European Heat Pump Association Director General Paul Kenny on the place of heat pumps in Europe’s energy future
Garda Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman discusses the latest developments in roads policing
DHLGH senior advisor Alma Walsh outlines new environmental considerations in planning policy
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Status orange...
Almost immediately upon taking office – and with characteristic contempt for international norms – US President Donald Trump withdrew from the OECD’s agreed move towards a global minimum tax rate of 15 per cent. Consequently, alongside a failure to tackle thorny infrastructure delivery challenges, not least in housing, the State’s alarmingly narrow tax base has left its economic competitiveness exposed to a transatlantic squall.
In its Programme for Government, the new government promises to “maintain a broad tax base to guard against the need for countercyclical fiscal policy in the event of a downturn.” Commendable, prudent fiscal policy? Not quite.
Only recently, the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council warned that the tax base is already “being narrowed”, the Parliamentary Budget Office cautioned that tax revenues – while substantial – are “highly concentrated on income and corporation tax receipts from a relatively small number of payers”, and the OECD determined that “relatively narrow tax base and high reliance on tax revenues from multinationals” is fiscally risky.
Moreover, in its most recent ‘minister’s brief’, the Department of Finance has emphasised the “serious vulnerability” of the State’s “extremely narrow” tax base.
Allied to this are significant increases in public expenditure, all financed by an overreliance on unstable ‘windfall’ corporation tax receipts. Given the vulnerability of these receipts to sector- and firm-specific shocks, the challenge is “a risky fiscal strategy” posing a threat to the public finances.
Whether politically palatable or not, the solution is to develop a sustainable fiscal policy established on a diversified tax base as per the OECD’s recommendations.
Acknowledging that Ireland must not take its relative economic success for granted, the Government has committed to facing into the gathering economic headwinds. Crucial to this, will be the publication of “a new whole of Government Action Plan for Competitiveness and Productivity within 12 months”, but preferably sooner if Ireland is to weather the growing storm.
76 DHLGH’s Alma Walsh discusses the evolution of environmental considerations in planning policy
88 Planning and Development Act 2024 and Ireland’s infrastructure requirements
91 Retrofitting
92 DECC’s Barry Quinlan on the next steps in Ireland’s retrofitting journey
96 European Heat Pump Association Director General, Paul Kenny, outlines the role of heat pumps in Europe’s energy future
100 TU Dublin’s Ciara Ahern and Elihu Essien-Thompson summarise the challenges facing the State’s residential retrofit targets
118 Behavioural economist Evelina Gunnarsson discusses behavioural insights to encourage energy efficient renovations
122 Europe
122 Maria Walsh MEP: The Mercosur Trade Deal is risk for Irish farmers and standards
124 Ireland’s latest foreign policy priorities
126 Public affairs
126 Seanad Election 2025 results and appointments
130 Former Irish Ambassador to the United States, Daniel Mulhall: Centenary of Irish-US diplomatic relations
136 Trade union desk: ICTU’s Laura Bambrick answers commonly asked public holiday questions
138 Political platform: Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD
140 Senadóir Frances Black: Enacting Occupied Territories Bill is ‘the right thing to do’
matters arising
Credit: European Parliament
Irish MEPs assume European Parliament housing leadership roles
Two Irish MEPs – Fine Gael’s Regina Doherty and Independent Ireland’s Ciarán Mullooly – have been appointed as vice-chairs of the European Parliament’s newly-established Housing Committee.
The EU has no legislative powers of member states’ housing policies, but with housing crises commonplace throughout Europe, the new committee will be examining the European housing market throughout 2025. Upon completion, the committee will then produce a report which will be sent to the new Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, who will introduce guidance to member states on their respective housing policies.
The news comes in the aftermath of a release by the CSO showing that only 30,330 homes were completed in 2024,
The OECD’s Economic Survey of Ireland 2025 says that Ireland’s high dependence on multinational corporations, while driving growth, pose risks to tax revenue stability. To ensure resilience, the OECD recommends improving spending efficiency, broadening the tax base, and strengthening fiscal frameworks. Labour shortages, rising legal costs, and regulatory burdens are also pressing challenges for Ireland’s business environment, with calls for increased skills development and childcare support.
On climate action, the OECD says Ireland must accelerate emissions reductions, improve renewable energy adoption, and phase out fossil fuel subsidies to meet 2030 and 2050 emissions targets. Meanwhile, housing affordability remains a major challenge, with supply failing to keep pace with demand. The
marking a 6.7 per cent annual decrease from 2023. ThenMinister Darragh O’Brien TD had previously boasted to eolas Magazine in June 2023 that Housing for All targets of 33,000 per year would be exceeded, and of “housing completions in the high 30,000s this year [2024]”.
Some MEPs, such as the committee’s chair, left-wing Italian MEP Irene Tinagli, want there to be a “people-centred approach to housing policy”. Speaking to TheJournal.ie in January 2025, Doherty agreed, but added that there must also be a focus on how to cut costs for builders and developers.
Mullooly said that he wants to find “practical solutions” to the housing crisis. His party has promoted the increased use of modular and temporary housing arrangements as a mediumterm solution to a short housing stock.
report urges reforms in planning, taxation, and construction sector efficiency to boost housing availability.
Speaking at the report launch, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe TD said: “I note the survey’s emphasis on the key challenges we will face in the coming years, such as the costs of an ageing population, challenges relating to competitiveness, and in enabling the green transition. I also note the analysis of the housing market set out in the survey and the recommendations that flow from it.”
Donohoe also announced that he intends to being forward a memorandum for the information of Government “in the coming weeks”, further setting out the key insights and recommendations from this work and the points to note from it.
EirGrid announces Cathal Marley as new Chief Executive
Former Gas Networks Ireland (GNI) chief executive, Cathal Marley, has become the chief executive of the State’s electricity grid operator, EirGrid.
Marley has over 20 years’ experience in the utilities and infrastructure sector, having previously worked in senior roles across the electricity and water industries, in addition to his role at GNI.
Speaking in December 2024, Marley said he was joining EirGrid at a pivotal moment as it works on delivering on the decarbonisation of Irish society in line with government policy and climate ambition.
“I am coming into this role at a transformational time for the organisation and the wider electricity sector,” he says.
“Together, we face a sizable and exciting challenge. I look forward to working together to create impactful change that will enable social and economic growth for future generations, while delivering on a cleaner energy future,” he adds.
Marley will take up his new role in early April 2025.
2024 was a strong year for Irish exports. Ireland’s goods exports soared to a record €223.8 billion in 2024, reflecting a robust 14 per cent increase (€27.8 billion) compared to the previous year, according to the latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures.
The medical and pharmaceutical products sector was the key driver, growing by €22.4 billion (29 per cent) to reach €99.9 billion, now accounting for 45 per cent of Ireland’s total exports.
However, despite these strong figures, challenges remain. Imports declined by 5 per cent (€6.7 billion) to €133.6 billion, potentially signalling weakening domestic demand or supply chain constraints. Trade with the United States, a vital market, saw a mixed performance, while exports to
Goods exports boom in 2024
the US rose sharply by 34 per cent (€18.6 billion), imports from the US dipped by 2 per cent.
The December data also points to volatility. Unadjusted exports reached €15.5 billion, up year-on-year, but seasonally adjusted figures showed a 14 per cent drop from November to December. Similarly, imports fell by 5 per cent during the same period.
Furthermore, with US President Donald Trump potentially imposing tariffs on EU exports to the US in the near future, there will need to be steps taken to ensure the State’s economy does not suffer from a shock, by having its key export partners incentivisation to buy from Ireland diminished.
Credit: Noel Hillis
HEALTH
National Children’s Hospital facing another delay
The most expensively constructed hospital in human history, the National Children’s Hospital in Dublin, is set for a further delay to opening.
The National Children’s Hospital was originally scheduled to open in 2022, and officially, construction is set to complete in June 2025. However, a briefing note produced by the Department of Health for the new Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, states that moving patients from the numerous children’s hospitals cannot be undertaken in winter due to “clinical risks”.
“In order to minimise clinical risk to sick children, migration must be carried out when emergency activity is at its quietest and elective activity must be reduced so that there is the minimal
Taoiseach signals end to rent pressure zones
Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD has signalled the potential end of rent pressure zones (RPZs) by the end of 2025, highlighting the need to attract private investment to address Ireland’s housing crisis.
Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week, Martin claimed that the current system has deterred private sector investment and has led to a slowdown in housing supply.
RPZs, introduced in 2016 to curb rent increases in highdemand areas, are set to expire in December 2025. While acknowledging the need for renter protections, the Taoiseach stressed the importance of a stable investment environment, arguing that constant policy changes have contributed to uncertainty in the market. A review of rental sector policy is now underway, with alternatives such as a rent reference system being considered, as per the recommendation of The Housing Commission.
number of patients to be transferred and the maximum number of staff available to achieve this safely,” the Department states.
The Minister, speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland in February 2025, said she anticipates final cost being ‘close to’ €2.24 billion. If this is the case, the hospital will be completed at an increase in construction of approximately €1.59 billion, nearly tripling the original budget.
Carroll MacNeill added: “This hospital, if it costs us €2.3 billion, our annual spend on health is nearly €24 billion every year. So it is €2.3 billion out of €24 billion. It is a once off, €2.3 billion for a hospital that we would have for 100 years. So just to place some context on the amount that is out of our annual budget is really important.”
In response to Taoiseach’s proposal, Sinn Féin's housing spokesperson, Eoin Ó Broin TD expressed concern that removing RPZs, influenced by institutional investors’ lobbying, could lead to “even more dramatic increases in rents”.
Mike Allen, Director of Advocacy at Focus Ireland, remarked that the proposed changes to RPZs “appear to prioritise investors’ interests”.
However, the Irish Property Owners Association (IPOA), representing landlords, welcomed the Taoiseach’s remarks, stating it was “delighted to see that the Taoiseach recognised rent pressure zones have not worked”.
cúpla focal
“You’ve
just been caught out as a government, using dodgy housing data.”
Social Democrats deputy leader
Cian O’Callaghan TD speaking in the Dáil on the Government’s housing delivery record
“If you come in and you’re refused international protection, you leave, you’re gone.”
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan TD on proposed changes to Ireland’s asylum seeking process
“China is willing to strengthen dialogue with Ireland, enhance mutual trust, and properly handle differences.”
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Dublin in February 2025
“It is a matter for the data centres themselves to choose how they fuel and power themselves.”
CRU Commissioner Tanya Harrington speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland on the morning the CRU’s draft decision paper on Large Energy Users Connection Policy was published
Programme for Government: Policy set to shift rightwards
Micheál Martin TD’s return as Taoiseach has seen Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael get an exclusive share of the spoils at Cabinet level, while the new Programme for Government (PfG) sets the tone for a diluting of the liberal policies – including on social welfare and the environment – pursued under the previous administration.
The 2025 Programme for Government (PfG), Securing Ireland’s Future, presents a vision of economic stability, infrastructural development, and administrative efficiency. While it addresses longstanding challenges, the broad proposals prioritise continuity over the kind of radical reform proposed in the 2020 Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, with a measured approach to housing, economic growth, social welfare, and climate policy.
Whereas in 2020, there were bold new ambitions announced on retrofitting, energy, the
environment, and housing, the 2025 PfG reinforces government’s commitment to a “competitive, open market economy”. The focus is on fiscal responsibility, reducing “regulatory burdens”, and supporting enterprise growth. A National Competitiveness and Productivity Action Plan is promised within 12 months, covering industrial policy, infrastructure investment, digital regulation, and trade expansion.
Job creation remains a key pillar, with a target of 300,000 new jobs by 2030. However, unlike previous strategies, this plan offers limited
sectoral breakdowns beyond general references to high-tech, financial services, and agri-food.
The commitment to research and development is emphasised, with an expansion of Enterprise Ireland’s funding for start-ups and scale-ups, alongside enhanced tax credits for innovation.
Housing
Housing remains central to government policy, with the previous government’s blunder in its vastly overstated projection for housing delivery prior to the general election having reduced confidence in the sector.
In the PfG, the focus is now on increasing supply rather than interventionist affordability measures which were so prominent in Housing for All. The PfG states that the Land Development Agency will play a pivotal role, with state-owned land being utilised for housing projects, though the specific number of units is undefined in the document.
Shared equity schemes and first-time buyer supports continue to be the preferred instruments for affordability, despite multiple critiques hinging on the potentially inflationary impacts. Other proposals with significant support within the sector, such as rent control measures, are absent, replaced with a commitment to reviewing tenancy laws for “long-term stability”. Public-private partnerships are expected to expand in social and affordable housing projects.
Similarly, a commitment to hold a referendum “on housing” present in the 2020 PfG has been quietly dropped.
