Written Answers Nos. 132-142
132. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will address an issue regarding a CAP fund committee (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30559/24]
View answerThe Community Climate Action Programme (CCAP) aims to support and empower communities, in partnership with their Local Authority, to shape and build low carbon, sustainable communities in a coherent way to contribute to national climate and energy targets. The CCAP aims to support small and large, rural and urban communities to take climate action, and supports direct engagement with communities to this end. Strand 1/1a of this programme opened for applications from not-for-profit community groups in Local Authorities across the country in December 2023. Applications are now closed, Local Authorities making decisions based on evaluating the proposals.
Any project to protect the coastline in Kerry would have to have been put forward by a Kerry-based not-for-profit community group. It is then up to the Kerry County Council to evaluate the application. The projects are proposed by community groups and it will be up to the community groups to deliver their projects within the 18 months allowed in partnership with the Local Authorities. Community Climate Action Officers are in place in Local Authorities across the country to liaise with successful applicants and help to ensure project completion.
133. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will make a comprehensive statement regarding the corporate governance structure of a company (details supplied) involved in the plastic bottle recycling including information regarding senior management and CEO salary, the issue of distribution of profits within the company and retained refunds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30666/24]
View answerThe Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is an extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme, whereby producers are given responsibility for the collection and disposal of their products. My Department has already successfully introduced a number of EPRs for other consumer products, such as batteries, Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) and tyres.
As with the other EPRs, it is the responsibility of producers to establish and to nominate an operator of the scheme for approval by the Minister. All EPRs operate under minimum requirements set out in the Waste Management Act and in accordance with a Code of Corporate Governance developed for EPR schemes, which is published on the Department's website. Re-turn, the DRS operator, must also comply with the DRS Regulations and the terms and conditions set out in their approval, issued in accordance with those Regulations. It is also subject to the Companies Act 2014 and oversight by the Company Registration Office and the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement. Officials from my Department are in regular contact with Re-turn, including through weekly meetings and the provision of daily performance metrics.
Re-turn is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee set up by beverage producers to meet their obligations under the DRS Regulations. Re-turn is responsible for all operational and funding matters relating to the DRS. While I have no function in the business operations of this company, I am is satisfied that there are appropriate regulatory and administrative controls in place to monitor the performance of the Scheme.
To date, almost €47m has been refunded to consumers and Re-turn retains an open-ended liability to refund deposits to consumers, regardless of when the product was purchased. Any unclaimed deposits will be retained by Re-turn and will be reinvested in the scheme and recycling initiatives. Re-turn will also pay VAT to Revenue on unredeemed deposits.
134. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the Government charges that private waste collection companies are charged on an annual basis, from 2016 to date in 2024, broken down by relevant metric, in tabular form (details supplied). [30526/24]
View answerMy Department does not collect the data sought. Charges applied by waste management companies are matters for those companies and their customers, subject to compliance with all applicable environmental and other relevant legislation, including contract and consumer legislation. It is a condition of the permits under which waste collectors operate to charge fees which respect the polluter pays principle and incentivise the segregation of waste.
135. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on private waste collection companies increasing their charges in light of the establishment of the deposit return scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30527/24]
View answerThe introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for plastic bottles and aluminium cans is one of the most positive consumer behaviour initiatives to happen in this country for decades – similar to the plastic bags initiative, or the ban on harmful cigarette smoke in our workplaces.
Every day now, over 3 million plastic bottles and cans are being returned by consumers themselves, which is remarkable and testament to the success of the initiative.
In developing the DRS, my Department has engaged extensively with all stakeholders:
• The Department established a DRS sub-group of the national Waste Advisory Group with representatives from the producers, retailers, environmental NGOs and the waste sector. The minutes from those meetings are published on the Department’s gov.ie website.
• A public consultation was carried out in October 2020 on the potential models for a DRS. This consultation, along with copies of submissions received, has been published on the Department’s gov.ie website.
• A second public consultation was carried out in April 2021 on the proposed legislative framework and scope of the DRS. This consultation, along with copies of submissions received, has also been published on the Department’s gov.ie website.
