are seeing encouraging signs. Ireland’s emissions have been falling for the past three years, and we now have lower overall emissions than at any point in the last 35 years, despite our population growing by 50% over that period. We are making real progress in the deployment of renewable energy, surpassing our electric vehicle targets for last year, and we are making sustained investment in enhancing the energy performance of our homes and thereby lowering emissions and energy costs for householders. Since 2019, almost €1.7 billion has been invested through SEAI schemes to support over 240,000 home energy upgrades. These actions are reaping rewards.
However, the latest EPA projections tell us that we have to go further - tackling climate action faster and at scale, particularly over the next five years. The Government is committed to reducing Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels, taking the necessary steps to ensure Ireland's long-term energy security and unlocking opportunities for economic growth. Quickly developing a vibrant offshore wind sector is central to this objective. This task requires the collective skills and effort of the public and private sectors, working together, to make the most of this opportunity.
Following on from successful discussions at the Government industry forum last July, I have established an offshore wind energy clearing house with the aim of tackling barriers to the timely delivery of offshore wind energy. This clearing house provides a forum where barriers to the development of offshore energy can be addressed by the heads of relevant Government Departments and public sector organisations together with industry representatives. It supports and enhances the efforts of the existing offshore wind delivery task force, chaired by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien. The clearing house has met on two occasions, and its next meeting will take place later this month.
The programme for Government also committed to taking decisive action to provide warmer, more comfortable homes, as part of our drive to support climate change, energy affordability, security and sustainability. We launched the National Residential Retrofit Plan 2026 recently. It will make home energy upgrades more affordable and accessible to many more homeowners.
The commitments to invest in onshore solar and wind, but particularly in offshore renewables, is critical to meet our climate objectives but also for reasons of energy security. The Taoiseach might outline further the work of the offshore wind energy clearing house. There are concerns we will not meet our offshore renewable targets originally set for 2030 but if we can meet them for 2031 or 2032, that will be welcome.
Equally, if there is further progress on the private wires Bill, when we can see a direct connection between the generator of energy, be it a wind farm, solar farm, homes, a factory or digital infrastructure, that will be extremely welcome as well. I would be grateful for an update on those.
We have apologies from Deputy Ciarán Ahern.
The provision of public transport should play a huge part in climate action. Unfortunately, in my constituency of Wicklow, Go-Ahead provides many of our services.
It is just not up to scratch. It is plagued with problems in providing the service. There are ghost buses and buses that will just drive by people and not pick them up, particularly teenagers. We have buses that refuse to go on the predetermined route. They will actually bypass a road they are meant to go down and instead just drive to the nearest village. I will tell the Taoiseach how bad this is. I am really annoyed with this. There is a young lady in my constituency who has intellectual and physical disabilities. She got on her bus from her day service. That bus was meant to go down her road. Again, the bus driver refused to go down and brought her to the next village. It was dark, it was lashing rain, and that bus driver put her out when he got to Newcastle village and would not bring her back to Kilcoole. She was left on the side of the road by herself. It is not acceptable. The service Go-Ahead is providing is not sufficient. I ask that the Taoiseach look at the contract that was provided to it because it has never once provided a sufficient service in Wicklow.
In August of last year, I was out ill at the time, but Deputy Murphy raised on my behalf and our area's behalf the issue of gorse fires in Cherrywood. As the Taoiseach knows, Cherrywood is the biggest residential development the country. I did not realise, to be honest, that gorse is very dangerous when it is burned. It is very toxic. These fires went on, basically, for several weeks. The residents are saying that, really, there was no proper planning or co-ordination between different State agencies in terms of responding to this. The fires continued. People were passing the parcel between the HSE, the council, fire services and so on as to who was actually responsible. Meanwhile, these dangerous toxic pollutants were going into people's homes. The monitoring of them was completely inadequate because it was not incident-specific. The monitoring stations were far away where they would not be able to capture the damage that was being done from the fires. The report shows significant negative health impacts. What people really want to know is that the Government is going to take it seriously, that there is a proper emergency response plan and that there is co-ordination between different Government agencies in assessing the health risk and, indeed, being able to respond to these emergencies.
For years, we have been told that the Government's climate targets are legally binding, and the implication was that, therefore, heaven and earth would be moved in order to meet those targets. Then, in January, we heard from the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, that the Government is not going to meet the targets, and it did not announce any measures or have any plan to announce any measures to actually close the gap and meet those targets. The contrast between what the Taoiseach said when he went to COP 30 in Brazil and then the reality of what the Government is doing on the ground could not be more stark. Temperatures are rising, and the clock is ticking. If we are not prepared to tell our citizens the truth about this, we are failing them and this planet in the most profound way. Does the Taoiseach accept that his Government is failing the people of this country in the most profound way by bowing down to big tech corporations and the fossil fuel industry and putting their interests before the needs of our people? It is encapsulated by the strategic gas emergency reserve Bill, which is going to entrench reliance on the dirtiest fossil fuel on the earth - dirtier than coal. The Government is watering down commitments of the climate Act in the Bill to say that they should obey this Act to the extent that they consider practicable. The Taoiseach must reverse course on this.