Social protection and justice
Social protection measures in the 2025 PfG focus on refining existing schemes rather than introducing new universal benefits. Welfare supports will undergo a “targeted review,” with an emphasis on efficiency rather than expansion. Commitments to disability support highlight “a step change” in services but lack concrete proposals beyond increasing access to employment.
Michael Lowry’s right-leaning Regional Independents Group (RIG) looks set to soften the environmental policies introduced when the Green Party was in government.
The Department of Justice is to be renamed to the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. This is reflected in the PfG, which states that migration policy will have a “fair but firmer” stance, indicating a streamlined asylum process with an emphasis on faster decision-making and removals.
Direct provision – which the previous government promised it would abolish –remains under review, with no firm commitments to alternative models beyond “enhanced reception services”. Although the new Minister, Jim O’Callaghan TD has set out his stall with a more right-wing tone than his predecessor. “If you come in and you refuse international protection, you leave. You’re gone,” O’Callaghan told reporters on 13 February 2025.
Climate and energy
The Government reiterates its commitment to decarbonisation but with a focus on balancing economic competitiveness. The offshore wind sector is a listed priority, with regulatory frameworks being adjusted to accelerate development. However, there is less emphasis on direct public investment, with private sector-led solutions preferred.
‘Energy’ is not explicitly referred to in the PfG’s contents page. In fact, the first mention of note is on page 52 under the ‘leading a revolution in renewable energy’ subhead. There are two mentions of ‘renewable green’ or ‘green hydrogen’, alongside two vague references to ‘energy security’.
Retrofitting programmes are set to continue, but with a shift towards incentivising private investment rather than large-scale state grants. The target for phasing out fossil fuel vehicles remains but includes “flexibility for emerging technologies,” potentially softening the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars, although EU legislation will require the sale of petrol and diesel cars to be banned from 2035.
35th Government of Ireland: The Cabinet
There are 15 members of the new cabinet, collectively controlling 18 government departments (The position of Tánaiste formally falls within the remit of the Department of the Taoiseach). Tánaiste Simon Harris has two portfolios (Defence and Foreign Affairs), as does Darragh O’Brien (Climate, Environment and Energy; and Transport), and Dara Calleary (Social Protection; and Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht).
Three of the 15 Cabinet ministers are women, while the parties have granted 10 of the 18 portfolios to Fianna Fáil, and eight to Fine Gael. 11 of the 15 members are from Leinster, while three (including the Taoiseach) are from Munster, one comes from Connacht, and none are from Ulster. Overall, the new cabinet has less diversity than the previous one by gender, geography, party, and religious background (owing to Heather Humphries’ departure from politics).
Micheál Martin Fianna Fáil Taoiseach
Simon Harris Fine Gael Tánaiste; Foreign Affairs; Defence
Paschal Donohoe Fine Gael Finance
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill Fine Gael Health
Helen McEntee Fine Gael Education and Youth
Martin Heydon Fine Gael
Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine
Peter Burke Fine Gael Enterprise, Tourism and Employment
Patrick O’Donovan Fine Gael Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport
Jim O’Callaghan Fianna Fáil
Jack Chambers Fianna Fáil
James Browne Fianna Fáil
Dara Calleary Fianna Fáil
Darragh O’Brien Fianna Fáil
James Lawless Fianna Fáil
Justice, Home Affairs and Migration
Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services, Reform and Digitalisation
Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Social Protection; Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht
Climate, Environment and Energy; Transport
Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Norma Foley Fianna Fáil Children, Disability and Equality
*Some Department are to be renamed under the Minister and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1939.
Ministers of State attending Cabinet
Four ministers of state (known as junior ministers) will also attend cabinet meetings. Ministers of state who attend cabinet are known as ‘super junior ministers’. The job of Government Chief Whip rotates back to Fianna Fáil, with Waterford TD Mary Butler taking over from Hildegarde Naughten, who held the role between 2022 and 2024, and continues to attend cabinet meetings.
Reflecting the Government’s deals with the Rural Independents Group (RIG) and the Healy-Rae brothers, two independent ministers of state –Noel Grealish and Seán Canney – will also attend Cabinet.
On 12 December 2025, the Dáil passed a bill which allows for an increase in the number of junior ministers. The Bill includes the creation of three super junior minister roles, and provides for an increase in junior ministers from a record level of 20 to a new record of 23, up from 15 a decade ago. The figure includes 10 positions for Fianna Fáil, eight for Fine Gael, and five for the Regional Independent Group.
Junior ministers’ attendance at Cabinet is currently subject to legal challenge, with Sinn Féin TD Pa Daly asserting that Bunreacht na hÉireann limits the number of government ministers to 15 and binds them to confidentiality about their discussions. This case is set to go to the courts by May 2025. In the meantime, People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy has sought an injunction on these members attending Cabinet until the legal verdict is delivered.
Political reform and all-island politics
While governance remains a key theme, the 2025 PfG offers restrained commitments to political reform. Local democracy will be “enhanced,” though direct mayoral elections are no longer a listed priority. In addition, measures to increase transparency are referenced but lack a clear legislative roadmap.
Furthermore, while the previous government promised to hold a referendum on extending voting rights in presidential elections to Irish citizens in the North and diaspora, the new government has dropped this proposal and it is unlikely to go ahead. In fact, the word ‘referendum’ is only used once in the entire document.
Name Party Portfolio(s)
Government Chief Whip; Minister of State at Department of Health with responsibility for mental health
Hildegarde Naughten Fine Gael
Canney Independent
Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability and Equality with responsibility for disability
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine with responsibility for food promotion, new markets, research and development
Minister of State at the Department of Transport with responsibility for international and road transport, logistics, rail and ports
A government of incrementalism
The new PfG is less ambitious and less specific than what was rolled out five years earlier by Micheál Martin, Leo Varadkar, and Eamon Ryan, and even what Martin and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris brought to the public in their parties’ general election manifestos. The word ‘explore’ appears 34 times and the word ‘examine’ appears 86 times in the Securing Ireland’s Future document.
The broad challenges in the housing sector – house prices, rent prices, and undersupply – have worsened since 2020, the economy stands in a more vulnerable state than it did in 2020 amid the looming implementation of US tariffs on EU exports, and the energy system continues to function with significantly higher operational costs than existed in 2020, amid the aftermath of sanctions on Russian oil and gas.
In the absence of the Green Party’s influence, it is highly unlikely that climate policy will be advanced or consolidated.
While the PfG acknowledges persistent challenges in housing, economic growth, social protection, and climate action, its proposals favour continuity over ambitious reform. Fiscal caution and broad status quoism are prioritised, reflecting a government intent on maintaining Ireland’s current trajectory rather than introducing sweeping change.
Mary Butler Fianna Fáil
Noel Grealish Independent
Seán
cover story
Dave Kirwan returned to the role of Managing Director of Bord Gáis Energy in summer 2020 after a spell with parent company, Centrica, in the UK. He continues to serve on the Centrica Group Executive Committee and has recently been appointed Managing Director of Centrica Power, a role he takes on alongside his Bord Gáis Energy role.
Last speaking with eolas Magazine in April 2021 – just under a year before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 – Kirwan asserted that Ireland stood on the precipice of an “adaptive transformation” and signalled that Bord Gáis Energy would reorientate to become a green energy business – positioning itself at the forefront of the Irish transition to a net zero energy system. That reorientation is well underway.
“We stopped being just a gas company over a decade ago,” he explains. “Now, Bord Gáis Energy is investing in the full value chain to utterly transform our relationship with energy and remove the carbon molecule.”
While Bord Gáis Energy was performing well in what it had always done – looking after its customers, working to deliver competitive supply, and maintaining a respected brand – this was not a sustainable strategy, he explains.
Energising a greener, fairer future
Installed in a sleek, minimalist boardroom at Bord Gáis Energy’s Warrington Place headquarters, facing onto Dublin’s Grand Canal, Managing Director, Dave Kirwan speaks with eolas Magazine about his company’s strategic reimagining as a green energy business, as well as the prevailing market and policy context in which it operates.
Centrica recently revised its net zero target downwards to 2040 and Bord Gáis Energy has now committed to this new target, a prospect that Kirwan says will add further impetus to Bord Gáis Energy’s fundamental transformation of the Irish business.
“Disrupting a traditionally successful strategy is challenging,” Kirwan remarks, emphasising that as the Managing Director of a commercial organisation, he must strike a balance between demonstrable profitability, a return on investment, and a pathway to scalability to which shareholders and customers alike can subscribe.
“From my perspective, given that we have 730,000 residential and business customers increasingly relying on us to help them transition away from their current mode of heat and electricity generation, the challenge has been ensuring that the Bord Gáis Energy ecosystem adapts around this transformation,” he says.
Kirwan contends that the scale of the transformation required is huge and talks about the need to cultivate a culture of self-belief among his colleagues as the energy provider moves to spearhead Ireland’s energy transition.
“Pivoting from the current operation which efficiently produces, delivers, installs and services the energy going into our customers’ homes is simply enormous. The shift in our focus and thinking is already underway and it is actually a very exciting time to be part of this business, and our sector generally.
“No part of the current Bord Gáis Energy ecosystem can be left untouched. What is of paramount importance is that we continue the switch to green while also maintaining smooth delivery of our existing offering,” he says.
Centrica’s commitment to the Irish market
Bord Gáis Energy capital investment is enabled by investment from its parent group, Centrica plc. In 2021, Kirwan approached the Centrica board for the first time, outlining his five-year strategy for Bord Gáis Energy and asserting: “To be a serious player in the net zero transition, Bord Gáis Energy would have to deploy capital.”
At that time, Kirwan recounts, he told the board that Bord Gáis Energy would need more capital than it had asked for at any time since being bought by its parent company.
“Both the Centrica board and the Chief Executive, Chris O’Shea, have been hugely supportive in relation to Bord Gáis Energy’s strategic direction.”
Demonstrating this support, Bord Gáis Energy secured an investment of €300 million to construct two new hydrogenready peaking plants at sites in Athlone and Dublin which are set to come onstream later in 2025.
Bord Gáis Energy’s “pipeline of ideas” is ambitious and the Centrica board’s support for it is, understandably, conditional. Though Kirwan highlights “the credibility of our team and the board’s constructive interactions with the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) and the Government” means that the UK plc’s board has a favourable view of the strategy in Ireland.
cover story
“If we are serious about the energy transition, then this is the trajectory that we must set for ourselves.”
Dave Kirwan, Managing Director, Bord Gáis Energy
Industry collaboration
In May 2024, Bord Gáis Energy announced a new partnership with Corio Generation – a global offshore wind developer – effectively heralding its expansion into the offshore wind sphere.
Emphasising the centrality of Centrica’s financial support, Kirwan asserts that the announcement was indicative of Bord Gáis Energy’s objective of accelerating the transition to net zero by “offering endto-end green energy solutions required”.
Simultaneously, through its Bord Gáis Energy and Centrica Energy businesses, Centrica plc has also announced a memorandum of understanding with Mitsubishi Power Europe Limited to explore the possibility of developing, constructing, and operating Europe’s first ammonia-fired power station within the Whitegate footprint in Cork.
Most interestingly, Bord Gáis Energy has joined the Kestrel Project alongside dCarbonX and ESB – a competitor in the renewable energy arena.
“Project Kestrel is exploring the redevelopment of the decommissioned gas reservoirs at the Kinsale Head gas field for large-scale natural gas storage before a planned transition to green hydrogen energy storage,” Kirwan explains.
“Five years ago, did I imagine that we would be collaborating with ESB on a project? Probably not. But I think it is great. I have huge respect for ESB. While it is a competitor, it is also an important actor on the energy stage. Ultimately, we agreed there was mutual benefit working together.”
Market conditions
Discussing the prevailing market conditions in which Bord Gáis Energy operates, Kirwan emphasises the fact that – excluding the depleted Kinsale and depleting Corrib gas fields – Ireland has “always been exposed at the geographic extremity of the supply chain”, though it had traditionally been well served with liquidity and options.
Now, however, amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, he insists: “The old reliable supply chain is no more. In the past, we operated at times with over supplied markets, deep interconnection, and reasonably good liquidity, while the new norm, at least in the short term, looks a lot different.”
Today, the relationship between geopolitical stability and gas prices is highly correlated. The invasion and its associated sanctions mean that Russian natural gas is no longer flowing into Europe in any meaningful way.
Uncertainty, catalysed by protectionism and supply chain disruption, has filled the vacuum.
While the European Commission observes that the gas and electricity markets have returned to “a much more stable and predictable situation”, market traders, as Kirwan highlights, are still grappling to understand whether the associated risk of geopolitical upheaval has been effectively priced to establish a reasonable benchmark price per therm.
The challenge, he adds, is Europe-wide, with every country pursuing enhanced energy independence, considering the cost, and determining whether they are on track to achieve this.
While Irish policymakers are more sanguine about security of supply than was the case three years ago, Kirwan is less than convinced that the energy crisis is over.
