Written Answers Nos. 258-270
258. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide an update on the social climate plan; the timeline for publication; if he anticipates that Ireland will be able to access the social climate fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14925/26]
View answerMy Department is preparing Ireland's Social Climate Plan in close consultation with the European Commission and relevant Departmental stakeholders. An Inter-Departmental Working Group has been convened to support the development of the Plan.
In line with the requirements of the Regulation, a public event on the draft Plan, co-hosted by my Department and the European Commission, will be held in the coming months. At this event, information will be shared on the contents of the draft Plan as well as detail on how the consultation process completed last year fed into the design of the draft. Following the event, a final draft Plan will be submitted to Government for approval. It will then be submitted to the European Commission for final approval. It is anticipated that the schedule for the drawdown of funding from the Social Climate Fund will be included in the final submission of the Social Climate Plan.
The Deputy may wish to note that, as of 20 February 2026, in total five Member States have submitted Plans to the European Commission of which just one Member State has had its Plan approved.
259. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the communications he has had with other Departments about the possibility of missing EU climate and energy targets that would result in large fines, and the additional measures he is considering to achieve those targets and avoid future fines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14975/26]
View answerIreland has committed to meeting climate and energy targets under EU legislation including but not limited to: Effort Sharing Regulation; Land Use Land Use Change and Forestry Regulation; Renewable Energy Directive; and the Energy Efficiency Directive. Our objective is to comply by taking the necessary domestic actions, but there are a variety of compliance options available to Member States across the respective instruments.
My officials regularly communicate with other Government Departments on compliance costs bilaterally and through the Senior Officials Group on Climate Action, Environment and Energy. A sub-group focusing on cost of compliance has met, and the membership includes: Department of the Taoiseach; Department of Finance; Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation; Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; and my Department.
Our focus remains on achieving the necessary emissions reductions in Ireland by continuing to invest in transformational measures that will decarbonise our economy. Work remains ongoing across Government Departments to carry out climate mitigation efforts every day, and the rollout of retrofitting, renewable energy deployment, and more affordable electric vehicles continues at pace.
We are making significant strides toward our target of 80% renewable energy by 2030 and we are now prioritising the development of offshore wind capacity. This Government has approved an unprecedented investment of €18.9 billion in Grid for the period 2026 – 2030 which is fundamental to the electrification of homes, businesses and transport. The 2025 ZEVI target for electrical vehicle sales of 195,000 was surpassed in October 2025.
In line with our Programme for Government commitment, enhanced implementation governance arrangements to support accelerated climate action delivery, have been put in place in 2025 to streamline structures, ensure key strategic projects are supported and that corrective action is taken quickly where delivery is at risk.
260. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his plans to reduce reliance on fossil fuels to achieve climate objectives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14976/26]
View answerAs set out in the Programme for Government, this Government is committed to delivering on Ireland’s responsibility to address the climate crisis. Ireland now has the lowest level of GHG emissions in 35 years, despite the concurrent unprecedented demographic and economic growth including an increase of approximately 1.5 million people, more than one million new homes and over one million extra vehicles on our roads.
We are currently undergoing a renewables-led energy transformation and making significant strides in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. The Programme for Government has reaffirmed Ireland’s targets of 80% of electricity demand to be met by renewables in the near term, with plans to fully decarbonise Ireland's energy supply by 2050. Renewables play an important role in supporting economic and population growth as we increasingly electrify our economy, build new energy efficient homes, and attract foreign direct investment in.
Ireland is due to reach 8 GW of renewable electricity generation capacity installed this week, an addition of approximately 5 GW of new renewable electricity generation capacity in just ten years, including doubling our wind capacity and establishing solar energy as a major pillar of our electricity supply. The 2025 Energy in Ireland Report showed renewables made up 41.3% of Ireland’s electricity fuel mix in 2024, the highest share of renewables to date. The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) is Ireland’s flagship support scheme for grid-scale renewable electricity generators and the five auctions to date have been key drivers of Ireland’s renewables success story so far. The next RESS auction, RESS 6, is expected to take place later this year.