We are seeing the devastating consequences of a deepening climate crisis and persistently high youth unemployment at the same time. It is time to recognise the enormous employment potential associated with the ambitious climate action plan and capitalise on this huge economic opportunity. Investment in renewable energy and retrofitting in sustainable agriculture, public transport and green technology can create thousands of secure, well-paid jobs across the island. Successful projects like the Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy, which is a partnership with Wind Energy Ireland, that address critical skills gaps in the offshore sector should be replicated to provide permanent career paths for young people struggling to find stable employment or being forced to emigrate. What concrete measures is the Government is taking to align the climate action targets with a comprehensive job strategy that upskills young workers, builds a strong cohort of skilled individuals for the future economy and finally tackles youth unemployment? Will the Taoiseach commit to ensuring that this green transition delivers not only on climate targets but also on real employment opportunities for the next generation?
The urbanisation of our flood plains and the mass removal of native trees and hedgerows in recent decades have drastically reduced our land's ability to hold excess water. Alongside conventional engineering schemes, we need to maximise our potential for nature-based approaches to flood management. There is a clear opportunity here for farmers to be paid a premium for taking measures such as the construction of leaky dams and ponds and the planting of native trees on their land. Cork County Council commissioned a survey into such measures upstream from Midleton in August 2024, raising hope locally that these options would form part of the wider flood response, yet this report has still not been published and there is little sign that this work is being actively pursued. Nature-based measures are not a silver bullet to flood risk, but international experience shows they can be very effective around particular settlements. They can often be delivered quickly, at relatively low cost and without the need for planning permission. They are a win-win for people at risk of flooding, farmers and biodiversity. Will Government now ensure that nature-based solutions to flood management are actively advanced alongside structural works, with the ambition, co-ordination and leadership that affected communities need?
Ar dtús, táim chun labhairt faoi rud éigin seachas Baile Átha Cliath Thuaidh. Tá mé ag iarraidh labhairt faoi plug-in solar in apartment builds. During the formation of Government, private wire legislation was a huge aspect of my priorities. While I was studying engineering and renewables in Dublin City University, DCU, plug-in solar was being implemented across Germany. As part of our climate action plan, plug-in solar is an easily installed quick fix to the energy crisis, especially for those in apartment dwellings. Will this simple affordable technology that allows people, essentially, renters in lower income households who cannot afford full rooftop systems, to generate their own electricity and reduce bills immediately be progressed? At a time when people's energy costs remain a real pressure, this measure can support struggling households. Will the Taoiseach outline whether we will see movement on plug-in solar in Ireland and whether it will be included in the next phase of the climate action plan?
Climate Action Plan 2025 commits to scaling nature-based strategies, yet the Climate Change Advisory Council of Ireland has warned that we could face €26 billion in EU fines if we fail to deliver adequate protection measures. At the same time, and counter to the plan's commitment, the Government is actually considering licensing over 40,000 tonnes of seaweed to be harvested off the coast of counties Mayo and Galway. Removing seaweed, which is a vital natural buffer against flooding, will put communities at risk along with livelihoods, biodiversity and the coast itself. To make matters worse, Ireland still has no national coastal management strategy. This is overdue since 2021, with a draft sitting idle since 2023. How can the climate action plan claim to deliver climate resilience and protect communities from flooding when solutions it commits to are underfunded? It is critically important that seaweed across the west coast is protected for coastal communities.
I welcome the announcement today of the national regional roads funding and over €40 million for my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. Some of these projects have been ongoing for quite some time. In particular, I want to pay tribute to the N25 committee in south Kilkenny, a voluntary organisation that has prioritised and highlighted this issue so strongly. Investment of €1 million to allow this scheme to go to the next stage is hugely beneficial for that community, and there is €600,000 for the N24
around the Mooncoin direction, again a hugely worthwhile project. The Callan bypass is to receive over €2.2 million, which is going to be fantastic for that community. In terms of the climate action piece, however, the road at the quay in Thomastown had been fading away, and it was a huge danger and a huge risk. To be fair to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and the Taoiseach, the announcement of €300,000 for this element of the quay to be upgraded is fantastic. In south Kilkenny on The Rower, right beside New Ross, which some of our colleagues will know, €1.4 million has been allocated for the upgrade of the ferry bridge, which is disintegrating on a daily basis.