“The international landscape has changed significantly on so many fronts, prolonging uncertainty over the short to medium term.”
Retail margins
Discussing the impact of the global energy crisis on Bord Gáis Energy’s retail margins, Kirwan concedes that he was forced to relay successive bad news to the Centrica board over the course of 2022, 2023, and 2024 as profits sunk below pre-energy crisis levels.
In the space of 10 months following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, an annual dual fuel (gas and electricity) bill for an Irish household increased from €1,800 to €4,700.
“While these were astronomical price increases for consumers,” Kirwan says, “The reality facing Bord Gáis Energy was that we were losing money throughout that period. We understand that is hard for customers to believe, but it was the reality throughout the crisis.”
The figures speak for themselves. For instance, Bord Gáis Energy recorded a profit of €36 million in 2022, but only €1.5 million in 2024, experiencing a year-
on-year reduction of €34 million (a 94 per cent decrease).
“We were willing to absorb losses that we were incurring, and I received significant support from the Centrica board to do so, because we are here for our customers in the long term. We have served Irish customers for over 50 years, and we intend to serve them for another 50 years and more,” he states.
As such, a fundamental aspect of Bord Gáis Energy’s strategy is its intention to play a increasing role in every aspect of the value chain.
Ireland, the Managing Director insists, needs energy players who have a sincere appreciation for customers as well as upstream returns.
“When we make investments upstream in the value chain, we are mindful of the impact on customers,” he says, adding: “We must consider whether investment in peaking plants, helps manage risk and enables us to pass on benefit to customers, as well as making a recovery on the capital investment.”
Economic viability
Discussing the economic viability of renewable gases such as biomethane and green hydrogen, Kirwan admits that in the absence of a functioning market, it is difficult to make the case for capital
investment for a future need that “we cannot conceive of today”.
“From an Irish perspective, the subsidies to develop projects are a good start, but they are obviously not competitive in a European context,” he says, maintaining: “Ireland needs to go all in, recognising the need to support momentum around a developing market in anticipation of the value that can be added in several years’ time.”
The consensus across the industry is that “we must start deploying capital now” even though the investment “based on current market structures cannot necessarily be justified in the next four or five years”.
“Stakeholders in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities appreciate that, but are wrestling with justification of significant capital expenditure and considering how it can be supported as we move to a net zero ecosystem in Ireland,” Kirwan observes.
His argument is that while the Irish model for investment in energy infrastructure was not simple, it was understandable. “It was done on the basis of volume use. For instance, power stations were built on the basis that the State requires X amount of MW over Y amount of time, and we can produce it at a cost of Z. This determined cost competitiveness, and indicated whether we could expect to sell energy at a competitive price and recover the investment,” he explains.
Conversely, arguing that this economic model can no longer necessarily be applied to today’s infrastructure requirements. For example, developing indigenous hydrogen storage is, Kirwan says, “in most scenarios a critical system requirement” but conventional storage economics will not support the investment needed, and we will need new regulatory frameworks to underpin the investment case.
“How to put an appropriate value on the ability to transport and store renewable power in a net zero energy system is one of the biggest questions we are wrestling with,” the Managing Director explains.
In this new context, Kirwan advises against backing any one single technology, or rejecting another out of hand. “We must be careful and
appreciate the value that technologies such as long duration storage and interconnection have and avoid putting all our eggs in one basket,” he warns.
Solar PV
Meanwhile, in late November 2024, Bord Gáis Energy announced its acquisition of indigenous solar PV provider, Swyft Energy. While the green energy provider already had a foot in the solar PV market, including via a partnership with the Irish Farmer’s Association, the acquisition is intended to bring “deeper solar PV capability to residential as well as business and farming customers of Bord Gáis Energy”.
Elaborating on this rationale, Kirwan explains: “We were impressed by the capability and the value set of Swyft Energy, and we wanted to augment our own capabilities and accelerate our charge into solar PV installation, heat pump installation, and end-to-end solutions for homes and businesses.”
Bord Gáis Energy now has a solar division and a capability to assess individuals farms, engage with the SEAI and ESB Networks, and produce an optimised solution for the use of solar PV on 250 farms to date, while overseeing the procurement and supply, as well as ongoing maintenance.
“The process of putting that platform together has taken three or four years. It will take several more years before it can be commercialised. That is the reality for businesses like our own, which are serious about leading the transition,” he says.
Skills capacity
Pursuit of Bord Gáis Energy’s strategic ambition of transitioning to net zero by 2040 – in support of Ireland’s national climate objective of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest – is bolstered by its paid apprenticeship programme.
“We are developing our own organic skills base ranging from the traditional gas work, to insulation, solar PV, and heat pumps. Consider the skills base in Ireland; there is clearly more demand than supply. Everyone is competing for the same talent, so we must take a highly proactive approach, augmenting our own people’s current skillset, and building
new talent through our apprentice programmes.
“We are hiring many more college students than we traditionally would have and formalising our graduate programme in a way we have never done before. It is a very exciting time.
“I met with the graduate cohort in late 2024, and they remarked upon the diversity of roles within Bord Gáis Energy. As we engage in cutting edge work in every aspect of the business our it has never been more exciting to join our company,” Kirwan comments.
Policy context
Against the backdrop of the newly formed government, conversation turns to the renewable energy elements of Programme for Government 2025. “The fundamental challenge facing politicians is the short election cycle within which to make impact while seeking re-election,” Kirwan articulates.
“In reality, given the significance of the climate and energy challenges we face, the necessary decisions, those needed to be made in the coming years, are unlikely to unlock any immediate electoral benefit. This makes what needs to be done politically really challenging but no less important, it really is a time for all of us to lend our support to doing the right thing even if not immediately popular.”
For a secure and green energy future in Ireland, what is required, he suggests, is a deep and transparent conversation at senior levels which considers each scenario and adopts a logical and rationale approach to determining which forks in the road are best taken.
There is, he says, “a need for longtermism” and collaboration will be key. “Collaboration must be more regular, dynamic, and open. There must be a degree of trust that it is not a self-serving conversation. A big test in the next two years will be the dialogue between the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, CRU, EirGrid as the electricity transmission system operator (TSO), and organisations such as Bord Gáis Energy.
“That the significant scale of capital investment required to deliver the energy transition has not been properly quantified is still not fully appreciated in our society. No single entity will deliver Ireland’s ambition, and there is no monopoly on good ideas, nor can there be a reliance on any single organisation to deliver it. We all have a role to play,” he summarises.
His message for policymakers is simple: “Include us.” Elaborating on this, he muses: “When considering the energy future, there are many diverse outcomes. If there was overreliance on a single perspective, I would be worried.
“We will arrive at the right blend of solutions via diverse stakeholder engagement and real dialogue, facing into some near-term contradictions. To paraphrase Keynes, the challenge is not in developing new ideas, it is letting go of old ones. There is a real paradigm shift underway.”
Looking to Bord Gáis Energy’s march to net zero, Kirwan encapsulates his ambition: “We want to help customers decarbonise their homes and businesses, providing a wraparound service with transparency, value sharing, and the interests of the planet at the core. We want to energise a greener, fairer future. It is both challenging and exciting.”
Profile: Dave Kirwan
Dave Kirwan’s career has taken him from Texas to Vietnam, Belfast to Cork, Dublin to Britain, and back again. Asked to identify a singular lesson from the experience, he does not hesitate. “Family first,” he replies. “When all is said and done Catriona, and my four kids are the people that really matter.”
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Sinn Féin’s David Cullinane TD: ‘A prescription for change’ in healthcare
January 2025 was another record-breaking month in healthcare, but in the wrong ways, writes Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on health, David Cullinane TD, outlining his party’s alternative vision.
In January 2025, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation recorded nearly 14,000 people inappropriately admitted to hospital on trolleys and chairs – the most ever recorded in a single month. In early 2006, then-health minister, Mary Harney declared a national emergency when there were less than half as many patients recorded on trolleys.
The HSE has since confirmed to me that January 2025 was also a record-breaking month for hospital cancellations – where a capacity problem with a hospital, not a clinical problem with the patient, leads to a cancelled appointment – with 5,000 more cancellations in January this year than in January 2024. There were 20,000 more appointments cancelled in 2024 than in 2023.
This is all part of a broader trend, and sadly it is unsurprising to those of us who watch healthcare closely. That is why, when I was appointed Sinn Féin’s
spokesperson on health in 2020, I set out to develop and publish the most comprehensive healthcare plan ever produced by a political party to demonstrate that the problems are not intractable, can be solved, and will be solved if there is political will.
My starting point is that each of us deserves a fit-for-purpose health and care system that supports us through life, illness, where a person has a disability, and as we age, regardless of income, wealth, or background.
Our plan, A Prescription for Change (2024), sets out in detail how we would deal with the big challenges in healthcare: tackle overcrowding, reduce waiting lists and wait times, improve patient safety, and deliver free-at-thepoint-of-use healthcare. This plan is available in web format and for download at health.sinnfein.ie.
Sinn Féin would work across the 32 counties to develop a first-class, single tier, all-Ireland public health system that learns from the best and worst in both jurisdictions and across Europe. We would recognise physical and mental health as a human right. To deliver safe staffing levels we would boost training numbers, give trainees a proper bursary, give graduates a job guarantee, and work to attract our healthcare workers to relocate back home. Solving the housing crisis is a key part of improving the health workforce, and Sinn Féin has outlined comprehensive and radical plans to do this in Eoin Ó Broin’s A Home of Your Own (2024).
A Sinn Féin Taoiseach would appoint a ‘Minister for Health and Social Care’ to be the driver of the reforms set out in our manifesto. We would establish cabinet committees on health and on workforce planning, which would include a major
focus on the health sector. The underpinning principle of reform should be that people can access the right care, in the right place, at the right time, and at the most appropriate, cost-effective level, with a strong emphasis on prevention and public health. We would ensure rights-based access to care for disabled people, and inclusive mainstream services.
A Sinn Féin Government would set a zero-tolerance approach to hospital trolleys and overcrowding as a target for all hospitals. To achieve this, we would deliver 5,000 hospital beds by 2031, including replacements for 1,000 unsafe beds. We would also invest in diagnostic capacity, theatre space, and aligned discharge capacity in the community, and accelerate the delivery of public only elective hospitals. This would be underpinned with community care reform, including 2,000 community stepdown, nursing care, and social inclusion beds, and legislation for safe staffing levels.
Sinn Féin would take big bold steps to deliver universal healthcare by providing free prescription medicines for all households, upgrading every GP visit card to a full medical card, providing full medical card cover to all workers up to the median income, and abolishing prescription and car parking charges.
In the first 100 days of a Sinn Féin government, we would legislate for free prescription medicines and for medical card entitlements for all up to the median income, to be rolled out over 5 years. We would deliver a ‘Healthcare for All Act’ to commit the State to full public health cover by 2035.
A Sinn Féin government would deliver on the commitment of Sláintecare to deliver the right care in the right place at the right time. This would be achieved by upgrading and expanding local health services with a landmark new public GP contract, hiring public dentists, delivering a ‘pharmacy first’ model for minor ailments, and ramping up home- and community-based care. Our comprehensive plan covers essential measures to reform home care, expand GP and primary care, deliver community neuro-rehabilitation teams, and reduce pressure on hospitals.
“I set out to develop and publish the most comprehensive healthcare plan ever produced by a political party to demonstrate that the problems are not intractable.”
David Cullinane TD, spokesperson on health, Sinn Féin
A Sinn Féin government would not tolerate an understaffed and underresourced mental health service. At the heart of Sinn Féin’s plan is a new ‘Child and Youth Mental Health Service’ to replace Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) which would provide integrated early intervention services for children and young people to the age of 25, expand access to Jigsaw and primary care mental health services, deliver universal counselling, fund the full complement of inpatient and intellectual disability CAMHS teams, and deliver 20 more early intervention in psychosis teams.
A Sinn Féin government would implement an unprecedented 10-year investment programme to deliver a rights-based approach to disability services. This would provide for unmet and future need, and fund accessible therapies, respite services, residential care and decongregation, personal assistance services, home support hours, day services, and access to specialist and mainstream community services.
Sinn Féin would deliver a €15 billion health capital investment programme over a term of government. We would immediately provide funding certainty for 5,000 acute hospital beds. This ambitious and future-focussed capital programme includes estimates for four new elective hospitals, the new maternity hospital, surgical and diagnostic hubs, new primary care centres and community facilities, 5,000 hospital beds, theatre capacity, nursing homes, equipment, machinery, ambulance fleet, and other significant and minor infrastructure works. It also includes estimates to
maintain existing stock, advance climate action, and meet regulatory standards. We would specifically ringfence €2 billion for a Digital Transformation Fund.