There are presently five Phase One Offshore wind developments, all of which are being progressed through the planning system. The ORESS Tonn Nua offshore wind auction was successfully concluded last November, and this project will deliver enough clean electricity to power one million homes. Last year, I announced the acceleration of the National Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) for offshore renewable energy which will identify sites for additional renewable energy development.
This Government is prioritising grid upgrades which will facilitate further deployment of renewables and enable the electrification of homes, businesses and transport and it has approved an unprecedented investment of €18.9 billion in Grid for the period 2026 – 2030.
We are also seeing rapid progress in other sectors; the 2025 ZEVI target for electrical vehicle sales of 195,000 was surpassed in October 2025 and home retrofitting is scaling up with supports improving to bring more people in, especially those at risk of energy poverty. In January, I announced The National Residential Retrofit Plan which will revise and improve the provision of grants and financing models for homeowners who wish to retrofit, enhancing energy efficiency and reducing costs, while ensuring all grants and schemes are accessible to older people in our community. By promoting retrofitting, renewable heating, and solar energy, we will make homes warmer, cheaper to heat, and less reliant on fossil fuels, and in doing so maximising emissions abatement and contributing towards climate progress.
261. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the number of persons that are in arrears; and the number that have been cut off over the last five years, per county. [15037/26]
View answerRegulation of retail energy markets is solely a matter for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) since the enactment of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 and subsequent legislation. However, officials from my Department correspond with the CRU on an ongoing basis to track developments in retail and wholesale energy markets.
The CRU releases market monitoring data monthly to my Department, including items such as estimated annual bills for households and the number of households in payment arrears on their electricity and gas bills. The most recent of these releases, which is at the link below, includes the most up-to-date estimated annual bills and the latest available data on the number of customers in arrears. As arrears data operates with a two-month time lag due to the way suppliers report these figures to the CRU, the latest arrear data is for November 2025.
262. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the number of data centres there are in operational and in planning stage, by county, and by size and if their usage is monitored; and if so, the usage. [15038/26]
View answerWhile the Department has no direct function in capturing and recording this information and figures can also vary depending on how data centres are classified, publicly available information indicates there are in the order of 90 data centre facilities operating in Ireland with the vast majority in the Greater Dublin Area.
However, there are a number of forthcoming measures which will provide greater insight. Reporting obligations related to this information on data centres has recently been introduced by the EU, pursuant to Article 12 of the Energy Efficiency Directive 2023/1791 (‘EED’) and its delegated Regulation 2024/1364, for the annual monitoring and publication on key performance indicators on energy use and sustainability.
Currently overseen by my Department, data centre operators in Ireland are reporting this information to a confidential European database which will be made publicly available by the European Commission in-line with the delegated regulation. My Department is also finalising the transposition of the provisions of Article 12 which requires operators to make this information publicly available, subject to Union and national law protecting trade and business secrets and confidentiality.
Planning, building, safely operating and maintaining the electricity system are functions which are assigned to the respective Distribution and Transmission System Operators, who are independent of me as Minister in the exercise of their respective functions. They are accountable to the independent regulator, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. As such the Deputy may wish to engage with these organisations directly in terms of the details sought. ESB and EirGrid may be contacted via email at oireachtas@esb.ie and oireachtas@eirgrid.com.
263. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the steps he is taking to make it easier for customers to change energy suppliers; the way in which he is combating suppliers making this process unnecessarily difficult and preventing an authorised third party from acting on a customer’s behalf; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15147/26]
View answerSwitching energy providers in Ireland's competitive market can lead to households potentially saving hundreds of euros annually by switching from standard tariffs to the cheapest deals. Greater levels of switching between electricity providers increases competitiveness in the market which in turn pushes prices down as suppliers compete for customers. Regular switching, ideally every 12 months, helps customers access discounted rates and avoid the higher standard rates offered after introductory periods.
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) advises that accredited price comparison websites can be used to help consumers get the best deal. More information around the switching process can be found here: www.cru.ie/consumer-information/switch-supplier/
The CRU monitors and publishes switching reports and runs an information campaign each year to promote switching. Growing public awareness of the cost savings associated with switching, and of the potential to save money through switching to a time-of-use tariff and switching consumption to off-peak periods, has the potential to reduce a households’ energy bills.
