I thank the Deputy for his amendment. I will focus first on what the amendment is about. Right now in our country, in the area for which I am responsible, our industrial emissions account for approximately 10% of our carbon emissions. Critically, we have a significant task to reduce emissions by 35% by 2030 and to get to a trajectory to achieve carbon neutrality, net zero, by 2050. In that process, we obviously work with significant companies and companies in our indigenous sector to ensure they are reducing their carbon emissions. We put together a €300 million environmental aid fund, working hand in glove with many businesses to reduce their emissions. We are trying to support them with consultancy on how to achieve that. The digital transition is a significant challenge to many sectors that also have to do work on reducing their carbon emissions.
Let us consider the smallest family businesses and what the local enterprise offices, LEOs, do with consultancy through our climate for business toolkit. That is exactly what we are trying to replicate. We want to do it in a fashion whereby it is not embroiled in red tape. We want to be able to act quickly in an agile fashion to support sectors to ensure they get the correct advice about the applications they should be bringing forward to reduce their carbon emissions. Work is now ongoing on environmental, social, and governance, ESG, and requirements for customers and supply chains. There are huge challenges in significant sectors to demonstrate to the wider public and their customer base that they are reducing their carbon emissions. That is the full intention of the amending Bill.
On the Deputy's wider concerns, we want to ensure that Irish SMEs can benefit from when our Defence Forces are increasing their capacity. There are, as the Deputy will be aware, exciting Irish companies operating in the cyberspace, space technology and maritime areas. There is considerable work ongoing in respect of the challenges we have with the infrastructure we are going to be putting offshore for renewables and with our subsea cables. We are doing work in maritime surveillance and counter-drone technology. All of those areas align with the vision of the Commission on the Defence Forces. Over the next number of years, I want to see Irish suppliers, jobs and companies benefit from that investment in our own country. What we are doing here is changing the procedure that delivers that. There is no policy change here whatsoever. We are changing the procedure in order that our State agencies do not have to go to Cabinet for approval every single time. That slows the process in the agencies' work to deal with the challenges in front of them.
The Deputy will also be aware of the significant increase in funding through the European Competitiveness Fund. That funding has increased by approximately 300%. There is now huge emphasis on resilience, security and defence. I again want to ensure, in non-combative ways, that Irish SMEs can benefit from those significant funds that will be enshrined in our Defence Forces. We saw the significant HSE cyberattack that was carried out. I do not want to lock out Irish SMEs from building their capacity and working at the forefront of our defences with those different technologies.
That is exactly where we are coming from. We are a neutral state and that policy has absolutely not changed. I am a firm believer in our neutrality, and always have been. That is obviously not on the agenda.
In relation to our engagement with the State of Israel, this Government has been recognised internationally as being at the very forefront in standing up for the vulnerable citizens in Gaza, including aid, the various steps we have done through the ICJ case, to recognising the State of Palestine and ensuring that we stood shoulder to shoulder with the international community in calling out the genocide that has been carried on and continues to be carried on by the IDF. We have been clear and are firmly of that view. We are bringing forward the occupied territories Bill, which again demonstrates the progress on that. Notwithstanding, that is not on the agenda. We are focusing very clearly on allowing our SMEs, Irish employees and indigenous sector benefit from investments in our Defence Forces in order that they do not have to go to overseas suppliers as they increase resilience, security and investment.