Our ambitious plan for health and social care includes, but is not limited to women’s health, children’s services, national strategies, all-island planning, public health, social care, disabilities, older people, chronic disease management, gender and sexual health, prevention and health promotion, and climate action in health.
The health service needs investment, but it also needs very serious reform. Investment and reform must be aligned to ensure that the taxpayer is getting value-for-money, and that the health service is modernised and equipped to operate in the 21st century. That will take big upfront investments in new digital systems and equipment, but if managed properly this investment would pay itself back by cutting down waste, inefficiency, and enabling healthcare workers to focus on delivering care instead of chasing paperwork. To make sure that the health service is being held to account for spending of public money, we would set a €1 billion target in savings and efficiencies by 2030 to pay for these investments from within the existing budget.
While this plan was developed for the November 2024 general election, its comprehensive nature means it will continue to be relevant for years to come. In the Dáil term ahead I will continue to put forward comprehensive solutions to deliver the best health service that Ireland can offer and which our people deserve.
Energising future transport: Navigating the key infrastructure challenges to meet Ireland’s alternative fuels targets
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) hosted a round table discussion at its Parkgate Street headquarters in Dublin, assembling stakeholders from across the energy and transport sectors, including industry representatives, to determine how Ireland can deliver against the alternative fuels targets mandated by the EU’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR).
What is the single greatest obstacle to delivering the infrastructure necessary for Ireland to meet its mandatory Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) obligations within the given timeframes?
Dónal Minnock
The key obstacle is demand. Although we have seen a 20 per cent increase in the number of electric light duty vehicles (LDVs) sales in January 2025 compared
with January 2024, significant continued growth in the uptake of electric light duty vehicles is required to meet the 2030 Climate Action Plan targets. In alignment with the just transition and balanced regional development under the National Planning Framework, we must stimulate greater demand, including rural Ireland where the EV uptake is lower. Similarly, demand for electric heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) is another serious challenge when we talk about AFIR. To date, there is estimated to be only around 40 electric HDVs in the State among a 40,000strong HDV fleet. As such, we must ensure that the recharging infrastructure is available to encourage the transition we need to see.
Round table discussion hosted by
Darren Kinsella
There is a shortage in green skills in the labour market, which is exacerbated by broad supply chain challenges. Education around the rationale for the transition to EVs can make it an attractive career path. If we can attract a sustainable pipeline of skills, we will meet our AFIR targets. There is also a challenge in coordinating the grid with EV chargers and the other infrastructure required to makes these solutions more feasible and we hope that progress in the planning sphere can help overcome these challenges.
John Martin
It is important to remember that AFIR is not synonymous with EV charging. Rather, it is also about hydrogen refuelling infrastructure as well as electricity supply to certain sea-going vessels at ports, and stationary aircraft in airports. Regarding hydrogen, in the absence of any significant green hydrogen economy in Ireland, we do not currently have supply, or active demand, in the transport sector. However, as per the Renewable Energy Directive and AFIR, the EU has established a minimum
target for the delivery of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure by 2030. As such, it is anticipated that Ireland will be required to deliver between five and six hydrogen refuelling stations. While hydrogen will have a role in decarbonising elements of the transport sector, the obvious risk is the creation of stranded assets amid a lack of demand. That could be very damaging, not only from an investment perspective, but from a reputational perspective.
Aoife O’Grady
While EV uptake is not quite where we need it to be, it is not far off. There was a slump in demand in 2024, but this was still on a par with what we saw in 2022, and 2022 was our second most successful year ever for EV uptake. The figures for January 2025 indicate that demand is growing again. However, while have seen a total increase of 150 per cent in EVs on our roads in a four-year period, we have not trained or upskilled 150 per cent more EV charging infrastructure technicians, and this skills capacity will take time to develop.
Des
Phelan
There is no silver bullet or one single solution which will help us meet our obligations, it is about achieving the right mix of solutions. In some instances, hydrogen refuelling will be a longterm solution, especially in the aviation sector where there will be a need for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). In others, hydrogen will be transitional while electrification infrastructure is scaled up. For hydrogen, the main challenge is demand. Mandates can form part of the solution. Currently, Ireland has mandated public transport operators to decarbonise 50 per cent of vehicle fleets. Subsidising vehicle capital costs will be necessary to achieve cost of ownership (TCO) parity with equivalent internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles would allow operators to purchase hydrogen vehicles and meet AFIR obligations without further support from government.
Bevin Cody
The electricity network is supporting the delivery of many different national policies not only in transport, but also across housing, renewables, buildings, and industry. New targets and requirements have materialised over a relatively short time which are putting pressure on network infrastructure and contributing to capacity constraints. It takes time to build and expand electrical networks and this is decoupled from the pace of change we are seeing. ESB Networks is scaling up to meet the new demand requirements, but network capacity will remain a challenge in the short to medium term.
How can the transport sector most effectively collaborate with the energy sector in the pursuit of AFIR targets given, for instance, existing capacity constraints in Ireland’s electricity grid?
Bevin Cody
Strategy and policy, such as AFIR, are developed at national and European level but how it is interpreted and delivered on the ground warrants clarity from an infrastructure delivery standpoint. Often, this is not a challenge that ESB Networks or the relevant local authority can answer alone, so a collaborative approach is the best means of ensuring that we can meet the requirements. Many insights for innovation come from collaboration with customers and stakeholders as they bring an expert understanding of commercial viability. Having tools and structures to support good communications and data sharing is critical. The more information we can share, the better we can co-design solutions to overcome challenges and capitalise on opportunities.
Bevin Cody
Bevin Cody is Manager of ESB Networks’ Strategy, Innovation and Electrification team where she is responsible for overseeing the development of future focused solutions to meet the needs of customers and support the delivery of ESB Networks’ Networks for Net Zero strategy. She has worked in the electricity sector in the UK and Ireland for over 20 years in a range of corporate communications and strategy roles. Prior to taking up her current role, Bevin was the Corporate Reputation Manager for ESB Group.
Darren Kinsella
Darren Kinsella is Head of Business Development for New Energy Landscapes with Schneider Electric, and a founding member of Electric Vehicle Charging Alliance of Ireland (EVCAI). With over two decades of experience, Darren’s expertise spans energy management, automation, and sustainable strategies. As the former CEO of Darkin EV, he pioneered innovative EV charging solutions and played a pivotal role in its acquisition by an international organisation in 2021. He also serves as Vice President of the Association of Electrical Contractors in Ireland (AECI).
John Martin
John Martin is Principal Officer with responsibility for the Climate Engagement and Governance Division at the Department of Transport. He was centrally involved in the development, consultation, promotion, and governance of the transport policy elements of Climate Action Plans 2023, 2024, and 2025. John coordinates engagement on climate action transport policy across a wide range of stakeholders. He previously worked for 18 years in the field of flood risk management at the Office of Public Works as a Principal Officer in capital flood relief scheme delivery, and before that as a design engineer and project manager.
Dónal Minnock
Dónal Minnock is Head of the Alternative Fuels Projects Unit, a new section established within the Network Management Division of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) in 2024. This unit is responsible for the delivery of the required alternative fuels infrastructure to meet the requirements of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulations (AFIR), as well as the strategy and policy objectives set out by Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI). Dónal has worked on the procurement, construction, operation, and maintenance of major infrastructure projects for over 22 years, with a particular focus on PPP Contract management.
Aoife O’Grady
Aoife O’Grady is Head of Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland, a dedicated office within the Department of Transport, which supports the uptake of vehicles through grants, incentives and the roll out of EV charging infrastructure. Aoife has worked for both the Irish and UK governments in the field of transport for almost 20 years, with a focus on strategy and sustainability.
Des Phelan
Des Phelan has been working in the forestry sector with Coillte since 2014, chair of the Forest Industry Transport Group since 2017, council chair for the Freight Transport Association of Ireland, and chair of Hydrogen Mobility Ireland. Prior to joining Coillte, he worked in oil distribution for 15 years with DCC Oil Ireland. Des studied supply chain management with Technical University Dublin and public procurement with the Institute of Public Administration.
“Going beyond the AFIR requirements is very worthwhile, especially in terms of market signals and instilling consumer confidence.” Dónal Minnock
Des Phelan
In the last three years, progress in decarbonising the transport sector has been enabled by joint planning, joint forecasting, and early engagement.
Location, timeline, and technology must coincide for both battery and hydrogen vehicles to ensure the successful rollout of alternative fuel infrastructure.
Hydrogen Mobility Ireland considers that hydrogen production has the capacity to alleviate grid constraints by directly connecting electrolysers to renewables that cannot obtain grid connections or are frequently required to dispatch-down.
Dónal Minnock
ZEVI’s Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2025 acknowledged there was a need for increased collaboration with the energy sector, and this is exactly what has materialised. In tandem with the implementation of the EV recharging infrastructure programme identified in the strategy and more explicitly in the subsequent National Road EV Charging Network Plan, we now have fora through which we can engage with stakeholders on infrastructure, and this is the basis for continued growth. As AFIR matures, there will be an increased need for a
collaborative focus on challenges such as the decarbonisation of HDVs.
Aoife O’Grady
While collaboration between the transport and energy sectors is already strong, but there is always room for improvement. For instance, there is room for growth with the other sectors, including education and skills. I spend around 30 per cent of my working week in collaborative settings with public and private sector stakeholders. The scale of the challenge before us demands this
level of collaboration. Meeting our AFIR obligations is such a complex challenge and no one organisation – including the Department of Transport – can deliver these alone.
What role must be played, firstly by the State, and secondly, by the market, to maximise the delivery of alternative fuels infrastructure?
John Martin
The solution to decarbonising transport, in addition to addressing systemic travel behaviour, also lies in determining an appropriate mix of technologies. What the State must do is provide a policy framework which relies on collaborative communication with industry and with the wider transport sector, including vehicle manufacturers, fleet operators, charge point operators, and hydrogen refuelling station providers. We must determine what technologies are best aligned with different parts of the transport system. Currently, there is a sense that we are trying to throw everything at every sector, whereas we must take a segmented approach to use cases. While leading with electrification as the default technology, we must also acknowledge its limitations, including, for instance, increasing electricity grid capacity constraints. There are also certain use cases, both in terms of land transport, and in terms of aviation and maritime, where electrification is not the most appropriate solution, or where other technologies, such as hydrogen, are clearly more appropriate and should be
“It is important to remember that AFIR is not synonymous with EV charging.” John Martin
“For the State, the mission of the day is communication and transparency.” Aoife O’Grady
the default. Policy design clarity, based on segmentation, will send a powerful signal to the market about which elements of the system we should actively target for hydrogen.
Des Phelan
The State could provide more detail on TCO mandates. HMI’s recommendation is to subsidise production and vehicle capital simultaneously to achieve cost parity. From a market perspective, we must participate on working groups with policymakers to examine this specific sector and outline the role for hydrogen in it. We need collaboration to successfully implement AFIR. We also must remember that there are some areas where electrification is not a viable long-term solution, including long-haul coaches which travel on an all-island basis and, in some instances, can run for 18 hours at a time. It is about getting the balance of solutions right.
Dónal Minnock
The State needs to focus on the hard to abate sectors, such as providing support for the establishment of the zero emission HDV market. Currently, we have strong stakeholder engagement across the HDV sector, which will feed into the specifics of how each solution will be delivered. Our current approach to delivery of the ZEVI strategy and plan is demonstrated in the light duty vehicle grant schemes we are currently running. This allows for quick and ready
investment predominantly at existing sites. In terms of the future, the sharing of information and data collaboration is an important strand. In April 2025, TII will have established its Alternative Fuels Data Office which will facilitate national compliance with the data requirements of the AFIR regulation. As EV fleet penetration continues to increase, our data platform will host an enormous quantum of dynamic recharging data, that will be publicly available to end users and private enterprise to develop smart solutions and innovative services to support the transition of the national fleet to alternative fuels transport.
Darren Kinsella
Investors in the sector must be encouraged to scale up their current levels, either through competitive tender processes or alternative investment models. Meanwhile, given that the public views EV technology as being unreliable and has a perception that charging infrastructure is inadequate, education is important. For example, we must better communicate the fact that there are a significant number of charging points in many parts of the country.
Aoife O’Grady
For the State, the mission of the day is communication and transparency. We need to give stakeholders a clear outline of what is going to take place with a high-level strategy, and then we come up with our network plans to accommodate
different regions. Meanwhile, in speaking with private sector stakeholders, they have a clear understanding of where charge points are most needed and where they are in the most demand. Collaboration at all levels of both the public and private sectors is key. It is about being upfront, instilling confidence that the sector is maturing, and then scaling to deliver the AFIR targets.
Bevin Cody
One example of where the State could take a leading role is in the development of a broad data strategy which accounts for the interdependence of public sector bodies and agencies in this space. The alignment of the different policies of various organisations – and how infrastructure delivery plans align – would help other sectors and enable us to crystalise our own planning and delivery models. Key for ESB Networks is knowing where new infrastructure and low carbon technologies are being deployed across the country so that we can plan the network and target resources to the right areas.
