Results 161-180 of 1,062,562 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Brian Leddin OR speaker:Peter Burke OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh6 OR speaker:Imelda Munster OR speaker:Paul Murphy OR speaker:Thomas Pringle OR speaker:Eamon Ryan)

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)

Peter Burke: Construction waste accounts for about 41% of our industrial emissions so it poses a very serious challenge. I visited some sights and saw the work being done to try to change the processes. I have seen large amounts of recycled material being used by those companies. They continue to do a lot of work to try to utilise more carbon-neutral processes. That being said, the actual process of...

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

Brian Leddin: I take this opportunity to ask three questions, all of which are related to other Ministers and Departments but where there is a role for the Minister's Department. Regarding the major decarbonisation piece with offshore wind energy, the early stage planning for the west coast and the designated maritime area plans, DMAPs, that is very much with the Department of Housing, Local Government...

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

Peter Burke: As someone who brought forward the legislation to establish MARA and provide a planning and consent regime for offshore renewable projects when Minister of State with responsibility for local government and planning, I believe it is important that we urgently address the west coast. We have DMAPs for the east and the south but the west coast will be a significant challenge. There are a lot...

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

Brian Leddin: Larger industry is interested in looking at hydrogen as well but would certainly need to be supported. There is certainly a role for it.

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

Peter Burke: The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has published a national strategy.

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

Paul Murphy: Has the Minister been lobbied by the data centre industry either individually as data centres or the varying lobbying organisations? If so, what have been they been pushing for and what has been his response? What measures are being taken to ensure the policy on data centres does not place significant stress on Ireland's water supply, as well as the stress on our electricity supply? We...

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

Peter Burke: In response to Deputy Murphy, ye, I have been lobbied by all sectors. We have a lobbying register in this country, which was set up by my party in government to make how public representatives are asked to take certain courses of action more transparent. That does not mean we do it. I listen to people fairly. I also reflect on where our economy is but the key point is that this...

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

Paul Murphy: What did they request?

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

Peter Burke: Data centres are looking for a sustainable large energy user connection policy that will get them across the next number of years and get our country across the next number of years. I have met many industries. I had a trade mission on the west coast and one on the east coast. Some significant employers in this country would point out how important it is to have certainty for our country...

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

Paul Murphy: To be clear, the Minister agreed with their asks.

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

Peter Burke: No, I do not agree with-----

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

Brian Leddin: I will not allow interruptions.

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

Peter Burke: I cannot go into everyone's ask here-----

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

Paul Murphy: I am just wondering. He tells me-----

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

Peter Burke: My Government has put together a lobbying register so everything is transparent so the Deputy can ask a question here.

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

Paul Murphy: I am asking the Minister about it.

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

Peter Burke: It is on the public record. All minutes of those meetings are available on the public record, again, through work my party has done to ensure it is transparent and all decisions are transparent.

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

Brian Leddin: The Minister is on his own time. Could he address the other questions by-----

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

Peter Burke: Some data centres with new technology use water while others use air. The EPA regulates their usage and it is important that it does so effectively. The corporate sustainability reporting directive and reporting requirements are coming down the line. We have signed up to the directive and the data centres will have to comply with it in terms of the measures and parameters the Deputy has...