I compliment the Taoiseach and the Minister. A huge allocation has been made for roads and there is record funding in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. Earlier the Taoiseach mentioned the contingency funding for roads devastated by flooding. I hope that the significant applications of Carlow and Kilkenny for additional one-off funding, extra to what was announced today, are looked on very favourably.
Hundreds of thousands of people are living in commuter hell in this country. Hundreds of thousands of people are now spending four hours a day travelling to and from work. They are being charged higher taxes on their fuel and higher tolls for the pleasure of doing this. In Meath, 60,000 people have no option but to use their cars because of the lack of public transport. The Taoiseach's friend Noel Dempsey promised in 1994 that a rail line would be built. There is no construction date and no ring-fenced funding for the project. It has not been listed in the Government's national development plan for construction to start before 2030. The planning is on the go for sure but completion at the very earliest will be in 2036. That is 42 years from concept to completion. A person who started work when Noel Dempsey promised this project will have retired before the project is even finished, and that is if there are no judicial reviews or any change in the economy in the meantime. Will the Taoiseach commit to a construction date before 2030, or at the very least, will he commit that the Navan to Drogheda rail line, which is a fully functional rail line, will be retasked and repurposed for passenger use?
I want to raise the ongoing review of the 2006 wind energy guidelines. Revised guidelines have been promised for many years at this stage, as the Taoiseach is aware. In my constituency, and particularly in the north Galway area, we are facing a huge number of developments in communities such as Clonberne, Killimordaly, Barnaderg, Shancloon and Laurclavagh, to name but a few. The 2006 guidelines were brought forward when turbines were a fraction of the size of modern turbines. They do not protect communities from these developments. The guidelines are totally out of date. I ask that the Taoiseach provide an update on the work that has been undertaken to review these guidelines and a timeline for when updated guidelines will be in place.
I want to bring up once again the issue of Carlinn Hall in Dundalk and its communal heating system. There are approximately 200 homes there. I have met the SEAI and third-party operators that are looking at a possible renewable solution involving heat pumps. I have spoken to the local authority. A huge piece of work needs to be done with the management committee and the residents. They are only putting the proposal together. The fact is that we would need to make sure there is flexibility from the SEAI and the Government from the point of view of funding, whether that is the support scheme for renewable heat or the heat pump grant that is available. I would think that is absolutely necessary.
We have dealt with flood protection multiple times in the last two weeks. I welcome the promises from Louth County Council. It is dealing with the Office of Public Works, OPW, and the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, was in the constituency lately. We need to make sure Uisce Éireann plays its part. There is an infrastructural deficit impacting even where I live myself, in the Bay Estate and Cluan Enda area in Dundalk.
We all accept the transition needed in our energy system. We need renewables and investment and we need to tackle climate change seriously, but we cannot balance climate ambition on the backs of working families. Most countries that are transitioning their energy production to renewable sources are now seeing decreases in the price of electricity. Why are Irish families not seeing that? Why are they still paying the third-highest household electricity prices in Europe? Why are more than 300,000 households now behind on their electricity bills? That is 70,000 more in arrears than this time last year. The difference is that the Government has pulled the energy credits. People are working flat out and still falling behind. This data is from the start of winter and, undoubtedly, things have become much worse during January and the first two weeks of February. When gas is counted, almost 500,000 households are in arrears. While families are being hammered, the Government seems to shrug its shoulders and play denial, saying it is not going into energy credits. We need to see it happen because families are struggling in my constituency, in the Taoiseach's constituency and in many others across the State.
I thank all of the Deputies who asked questions. There were quite a number. Deputy Byrne raised the issue of the offshore wind clearinghouse and the private wires Bill. The offshore wind clearinghouse is where we bring in the industry to meet Departments and regulators to discuss generic issues. It is not specific to any company but is to cut through a lot of the to'ing and fro'ing and ask what the potential barriers are to getting offshore wind farms over the line. There have been different challenges. In more recent times, the inflationary costs in supply chains have increased somewhat. There have been negative challenges because of US policy towards wind energy and its impact on some of the companies. However, we are progressing. We are putting in a huge effort. I spoke to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, this morning about all of this. He is very focused. He has the task force also. The industry has been reassured about the Government's commitment to really getting the first couple of offshore wind platforms going, certainly from 2030 onwards. That is key. The private wires Bill is progressing. It is important legislation and I look forward to it coming through.
Deputy Whitmore raised the issue of public transport and the Go-Ahead service. She should complain to the National Transport Authority, which awards the contracts. If there are issues with the contracts, they should be raised with the NTA.