How can the planning, development, deployment, and operation of AFI be prioritised to avoid a deficit in rural Ireland?
Aoife O’Grady
It depends where in rural Ireland we are talking about. From a ZEVI perspective, there are two different problems. The first is deploying EV charging infrastructure in less commercially viable locations, which constitutes most of rural Ireland. We expect that less or non-commercially viable locations will have to be much more heavily subsidised than motorway charging which required some state subsidy but was competitive enough to leverage private sector investment.
The second problem relates to the tourist industry. The Wild Atlantic Way is heavily dependent on road transport –particularly coach tours – and while charging infrastructure usage will peak in the summer months, it will be much less frequent in the winter months. How do we service that? The required funding model is not impossible, but it is more complex than other scenarios. One option is considering a state guarantee
requirements for LDVs to align with Climate Action Plan ambition. It is not an Dublin centric, eastern-seaboarddominated, or urban-focused delivery plan; all national roads in this country are targeted to get EV recharging infrastructure stations at the appropriate inter distances included in the National Road EV Charging Network Plan. Many National Primary Roads serve rural communities, connecting towns and villages across the State. There is an opportunity for service providers and private enterprise to develop solutions which provide accessibility to rural or marginalised communities.
Darren Kinsella
An estimated 20 per cent of homeowners are unable to charge their EVs at home, while 80 per cent of privately owned EVs are not charged at home. NSAI (National Standards Authority of Ireland) regulations determine that EV charging infrastructure may not be suitable for deployment within the home, depending on factors relating to proper grounding, circuit protection, and outdoor safety enclosures. We will need greater education, alongside periodic inspections of EV charger installations.
on minimum use levels as per the road tolling precedent, or a large state subsidy.
Bevin Cody
Picking up on the challenge of seasonal use of power; that is a prime example of the opportunity for grid flexibility. Flexible connections could provide customers in rural areas with enhanced access to network capacity during summer months when overall demand for electricity is lower. Public charging infrastructure often requires high network capacity in areas where historic demand has been very low, so major investment in new infrastructure may be needed. Mandated flexibility or mandated controllability of charge points could provide a way of balancing the needs of customers and the network until new network infrastructure is built.
Des Phelan
From a hydrogen perspective, refuelling stations will be deployed in urban nodes first. I agree with John in terms of getting the balance of technologies right. To progress, we must deliver the first hydrogen refuelling stations in large cities, ensure they are fully utilised, and build from there. Meanwhile, deploying
“Progress in decarbonising the transport sector has been enabled by joint planning, joint forecasting, and early engagement.” Des Phelan “We must better communicate the fact that there are a significant number of charging points in many parts of the country. Darren Kinsella
hydrogen production across rural Ireland, in proximity to renewables, will bring high-quality jobs to rural areas.
Dónal Minnock
ZEVI’s National Road EV Charging Network Plan, published in 2024, targeted going beyond the AFIR
Bevin Cody
To support electrification, ESB Networks has developed a register of low carbon technology (LCT) devices that meet the necessary standard to connect to the network. That removes an element of administration for customers. However,
we also need to find out where these devices are located so that we can plan network reinforcements and investments to maintain power quality and reliability for LCT customers. The data exists but the challenge is accessing and unlocking it to extract value for customers and communities.
John Martin
There is not always full alignment between national domestic needs versus AFIR’s mandatory national targets, and it is important to make the point that AFIR is very much a one size fits all regulation in terms of the whole of the EU which is, clearly, quite heavily biased towards the European mainland where there is a regular through flow of traffic. That drives the thinking behind AFIR. However, in Ireland, as an island nation, the requirements are quite different.
What are the merits of seeking to go beyond the mandatory minimum levels of AFI deployment established by AFIR to accelerate uptake of alternative fuels?
John Martin
In terms of electrification, there are several dimensions in which Ireland will have to go above and beyond what is required in AFIR. Equally, in terms of hydrogen, there will be several areas in which even meeting the bare minimum AFIR mandated requirement is likely to result in an oversupply. We must recognise the flexibilities. In terms of AFIR, there are some elements that are simply not yet appropriate in an Irish context, and we must push back to avoid providing infrastructure just for the sake of providing infrastructure. We will need to really engage with the AFIR review which must take place by 31 December 2026.
Aoife O’Grady
Different elements of AFIR poses different challenges for us. AFIR’s LDV targets are appropriate. That does not mean they are easy to deliver, but if we meet them, we have no risk of stranded assets. AFIR’s HDV targets are more daunting in that they are much higher and are likely to deliver stranded assets if we fully deliver them. There is an AFIR review scheduled by 2027 and if we have delivered against the targets and the stranded assets scenario transpires, we will have evidence to argue for a derogation for the next targets given the absence of demand, the cost to the State, and the use of core electricity
“Public charging infrastructure often requires high network capacity in areas where historic demand has been very low, so major investment in new infrastructure may be needed.” Bevin Cody
network infrastructure that is needed elsewhere.
Des Phelan
Going beyond the minimum level of deployment would require a significantly larger proportion of Irish mobility to be decarbonised. I have engaged with the Swedish Forest Agency – Skogsstyrelsen – in terms of the electrification of its HDV fleet. While the Swedish grid is catching up, it is considering the use of hydrogen fuelled generators to support it. The common theme is striking a balance as we consolidate our grid infrastructure. Here is a place for alternative fuels such as hydrogen.
Bevin Cody
It is critical that we are using the renewable energy that is on the system and matching it to demand. Having a more flexible electricity network is key to this. There is a strong cohort across all age demographics which is committed to climate action. By actively participating in initiatives like ESB Networks’ Beat the Peak, people can ensure that they are using clean, green energy to meet their energy needs and helping to drive down carbon emissions.
Dónal Minnock
Going beyond the AFIR requirements is very worthwhile, especially in terms of market signals and instilling consumer confidence. Ultimately, the goal is operational sufficiency, whereby the market will deliver the required levels of EV recharging infrastructure and at locations where it is needed. For now, we are stimulating growth in demand. By going beyond the minimum requirements, we must adopt an approach that recognises the long-term goals while avoiding the creation of stranded assets in the short term. From 2035, in practice, it will no longer be possible to place cars or vans with an internal combustion engine on the market in the EU. Beyond that point, we can anticipate a surge in recharging infrastructure demand as the remaining fleet transition to alternative fuel vehicles.
New macroeconomic model for all-island economy
A new macroeconomic model for Northern Ireland can be used to analyse the potential impact of economic shocks and opportunities, writes Adele Bergin, Associate Research Professor at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
The ESRI and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), supported by Ibec, have developed a new macroeconomic model for Northern Ireland and the all-island economy.
Macroeconomic models are useful tools that help us to understand the structure and dynamics of economies. As such, this new modelling framework allows for the examination of the effects of economic policies, shocks, and opportunities – both emanating from inside Northern Ireland and outside – on Northern Ireland, Ireland, the allisland economy, the UK, and the international economy.
“The development of the model represents an important step forward in our understanding of the dynamics of the Northern Ireland economy and its linkages to the all-island [economy]...”
More generally, these exercises contribute to our wider understanding and knowledge of how the Northern Ireland economy functions. This capacity is further strengthened by the model’s compatibility with ESRI and NISER’s models. It provides a more joined-up framework that enhances the capacity to consider economic shocks and policy choices.
A full macro-economic model is built in a flexible framework which means it can be used to address a whole range of policy questions and other types of shocks. It therefore represents a key tool in both capturing the impacts of current changes in policy and modelling the implications of future scenarios that could occur.
A particularly important aspect of the work is that we now have a framework that allows us to quantify the impacts on the all-island economy of shocks or policy changes emanating from Ireland – north or south.
Scenarios
To demonstrate some of the capacities of the new Northern Ireland macroeconomic model, a recent report considers a range of policy shocks and other external shocks. These ‘what if’ scenarios are intended to illustrate the impact of different types of shocks on the Northern Ireland economy; they are not intended as policy recommendations or projections. This includes three specific scenarios
1. In Northern Ireland, one hypothetical scenario – that is consistent with advocates of increased devolution – envisages increased income tax rates and the Northern Ireland Executive receiving the revenue and using it for additional government spending and/or investment.
In both instances, the overall impact on the level of Northern Irish output is positive but the impact is stronger and permanent in the case of higher government investment.
The simulation results suggest that increased government spending leads to an increase (or ‘crowding-
in’) of private sector investment which can enhance productivity.
Higher investment has a stronger and permanent impact on the economy compared to higher spending. This highlights the importance of how revenue is spent.
2. Another scenario examines a monetary policy shock, specifically an increase in the Bank of England interest rate. The simulation results suggest that the Northern Ireland economy is less sensitive to interest rate changes than the wider UK.
3. The report also considers spillover effects from stronger growth in the Irish economy on the Northern Ireland economy and the impact on the all-island economy, focusing on positive shocks to Irish consumption and exports. The simulations reveal positive impacts in both cases on the Northern Ireland economy.
Economic projections
The modelling framework can be also used to generate a baseline projection over the medium term. GDP growth in Northern Ireland is expected to average around 1.2 per cent per annum over the medium term, similar to its longer-term historical trend, although it is expected to be somewhat higher in the short term.
The challenge of relatively low productivity in Northern Ireland must be addressed through sustained productivity-enhancing investment to improve long-term economic prospects and living standards. With growth in Ireland expected to moderate in the coming years from previous extraordinarily high rates, our projections are for growth in the all-island economy to average around 2.2 per cent per annum over the medium-term.
The development of the model represents an important step forward in our understanding of the dynamics of the Northern Ireland economy and its linkages to the allisland, UK, and international economies. The model represents a key asset that can be used for informing policy changes in Northern Ireland going forward.
Leading the future of offshore wind and modern construction upskilling
Skillnet Ireland, the national talent development agency, in collaboration with industry partner organisations, has delivered a substantial programme of work to support government enterprise and skills strategies, in areas like the Climate Action Plan, Housing for All, Ireland’s Offshore Wind Strategy, and more.
In 2024, Skillnet Ireland launched two innovative national upskilling initiatives designed to create a pipeline of world-class talent to help achieve Ireland’s ambitious housing and climate action targets.
The new initiatives, Skillnet MMC Accelerate and Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy, have been developed following extensive consultation with businesses and industry stakeholders operating in their respective sectors. Both schemes provide a centralised upskilling ecosystem, to streamline coordination between key partners in the programme design, delivery, and accreditation as well as infrastructure use and development.
Through its 70 Skillnet business networks and national initiatives, Skillnet Ireland engages directly with businesses to meet their talent development goals. Annually, the national talent development agency supports over 26,000 businesses and
97,000 workers right across the Irish economy.
Developed in collaboration with Construction IT Alliance (CitA), Skillnet MMC Accelerate provides businesses with upskilling resources that will accelerate the adoption of modern methods of construction (MMC) to become day to day construction practices.
As part of the process to developing this initiative, Skillnet Ireland published a report in collaboration with Construction Professional Skillnet, which highlighted that introducing skills initiatives for the construction industry with a focus on modern methodologies, has vast potential including addressing labour shortages, facilitating the transition to net zero and contributing towards a solution for housing issues in the Irish economy.
Mark Jordan, Chief Strategy Officer, Skillnet Ireland, says Skillnet MMC Accelerate will allow
Mark Jordan, Chief Strategy Officer, Skillnet Ireland.
construction companies to expand their business horizons and embrace greener practices.
“Skillnet Ireland is supporting government housing policy through the provision of specialist, industry-led upskilling for professionals in the residential construction sector. Skillnet MMC Accelerate will provide the skills needed to drive housing delivery, by developing career pathways and new education and upskilling provision in modern methods of construction,” Jordan says.
“Sustainability is a top priority for all businesses and through this new national initiative, construction companies can benefit from access to the talent, upskilling supports, knowledge and networks that will help to accelerate their adoption of MMC. This innovative platform aims to enhance the sustainability, quality, speed, and affordability of housing delivery in Ireland.”
Skillnet MMC Accelerate is hosting a series of information events for people working in the construction sector, throughout 2025, to provide insights into the adoption of different MMC techniques, facilitate wider engagement and collaboration with relevant stakeholders, and emphasise the sustainability and productivity benefits associated with the increased use of MMC. The next phase of delivery will see a new national online platform which will showcase the MMC industry, highlight upcoming projects and investment in MMC, display future MMC career pathways, align the education and training ecosystem to these career opportunities, and provide links to other government, academic and industry supports available.
Ireland has an ambitious target to deliver 5GW of grid connected offshore wind energy, plus an additional 2GW in development for non-grid solutions, by 2030. This forms part of the Government’s target to provide 80 per cent of Ireland’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030. This is in addition to the long-term target of installing 37GW of offshore wind by 2050.
