Paul Murphy
Ceist:135. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will comment on his plans for decarbonising zones in 41 local authority areas nationally. [47195/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 23 June 2026
Ceisteanna (135, 136, 137)
Paul Murphy
Ceist:136. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he plans to fund local authorities to support decarbonising zones as a core pillar of local authority climate action strategies. [47196/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraPaul Murphy
Ceist:137. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to confirm the funding that has been allocated to local authorities to develop decarbonising zones since they were first proposed by Government. [47197/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 135, 136 and 137 together.
In 2022, my Department approved funding for local authorities to develop and implement their Local Authority Climate Action Plans (LA CAPs) over three phases. Since 2022, almost €19m has been paid to local authorities to deliver their LA CAPs, and annual funding of €5.8m will continue until the end of 2028.
Statutory LA CAP Guidance issued to all local authorities in March 2023 and required each local authority to select a Decarbonising Zone (DZ) in its local climate plan, with specific DZ guidance provided, to be adopted by the elected members. There are 41 Decarbonising Zones across the country, each with related DZ actions or a Register of Opportunities per local authority.
My Department has established a new fund of €1.8m in 2026 to assist local authorities with their DZs - the DZ Demonstrator Fund. The fund provides all local authorities with specific, ringfenced funding to advance projects within their DZs. The fund is now live and all Chief Executives were notified of this on 12 June last and provided the Fund Specifications.
In addition, a new €2.5m European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) DZ Scheme has been set up for the eligible nine local authorities in the northern and western region. My Department is committing €1m of this funding. 17 DZ projects have been selected through an evaluation process and all counties have at least one successful project. Projects will support the two selected ERDF action areas: Climate adaptation and disaster risk and resilience; and the Protection and preservation of nature, biodiversity, and green infrastructure. All local authorities in the region have been notified of the outcome.
A call recently opened under the EU Just Transition Fund: START (Supporting a Sustainable Transition through Climate Action for a Resilient Territory Scheme). Local authorities across the eight eligible counties of the Wider Midlands Region can apply for funding for capital projects and feasibility studies, with a total fund value of €30m. Funding can be used county wide (or parts of counties in Tipperary, Kildare and Galway) including to advance projects in DZs.
My Department funds the four Climate Action Regional Offices (CAROs) which were set up to support local authorities to coordinate and deliver climate action and to develop their LA CAPs and DZs. Since 2018, the CAROs have been allocated €2m per annum and this increased to €2.4m in 2026. My Department also provides €500,000 in annual funding to the Local Authority Climate Action Training Programme which includes specific training to support local authorities with their LA CAPs and DZs.
My Department also facilitates an inter-departmental and inter-agency DZ Advisory Group, in collaboration with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), to assist local authorities with their DZs at the national level. It was also successful in securing funding for an ESPON Targeted Analysis project (ITADZ) to assess the DZ policy impact.
Question No. 136 answered with Question No. 135.
Question No. 137 answered with Question No. 135.