Results 121-140 of 1,114,512 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Josepha Madigan OR speaker:John McGuinness OR speaker:Jack Chambers OR speaker:Seán Fleming OR speaker:Steven Matthews OR speaker:Gino Kenny OR speaker:Verona Murphy OR speaker:Peter Burke OR speaker:Pádraig O'Sullivan OR speaker:Darren O'Rourke OR speaker:Peadar Tóibín OR speaker:Imelda Munster) in 'Committee meetings'

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: They underwrite very significant employment in this country, and do not mistake that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: The actual data centres themselves-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: There are thousands of jobs directly related to the prevalence of data centres in this country and do not in any way underestimate that, because there are and I know there are.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: I have met many of these foreign companies that are in this country providing high-value jobs, not to do what you would espouse.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: I have given you my answer. There are thousands of jobs underwritten in this country by data centres.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: That is not what I said.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: There are 18,000 people employed in building data centres,-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: -----but there are thousands of people who have jobs that are reliant on security of energy policy and the commercial data centres.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputy for the number of questions he has put forward. In terms of the reduction, we have approximately 9.6% of a reduction in industry on 2018 levels. If the cement industry is excluded, it is 11.5%. Obviously, in the commercial built environment, it is 15.7% since 2018 and if the cement sector is taken out, it is a reduction of an additional 7%. There is significant progress...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: I thank Senator Higgins for her questions. As I pointed out during my earlier contributions, it is not about the employment at the data centre; it is about how much employment it underwrites and supports. That is the key thing. There are so many companies in operation in our State that explicitly rely on data centres to underwrite their activities and keep the high-value jobs that are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: We have a process to manage it. We are all very honest and clear on this. I am not saying at this point that every data centre can get connected. We have to sustainably manage the energy we have available and ensure other sectors do not suffer. We are very ambitious when it comes to other areas in our economy and it is important the CRU manages that process. It will make a determination...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: Anyone who says contrary to that, I believe is misleading people.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: We are waiting for the CRU to make an adjudication, which it will do shortly. We have published our guidance in respect of cement. I had a round-table meeting with the cement group and representatives of Enterprise Ireland to try to ensure that it will be ready when the rules relating to public procurement change shortly. The members of the group will have to be ready to ensure that they...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: The technical specification.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: There are major opportunities with the just transition commission. I represent the midlands. I have seen how much my community has changed because of the transition that is being made. The Cabinet appointed a new commission under the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, in recent days. This will be very important for the delivery of so much change in my region, particularly as it will give rise...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputy for those very important questions. As I pointed out earlier, the €300 million decarbonisation fund has seen significant allocations over the past two years, with approximately €28.8 million allocated in 2023 and more than €38.3 million this year. Companies with significant emissions are on the radar. Diageo, for example, has used it to put together...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: The SEAI will have the budget and will be implementing it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank the Minister for his opening statement. I want to ask about the policy relating to data centres. I have listened to the exchanges so far. I presume that the Government has a plan for the sustainable development of data centres. I have a couple of questions on this. What is the policy on direct gas supplies for data centres? In view of the time constraints, perhaps the Minister...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: I agree. It is a very serious challenge. As I have said, we have to sustainably manage the challenge because something that is not often referred to in this debate is the number of jobs supported by data centres like the one the Deputy mentioned in Clonee. This is a critical thing that we have to understand. Data centres do require significant infrastructure but they provide very...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Darren O'Rourke: I know we are tight for time but I want to touch on the issue of concrete and I have listened to the Minister's comments on it so far. I hear a lot from the sector that there are new obligations and new levies but that the developed infrastructure is not there to support them to recycle or reuse construction materials. Does the Minister recognise this as a problem and a challenge and what...