Responding to the demand for a skilled workforce to achieve these crucial climate action goals, Skillnet Ireland in collaboration with Wind Energy Ireland has launched Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy. The national initiative aims to fortify the offshore renewable energy sector by addressing skill gaps and aiding mid-career professionals in transitioning to the sector.
Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy offers a range of specialised micro-credential qualifications developed in partnership with Irish universities. These compact and flexible upskilling courses are tailored to industry needs, facilitating the onboarding process. By completing micro-credentials, participants can achieve standalone qualifications or accumulate credits towards broader qualifications, including certificates and degrees.
Registration is now open for three microcredential programmes through Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy. The Offshore Wind Energy programme, delivered in collaboration with University College Cork (UCC), the Coastal and Marine Governance programme, also delivered in collaboration with UCC, and the Environment Impact Assessment of Marine Renewable Energy Developments programme, delivered in partnership with University of Galway.
Essential for professionals wanting to excel in the renewable energy sector, the programmes will cover critical topics such as design, construction, energy storage, wave loading impacts, and environmental considerations, ensuring a well-rounded understanding of the industry.
Jordan says: “As Ireland accelerates its transition to renewable energy, offshore wind power will be crucial to meeting climate targets and securing a supply of sustainable, indigenous energy. Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy will play a pivotal role in equipping Ireland’s workforce with the skills and expertise to achieve our climate goals and become a global leader in offshore energy. To accelerate the growth of renewable energy and create a more sustainable economy, we need thousands of skilled workers in the years ahead. By providing opportunities for professionals from various industries to upskill and transition into the offshore wind sector, Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy will build a strong talent pipeline for the future.”
Skillnet Ireland will continue to play a crucial role in delivering targeted upskilling opportunities as Ireland advances its climate and housing objectives. By working closely with businesses, industry bodies, and key stakeholders, Skillnet Ireland is fostering a skilled and adaptable workforce equipped to meet future challenges.
W: www.skillnetireland.ie
Opposition frontbenches Appointed
Following the general election in November 2024, the job of holding the new government to account will primarily remain with Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, and the Social Democrats. eolas Magazine profiles the parties’ frontbenches.
Spokesperson Portfolio
Mary Lou McDonald TD Party president
Pearse Doherty TD Finance
Sinn Féin’s mild front bench refresh for the 34th Dáil sees Mary Lou McDonald TD, Pearse Doherty TD, Eoin Ó Broin TD, and David Cullinane TD maintain their roles as party leader, finance spokesperson, housing spokesperson, and health spokesperson, respectively.
However, significant changes have taken place elsewhere, with 11 changes to the Sinn Féin front bench in total. Matt Carthy TD has been reshuffled from defence and foreign affairs to justice, home affairs and migration, while Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD assumes Carthy’s former role, shadowing Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris TD.
Two first-time TDs have been appointed to the front bench: Joanna Byrne as spokesperson for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, and Donna McGettigan as spokesperson for Further and Higher Education, Research, innovation and Science.
Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald TD said: “This is a front bench in which women are represented equally, and which is regionally balanced, and we intend to go toe to toe with this government from day one.”
Mairéad Farrell TD
Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence
Pa Daly TD Climate, Environment, Energy and Transport
Darren O’Rourke TD Education and Youth
Claire Kerrane TD Children, Disability and Equality
Rose Conway-Walsh TD Enterprise, Tourism and Employment
Louise O’Reilly TD Social Protection, Rural and Community Development
Joanna Byrne TD Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport
David Cullinane TD Health
Eoin Ó Broin TD Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Matt Carthy TD Justice, Home Affairs and Migration
Martin Kenny TD Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine
Donna McGettigan TD
Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD Gaeilge and Gaeltacht
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn TD Chief Whip
By vote share, the 2024 election was the second worst in the history of the Labour Party. However, amid favourable transfer patterns, the party simultaneously almost doubled its number of TDs, with 11 deputies elected to the Dáil under the Labour banner.
Unlike the other two main opposition parties, Labour has nominated party spokespersons from the Seanad and from the European Parliament, with Aodhán Ó Ríordáin appointed as the party’s spokesperson for Dublin, while two senators, Nessa Cosgrove and Laura Harmon, also assume front bench roles.
Party leader Ivana Bacik also assumes the party’s spokesperson position for the North, while Ciarán Ahern TD is set to shadow Minister Darragh O’Brien’s portfolio at DECC and the Department of Transport. Elsewhere, Conor Sheehan TD is the party’s spokesperson on housing, while Eoghan Kenny TD, the youngest TD in the 34th Dáil, aged 25, is the party’s spokesperson for education and youth.
The Social Democrats had their best general election since being founded in 2015, returning 11 TDs and drawing level with the Labour Party. However, newlyelected Dublin Bay South TD Eoin Hayes has been suspended from the party whip ‘indefinitely’ after it emerged that Hayes had failed to disclose that, on election day, he owned 7,000 shares in a company which supplies artificial intelligence (AI) services to the Israeli Defence Forces.
Of the party’s 10 remaining TDs, six are first-time TDs. With Holly Cairns and Cian O’Callaghan remaining in party leadership roles, arguably the standout appointment is that is housing academic Rory Hearne as the new party spokesperson for housing. He replaces O’Callaghan in the role, who will now be focused on commencing scrutiny of Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe TD as the party’s finance spokesperson.
Spokesperson Portfolio
Ivana Bacik TD
Ciarán Ahern TD
Senator Nessa Cosgrove
Senator Laura Harmon
Alan Kelly TD
Eoghan Kenny TD
Party leader, Northern Ireland
Climate, Environment and Energy; Transport
Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht; Workers' Rights
Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science; Disability
Justice, Home Affairs and Migration
Education and Youth
George Lawlor TD Enterprise, Tourism and Employment
Ged Nash TD
Rob O’Donoghue TD
Party Chairperson; Finance; Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation
Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport; Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin MEP Dublin Spokesperson
Conor Sheehan TD Deputy Whip; Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Marie Sherlock TD Health
Duncan Smith TD
Mark Wall TD
Party Whip; Foreign Affairs and Trade; Defence
Social Protection; Children, Disability and Equality
Spokesperson
Holly Cairns TD Party leader and disability
Cian O’Callaghan TD Deputy leader and finance
Gary Gannon TD Justice, Home Affairs and Migration
Jennifer Whitmore TD
Climate, Environment, Energy and Transport; Agriculture, Food, Fisheries, and the Marine
Rory Hearne TD Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Pádraig Rice TD Health
Sinéad Gibney TD
Liam Quaide TD
Aidan Farrelly TD
Jen Cummins TD
Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation; Defence, International Affairs and Trade; Enterprise, Tourism and Employment
Social Protection, Rural and Community Development; Mental Health
Children and Equality; Youth; Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport
Education; Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Portfolio
Improving societal protection for the Irish public
Fexco hosted a round table discussion, inviting together stakeholders from the across the public sector to explore common challenges in service delivery and efforts to enhance broader societal protection on behalf of the Irish public.
From your organisation’s perspective, what are the most significant threats to societal protection?
John Swann
Society is faced with a myriad of very serious challenges, including those associated with climate change and the transition to a net zero economy. Interlinked with this is an increasing spread of misinformation and political polarisation, further exacerbated by a distrust of media and politics. Layered on top is the emergence of new technology, including AI. We also have prevailing geopolitical tensions, including war in Europe.
Teresa Leonard
The main challenge from the Department of Social Protection’s perspective is a potential economic downturn or a breakdown in the social contract. These would have a significant impact on our ability to support society’s most vulnerable with welfare payments. Ireland has a social contract which is reliant on a successful economy and in turn ensures that we can provide social protection to those who need it the most. We pay our taxes, including the Universal Social Charge, and the societal consensus is that we must protect those who fall upon hard times at different stages of their lives. There are several factors, as John mentioned, which could also undermine the social contract, including the spread of misinformation and the impact this can have on social cohesion in our country.
Round table discussion hosted by
James McConnell
Civil Defence supports frontline services to protect society at times of emergency. Given the increased frequency of extreme weather phenomena, a major challenge for us going forward is ensuring the identification of vulnerable persons from state agencies so that they can be protected at times of need. In the context of Storm Éowyn in January 2025, there was a delay in the dissemination of vital information due to GDPR challenges, allied to a shortcoming in our ability to identify those who needed us most. As a result, we had difficulty in locating vulnerable people in order to provide assistance. Ahead of future extreme weather events, we need to ensure that the lessons are learned, and that vulnerable people are given the support and protection that they need at times of emergency.
Tomás Campbell
After several decades of consistent progress, road safety has emerged as a significant challenge in recent years. Research shows that intoxication, speeding, non-use of seatbelts and
“There is undoubtedly a need for the private sector to enable implementation of policy.”
John Swann
distraction continue to be the main causes of road deaths. However, following the Covid-19 pandemic, worrying behavioural and attitudinal trends have emerged in relation to these behaviours, which is likely contributing to increases in fatalities on our roads. Increasing numbers of drivers are being caught drug driving and self-reported attitudes towards drink driving have become more permissive. We must ensure that we find the right solutions to challenge these behaviours. The Road Traffic Act 2024 was part of the response, aiming to address the most dangerous behaviours in a systemic way, with an important aspect of that being the speed limit default changes introduced on rural local roads from 7 February 2025.
Derek Tierney
Government’s National Risk Assessment identifies strategic risks to society and sets out mitigations to help protect the wellbeing of our society while reflecting a changing social and economic context. Health threats facing health services include the next pandemic, endemics, microbial resistance, chronic disease prevalence or other health emergencies that can ultimately overwhelm healthcare systems and disrupt societal stability. The challenges facing healthcare, in terms of a growing population and changing demographics, require we do more with existing resources, think about the shifts needed in our healthcare model more towards prevention over care dependence.
Niamh Hodnett
With the emergence of new technology and the increasing digitalisation of our society, we have had to deal with a rise in online harmful and illegal content. In relation to children specifically, one area of strategic focus which is a high priority to us is child sexual abuse material, alongside the ‘rabbit hole’ effect algorithms can have on children. Echo chambers of content can lead to long-term destructive effects such as eating disorders, self-harm, and suicide. We are also focused on the increasing polarisation online and the spread of misinformation
The Participants
Tomás Campbell
Tomás Campbell is the head of the Road Safety Division in the Department of Transport, with responsibility for road traffic legislation, the development of government road safety strategies and action plans, and corporate governance of the Road Safety Authority and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety. Tomás has previously held several roles across the Department of Transport and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform in the areas of economics and infrastructure.
Niamh Hodnett
Niamh Hodnett is the Online Safety Commissioner at Coimisiún na Meán. She oversees the organisation’s policy and research division, including responsibility for the development of the Online Safety Code. Niamh has extensive experience in designing, enforcing, and managing compliance with regulatory obligations at both an Irish and EU level. Her expertise spans online safety, data protection, cybersecurity, competition, consumer protection and communications regulation.
Teresa Leonard
Teresa Leonard is Deputy Secretary General with responsibility for operational development and delivery at the Department of Social Protection. Teresa has responsibility for a wide and varied brief covering the development and delivery of customer services of the department. Her prior work – and her extensive experience as an operational manager with particular emphasis on the delivery of transformational change programmes – guides her in this work. She led the Department’s response to the Covid-19 emergency and the response to the impact of the war in Ukraine.
James McConnell
James McConnell is the Civil Defence Officer for Dublin, joined Dublin Civil Defence on 22 May 1974 to learn first aid after the Dublin bombing on 17 May 1974. McConnell is a chartered member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and has completed the CMI, OPM, HLC, SMC and the Safety and Security Courses within the EU Framework. For the last 11 years, he has been an assistant trainer with EUCPM for the delivery of the Operational Management Course (OPM, ODC and ODCA).
John Swann
John Swann is a seasoned programme management, advisory services, and digital transformation leader. Appointed Head of Fexco Advisory Services in November 2024, he drives public sector transformation through practical, operationally driven solutions. He also contributes to sustainability initiatives, including Fexco’s PACE platform, supporting Ireland’s climate targets. With extensive experience in government departments, multinational corporations, and state agencies, Swann specialises in technology, innovation, and regulatory compliance, aligning with Ireland’s digital modernisation goals. His GDPR and post-Brexit compliance expertise have shaped business and public service operations.
Derek Tierney
Derek Tierney is Assistant Secretary with responsibility for the Health Infrastructure and Digital Health division within the Department of Health. Derek also oversees the Sláintecare Programme Office coordinating implementation of Sláintecare. Totalling over 30 years, his career has spanned across a range of organisations, both public and private sector, including working across government departments and state agencies. Prior to his current role, Tierney was appointed as Programme Director for the Government’s Covid-19 Vaccination Taskforce.