Household waste collection in Ireland is mainly carried out by private companies – operating in a competitive market under a local authority permit system.
My Department is aware of concerns raised by the waste collection industry on the impact they claim the DRS is having on kerbside household recycling collection. It needs to be established if the impact on recyclables collectors’ revenues could be positive or negative. My Departmental officials are currently engaging with the Irish Waste Management Association (IWMA) and other stakeholders such as REPAK – to quantify what substantive impact, if any, the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will have on the waste collection system in Ireland over the longer term.
136. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to provide an update on the most recent engagement between the Environmental Protection Agency and the UK nuclear regulators, the ONR and the EA, since it was made aware of reported leaks from the Magnox swarf storage silo at the Sellafield nuclear plant in Cumbria in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30624/24]
View answerAs previously advised, the leak at the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS) facility at Sellafield was formally reported to the UK Environment Agency in November 2019. Since then, this matter has been reported on by the UK’s Environment Agency (EA) at the bi-annual meetings of the UK-Ireland Contact Group on Radiological Matters, including at its most recent meeting on 17 June 2024, which was hosted by the UK's Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Environment in London.
Furthermore, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains open and active communication with their regulatory counterparts in the UK, that is, the UK Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency (EA).
Based on the information provided by the UK authorities, the EPA considers that the leak poses a negligible risk to Ireland. However, the EPA will continue to engage with its counterparts in the UK with respect to the site and its regulation. The Agency will also continue to maintain a watching brief on the status of the MSSS leak and actions being taken with respect to it.
Through engagement with these UK counterparts and the relevant regulators, my Department and the EPA are being kept abreast of all developments at the site and satisfied with the level of co-operation being provided by the UK Authorities with regard to the facilities on the site.
137. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if the Environmental Protection Agency has future plans to expand the monitoring of permanent air quality testing systems on site in Drogheda south; if not, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30629/24]
View answerThe national air quality monitoring network is operated, maintained, and monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme (AAMP), which is funded by my Department. The EPA decide the most appropriate locations for monitors based on best practice and EU requirements, and questions in relation to proposed sites may be addressed to them directly.
A significant upgrade to the AAMP network was undertaken in recent years, funded by my Department. As a consequence, the number of monitoring stations has increased from 29 in 2017 to 116 today - three times greater than the number required under the EU Air Quality Directive.
All stations collect air quality data for a range of pollutants to provide information to the public, and for assessment against European legal limit values and World Health Organisation guideline values.
The AAMP is supported by a new air quality modelling and forecasting facility developed under the LIFE EMERALD project. This new facility fills in the map between monitoring stations reducing the need to further expand our monitoring network. Details of the locations of all monitoring stations currently in operation, along with real-time and historic data from each station, can be found at the website, www.airquality.ie.
The EPA produce an annual report on Air Quality which provides an overview of the quality of our air and key issues that impact upon it.
An updated AAQD is expected later this year and may require the installation of additional stations. This will be assessed by the EPA in due course.
Officials from my Department meet regularly with EPA colleagues to discuss the operation of, and findings from, the network so that they feed into future policy development through the implementation of the Clean Air Strategy to ensure that we meet the requirements set out in the strategy.
138. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide an update on the provision of fibre broadband to a property (details supplied). [30660/24]
View answerIreland's Digital Connectivity Strategy, published by my Department, sets ambitious targets, which include providing a Gigabit network to all households and businesses in Ireland by 2028 and access to 5G in all populated areas by 2030.
The National Broadband Plan (NBP) is the government's initiative to deliver high speed broadband services to all premises in Ireland.
The Question refers to a premises located in the AMBER area on the broadband map, which is available on my Department's website at www.gov.ie/en/publication/5634d-national-broadband-plan-map/. The AMBER area is to be served by the network deployed under the NBP State led intervention.
National Broadband Ireland (NBI) have advised that the premises in question is currently being added to the network and once updated on the system, the premises will be ready for service and able to place an order.
