Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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1. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on environment and climate change will next meet. [24005/24]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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2. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on environment and climate change will next meet. [26068/24]

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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3. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on environment and climate change will next meet. [26072/24]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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4. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on environment and climate change will next meet. [26276/24]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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5. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on environment and climate change will next meet. [26279/24]

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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6. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on environment and climate change will next meet. [27039/24]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 6, inclusive, together.

Climate change is among the most pressing global challenges of our time and addressing it is a central ambition of the Government. As a committed partner in global efforts to combat this shared threat, Ireland has adopted challenging emissions reduction targets at both EU and national levels. We also face our own domestic challenge of adapting to the climate changes we are already experiencing and the more severe changes that we know are coming.

The Cabinet committee on the environment and climate action oversees implementation of the programme for Government commitments in relation to the environment and climate change. The committee last met on 10 June and its next meeting will be scheduled shortly. The committee considers the wide range of issues that require action in Ireland's transition to a low-carbon, climate resilient and sustainable future. The Government will continue to be ambitious in these areas and will work with sectors, communities and households to ensure this transformation is done in a way that is both fair and collaborative. Much work has been done since 2020 and we are starting to see these efforts bear fruit through reductions in emissions. However, we still have a great distance to travel in the years ahead. The Cabinet committee will continue to oversee these efforts, including the implementation of the climate action plan as well as other environmental and energy commitments in the programme for Government.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Deputy Ó Murchú will respond on behalf of Deputy McDonald.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I want to bring up the issues of district heating and communal heating systems. This not the first time I have brought up the issue of Carlinn Hall in Dundalk. We talk about district heating systems and communal heating systems, which is what is there and which is operated off gas. Obviously, there are particular laws and planning changes that need to happen because I do not believe these are particularly good systems. To facilitate a switch to geothermal or a heat pump system, we need to look at the support scheme for renewable heating and at updating it.

With regard to delivering on district heating, I am told by experts in the field that there is a need to look at the support scheme for renewable heat, SSRH, and to update it, so that we can actually deliver what we want, which is a more perfect district heating system using waste heating, whether from pharmaceutical companies, distilleries or other industrial operations - making use of waste heat to deliver a solution for communities and residents. Hopefully, with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and a number of other stakeholders, we can get a solution for Carlinn Hall. I would like to think the Government would be involved and would be able to facilitate this into the future. We need to look at the SSRH.

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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Two weeks ago the Taoiseach gave me two commitments, the first being that he would personally contact the chief executive of Uisce Éireann to request a timeline for the resolution of the dirty water issue in Cork city. The second commitment was that he would discuss the matter with the Tánaiste. They say that a week is a long time in politics but it is a longer time again when one has discoloured water coming out of ones taps. Being a patient and courteous chap, I did not want to ask the Taoiseach for the report just one week later. Instead I waited the two weeks, which I am sure is a lifetime for a fellow like the Taoiseach, who is just brimming with new energy. Has the Taoiseach any updates for me and, more importantly, for my constituents on his dealings with Uisce Éireann and with his Tánaiste on a timeline for sorting the dirty water situation in Cork?

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The marine protected areas legislation has been on the priority legislation list for 20 months and it still has not even been published. The Minister of State, Deputy Malcolm Noonan, was asked about this in January of this year and he said it would be published in the first quarter. It still has not been published. Ireland has the lowest proportion of its marine environment protected of almost any country in Europe. Averages are 40% and some are at 50%, which is well in excess of the 30%. Ireland, however, has 9% of our marine area protected when there are very serious threats to marine life, marine biology and biodiversity. The biodiversity crisis is as urgent - or possibly even more urgent - than the climate crisis because if we destroy ecosystems in the ocean, we destroy the basis for human existence.

