Parliamentary questions

162. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the total spend by his Department on external legal services in each of the past three years; the main areas of legal activity for which external advice was sought; if he will provide a breakdown by case or category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40854/25]

163. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the amount spent on legal fees associated with litigation, advice and settlements in each of the past three years by his Department and agencies under its aegis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40874/25]

164. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment given that the new construction at Killarney Innovation Centre will employ green technologies, including energy-efficient systems and sustainable materials, the way in which the Government plans to support similar eco-friendly building practices in innovation centres across Ireland as part of its national sustain…

165. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the incentives or support schemes that exist for the installation of renewable energy solutions for example, solar panels and energy-efficient designs in innovation hubs such as the Killarney Innovation Centre; and the way in which other regional hubs benefit from these initiatives. [40911/25]

166. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the total amount which has been retained as surplus from the deposit return scheme due to amounts not being reclaimed; what will ultimately become of these funds; whether his Department has considered repaying an amount greater than the amount originally paid as a deposit for a bottle or can, as a means of incentivi…

167. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide the figures on the uptake of the low-cost loan scheme for quarter 2 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40996/25]

168. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide updated figures on the installation of solar panels in homes, both new and retrofitted, to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41021/25]

169. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide updated figures on the homes retrofitted to B2 or above, to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41022/25]

170. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide the total number of grant payments issued by the Department in each of the past five years, along with the total value of those grant payments for each year, in tabular form; and to confirm whether these figures include all schemes and discretionary grant programmes administered directly by the Departmen…

171. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will set out the provisions he intends to promote to facilitate the circular economy and the reuse and repair of household items; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41177/25]

172. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the steps he will take to reduce the cost of rented household appliances to promote the circular economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41179/25]

173. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will introduce a community energy advice service, as energy poverty is a complex issue and people need expert advice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41222/25]

174. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide an update on the South Coast DMAP Implementation Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41276/25]

175. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if consideration will be given to changing regulations to allow household solar PV energy generation in the event of a power cut, provided a changeover switch is installed and thereby isolating the property from the grid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41338/25]

176. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if all external legal fees incurred by his Department, and by any bodies under its aegis, are charged at negotiated discounted rates; how fees are monitored for compliance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41498/25]

177. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department conducts regular benchmarking, or market testing, to ensure that the rates paid for legal services, solicitors and barristers, represent value for money for the taxpayer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41516/25]

178. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to detail the procurement processes used when engaging external legal firms and barristers, including whether panels are used; how often these are refreshed; the criteria used for selection and performance review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41534/25]

179. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department has conducted any audits or reviews in the past five years on legal fee spend; if so, to publish the findings or summaries of those reviews; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41552/25]

180. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the internal oversight that exists within his Department to monitor the scope, duration, and cost escalation of legal services once engaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41570/25]

181. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department makes use of capped fee arrangements, fixed-fee briefs, success-based fee models or other such arrangements in its legal engagements; if not, the reason such options are not considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41588/25]

182. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether any legal engagements have exceeded their initial estimated or approved cost in the past three years; if so, the number of such cases and total overrun; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41606/25]

183. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department analysed developing micro-electricity production in the State and the feasibility of providing grant aid for hydro projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41683/25]

184. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department examined polices on dynamic electricity off peak-pricing to incentivise and lower the operational costs of EVs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41687/25]

185. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 10 and 11 of 16 July 2025, to report on the 80 homes across two area based projects that have been contacted under the scheme; to outline where these projects are located and the reasons they were chosen; to outline the criteria for selection; to provide a project timeline for comp…

186. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment further to Parliamentary Question No. 11 of 16 July 2025, when the public consultation on the draft heat policy statement will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41750/25]