Questions

203. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide the number of full-time equivalent staff within the climate action unit or division of her Department from 2020 to 2026 to date, broken down by year, in tabular form. [74540/26]

204. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of qualified audit opinions, or matters of concern raised, by the Comptroller and Auditor General or the Northern Ireland Audit Office regarding each North–South Implementation Body since 2015; and the action taken in response to each. [73993/26]

205. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the latest year for which audited annual accounts have been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas for each North–South Implementation Body and Tourism Ireland; and the date on which each was laid. [73994/26]

206. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the remuneration of the chief executive of each North–South Implementation Body and Tourism Ireland; and whether any is paid above the sanctioned pay scale, together with any bonuses, allowances or severance payments made to senior staff since 2020. [73995/26]

207. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the total financial cost and security assessment criteria behind choosing a location (details supplied) for the recent EU Defence and Foreign Affairs Ministers' meetings; the reasons a civilian community was selected over secluded venues; the total number of Defence Forces and Garda personnel deployed; the level of maritime and aviat…

208. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department will examine changes in relation to SRESS-2 and look to open-ended European templates such as Germany’s "combination premiums", Italy’s 15-year availability capacity contracts, or simple time-of-use peak tariff windows that satisfy commercial lenders. [73435/26]

209. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the current timeline for enactment and commencement of the proposed direct lines/private wires legislation and when renewable electricity generators and neighbouring electricity consumers will be able to enter into such arrangements. [73380/26]

210. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the approvals, conditions and regulatory requirements that will apply to private wire/direct line arrangements between a renewable electricity generator and a neighbouring electricity consumer. [73379/26]

211. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if a business operating wind turbines or other renewable energy generation assets will be permitted under the proposed direct lines/private wires regime to sell electricity to an adjoining community, sporting or voluntary organisation. [73378/26]

212. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if the proposed direct lines/private wires legislation will permit a renewable electricity generator to supply electricity directly to a neighbouring premises rather than exporting that electricity to the national grid. [73377/26]

213. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment If he will liaise with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to fast-track a targeted planning amendment to allow developers to add co-located BESS units as a "minor modification procedure" rather than forcing projects back through multi-year, full planning loops (details supplied). [73436/26]

214. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the protections in place for vulnerable domestic electricity customers who are in arrears but making regular repayments, where their supplier has threatened disconnection and advised that they will be liable for associated disconnection and reconnection costs. [73456/26]

215. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether a vulnerable domestic electricity customer who is in arrears but making regular repayments can be prevented from switching electricity supplier; the arrears thresholds and time limits that apply; and the measures available to ensure such customers can access more affordable tariffs. [73457/26]

216. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will put regulations in place to allow the use of microinverters in domestic energy generation. [73580/26]

217. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment when regulations to allow domestic microgeneration will be put in place; and the way in which microgeneration will be incentivised. [73579/26]

218. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment If he had a bilateral meeting with his Canadian counterpart during the recent UN High Level Week. [73509/26]

219. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will clarify aspects of the battery storage grant through the SEAI, the rate of the grant is currently €600, however an updated BER rating is required to avail of the grant which costs €300; the reason a BER report would be needed to supply battery storage; if he is satisfied that a BER cert is necessary; and if he can commit to …

220. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment further to the flexibility introduced by SEAI in July 2026 on the heat loss indicator requirement for the one-stop shop, community energy grant and warmer homes schemes, the mechanism under consideration to extend that flexibility to the better energy homes scheme; and the timeline for its introduction. [73906/26]

221. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the details of the SEAI pilot on high-temperature heat pumps; its start date; the number and type of dwellings involved; and when its findings will be published. [73907/26]

222. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether a homeowner may avail of the one-stop shop scheme for the installation of a heat pump without other fabric upgrades; and the minimum building energy rating or energy improvement that applies to such a project. [73909/26]

223. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the total cost of the National Smart Metering Programme to date; the extent to which the programme's objective of enabling customers to choose the tariff best suited to their usage is being achieved; if the Department has assessed whether consumer tools, including accredited price comparison websites, make use of the consumption data s…

224. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the number of domestic electricity customers on smart time of use tariffs; the number of customers who have downloaded their smart meter data file (HDF) from ESB Networks, in each of the years 2024, 2025 and 2026 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74341/26]

225. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will engage with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, with a view to requiring accredited price comparison websites to allow customers to enter their own day, night and peak consumption or upload their smart meter data file, HDF, from ESB Networks when comparing time of use tariffs; and if he will make a statement on …

226. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he is aware that price comparison websites accredited by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, calculate the cost of smart day-night-peak tariffs using a fixed assumed split of household usage rather than the customer's actual consumption; if his Department has assessed the extent to which this may lead households to choo…

227. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if there is a retrospective element available, or being considered, in relation to the solar grant scheme for people in receipt of certain payments from the Department of Social Protection. [74333/26]