Results 21-40 of 25,406 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Read the record. I did not say that.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: No, it is not. What I accused the Deputy of was being fixated with LNG and with a floating strategic gas reserve that we actually need. It has been very clearly set out that the fact that we do not have a strategic gas reserve is a risk to our society, our country and our energy stability. I did not mention climate in my response to the Deputy at the start or accuse him of being fixated...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Affordability is critical. If we look at it from a positive standpoint first, about 162,000 homes have been supported for energy upgrades and 55,000 of those are B2 upgrades. We have to look at B2 or B2 equivalents and where the house is going. To improve the energy and heating in a home, particularly in older homes, the cost of getting to B2 can be substantial, if not prohibitive. That...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta agus go n-éirí leis ina phost nua. As part of EU efforts to tackle climate change, Ireland has accepted specific emissions reductions targets for the period to 2030, set by the EU effort sharing regulation, ESR. These targets are also in line with domestic commitments in Irish law as set out in the climate Act 2021. Ireland can meet these...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The future is renewables and particularly offshore renewables. We have six projects off the east coast in planning, as the Deputy knows. We have our first designated maritime area plan, DMAP, through, which is in the south east. I will be bringing forward proposals to the Government in the coming weeks to accelerate the DMAP process. I have met stakeholders, including in the development...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The State is investing tens of millions in this sector right now. We have put the legislative infrastructure in place. That was done in the previous Dáil. I had the honour of bringing forward the Maritime Area Planning Act, which was passed in this House, although it was not supported by everyone. It saw the establishment of Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA. I will meet...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 25 together. We have had a good discussion on LNG already, because we have been here since 10.23 a.m., but I thank the Deputy for his question.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Well done, that is great. I hope the Deputy was working with colleagues in a constructive manner this morning, as one would expect. I thank the Deputy for the question. I know he has a certain view on this. I mentioned to colleagues earlier that we could not ignore the advice we have received with regard to our own energy security, and the FSRU is absolutely needed. I am going to be...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht na ceiste a ardú ar an ábhar an-tábhachtach seo. I thank the Deputy for his question on this very important subject. As he knows, Ireland has one of the most ambitious home retrofit targets in the world. The national retrofit plan sets out how these targets will be met, including with an €8 billion financial allocation in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The warmer homes scheme is important because it focuses on lower incomes families. I am looking at this issue. For context, the average value of upgrades in 2015 was just €2,600. In 2024, the most recent year for which I have full annualised data, it was €27,700. Deeper upgrades mean more lower income homeowners can benefit to a greater extent from the scheme and the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reports (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I did. I will come back to it in the supplementary.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reports (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: To answer the Deputy's question directly at the start, the analysis conducted by CEPA is under review in the Department now and I must review that. However, I can confirm the study finds Ireland will not meet the N-1 infrastructure standard for gas during the 2030s. The report finds the addition of an FSRU will allow Ireland to meet that standard and I will publish that in the coming weeks....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reports (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reports (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy is aware of this, but I restate An Bord Pleanála is independent of Government. Applications are made. The potential development she refers to is a matter that has been before the courts and has been with An Bord Pleanála. I am not going to comment further other than to say Government will not intervene in that instance. It would not be appropriate for us to do so....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reports (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes. We will share it with the Deputy.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The legal advice I referred to is the legal advice my predecessor received, going back to 2020, which I was not aware of at the time either. I had to act on it. To answer the Deputy's question about "State-led" directly, that means State-led, State-owned, State-operated. I want to be very clear on that. This is not a commercial entity. It will be used in the event of a disruption to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for his question because it gives me an opportunity to put on the record of the House that "State-led" means that the strategic gas emergency reserve will be owned and operated by the gas system operator, which is Gas Networks Ireland, and public procurement processes will determine any future partners, that is, whom we will purchase the gas from. I think the Deputy, with...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: We will not be dependent on the gas reserve for energy generation at all unless there is a disruption to the gas supply. Between 70% and 80% of our gas supply comes from Britain. Corrib is a diminishing resource, as we know. We are not seeking to access or explore any additional gas fields. The way forward is through renewables. I will give the Deputy one example. Six years ago, about...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reports (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: As the Deputy rightly says, the Department engaged Cambridge Economic Policy Associates Limited to carry out an updated analysis of security of energy supply in Ireland covering the period beyond 2030 and up to 2040. This study builds on CEPA's technical analysis of the security of supply of Ireland's electricity and natural gas systems up to 2030, published in September 2022. That helped...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The local authorities are doing a good job retrofitting social housing stock. I had experience of that in my previous portfolio. We have an exacting target of retrofitting 500,000 homes by 2030. At the last count, the figure stood at approximately 165,000 across the country, both public and private. However, there is work to do be done. To answer the Deputy's question on the grant...