Written Answers Nos. 38-47
38. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when an application by a person (details supplied) for foreign birth registration will be completed, given that the application was submitted some time ago; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28663/23]
View answerForeign Birth Registration (FBR) applications are currently being processed within the normal turnaround time of between 6 and 9 months from receipt of supporting documents. Applications which require further supporting documents will take longer to process.
Foreign Birth Registration, by its nature, is a detailed and complex process, often involving official documentation relating to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. Such documents take considerable time to validate.
With regard to the specific FBR application about which the Deputy has enquired, this application was registered on 4 May 2022. Further supporting documents were requested from the applicant on 21 February 2023. Further supporting documents were received on 15 May 2023 and are being processed at present.
39. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when a decision will be made in respect of an application by a person (details supplied) for foreign birth registration; the reason for the delay in making a decision on said application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28694/23]
View answerWith regard to the specific Foreign Birth Registration application about which the Deputy has enquired, this application was approved on 08 June 2023. A member of the Passport Service has contacted the applicant in this regard.
40. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if the passports for two children (details supplied) will be expedited. [28706/23]
View answerWith regard to the specific applications about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service requested further documents for the applications on 09 June 2023. The applications cannot proceed until the required supporting documents have been received.
41. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when a person (details supplied) who applied to the foreign birth register will have their application processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28716/23]
View answerForeign Birth Registration (FBR) applications are currently being processed within the normal turnaround time of between 6 and 9 months from receipt of supporting documents. Applications which require further supporting documents will take longer to process.
Foreign Birth Registration, by its nature, is a detailed and complex process, often involving official documentation relating to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. Such documents take considerable time to validate.
With regard to the specific Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) application about which the Deputy has enquired, this application is being processed at present. A member of the FBR team will be in contact with the applicant's parent in due course.
42. Deputy James Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if a passport application (details supplied) will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28717/23]
View answerWith regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, further supporting documents for this application were received on 02 June 2023. Turnaround time from the receipt of further supporting documents is 15 working days.
43. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the status of a foreign birth registration (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28722/23]
View answerForeign Birth Registration (FBR) applications are currently being processed within the normal turnaround time of between 6 and 9 months from receipt of supporting documents. Applications which require further supporting documents will take longer to process.
Foreign Birth Registration, by its nature, is a detailed and complex process, often involving official documentation relating to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. Such documents take considerable time to validate.
With regard to the specific FBR applications about which the Deputy has enquired, these applications have been initially processed, but further supporting documents are required to progress them. The Passport Service has made a number of requests to the applicants’ parent, and to date not all of the required documents have been submitted. A member of the FBR team has made further contact with the applicants’ parent to explain and outline the outstanding documents that are still required to finalise the applications. The applications cannot proceed until the required supporting documents are submitted.
44. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the new actions that are being put in place in advance of the UN SDG High Level Political Forum in New York in July, to ensure Ireland reaches the furthest behind in Irish society first; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28700/23]
View answerLeaving no-one behind is the focus of Ireland’s 2023 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) objectives and the inspiration for the development of Ireland’s second Voluntary National Review (VNR) which I look forward to delivering at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum in July.
This focus runs throughout the entire report as we reflect as a country on what we have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic; areas where we are doing well; areas where improvement is required; and our progress in implementing the SDG targets for all people, reaching the furthest behind first.
It reflects Ireland’s strong economic recovery following the pandemic and our efforts to build back better guided by the SDGs and Agenda 2030. It comprehensively demonstrates the extensive suite of national policies which continue to be introduced to support and address the SDGs and their associated targets. These policies also ensure delivery across areas of national importance and provide strategic frameworks for progress and success.
We have adopted a ‘whole-of-government’ approach to implementing the SDGs, by embedding a framework into national and local government work to ensure a coherent system-wide approach, as well as greater dialogue and joined-up thinking between policy makers across sectors.
Ireland’s first National Implementation Plan provided a framework for Ireland to work towards implementing the SDGs, including through the support of national policies which contribute to meeting the Goals, and the facilitation of multi-stakeholder participation. The timing of this VNR coincides with Ireland’s second National Implementation Plan 2022 - 2024 for the Sustainable Development Goals building on the structures and mechanisms from the first Plan, developing and integrating additional approaches in areas identified through review and consultation that require further action.
As we enter the third Decade of Action for the SDGs, I recognise the urgency of moving into the next phase of implementation and the actions identified in the new Plan are essential to this transition.
45. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will outline the short- and medium-term plans for emergency electricity generation in counties Laois and Offaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28661/23]
View answerThe Commission for the Regulation of Utilities is responsible for the delivery of a Security of Supply Programme to ensure the security of our electricity supply over the coming winters. This programme includes a suite of measures and mitigations, including Temporary Emergency Generation. The Temporary Emergency Generation units procured as a result of the EirGrid, Electricity and Turf (Amendment) Act 2022 are temporary in nature, operationally restricted to operate as units of last resort and have requirements to cease operating under law by 2027/2028.
The CRU have published a briefing note on Temporary Emergency Generation which can be found here: CRU2022985CRU-update-on-Temporary-Emergency-Generation-for-Electricity-Security-of-Sup.pdf (cruie-live-96ca64acab2247eca8a850a7e54b-5b34f62.divio-media.com/documents/CRU2022985CRU-update-on-Temporary-Emergency-Generation-for-Electricity-Security-of-Sup.pdf)
Shannonbridge in West Offaly is one of the sites identified to host temporary emergency generation in addition to Tarbert in Co. Kerry , as part of a second tranche of temporary emergency generation projects. These generating units will be based on pre-existing generation sites and are working through accelerated timeframes to deliver urgently in order to enable security of electricity supply nationally. Following the passing of the Development (Emergency Electricity Generation) Act 2022, consent has been provided for the development of a 264MW flexible power plant in Shannonbridge to support the electricity grid as a unit of last resort only running as required for security of supply reasons. Eight turbine generation units will be developed at the site, utilising the existing grid connection infrastructure.
The operation of all temporary emergency generation will be in compliance with Article 16(2) of Regulation 941 of 2019 on Risk Preparedness in the Electricity Sector. This states: “Non-market-based measures shall be activated in an electricity crisis only as a last resort if all options provided by the market have been exhausted or where it is evident that market-based measures alone are not sufficient to prevent a further deterioration of the electricity supply situation.”
In addition to the development at Shannonbridge, the CRU Security of Supply Programme continues to oversee the urgent delivery of Temporary Emergency Generation capacity in North Wall Co. Dublin, Huntstown Co. Dublin and Tarbert Co. Kerry. All designated TEG units will operate as units of last resort only and will be temporary in nature.
The Deputy may wish to note that CRU provides a dedicated email address for Oireachtas members, which enables them to raise questions to CRU at oireachtas@cru.ie for timely direct reply.
46. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will outline the measures being taken to reduce the cost of electricity for households; if he will outline the other measures his Department is considering to reduce the cost of domestic energy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28662/23]
View answerThe retail electricity and gas markets are commercial and price setting is a matter for individual suppliers. High energy costs remain a central priority for Government and a range of measures have been implemented to help households and businesses meet these costs.
Most recently, this included a €470 million package announced in February which introduced measures assisting social protection recipients from April to July, and extended the reduced VAT rate on electricity and gas bills until October 2023. This followed the €2.5 billion of once-off supports announced in Budget 2023, including an Electricity Cost Emergency Benefit Scheme which credited €600 (inclusive of VAT) to each domestic electricity account in three payments of €200. The total cost of that scheme was €1.2 billion, which combined with the earlier credit scheme means Government have spent over €1.5 billion to directly assist 2.1 million households with their electricity bills since the start of 2022.
In addition, my Department commissioned a nationally representative fortnightly research tracker, which indicates that Irish families are making every effort to reduce their energy use and that there has been a reduction in the difficulty being experienced in meeting energy costs. Nevertheless, there are still groups who are facing real financial pressure on account of energy costs; public information on available supports and advice is being tailored to these segments.
Government is closely monitoring the impact of these supports through the implementation of the Energy Poverty Action Plan, and additional future measures are under consideration in the context of Budget 2024.
47. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide an update on his work to ensure that all households with a waste collection service are provided with an organic waste bin by their waste collection company by the end of 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28667/23]
View answerMy Department is currently preparing regulations, which will require every household in the State on a waste collection service to be provided with a separate organic waste collection service. This is in line with commitments given in the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy and will also satisfy the requirements of the Waste Framework Directive for Member States to ensure that, by 31 December 2023, bio-waste (organic waste) is either separated and recycled at source, or is collected separately and is not mixed with other types of waste.
