106. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the actions taken to date to fulfil the Programme for Government commitment to use surplus renewable energy to assist households in fuel poverty; the specific milestones achieved; and the timeline for full implementation. [19707/26]
Parliamentary questions
Questions
TDs ask ministers questions to get answers on the record, most of them in writing. Here is every one asked in the 34th Dáil, by the department it went to and the subject heading it was filed under. How questions work
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107. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to set out the policy mechanism by which surplus/curtailed renewable generation can be repurposed for social use and whether primary legislation or secondary regulation is required to operationalise it. [19708/26]
108. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to confirm the Department's estimate of wasted renewable energy in the 13 months to 31 January 2026 (reported as 1,537 GWh) and the approximate retail value (€559m); and the portion that could be practically redirected to households in energy poverty within 12 months under a Government led scheme. [19709/26]
109. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department has undertaken a cost benefit analysis of capturing a portion of the reported €1.369 million per day in value currently being lost; and if so, to publish that analysis and the assumptions used. [19710/26]
110. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the reason the National Energy Affordability Taskforce (NEAT) will not report until at least July 2026; and the reason interim actions have not been taken to utilise wasted renewable energy for energy poverty alleviation ahead of Budget 2027. [19711/26]
111. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to direct the CRU and EirGrid to develop a Social Use of Surplus Energy (SUSE) pathway that prioritises dispatch down energy for pre programmed immersion controllers or other socially targeted loads, and to outline the necessary market rules (e.g., settlement, metering, curtailment signals). [19712/26]
112. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his Department's position on curtailment compensation where generators facilitate no cost social redirection of otherwise wasted electricity; and whether State aid clearance is envisaged. [19713/26]
113. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to approve a national pilot to convert a portion of curtailed energy into hot water heating for households in energy poverty, noting EnergyCloud's estimate of 3 kWh per tank (equating to 512 million tanks potentially heated from the waste volume cited); and to provide targets, geographic spread, and monitoring metrics. [19714/26]
114. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to allocate a ring fenced fund to cover enabling hardware (smart switches/controllers), installation, communications, and programme administration for households identified as being in energy poverty. [19715/26]
115. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the number of households currently assessed as being in energy poverty (reported as c. 550,000); the number in electricity bill arrears (over 320,000); and whether the Department will integrate a 'surplus energy credit' into the Household Benefits Package or Additional Needs Payments. [19716/26]
116. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the way in which households on low incomes will be identified, enrolled, and prioritised for any surplus-energy-to-hot-water scheme; and the way data protection and consent will be managed when interfacing with energy suppliers and network operators. [19717/26]
117. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to model the bill-saving impact per household from receiving automated hot-water boosts during curtailment periods over a full year; and to publish the distributional impact across household types. [19718/26]
118. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his plans to expand eligibility criteria for the SEAI warmer homes scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19732/26]
119. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if consideration can be given to including the invalidity pension as a qualifying welfare payment for the SEAI warmer homes scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19733/26]
120. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment given the statutory requirement under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 to publish an annual update to the Climate Action Plan, can he clarify the precise legal and scientific basis for the delay in publishing the updated Plan for 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19827/26]
121. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment in light of correspondence from five senior climate and legal academics disputing his justification for the delay of the updated Climate Action Plan, the specific evidence or advice that underpins his position. [19828/26]
122. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the revised timeline for publication of the updated Climate Action Plan; and the way in which he assesses the impact of this delay on Ireland’s ability to meet its legally binding 2030 emissions reduction targets. [19829/26]
123. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment given the Environmental Protection Agency’s assessment that current and planned measures will result in Ireland missing its 2030 targets by a significant margin, the additional measures being prepared to close this gap. [19830/26]
124. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide an update on the long promised €75 annual support payment to support waste collection costs for persons with lifelong or long-term medical incontinence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19865/26]
125. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the number of oil boilers and gas boilers installed in the warmer homes scheme and warmth and wellbeing scheme for 2025 and to-date in 2026, in tabular form. [19911/26]
126. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the capital budget allocation for his Department in 2025 and 2026, in tabular form. [20034/26]
127. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether Ireland remains committed to UN Sustainable Development Goal 7, namely ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, considering both energy price hikes and Ireland's persistently high emissions. [20097/26]
128. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the action his Department is taking to legislatively protect invasive/non-native bream (Abramis brama) stocks in Lough Mask under the Conservation of and Prohibition on Sale of Coarse Fish Bye-law (No. 806) 2006, considering the expansion of bream culling operations on the lake by Inland Fisheries Ireland this calendar year; and if…
129. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the steps his Department are taking to alleviate household fears of ongoing price hikes in fuel prices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20258/26]
130. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will consider amending section 61 of the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992 to require that all licensed discharge points, under both section 4 authorisations and EPA industrial and emissions licences, be equipped with standard 24/7 remote water-quality monitoring devices, installed above, at and below each discharge …