The latest information on when high-speed broadband will become available to this premises can be found on NBI website at nbi.ie/map/. This website is regularly updated providing the expected timeline for delivery and status of any works that are initiated at any point in time. NBI also has a dedicated email address, reps@nbi.ie, which can be used by Oireachtas members for specific queries.
139. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the projects that have been submitted for possible funding by Longford County Council under strand 1 of the Community Climate Action Fund Programme; and when an announcement on funding for the successful projects can be expected. [30727/24]
View answerMy Department sent an approval in principle letter to Longford County Council in relation to 14 projects under Strand 1 of the Community Climate Action Plan on 9 July 2024, indicating that these projects are aligned with the objectives of, and can be funded by, the Climate Action Fund. The Community Climate Action Officer in the Local Authority will now engage directly with the projects as part of the contracting phase. Once this phase is complete, successful projects are confirmed as moving into the delivery phase.
140. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if there have been discussions between the inland fisheries division and Inland Fisheries Ireland regarding the implementation of a full catch and release policy on all fish species, both native salmonids and invasive pike, throughout the Owenriff River catchment near Oughterard, County Galway, which spans not only Lough Corrib special area of conservation but also the Connemara bog complex special area of conservation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30751/24]
View answerNo such discussions have taken place between my Department and Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI). However I expect soon to receive, for my consideration, a comprehensive draft management plan from IFI for all waters within the Great Western Lakes including the Lough Corrib SAC. This plan will aim to address some of the many factors that impact on the ecological well-being and the status of native fish stocks in the catchments of the Great Western Lakes. Any decisions around the management of fish species in these waters will be taken following consideration of the plan.
In view of IFI's statutory remit and scientific expertise, my Department considers the advice of Inland Fisheries Ireland on the conservation of fish species nationally on an ongoing basis.
141. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he and the inland fisheries division will introduce legislation that reflects the stated position of the statutory body (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30752/24]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, to provide for the most robust, modern, comprehensive, and sustainable management of SAC designated waters, I had requested Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) the national authority for the protection, conservation and development of the inland fisheries resource, to prepare and submit to me a comprehensive draft management plan for all waters within the Great Western Lakes including the Corrib SAC. This Plan, aims to address some of the many factors that impact on the ecological well-being and the status of native fish stocks in the catchments of the Great Western Lakes.
Following a lengthy public consultation process, this plan was advanced through the Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment processes and a series of recommendations will be presented by IFI for my approval soon. Any legislative change that may be considered for SAC-designated waters will be done so in the context of this plan.
142. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if, in view of the strong concerns of householders, farmers and communities in counties Cavan, Monaghan and Meath to the present proposals regarding the proposed North-South interconnector, in particular about transmission cables being put overground, he will ensure that if the project proceeds, transmission cables are put underground, as proposed for other major energy projects in the European Union; if he will ensure that the concerns of local communities will be addressed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30772/24]
View answerThe North-South Interconnector is an essential 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.
In March 2023, Government noted and published an independent report into the project which concluded that it would not be feasible to run the North South interconnector underground, confirming that the findings of the 2018 report remained valid.
As a Transmission project it is being undertaken by EirGrid, which are independent of me as Minister, with EirGrid determining the means of delivery of the project and in doing so they seek to work in close collaboration with affected landowners and local communities. EirGrid have been and will continue to engage with the local communities affected by the development of the North South Interconnector. As Minister I do not have a role in the delivery of electricity infrastructure on the ground and this is in line with the 2012 Government Policy Statement on the Strategic Importance of Transmission and Other Energy Infrastructure which states: ‘The Government does not seek to direct EirGrid and ESB Networks or other energy infrastructure developers to particular sites or routes or technologies’.
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), which is an independent regulator, accountable to a committee of the Oireachtas and not myself as Minister have responsibility for the regulation of the Irish electricity sector, including the economic regulation of the system operators.
EirGrid are independent of myself as Minister in the exercise of their functions as Transmission System Operators. The CRU and EirGrid have respective contact email address for Deputies, of which they are aware, should they wish to raise matters of concern such as that raised in the question. In this instance EirGrid are the appropriate organisation to provide information regarding current status of the project and engagement with affected communities.