I want to know when that legislation will be published and an assurance that the reason it is not being done and we do not have the level of protection we need is that certain private developers have their eye on sensitive sites that almost certainly would be protected if we had the marine protected legislation. For example, there are the very sensitive sandbanks on the Kish Bank and the Codling Bank that are very rich spawning grounds for fish and so on. There are other similar sites that private developers have got their eyes on. The environment and biodiversity must come before the profits of private developers.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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International mining companies, including a subsidiary of the world's largest lithium producer, Ganfeng Lithium Corporation, are on the Taoiseach's doorstep in west Wicklow. They are prospecting for lithium and mapping for a mine at Moylisha Hill. Local people and campaigners I met are very worried about the impact this will have on the Wicklow Way, on biodiversity and on water quality. An aquifer that runs underneath Moylisha Hill supplies all local bore holes and rises at streams that feed into the Barrow and Slaney Rivers, and which go into local areas of conservation. The garden of Ireland cannot be allowed to become a sacrifice zone for mining companies. These same companies are responsible for huge environmental destruction in other countries, mostly in the global south, where they mine lithium.

4 o’clock

Will the Taoiseach intervene with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to have the licence that was granted to the company for lithium exploration withdrawn? Will he schedule a meeting with the Protect Moylisha Hill campaign group? I have to run to speak at another meeting but I will check the transcript for the reply. I thank the Taoiseach.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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The Lough Neagh-Bann river basin extends into Louth, north Meath and Monaghan. Lough Neagh is a toxic mess now. Any living thing that goes near it will either die or get sick. It is one of the biggest environmental disasters to have ever happened in Ireland, North or South. The farm nutrient management scheme was introduced in the North of Ireland where £200 million was spent to fund animal waste storage. Aontú has seen internal documents from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in the North, specifically an email sent by the former Minister, Edwin Poots, in March 2020, wherein he confirmed that a mere 700 on-site interim inspections were conducted on the tanks in question out of nearly 4,000 tanks installed. A court case was taken in connection with this matter and the judgment stated that there was still a lack of surety concerning whether the limited number of inspections that did take place were even compliant with regulations. The Ministers for agriculture in charge of the project included Arlene Foster, Gordon Lyons, Michelle Gildernew and the current First Minister, Michelle O'Neill. What steps will the Taoiseach take to ensure that this issue, which affects our shared environment North and South, will be properly investigated?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies for raising these issues.

Starting with Deputy Ó Murchú and the issue of Carlinn Hall in Dundalk, this is a matter he has raised before in the context of how we need to have a better support scheme for renewable energy and district heating and, ideally, for the optimal use of waste heat. I will speak directly to the Ministers involved in this regard and ask them to consider what the Deputy said.

Turning to the issue raised by Deputy Barry, truthfully, I raised this issue as recently as this morning with the Tánaiste and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy O'Brien. I believe the Minister for housing is due to meet with Uisce Éireann today. I did highlight that I regularly get asked in this House by the Deputy about the water situation in Cork. I wrote, as recently as last week or in the past ten days, I think, to the chief executive directly, as I promised I would. I have my office checking now if I have received a reply but I will send the Deputy a copy of the letter I sent. I do know how serious this situation is for the Deputy's constituents and I will seek an urgent response to my letter if one has not been received so far.

I will, truthfully, have to find out for Deputy Boyd Barrett where the marine protected areas legislation is at. I too see that it is on the priority list for publication, but I ask the Deputy to let me check what the timeline in this regard looks like. I will come to him in writing in regard to this matter.

Moving to Deputy Murphy, I will be very happy to meet the Protect Moylisha Hill group. I have met its representatives at several events in my constituency over the last period of time and I was planning on having a more substantial meeting with them as a constituency TD. I will certainly be happy to do that.

I thank Deputy Tóibín for raising this matter. He might share with me, if he is happy to do so, any documents he has received. I will certainly have our relevant Departments look at this matter. I do know that at the most recent meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council, which took place before I became Taoiseach but which I attended as a Minister, the specific issue of Lough Neagh was discussed and how the two Administrations on the island of Ireland could co-operate in terms of what is a very serious environmental catastrophe. I am grateful for the Deputy's insight in this regard and happy to take a look at the matter.