Deputy Boyd Barrett raised an important issue. It is a serious public health issue as well as a health and safety issue. I will check with the national emergency co-ordination group to see whether there is an evaluation of what happened and whether we have a report outlining what transpired. I do think we have a challenge with co-ordination between agencies. We have challenges with the readiness and the capacity of local authorities in terms of emergencies, be it a flooding emergency or a gorse fire, as in this case. Last week, I convened a meeting in respect of the last storm, focusing on co-ordination and people working together to make sure that someone is in charge if something happens and that it gets done. I do not think we are at the optimal stage yet, if I am honest, but I am pursuing it. I am looking at this thing structurally as well to see what needs to be done to make sure there are clear lines. In fairness, a lot of people did a lot of good work during the last storm. A lot of local authority officials were out in the middle of the night helping families get through it. The local authority in Carlow, for example, saved the day for a big housing estate. There are positives and negatives. The issue is that it is not pulling together. The toxicity and the impact on public health is very serious and I will come back to Deputy Boyd Barrett on the evaluation of that.
I disagree fundamentally with Deputy Murphy in that I do not think there is a huge disparity or contrast with what we said in COP. It is very important that we went to Belém. Other countries did not go at all. Ireland felt that if there was any time we should attend COP, it was last year, to make sure that momentum and critical mass were maintained internationally and globally. The emergency reserve capacity for LNG is a security issue. It is wrong of Deputy Murphy to say that it flies in the face of the climate change agenda. We simply have to have security. If anything were to happen to the gas interconnectors, our economy would not sustain a week or two. I do not know whether Deputy Murphy believes that or not, or whether he believes they are in-----
I think the answer is interconnection.
We are not going to build interconnection just like that. We have interconnection but there is a problem with it. There are threats to it. Guess who is a threat to it? Russia. I know Deputy Murphy probably does not believe that. There is a naivety in his approach to Russia. He always sees the US as the aggressor. Anyway, we will not go into that.
You just did.
There is an issue there. We have been warned about it. We have to act on that warning. We have an obligation to people, jobs, the economy and society to heed that and that is why that is going ahead.
We have made a lot of progress. The population has increased by 50%. We have grown our economy very substantially over the past two or three decades and our emissions are coming down. We have successfully proven that you can decouple economic growth from climate and population growth. Even though people are giving out that we may not reach our target, it is quite a remarkable achievement in many respects because we are one of the few countries that is growing exponentially in population relative to where we were.
On Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh's question, what is interesting is all the areas she is urging us to act on - environmental, farming, retrofitting and so on. We spend about €1.5 billion on the ACRES programme, which is good for environmental farming. Of that, 60% is from the Exchequer. Does the Deputy know what helps to fund that? It is the carbon tax, which every now and again Sinn Féin opposes.
The Taoiseach is missing the youth unemployment crisis.
In fairness to Sinn Féin members, they have the capacity to speak out of five sides of their mouths at different times on policy issues. I do not mean that personally; I am talking generally.
She should be in Fianna Fáil.
It is extraordinary. The retrofitting programme could not be done without the funds that come from the carbon tax.
Could it not be taken from anywhere else?
Some 240,000 houses have been retrofitted as a result of that programme over the past number of years. We have transformed retrofitting, we have transformed ACRES and environmental farming supports compared to what was there. Some 40% comes from the European Union and Sinn Féin has had an on-off relationship with Europe as well.
There is 14% young unemployment.
You are against it all the bloody time.
Please, address your remarks through the Chair.
I agree with Deputy Conway-Walsh on the Skillnet project. Bord na Móna is a transformative State agency. It is a great example of how to go from being a contributor to probably making one of the better contributions among State agencies to the climate change agenda and to addressing climate change. There will be further economic dividends arising out of the transformation Bord na Móna has undertaken and been part of. Bord na Móna is a good story. On public transport, the NDP allocation is 2:1 in favour of public transport. That is important.
Deputy Quaide asked about the urbanisation of floodplains. The Government supports the nature-based approach to flooding and to dealing with these issues. I accept the Deputy's point that it is not a silver bullet. It is not an either-or. The optimal position is the hard engineering projects but complemented and supplemented by nature-based measures. We need to rewet a lot more of our uplands. We need to engage with our agricultural community in that regard because what I saw in Aughrim the other day was quite frightening in terms of what came down from the mountains, taking roads with it and putting people in difficult positions in terms of life and limb. As a society, we have not fully grasped the importance of adaptation. We, in government, have more to do in that regard. I will be honest about that. I think we need to do more on the adaptation side.
Deputy Heneghan asked about the plug-in solar. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, in respect of that. Anything we can do that makes it more affordable and better for people we will do. Solar is really driving now. Solar generation is really progressing very fast and is now becoming quite a significant factor in terms of renewable energy in the country and what Deputy Heneghan is suggesting is even more of that.