The most recent Report is available at cruie-live-96ca64acab2247eca8a850a7e54b-5b34f62.divio-media.com/documents/CRU202609_Change_of_Supplier_November_2025_Report.pdf. This shows that over 90,500 households switched electricity suppliers during October and November of last year.
The CRU Electricity and Gas Supplier Handbook sets out the Code of Practice on billing and the requirements placed on suppliers. In particular, suppliers must ensure that the consumption information provided to the customer for the current billing period should be made available for comparison on an aggregate basis for the same billing period in the previous year, where there is sufficient historical billing information to provide such a comparison.
Additionally, the Deputy may wish to note that the CRU provide a dedicated email address for Oireachtas members which enables them to raise day to day questions on regulatory matters directly to the CRU at oireachtas@cru.ie for timely direct reply.
264. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will review matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); if he will outline any supports, schemes or interventions available in such circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15657/26]
View answerMy Department funds a number of grant schemes administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to support homeowners improve the energy efficiency of their buildings, and to promote the adoption of renewable energy systems. The schemes offer grants for individuals who can afford to contribute to the cost of upgrades as well as free energy upgrades for people at risk of energy poverty.
The SEAI operate their schemes within a specified governance framework with a set of rules determining eligibility for grant support. This includes ensuring that the contractor is registered for the type of work that they are carrying out and have grant approval in place before works commence.
The general rule is that all homeowners of dwellings built and occupied before 2011 are eligible for the schemes (pre-2021 for solar PV and heat pumps) - see section 4.1 of the Better Energy Homes Homeowner Application Guide Homeowner-Application-Guide.pdf in this regard. Hence, new constructions are not eligible.
This is because new homes are required to meet modern standards of energy efficiency as specified in the Near Zero Energy Building (NZEB) requirements for new dwellings which were introduced into the Building Regulations at Part L. Grant funding to improve energy performance is available for existing homes because these homes are not required to meet the most up to date NZEB Building Regulations.
Following Government approval last month, I have published a new National Residential Retrofit Plan with an enhanced set of measures to increase the delivery of home energy upgrades. The new measures announced include new and enhanced attic and cavity wall insulation grants, an enhanced heat pump system grant, as well as grants for windows and doors, in line with eligibility requirements and scheme terms and conditions.
Homeowners can check eligibility on the new grants on the SEAI website at: Energy Efficient Homes - Home Energy Upgrades And Grants | SEAI or by contacting the SEAI via email at: info@betterenergyhomes.ie
265. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Defence the total number of buildings leased by her Department, or bodies or agencies under its aegis, during 2025; the total cumulative sum paid under these leases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14016/26]
View answerThe total number of buildings leased by my Department during 2025 was four (4). These buildings were used by the Reserve Defence Force. The total cumulative sum paid for those leases in 2025 was €93,720.01.
266. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Defence the total number of medical assessments completed for the PDF and RDF, by year, and medical assessment location such as (St. Bricin’s, Cork, Athlone, or other relevant individual facility); the number of formal medical appeals submitted by applicants in each of those years, by the original medical assessment facilities; the outcomes of those medical appeals, specifying the number that were successful (upheld) and the number that were unsuccessful, categorised by medical assessment facility, in each of the years 2023 to 2025 and to-date in 2026, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14183/26]
View answerThe information sought by the Deputy has been requested from military authorities, who have indicated that it has not been possible to collate the data within the time frame available. I will revert to the Deputy when the information has been provided.
