Questions

297. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the action he is taking to advance the Programme for Government commitment to utilise surplus renewable energy to support the 550,000 households in energy poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11717/26]

298. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether the Government intends to set a principle that surplus renewable energy should be used first, and only dispatched down as a last resort; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11718/26]

299. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding the total level of Exchequer funding spent by his Department on funding NGOs, by organisation, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11792/26]

300. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding the total level of Exchequer funding spent on funding NGOs by his Department, in each of the years since 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11810/26]

301. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding the assessments that are carried out to determine the level of Exchequer funding that any NGO receives from his Department on an annual basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11828/26]

302. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding any direct lobbying he has received from any NGO in relation to his annual funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11850/26]

303. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the projects, if any, which he has designated under s.20 of the Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Act 2024; the dates of their designation; and to supply a copy of the designations. [11886/26]

304. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the emergency measures being taken to address the absolutely outrageous increases in energy bills (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11926/26]

305. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide an update on Ireland’s progress toward meeting its 2030 sectoral emissions ceilings and whether any sectors are projected to miss their targets based on the most recent EPA modelling. [11937/26]

306. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the number of home retrofits completed under SEAI schemes in 2025; the statistics on uptake by lower-income households and the barriers identified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11940/26]

307. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the systems in place to agree performance metrics of Chief Executives of agencies within the aegis of his Department; the way in which these are measured; the person or body that carries out the assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11953/26]

308. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the targeted measures being prioritised to reduce energy hardship among low-income and vulnerable households; the timeframe for scaling these measures nationwide;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12042/26]

309. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the way in which the Government is supporting community-led and farmer-owned renewable energy projects in rural Ireland, including access to grid, planning certainty, and fair compensation, and to address concerns regarding large-scale developments in rural communities;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12045/26]

310. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the reason his Department has not listed the Owenriff River (Inverin) No. 140 and the Crumlin River No. 139 situated in the Galway Fishery District No. 9(1), in the proposed Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2026, considering that both rivers contain native anadromous salmonids with Atlantic salmon be…

311. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the date for the publication of the terms of reference for the independent review into Inland Fisheries Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12070/26]

312. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to confirm the existence of the ‘Inland Fisheries Primary Legislation and Policy Group’ within his Department; the number of staff assigned to this group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12072/26]

313. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department considered scientific advice contained in the draft Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2025 as proposed by TEGOS (Technical Expert Group on Salmon) in November, considering the liberalisation of the national rod angling harvest for Atlantic salmon proposed in the draft Wild Salmon and…

314. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the way in which Lough Corrib SAC in County Galway went from a proposed ‘catch and release’ fishery for Atlantic salmon with no harvest in November 2025 to having a harvestable surplus of 1,162 fish in February 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12075/26]

315. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the reason his officials failed to publish in full all submissions received for the public consultation on the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2025 and conservation measures for the 2026 season that closed on 20 December 2025, in view of declarations made on his Department’s website; and if he will …

316. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will report on the Climate Action Plan 2026: the reason for the delay in publication; the projected timeline for publication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12092/26]

317. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he is aware of a proposed large-scale seaweed harvesting plan along the Galway and Mayo coastline by a Canadian company (details supplied) which owns an Irish company which is seeking permission to harvest 40,000 tonnes of seaweed wrack; if his Department has concerns in relation to the environmental impact of this proposal; and if…

318. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide a list of all organisations and projects that received matched and/or partner funding from his Department in 2023, 2024 and 2025; the amount of funding allocated to each organisation or project; what was achieved and the stated outcomes from the funding provided in each case; the plans his Department has for the provision…

319. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment for an update on the introduction of a levy on disposable coffee cups within the lifetime of this Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12608/26]

320. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide figures on the uptake of the home energy upgrade loan scheme since it was rolled out in 2024, broken down by quarter, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12633/26]

321. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide updated figures on the installation of solar panels in homes, new and retrofitted, with a year-by-year breakdown since 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12635/26]