On Deputy Lawless's point, I supported the nature-based solutions. On the 40,000 tonnes of seaweed, I believe we should protect, in so far as we can, our resources in that regard. I think the Deputy still supports the harvesting of seaweed but more for the local community as opposed to anybody else. It is a local economic approach as opposed to a climate approach. That is fair enough. That seems to be the view. I will check where the coastal management strategy is. I have asked the Department in terms of coastal protection, and I discussed this recently with local authorities, OPW and the various Government Departments, to make sure we have a lead in that and get working on it.
I appreciate Deputy Cleere's positive commentary in relation to the roads programme for Carlow and Kilkenny, including the N25, N24, the Callan bypass, the quay in Thomastown and the south Kilkenny upgrade as well. The Deputy raised the issue of the flooding and the impact of that. I have spoken to the Minister for Transport and the officials in that Department, saying that a lot of roads have been damaged by the floods and asking them to tell the local authorities to get on with it and start repairing them. There are estimates coming in but there are roads needing immediate repairs to make them traversable and so on. We will keep pursuing that. Obviously, those projects are ones the Deputy is going to see through to the end and I appreciate that.
I will say to Deputy Tóibín that it is not the norm to be derogatory about former Ministers and people who have served in the House.
I was not derogatory.
I thought Deputy Tóibín's comments on former Minister, Noel Dempsey, were not really warranted because no matter what-----
I was not derogatory about the poor fella.
No matter what Deputy Tóibín's perspective is, I think he was a very effective Minister nationally.
I just said he promised it and it is not done.
Yes, and it is going to happen.
It is 42 years, Taoiseach, from concept to completion.
Deputy Tóibín-----
It is not 42 years. To nail it all on Noel Dempsey is a bit rich.
Even for yourselves, that is so slow.
In fairness, that project is progressing and will happen because of this Government and the previous one, in particular, and because we are in the position to allocate money to it and get it going. That is an important point as well in terms of the scale of the investment that will be required.
There is no money being ringfenced.
I would think Deputy Tóibín would pay tribute what the former Deputy and Minister, Noel Dempsey, did for road safety. He was a singularly impactful Minister in that regard. He saved a lot of lives, even though many in the House at the time disagreed with him on the measures he took.
Deputy O'Hara spoke about wind energy guidelines. I will engage with the Minister. I am hoping he will have those by the end of the year. I will come back to him. There is a lot of pressure on that unit in the Department in respect of the exemptions from planning guidelines, rural housing guidelines and onshore wind guidelines.
I do not have the specifics for Deputy Ó Murchú. I know he has raised the communal heating system.
It was biomass and gas-fired. We just need to replace them and to have flexibility and funding.
Deputy Ó Murchú-----
I get you. I hear you. Flexibility and funding is a great line.
We are 18 minutes over time on this particular group of questions. The next group is Questions Nos. 20 to 39 and we must conclude that-----
Deputy McGuinness is waiting for an answer.
One second. We will finish that group at 4.20 p.m.
I am sorry but the Taoiseach did not give Deputy McGuinness a response.
Energy prices are not just an Irish issue but are European one as well. In fact, we discussed it at the informal competitiveness council last week and it will be discussed at the March European Council and the President of the Commission will be bringing some ideas around that. We tackled that a number of years ago. The problem is the connection to the price of gas. Renewables should decrease. Renewables are the cheapest form of energy - of that, there is no question - and fossil fuels are the most expensive. Nuclear is between the two.
We now move to Questions Nos. 20 to 39.
National Economic and Social Council
20. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach for his response to the NESC report, Building a Virtuous Demographic Cycle. [10453/26]
21. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach for his response to the NESC report, Building a Virtuous Demographic Cycle. [10455/26]
22. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Taoiseach his response to the NESC report, Connecting People to the Energy Transition. [11617/26]
23. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Taoiseach his assessment and response to the NESC report, Connecting People to the Energy Transition. [68210/25]
24. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Taoiseach his assessment of and response to the NESC report, Connecting People to the Energy Transition. [11848/26]
25. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Taoiseach his assessment of and response to the NESC report, Connecting People to the Energy Transition. [68309/25]
26. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Taoiseach his response to the recent NESC report, Building A Virtuous Demographic Cycle. [3792/26]
27. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Taoiseach his response to the recent NESC report, Building A Virtuous Demographic Cycle. [3794/26]
28. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Taoiseach his response to the recent NESC report, Building A Virtuous Demographic Cycle. [3796/26]
29. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Taoiseach his assessment and response to the NESC report, Connecting People to the Energy Transition. [4031/26]
30. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Taoiseach his response to the recent NESC Report, Building A Virtuous Demographic Cycle. [4039/26]
31. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Taoiseach his assessment and response to the NESC report, Connecting People to the Energy Transition. [7830/26]
32. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Taoiseach his assessment of and response to the NESC report, Connecting People to the Energy Transition. [7899/26]
33. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Taoiseach his assessment of and response to the NESC report, Connecting People to the Energy Transition. [7900/26]
34. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Taoiseach his assessment of and response to the NESC report, Connecting People to the Energy Transition. [9925/26]
35. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach his assessment and response to the NESC report, Connecting People to the Energy Transition. [9966/26]
36. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Taoiseach his assessment and response to the NESC report, Connecting People to the Energy Transition. [12293/26]
37. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Taoiseach his assessment and response to the NESC report, Connecting People to the Energy Transition. [12358/26]
38. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach his response to the recent NESC report, Building A Virtuous Demographic Cycle. [12466/26]
39. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach his assessment of and response to the NESC report, Connecting People to the Energy Transition. [12467/26]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 to 39, inclusive, together.