|
|
|
|
Appeals to Medical Classification |
|
Year |
No. of Appeals |
Appeal Location |
Appeals Upheld |
|
2023 |
30 |
1 Bde – 21 2 Bde – 9 |
0 |
|
2024 |
22 |
1 Bde – 18 2 Bde – 3 NS – 1 |
4 |
|
2025 |
13 |
1 Bde – 9 2 Bde – 2 DFTC – 1 NS – 1 |
4 |
|
2026 |
5 |
2 Bde – 3 DFTC – 1 NS – 1 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
Appeals to ‘X’ Grade Classification |
|
Year |
No. of Appeals |
Appeal Location |
Appeals Upheld |
|
2023 |
27 |
1 Bde – 12 2 Bde – 12 DFTC – 3 |
0 |
|
2024 |
21 |
1 Bde – 5 2 Bde – 12 DFTC – 2 NS – 2 |
0 |
|
2025 |
16 |
1 Bde – 3 2 Bde – 7 DFTC – 3 Air Corps – 1 NS – 2 |
1 |
|
2026 |
1 |
2 Bde – 1 |
N/A |
267. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Defence to provide a list of all State agencies within her Department that allocate programme and project funding to section 39, section 56 and section 10 organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14387/26]
View answerThe public bodies operating within the aegis of the Defence Vote Group, comprising of the Defence and Army Pension Votes, include the Army Pensions Board, the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces, and the External Oversight Body of the Defence Forces (EOB).
The Army Pensions Board is an independent statutory body that adjudicates and reports on applications under the Army Pensions Acts for disability pensions by ex-members of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF).
The Ombudsman for the Defence Forces was established under the Ombudsman (Defence Forces) Act 2004 and serves as an Office of Independent external review for existing and former members of the Defence Forces.
The External Oversight Body of the Defence Forces was formally established on a statutory footing from 1st December 2024 following the publication of the report of the Independent Review Group (IRG).
None of these bodies have a funding mandate and therefore do not provide programme or project funding to Section 10, Section 39 or Section 56 Organisations.
268. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Defence the State agencies within her Department that have made provision for the pension auto-enrolment payment as part of their allocation to funded organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14405/26]
View answerThere are three bodies under the aegis of my Department; the Army Pensions Board, the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces and the External Oversight Body of the Defence Forces (EOB), which was placed on a statutory basis on 1 December 2024.
I can confirm that the relevant provisions have been put in place for anyone that falls under the auto enrolment scheme. Relevant payment amounts associated with the auto enrolment scheme for members of the agencies under the aegis of my Department are processed through the Department’s payroll financial systems in accordance with the NAERSA requirements.
269. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Defence if she will ensure a local procurement requirement is implemented during the Government’s negotiations on Ireland’s military radar system with the French Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14529/26]
View answerEnsuring that the Defence Forces have access to reliable, sustainable and strategically important capabilities remains a core priority for this Government. In an increasingly complex security environment, considerations such as security of supply, supply-chain resilience and the long-term maintainability of critical equipment are central to defence capability planning. Defence procurement is therefore not solely focused on the acquisition of platforms or systems, but equally on ensuring that those capabilities remain serviceable and mission-ready throughout their full lifecycle.
My Department continues to keep all aspects of defence procurement policy under ongoing review. This includes exploring opportunities in areas such as maintenance, training, support and specialist technical services, where domestic expertise can complement major procurement programmes. This will also apply to negotiations on delivery of the Military Radar Programme. Any future developments in this space will be guided by operational requirements, value for money considerations, and the need to ensure the continued timely provision and sustainment of Defence Forces capabilities.
All procurement undertaken by the Department of Defence is conducted in accordance with national and EU procurement rules. Competitive tendering is used in line with national guidelines, the EU Defence and Security Procurement Directive, and the Office of Government Procurement procedures where relevant. In accordance with Circular 05/2023 from the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, all contracts above €50,000 (ex VAT) are advertised on the eTenders platform. Contracts exceeding EU thresholds, currently €140,000 for goods and services, and €432,000 for defence and security, are published in the Official Journal of the European Union. These processes ensure transparency, open competition and opportunities for Irish SMEs to participate fully in the Department’s ongoing procurement activities.
270. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Defence the number of outsourced services in the Defence Forces and the plans to bring them back in-house; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14547/26]
View answerThe Defence Forces have been requested to provide information on outsourced services in the Defence Forces.
As this request requires the collation, extrapolation, and evaluation of a significant amount of information within a short period of time, it will not be possible to reply within the timelines specified.
I will respond to the Deputy as soon as this information has been received and evaluated in full.