“The societal consensus is that we must protect those who fall upon hard times at different stages of their lives.”
and disinformation. We must ensure that we have a digital society which is fit to protect democratic values. As such, we will continue to work with An Coimisiún Toghcháin and An Garda Síochána, as we did throughout the elections in 2024.
Teresa Leonard
How can the private sector best support public service bodies and agencies to improve public service delivery?
“Ensuring online safety requires a whole-of-society approach.”
Niamh Hodnett
Derek Tierney
I believe there is opportunity to partner with the private sector to leverage agility, innovation, share best practice and leverage collective strengths to enhance the capacity of public service bodies to deliver public services. We do not have to begin a project at first principles when we can learn from others’ experiences and transfer a solution which has already been developed, adapting it for public services. The public health sector already benefits from several strategic partnerships and collaborations with the digital and technology sector to introduce digital healthcare solutions for the public.
Teresa Leonard
Unlike other government departments, DSP provides income and other support to its customers on a weekly/monthly basis, placing a very specific set of responsibilities on the Department. We are customer demand-led and will continue to be expected to respond to changing needs on a demand-led basis. DSP has always had strong relationships with the private sector; we use banks and post offices, alongside financial institutions, to support our delivery of payments. All services provided by the Department are highly IT dependent and consequently, it is one of the largest IT organisations in the State. The Department plans, designs, builds, and operates its own IT platforms and services using a mix of inhouse and contracted staff. Currently, we are engaging in discussions on enhancing collaboration to increase resilience, security, and contingencies to be prepared for all threats and eventualities. This involves working with our framework partners as the impact of missing out on making timely Income supports to our customers is such, that we cannot take that risk.
Tomás Campbell
From a road safety perspective, operators must step up and make changes which will enhance the safety of our roads and reduce the number of fatalities. Take the multinational food delivery sector for example. We have observed examples of some food delivery drivers who do not have a high level or regard for the rules of the road, and who often drive vehicles which are not road legal. There is an onus on those MNCs to step up and ensure due consideration to road safety in their operations and that the vehicles used by drivers are all road legal. With hauliers and HGV operators, there are options to put alcohol interlocks on their fleet
“We cannot micromanage how a public service body enforces road law, but we can determine what the law is.”
vehicles – there are companies which already do that – and we would like to see this more widely deployed in the private sector.
Niamh Hodnett
We approach regulation with a supervision-led approach. We want to drive behaviour changes on social media platforms and collaborate with the platforms to implement this. In the event of resistance to this approach, we escalate our actions to investigation and enforcement. Depending on the response, we can move along a framework from regulation and supervision to supervision and enforcement. Our job is also to ensure that broadcast media coverage is fair, accurate and impartial. We use media literacy to address the impact of misinformation and disinformation. Online safety requires a whole-of-society approach, and we need to ensure that we are all on this journey together.
James McConnell
The private sector is in a strong position to assist us with the education and spread of trusted information which can assist us at times of emergency. The
Tomás Campbell
private sector has its own role to play here, whether in relation to employees, family members, or the public. The private sector can also help with business continuity. If we look at recent weather events, the number of businesses which were without power demonstrated to us the need for continuity plans in order for people to get their businesses up and running again in the aftermath of a disruptive weather event.
John Swann
The public sector will have to do more with what it has as we go forward. We want to see a broadening of services in range and quality, availability of services, access to timely delivery, and quality of service delivery. When we look at improving services, we must look at it through the lens of what the public needs. The public sector’s strength is setting high-level policy priorities, but there is undoubtedly a need for the private sector to enable implementation of policy, and I think there is an argument for an enhanced role for the private sector in actively feeding into the design of policy so that there is strong understanding at government level of
“There is opportunity to partner with the private sector to leverage agility, innovation, share best practice and leverage collective strengths.” Derek Tierney
what the challenges to implementation are and navigate the associated challenges.
Amid a prevailing trend towards increasing digitalisation, what role must technology play?
Niamh Hodnett
Organisations are embracing technology, and this has enhanced the delivery of public services. There are also risks from new and emerging technologies which we must be prepared for. For example, AI is an area of huge benefit across the board, especially generative AI which has a huge impact on virtually all aspects of work. However, we must ensure that it is safe to use for society and organisations. AI’s role can be double-edged. For example, while it is highly effective at filtering out harmful and illegal content, there are also instances of AI generating child sex abuse material. We need to ensure that we have a regulatory model which protects individual rights and guards against the commission of crime,
while simultaneously unlocking the socioeconomic opportunities associated with digitalisation.
James McConnell
Technology has enhanced the services we can offer to the public. The development of our new voluntary equipment and management system (VEMS) via the Department of Defence Civil Defence Branch has increased our capacity to manage and have real-time information. If we look at drone technology, we can now obtain relatively affordable drones which can enable us to react to crises in real-time by providing aerial imagery to safely evaluate damages caused by natural catastrophes. For instance, following recent storms, Civil Defence collaborated with ESB Networks to determine where exactly the electricity network has been disrupted by storm damage. We must embrace this technology and harness it for enhanced public service delivery.
Derek Tierney
Digital for Care 2024-2030 recognises the role that technology plays to enable the
delivery of a fiscally sustainable health service in the long-run. As well as using technologies to widen health services, use data analytics, automation & artificial intelligence and digitise health records, we are also using technology to deliver efficiency, boost capacity and productivity. One initiative is the roll out of ‘virtual wards’ where patients at home can be monitored by clinical teams who harness technology. This offers a safe and preferable alternative to in-hospital care, empowers patients and help meet the pressures the healthcare systems face in unscheduled care, boost capacity and widening care for an increasing number of people.
Teresa Leonard
The Department of Social Protection has experienced a high degree of technological advancement. Given the importance of our services and the sensitivity of the data held by the department, cybersecurity is a key challenge, and the security of our systems is an important consideration in undertaking any development. We are satisfied that our services are sufficiently accessible to the people who require them, across a range of channels; including walk-in, online, and phone. For us, the priority is ensuring that there is the sufficient funding to maintain our current systems, ensuring they remain fit for purpose and secure. Of course, to do this we continue to collaborate with partners across government and ensure that best practices are shared.
John Swann
Digitalisation is a key enabler of enhanced efficiencies in the public sector. A key example of this was the development of Eircode, in which technology played a vital role from design to implementation and then rollout. Thus has resulted in increased accuracy of addressing in Ireland, while improving the speed at which an address can be validated, and it was a key enabler of vaccine rollout during the Covid-19 pandemic. From a policy perspective, the EU Open Data Directive is centred in sharing more data online, while the Data Sharing and Governance Act 2019 is designed to ensure that data is shared between departments. However, from working with government departments, there is still a high frequency of siloed data.
Tomás Campbell
We have seen a good example in the transport sector in recent years with the introduction of automatic numberplate number recognition technology, which is increasingly available and in use by An Garda Síochána and improving in terms of its capabilities. Using this technology on a Garda mobility device, registration plates can be quickly matched with data held on the Irish Motor Insurance Database, managed by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland, and the National Vehicle and Driver Database, which is managed by the Department of Transport. As a result, a Garda member can access real-time information to determine if a vehicle is insured, taxed, or if the driver is disqualified. This is an important example of how we can move existing data outside of siloes and use technology to deploy that data for justified purposes beyond the immediate need of the relevant department or agency in holding that data in the first place.
What single policy initiative would have the greatest impact on Ireland’s societal protection priorities?
James McConnell
In times of national emergency, Ireland is bolstered by its national civil defence service. We must follow the lead of other countries and allow volunteers to be released from their full-time work with no loss of pay when they are required. While this has not traditionally been a challenge within the public service, unfortunately it is more difficult in the private sector.
Derek Tierney
I do not believe there is one single policy as our challenges are multifaceted, instead an overarching ambition or goal to align several initiatives. To deliver the best health outcomes we need to continue to invest in a ‘healthier Ireland’ requiring a holistic approach directly and in wider determinants of health. This includes shifting from care dependence to prevention, empowering our workforce, non-communicable disease prevention, healthy ageing, mental health, early tears, physical activity, and continuing to raise awareness of the harms posed by poor lifestyle choices.
“Ahead of future extreme weather events, we need to ensure that the lessons are learned.” James McConnell
Tomás Campbell
We, as government departments at the direction of ministers, set the legislative frameworks for policies. We cannot micromanage how a public service body enforces road law, but we can determine what the law is. It is not about just one initiative, but I think the new Programme of Government gives us a clear direction in terms of new judicial sanctions for violations of road traffic law in the form of graduated penalties and re-education courses.
Teresa Leonard
From a DSP perspective, the area which can have the greatest impact is addressing the current housing situation. If the societal risk associated with access to housing was addressed, many associated challenges facing the Department and society become much less of a challenge. For example, the Department is heavily involved in paying rent allowance, locating emergency accommodation, and providing income support payments; all of which would be resolved.
Niamh Hodnett
Ensuring online safety requires a wholeof-society approach, and Coimisiún na Meán is one part of this as a regulator. There is also a role for legislators, government departments, educators, parents, academics, NGOs, and collaboration at a European and global level. It is important to be able to communicate quickly across channels. We are continually making progress and breaking out of our silos to meet these challenges.
John Swann
In the context of data and digitalisation, the Public Service Data Strategy and Connecting Government 2030 have set out a clear roadmap. What has let us down at times has been implementation and roll it has been slow; though I acknowledge that some areas have performed better than others. Instead of any new policy, I would propose that these existing policies are implemented more comprehensively and at pace.
Enhancing Ireland’s criminal justice system
With a clear focus on community-based sanctions in the recently agreed Programme for Government, Securing Ireland’s Future, we in the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) recognise a huge opportunity to prioritise and deliver on longstanding commitments to improve and enhance our criminal justice system.
IPRT has long advocated for the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention Against Torture (OPCAT), an international human rights treaty that Ireland first signed in October 2007. This instrument would assist the State in preventing torture and other forms of illtreatment in all places of detention, an
objective that is ever more pressing in the context of severe prison overcrowding. The good news is that we are already part of the way there to take this important leap forward as the Oireachtas Justice Committee has already scrutinised and made clear recommendation to improve the draft
Inspection of Places of Detention Bill 2022. IPRT believes that it is essential that this new Government prioritises and enacts this legislation within its first 12 months in office, ensuring that Ireland is no longer the only EU country yet to ratify OPCAT. This is important not only from an international reputational
perspective but to ensure that the relevant statutory bodies are empowered to ensure that inhumane and degrading treatment is prevented from occurring behind the high prison walls and in other places of detention including prison escort vans and Garda custody as well as in mental health and social care settings.
It is no secret that the penal system is under severe strain with record numbers of people in prison. Yet there are solutions that would not only address the overcrowding crisis but also tackle the underlying causes of criminality to the ultimate benefit of society. Over-reliance on imprisonment, especially for less serious and non-violent offences, has resulted in a significant number of people going to prison for short periods of time and it undermines rehabilitation efforts. Community sanctions and increased access to restorative justice, have a greater impact in reducing reoffending and are more cost-effective than imprisonment with its costly annual price-tag. These measures also align with public sentiment, with nationally representative public polling by RED C commissioned by IPRT in October 2024 finding that the vast majority of adults supported alternatives to prison for nonviolent offenders being prioritised in the Programme for Government.
The new Government’s commitment to enact legislation to extend the use of community sanctions is welcome and will hopefully result in an updated and robust version of the Criminal Justice (Community Sanctions) Bill 2014 being enacted enshrining the principle of imprisonment as a last resort in law. A compelling example of how targeted legislative change providing alternative sanctions can directly reduce the prison population is the Fines (Payment and Recovery) Act 2014 which within the first two years of commencement, reduced the number of people committed to custody for non-payment of fines by approximately 80 per cent, as courts shifted toward non-custodial options for handling unpaid fines. While we unfortunately saw the number of people committed for non-payment of fines increase in 2023, it is a far cry from the thousands of people detained prior to the legislation coming into force.
While IPRT is encouraged by some of the progressive measures taken in recent years, we remain concerned about the much-lauded prison expansion of up to 1,500 spaces by 2030. As far back as 1985, the Whitaker Report (tasked with
evaluating existing and future prison capacity) noted that “if prison places are available, they will tend to be filled”. Since then, multiple reports, including the 2013 Oireachtas Sub-Committee Report on Penal Reform, the Justice Committee’s 2018 report and the Strategic Review of Penal Policy in 2014, have all advocated for a cap or reduction in prison numbers to safe levels with a focus on increasing the number of open prison spaces. Yet the new commitment on prison expansion centres on building a closed prison at Thornton Hall. With a clear focus on more cost-effective community-based sanctions, and a welcome commitment to explore an open prison for women, IPRT would question the need for such a large-scale, costly institution. Evidence shows that increasing the size of and numbers in our prisons does not – and will not – reduce levels of crime.