The National Economic and Social Council, NESC, advises me on strategic policy issues relating to sustainable, economic, social and environmental development in Ireland. The last two significant NESC reports published and submitted to Government were council report No.170, Connecting People to the Energy Transition, and NESC report No.171, Building a Virtuous Demographic Cycle.
The NESC report No. 170 was submitted to the Government last August. It examines how households can share in the economic, environmental and well-being benefits of the energy transition, while protecting the most vulnerable from negative impacts. In the report, NESC outlines five areas of action: energy affordability; energy poverty; monitoring and targeting; scaling energy efficiency and clean heat; helping households reap electricity benefits; place-based energy resilience and local production; and strengthening energy connections. The council concludes that households and communities can potentially play a very significant and immediate role in making energy savings, generating renewable energy and building energy resilience if they are enabled to do so.
The Government is committed to building Ireland's energy resilience and ending energy poverty. We are working at speed to roll out more renewable energy infrastructure, onshore and offshore wind and solar panels. This is already helping to bring down the cost of electricity and is a long term solution to high energy bills.
We are making it easier for people to improve their energy efficiency and produce their own energy, with a range of grants to install solar PV panels on homes, businesses and farms, with budget 2026 providing a record capital allocation of €558 million for SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes. The Government has already acted on that commitment through measures introduced in budget 2026, including the extension of the 9% VAT rate currently applied to electricity and gas, to the end of 2030 and an increase in the fuel allowance payment by €5 to €38 per week, equating to a 15% increase from January 2026. This will provide an additional €140 to over 460,000 recipients during the annual fuel allowance season. The payment has also been expanded to include those in receipt of the working family payment.
In addition, the Government has extended the €400 income tax disregard for households involved in microgeneration for a further three years to the end of 2028. It is important to note that the Department of Social Protection can also provide support through the additional needs payment to help households meet expenses, including those who face difficulties with fuel bills. The Government is working at speed to roll out more renewable energy infrastructure, onshore and offshore wind and solar panels. This is already helping to bring down the cost of electricity and is the long term solution to high energy bills. The Government is also making it easier for people to improve their energy efficiency and produce their own energy with a range of grants to install solar PV panels on homes, businesses and farms.
In 2026, a record capital allocation of €640 million, including €550 million from carbon tax receipts, will support the SEAI's residential and community energy upgrade schemes, including the solar PV scheme. This means that more funding than ever will be available to make homes warmer, healthier, more comfortable and less expensive to heat. Analysis carried out by DCEE and the SEAI indicates that a household can save between €750 and €1,120 per year by installing a deep package of measures.
Among other things, the report deals with the issue of energy poverty. It might be of interest to the Taoiseach to know that disability groups, pensioner groups, trade unions and many others, as part of the recently established Affordable Ireland Campaign, will hold a major protest on 28 February. At the centre of that is a demand that this Government brings in an emergency winter payment, even at this late stage, and beyond that, cost-of-disability payments.
Energy poverty is at the centre of it and how vulnerable people, older people and people with disabilities get particularly hard hit and have been particularly hard hit during the winter months. The removal of the energy credits and the lack of action by the Government on the profiteering of energy companies is resulting in energy poverty. What will the Taoiseach say to people suffering from energy poverty?
The energy transition is not happening, is it? A total of 80% of our energy comes from fossil fuels. It is not because ordinary people are not making efforts to make changes in their lives, put on solar panels and retrofit their houses and so on. The central reason is that data centre usage of electricity has ballooned by more than 400% in the past ten years and it is on a trajectory to rise even faster. Even though renewable capacity is being added to the grid, all of that is being swallowed up by big tech.
That is not just a problem for our climate. It is causing ordinary people's bills to go higher and higher. It is adding to the cost-of-living crisis. This year, people's electricity bills will 10% higher than they were last year. Almost 300,000 people are in arrears on their electricity bills. All of that is to satisfy the big tech corporations. It is time to stop and it is time listen to the likes of the Friends of the Earth and provide an energy guarantee scheme and it is time for people to be on the streets on 28 February with the Affordable Ireland Campaign.
