Parliamentary questions

212. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his views regarding energy cloud; if he has considered including the use of surplus energy as part of the Government's retrofit programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72384/25]

213. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the progress of the Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Bill 2025; the measures it contains to enhance Ireland's storm preparedness; when he expects it to be read at second stage in Dail Éireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72424/25]

214. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide further details on the updated scientific advice, which he received in November 2025, showing that Lough Corrib SAC salmon stocks will not have a sustainable surplus available for harvest in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72488/25]

215. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department will continue to validate the presence of invasive/non-native fish such as pike, roach and carp in the Corrib Catchment through conservation bye-laws considering his comments on 4 December 2025 regarding significant coarse fisheries within the catchment; and if he will make a statement on the m…

216. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if the proposed Western Lakes Management Plan (WLMP) facilitates further promotion of coarse angling on Lough Corrib SAC and its catchment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72490/25]

217. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department will be instigating any legislative or policy changes as a result of the public consultation that ended recently regarding the Conservation of Pike Bye-Law (No. 809) 2006 and the Conservation and Prohibition on Sale of Coarse Fish Bye-Law (No. 806) 2006; and if he will make a statement on the m…

218. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the number of departmental officials that have held the post of principal officer of the Inland Fisheries Division since 1 January 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72495/25]

219. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the reason the Suir River in the Waterford fishery district will remain open for salmon angling in 2026 on a ‘catch and release’ basis considering that there is a known mortality with releasing fish alive after handling as per peer reviewed literature; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72496/25]

220. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the total volume of renewable electricity that was dispatched down or curtailed in each of the past five years; the estimated financial value of this wasted energy; and the actions being taken to ensure this surplus is redirected for productive social use, particularly for households in fuel poverty; and if he wi…

221. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department plans to introduce mandatory obligations on system operators, suppliers or aggregators to capture and utilise surplus renewable electricity for social benefit; if not, the rationale for this; and whether he accepts that the continued waste of clean energy during an energy poverty crisis; and if …

222. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the full extent of engagement between his Department, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, EirGrid, ESB Networks and a company (details supplied); whether a formal service-level or funding agreement is under consideration; if he will commit to supporting a national rollout of the company's model; and if h…

223. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the number of households in receipt of fuel allowance that have access to energy-smart technologies such as smart immersion controllers, batteries or heat pumps; the steps being taken to prioritise these households for deployment; whether State-funded retrofitting schemes will be explicitly redesigned to integrat…

224. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether his Department will develop a matched-funding model with corporate energy users, similar to a pilot (details supplied), to scale the redirection of surplus wind power into social housing and low-income private homes nationwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72535/25]

225. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the reason more than 300 days after the Programme for Government commitment to use surplus renewable energy to support those in fuel poverty, no national delivery framework has been published; the person or body which holds responsibility for this delay; and when a statutory delivery plan will be brought to Cabin…

226. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the changes to market design or network charging which are being advanced to ensure that surplus renewable electricity is treated first as a social resource for heat and domestic energy, rather than as a by-product absorbed by curtailment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72537/25]

278. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to examine a submission in respect of the wild salmon and sea trout tagging scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71047/25]

279. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department, and agencies under the Department’s remit, purchase data on the habits and activities of social media users and other platforms; if so, the reasons for purchasing such data; the amount spent in 2024 and 2025 year to date on such expenditure, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the…

280. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if there are specific regulations for the operation of battery energy story systems; the monitoring powers that exist in terms of ensuring that these systems are operating according to existing regulations and operational standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70964/25]

281. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department will request that the Commission for Regulation of Utilities provide arrears data disaggregated by income group, welfare status and household type as part of its monthly monitoring returns to the Department, to allow better assessment of households at highest risk of long-term energy debt; and the …

282. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if the National Energy Affordability Taskforce has completed modelling on projected long-term electricity and gas arrears over the next three years; if the modelling will be published; and how this modelling is informing the development of targeted supports. [71057/25]

283. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the criteria his Department will use to determine the transition from universal energy credits to targeted supports; and if he will outline the evidence base that will inform this decision. [71058/25]

284. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department has assessed whether the current Energy Engage Code provides sufficient protection to households in chronic arrears; and if any reforms are under consideration as part of the forthcoming Energy Affordability Action Plan. [71059/25]

285. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the dates on which his Department received correspondence from, or met with, a company (details supplied) or its representatives since March 2025; and the subject of any such correspondence and/or meeting, in tabular form. [71205/25]

286. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his views on if the proposed new large energy users and data centre grid connection policy being developed by the CRU will be aligned with the urgent need to connect new housing developments and small businesses in constrained areas to the electricity network; the extent to which the new requirement for on-site o…

287. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will publish an updated year-by-year trajectory to 2030 for renewable electricity generation, broken down by onshore wind, offshore wind and solar PV capacity; the contingency measures he will introduce to stay on track to meet the 80% renewable electricity target; and if he will make a statement on the mat…