A serious structural barrier has emerged in the transition to electric vehicles, EVs, that Government policy is yet to confront. Large numbers of people, particularly those in apartments, terraced houses and rented accommodation, have no driveway and, under current circumstances, they are precluded from installing a home charger. On-street charging schemes remain extremely limited and subject to inconsistent rules across local authorities. In many parts of the country, residents are simply told that no programme exists and installations are not permitted. That lack of flexibility is no longer sustainable if we are serious about EV uptake.
Public charging is not a viable substitute for EV owners. It is now significantly more expensive than home charging and would leave many households paying a permanent premium just to play their part in the transition. That creates a grossly unequal shift to EVs, based on housing circumstances. The recent report from the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, stresses the need for an inclusive transition. When will the Government publish a clear national plan for residential EV charging for households without driveways?
I would like to focus on two key themes in the NESC report: energy resilience and energy sharing. In light of the particularly adverse weather, it is important that for events we have experienced and will increasingly experience, we guarantee generators to communities so communities can respond, which is clearly identified in the report.
On energy sharing, within the electricity markets directive, there is a clear emphasis on trying to support communities in self-generating and sharing their own electricity and for individuals and organisations who microgenerate electricity to be able to share that. This report highlights that we have not gone far enough in Ireland in this regard and I would like to know what measures the Government will take to address that.
We are losing millions every single week due to dispatch down and curtailment. At the energy committee, we are constantly pushing to future-proof our grid, long duration energy storage, LDES, and private wire legislation as something to stop this. Recently, I visited at a solar farm, which has to turn off at 12 noon due to curtailment. This needs to be brought in and fast-tracked.
Speaking of climate and energy, we have seen flooding across the country. Last week, I raised the north city arterial main, NCAM, project. After I raised the project with the Taoiseach, somehow I got a meeting with Uisce Éireann. In that meeting, I asked for meaningful consultation with residents with additional needs, a clear timeline for each phase of the works, traffic management that reflects the commuting patterns in north Dublin and access protection for residents, schools and businesses. This would not happen on the other side of the River Liffey.
The lack of consultation with people with disabilities is a fundamental failure. A constituent of mine, Mark, has additional needs and is effectively trapped because of the cancellation of the H3 service. I was just texting his mother there. This cannot happen. People in north Dublin understand these works are needed but there were no leaflet drops in areas where people will be affected. I asked Uisce Éireann for a key number of leaflets that were dropped for north Dublin residents. It is still to come back to me on what houses were dropped. These works affect the entirety of north Dublin and they need to be properly brought out to the residents so we know what is happening.
Despite accounting for just 2% of the national landmass, County Offaly is on course to provide approximately 30% of the energy needed to power the country, including 1 GW each from wind and solar. At the moment, we supply 11% of the country's power. Last month, Offaly was the largest wind energy provider in the country. That is a very significant national contribution. Yet, Offaly remains 10% below the national average for disposable income and it is important that the communities driving this transition are supported to share in the prosperity it can bring. At a time when international investors and multinational employers are seeking locations that can provide carbon neutral and cost-effective energy, Offaly is uniquely positioned to attract major enterprise and long-term employment. Will the Taoiseach confirm the Government will match Offaly's national contribution with full support for local infrastructure and investment needed to ensure the county secures the economic benefits of helping to power Ireland's future?
The NESC report states that Ireland is facing an ageing population over the next number of decades, with declining birth rates and a growing older population. One of the recommendations of the report is that research be carried out into the motives that affect demography, such as the decision to have a baby or to emigrate. We do not a report to tell us that. Every day, I see the vast numbers of young people in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and in Canada, the US, the UK and everywhere in between who have chosen to emigrate to make a life for themselves there rather than settling at home and having a family. This issue is particularly affecting rural Ireland because we cannot build rural, one-off homes to the extent we need.
We need to relax rural planning, allow us to build in rural areas and scrap the development contribution that is nothing more than a tax for the privilege of building on our own land. If we address those issues, we can build more houses in rural Ireland and get young people back home and back in to rural Ireland, raising our families for our schools, our clubs and so much more.
In fairness this was brought up earlier as regards energy poverty. There is an acceptance by Government that there is a need for a payment relating to the cost of disability. It was provided for last year. A review process is ongoing.
It is unfortunate that it is necessary for the Affordable Ireland Campaign coalition to come together and for that protest to happen on 28 February but we need action now. It is not much good for people who cannot afford to pay for heating at this point in time. They cannot afford to get a wheelchair charged and have to make decisions like that.
We really need a short-term measure before we get the other one, and that is before we deal with the CRU and dealing with energy issues.
Deputy Boyd Barrett was first into the fray in terms of the winter payment and so forth. The Government took a lot of measures on energy in the budget, for example, reducing the VAT rate to 9% and keeping it there until 2030, including the working family payment in the fuel allowance and increasing the fuel allowance by €5 so that there are a very substantial number of people now benefiting. There are approximately 450,000 recipients of the fuel allowance now.
The Deputy seems to support the energy credit as well. He is supporting millionaires getting the energy credit.
No. Get them on tax.
The left wing in this country never ceases to amaze me.
Get them on tax.
We do. We have the most progressive tax system. We have, by any yardstick-----
Income tax, but all the other stuff.
-----which is quite substantial and effective.
The bottom line anyway is that we are targeting the resources at those who need it most. I accept there is pressure on energy. Of that, there is not doubt, but to keep doing €2 billion to €3 billion in one-off payments is not sustainable. One third of our revenue is corporate tax. That may not last forever. We need to embed measures into the permanent budget, which is what we did beginning in the budget. There is huge investment in infrastructure and investment in the retrofitting programme - the biggest budget ever. We are supporting fuel poverty and investing in other areas as well to try to reduce the pressure on people, and in terms of other income disregards for microgeneration, etc.
On Deputy Paul Murphy's questions, again, there were great sound bites that the Government is sort of swallowed up by big tech and we are doing this for big tech. Whether he likes it or not, the digital economy will require data centres into the future. I do not know how we are going to do it otherwise. Equally, when the Deputy casually talks about big tech, they employ. That is not why we are doing, by the way. Our fundamental agenda is always to support workers and to support good quality jobs in this country. The Deputy dismisses it all of the time. He really could not care less about how many thousands of people are working in technology companies in this country.
In my own city of Cork, Apple employs 6,000 people. Is the Deputy dismissing them as big tech?
No.
Yes, the Deputy is.
The Taoiseach knows I am not.
I do not know it.
The Taoiseach knows I am not.
The Deputy deliberately disingenuously goes on that we are doing it for big tech.
"Disingenuous".
Six thousand are employed in one company alone in the city of Cork. Thousands are employed all over the country in technology companies.
How many in data centres?
I am not talking about them. Sorry, a lot of those companies-----
I was talking to the Taoiseach about data.
The Deputy cannot disassociate or segregate all of that.
That is the whole point of data. Data centres can be anywhere.
The Deputy cannot do that. Then AI is next on the agenda.
Exactly.
We cannot miss out. We have to manage it. We have to harness it. We have to develop it and we are. We are investing up to €18 billion in PR6 to increase grid capacity. We are investing in interconnectors as well and seeking further grid connections, with the Continent as well as with the United Kingdom, to try to support what we are doing.
Renewables are making a very sizeable contribution.
It is 20%.
Some days it can be 50% of electricity generation in this country. The Deputy knows that too but that is a figure that he will never reference.
Deputy Quaide raised the transition to EVs. He has left the House. Members keep going around in circles because on another day, they support proposals where people do not even have cars outside houses at this stage. This is a challenge. There is no easy answer. In some new developments that I have seen in cities, the presumption is that people will not need a car at all. No car parking is provided for in the planning. It is a challenge we need to revisit in terms of people's lives and decisions that people make.
In response to Deputy Malcolm Byrne, we are providing generators to communities, and to community hubs in particular. The procurement started with the Departments of social and community affairs.
On the European system and the grid system-----
Microgeneration.
Yes. We are also progressing that. The Deputy also asked about communities generating and sharing themselves. That is something we have to progress better.
Deputy Heneghan raised the same. There are issues there. The private wires legislation is moving fast. I cannot get into leaflet dropping by a State agency, but it should do it properly and it should look after the public and make sure they are well sorted.
Public representatives should know it is going in.
Deputy McCormack said Offaly is leading the way. It is a powerful set of statistics. Everybody in the House is probably not aware of the degree to which Offaly is becoming a powerhouse. Bord na Móna is a big factor here. We will have further developments on that front, and investments.
It is time that foreign direct investment and IDA Ireland looked at what Offaly has to offer. Contrary to what Deputy Paul Murphy is saying, there is real potential for energy parks and an alternative new economy with Bord na Móna as a catalyst and, as a significant State agency, to leverage its land assets and what it has to try to generate a new economy and new jobs for Offaly more generally. This is something that is potentially very positive and we should keep at it.
Deputy O'Meara raised the rural house guidelines. I have been pressing the Minister in that regard. I said earlier that unit in that Department has a lot on, but the rural house guidelines are very important. I will look at the development levies issue. The more important thing is to get the guidelines to enable people to build on their land. There is a lot better technology nowadays in terms of how to deal with wastewater, etc.
Deputy Ó Murchú also raised the cost of disability. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, is working on that and he will have proposals for the next budget in that respect. A lot of detailed work has to happen on this; it is not simple.
I accept that, but there is need for an emergency measure because people are under severe pressure.