At European level, other countries have been successful at closing traditionalstyle prisons and Ireland supported the European Council’s conclusions on the use of small-scale detention in June 2024. This concept is gaining traction at both the European and international level with a recent resolution passed by the UN Human Rights Council calling on States to introduce appropriate alternatives to traditional incarceration—
such as small-scale detention — while prioritising non-custodial measures and options.
While prison and the criminal justice system is often perceived as falling squarely within the remit of the soon to be renamed Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, if we dig deeper into who ends up in our prisons, we see that a whole-of-government approach is essential. We need to see more of the type of interdepartmental and interagency collaboration that produced the final report of the HighLevel Taskforce on Mental Health and Addiction to divert people with complex needs away from the criminal justice system. IPRT believes a whole-ofgovernment strategy for rehabilitation and reintegration could address many of the factors underpinning the issues faced by so many people that end up in our prison system. We look forward to working with the newly appointed Ministers and their officials and we remain optimistic that a more humane and progressive penal system is possible.
W: www.iprt.ie
25 years of electricity market liberalisation
February 2025 marked a quarter of a century since the liberalisation of Ireland’s electricity market. In this context, Ciarán Galway sits down with ESB’s Head of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, Peter O’Shea, to reflect on how a transformed electricity sector has enabled the transformation of Ireland’s economy in the decades since – while shaping the evolution of green electricity as well as north/south energy collaboration.
Having spent much of the 1990s in Britain working with the National Grid Company, where he experienced firsthand a “decade of excitement around market liberalisation”, O’Shea returned to Ireland and joined ESB in 1999, just as the Irish electricity market was on the cusp of its own liberalisation journey.
“When Britain liberalised its electricity system, the intention was, firstly, to enable competition and give customers choice,” O’Shea says. This was also the motivation behind the European legislation that ushered in the Irish Electricity Regulation Act of 1999 and initial market opening from February 2000. However, the starting point for Ireland was quite different from that of the UK.
Britain was seeking to reduce costs by sweating existing network and generation assets, reflecting the flattening in electricity demand due to energy efficiency and deindustrialisation. In contrast, as Ireland entered the liberalisation era in 2000, the State was on an unprecedented economic growth trajectory.
“In our case, liberalisation was required to set the wheels in motion for major new investment in the generation and network assets needed to meet significantly higher electricity demand throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, as Ireland’s Celtic Tiger economy grew,” explains O’Shea.
At the same time, it opened the door to new sources of green electricity and greater cross-border collaboration on energy – two developments that resonate particularly in a year which also marks
the 10th anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement and the fifth anniversary of the UK’s formal exit from the EU.
Greater choice for customers
Ireland’s market liberalisation proceeded in stages beginning in February 2000, as the retail and wholesale sectors were gradually restructured to enable competition. The Electricity Regulation Act had established the Commission for Electricity Regulation (CER) to oversee the move to an open market, under the leadership of then-Commissioner Tom Reeves and then-Deputy Commissioner Eugene Coughlan. Among the first hires were Kieran McNamara, now at the International Energy Agency, and Andrew Ebrill, who went on to become Secretary General at the Council of European Energy Regulators and is now at the Department of Transport. They were joined by Cathy Mannion and Denis Cagney as the directors responsible for generation and networks respectively.
Market opening directly involved ESB as the incumbent, with Aidan O’Regan, ESB’s Head of Regulatory Affairs at the forefront of managing the transition.
ESB’s Customer Services business unit, encompassing its distribution and retail activities, had to be fundamentally restructured. This led to the establishment of ESB Networks and a separate retail business – initially known as ESB Customer Service, today operating as Electric Ireland.
EirGrid was created as the new electricity Transmission System Operator (TSO), the role previously held by ESB National Grid, and tasked with operation and ensuring the maintenance and development of the transmission network. ESB Networks assumed the role of Distribution System Operator (DSO) and carried out construction and maintenance across both networks.
To kick start the supply market, ESB’s generation business developed and offered a Virtual Independent Power Producer (VIPP) product, to allow electricity suppliers to secure wholesale generation and compete for customers.
“In the years that followed, the VIPP concept became a model for other European markets seeking to enable competition,” O’Shea recollects.
Suppliers now began purchasing VIPP and entering the market, providing competitive choice to customers. At the fore of this first wave was Energia, with plans to build a power station at Huntstown, north Dublin.
Initial market opening in 2000 was limited to a small number of large energy users, around 29 per cent of the total customer base by volume. In 2003, the market was opened to all large energy users and other commercial customers. This was followed two years later with full market opening to residential customers, enabled by the Market Opening IT Programme, implemented by ESB with the support of CER – the largest IT programme in Ireland at the time.
Formal regulation of electricity networks begins
In parallel with developments on the retail side, the network activities of ESB and EirGrid became subject to formal economic regulation by CER. Initially CER set allowed revenues and use of system charges for one year, which were then replaced by multiyear Price Reviews.
“2025 will see the establishment of the sixth multi-year Price Review (PR6),” remarks O’Shea, adding: “This formal regulation of networks helped drive efficiencies into operating costs and capital plans, while creating a regulatory model for network investment that enabled long-term planning and secure external funding.”
A competitive generation market
The establishment of the wholesale electricity market – under the governance of CER and operated by EirGrid – was the final step in the initial market liberalisation.
A ‘top-up and spill’ market was put in place, operating in different forms from February 2000 until the establishment of the Single Electricity Market (SEM) in 2007. This intentionally asymmetric market design placed obligations on ESB as the incumbent player, while facilitating the entry of new generation companies to the market. If a new generator produced more electricity than required by their customers, they were entitled to ‘spill’ this to ESB. ESB in turn was obliged to sell top-up
electricity to new generators if their supply was insufficient to meet customer demand.
“The wholesale market was developed over the following years by CER through engagement and consultation with all parties. It got an added lift in 2003/2004 when it became clear there was a real possibility for an all-island wholesale electricity market,” O’Shea states.
In 2007, the all-island SEM was established as the trading platform for electricity on the Island of Ireland, providing greater economies of scale than would be available to either market alone. The background was the EU’s 2003 Second Energy Package, which aimed to bridge regional fragmentation by grouping together and encouraging interconnection between neighbouring markets. This could allow electricity generated in one region to be used in another in the absence of barriers, creating price equilibrium and optimising the market.
To give a sense of the scale of change during this period: in 2000, ESB produced 95 per cent of generation output in Ireland. In the liberalised allisland context, this had fallen to 49 per cent by 2015, and to 27 per cent by 2023. ESB’s share of the supply market fell from 100 per cent to 40 per cent in the same period.
Powering a new Ireland
Between 1990 and 2000, amid the first roars of the Celtic Tiger, electricity demand in Ireland grew by 70 per cent and GDP almost doubled. This created a significant need for investment in the electricity network and in generation capacity – and the changes heralded by liberalisation provided fertile ground for this.
“With a regulator in place whose role was to oversee the efficient development of the electricity system, ESB as a commercial semi-state could invest profits and borrowings in energy infrastructure – modernising the State’s electricity network and establishing new generation capacity,” O’Shea points out. The emergence of new generators and suppliers in the market added further to economic development and ensured a competitive, cost-efficient sector.
“These developments taken together were a key enabler of a transformed economy, with new industries and a growing population.”
Ireland’s astonishing growth figures in the 25 years since liberalisation speak for themselves. Between 2000 and 2025, the population has leapt by around 40 per cent, employment has risen from 1.8 to 2.8 million, GDP has quadrupled, and housing units have increased from 1.4 to over 2.1 million. In this same timeframe, electricity demand is up from around 20TWh in 2000 to around 32TWh in 2023, and the number of electricity consumers has grown from 1.6 to 2.4 million.
Over the last quarter century, ESB Networks has invested an increasing amount year-on-year in the electricity network, rising to around €800 million annually and set to grow further.
“Around €15 billion has been invested in our networks since 2000, allowing us to keep pace with economic growth, social development, and climate action – and positioning the networks to meet the challenge of decarbonisation and electrification,” says O’Shea.
Cross-border collaboration
Just over a decade after the creation of the all-island SEM, the establishment of I-SEM in 2018 reoriented the focus to the east-west market. As the EU explored further integration of Europe’s electricity systems, Britain and the island of Ireland were regarded as a regional market to be supported with investment in interconnectors, effectively moving towards becoming a single market.
The Moyle Interconnector, commissioned in 2001, was followed by
the East-West Interconnector in 2012, bringing physical interconnection of the two electricity systems. Anticipating these developments, British electricity companies had been steadily establishing a presence in Ireland, just as ESB had expanded its footprint in the UK.
However, progress towards full market integration was stymied when Britain opted to leave the EU. 2025 marks the fifth anniversary of the UK’s formal exit. “The strategic thinking previously was that the Irish and British markets would, over time, come together into an integrated market. Brexit disrupted that ambition, and we wait to see if the EU/UK reset discussions in 2025 will reestablish a framework for greater integration,” O’Shea observes.
Yet despite the challenges Brexit has posed, north-south collaboration in the electricity market remains relatively healthy in O’Shea’s view: “Throughout the Brexit discussion, stakeholders from across the island wanted SEM to continue, given the benefits it unlocks.”
Green energy revolution
In addition to marking a quarter century of electricity market liberalisation, 2025 is also the 10th anniversary of COP21 and the signing of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. The links between these two developments go beyond the neat timelines, as the story of liberalisation is closely intertwined with Ireland’s journey to green energy in the years since 2000.
As Ireland’s market opened up, new players arrived on the scene, including
many renewable generators – chief among them Eirtricity, later renamed SSE Airtricity after its purchase by SSE.
The 1999 Electricity Regulation Act gave a boost to ‘green’ electricity suppliers: during the first phase of liberalisation, they were permitted to sell directly to all customers regardless of how much electricity the customer consumed, whereas fossil-fuel-based suppliers could only sell to large energy users.
Similar to the VIPP process, ESB offered a Green VIPP product to help kick start the supply of green electricity to customers. At the same time, the Irish Government’s Renewable Energy FeedIn Tariff (REFIT) scheme provided financial support and investment certainty to renewable generators, encouraging new development.
Amid this upswing of activity in green generation and the growth of climate consciousness across society, it became clear that the future role of the electricity system would be very different. This was reflected in a shift in ESB’s strategic direction – now seen in its drive to achieve net zero emissions by 2040, as an essential stepping stone to a net-zero Ireland by 2050.
“As we had invested significantly in our networks business to meet electricity demand growth, this provided a platform for further investment to shift the dial towards renewables,” O’Shea comments. Since 2000, ESB Networks has invested a total of around €15 billion in the electricity network, with the aim of delivering the resilient infrastructure needed to support growth and transition to net zero.
The outcome is an energy landscape unrecognisable from that of 25 years ago. From just one wind farm generating 6.5MW in 2000, over 300 wind farms now deliver almost 5GW of electricity to the Irish grid. The system can draw on 1GW of solar power, including from 100,000 microgenerators, and 1GW of battery storage – all non-existent just five years ago.
As for interconnectors, Ireland now has three in place following the recent golive of Greenlink, a fourth – the Celtic Interconnector – well on the way, and MaresConnect in planning: together, these five will provide almost 3GW of interconnection.
“The electricity system has been and will remain the backbone of decarbonisation, not just delivering green power to customers but also replacing fossil fuels in heat and transport with clean electricity,” says O’Shea. Taken together, electricity generation, heat, and transport account for around two-thirds of Ireland’s carbon emissions.
Discussing the blend of solutions required to deliver 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050, O’Shea acknowledges the role of onshore and offshore wind, solar, long-duration storage, and interconnection. Though he notes that “even massive interconnection will not solve the dunkelflaute challenge” – whereby extended periods of low wind and solar power across Ireland coincide with similar conditions in Great Britain and Europe, reducing availability of renewables and interconnection flows.
One potential solution is green hydrogen: manufactured when wind generation exceeds demand, stored until demand exceeds the renewable output, and then used with fuel cell technology or as a zero-carbon fuel in gas turbines. In 2024, ESB procured hydrogen fuel cells to launch a new hydrogen power demonstration to showcase first deployment of hydrogen to electricity in Ireland.
The evolving role of the electricity market
The imperative to address climate change and the shift to renewables have fundamentally transformed electricity market dynamics. “Paris changed the frame of reference towards net zero and that is now a major driver of the strategies of utility companies, including ESB. Similarly, the CRU’s remit changed to reflect the need for climate action, and decarbonisation is part of its strategy in a way it would not have been previously,” O’Shea observes.
“Electricity can no longer be seen as a commodity at the point of production.”
Reflecting on the role of the electricity market in this context, he states: “Back in 2000, the market approach was to optimise price and deliver a secure system. This was challenging in its own right for a small island system, where every increment of additional generation capacity is important to overall system security – a single new entrant generation unit makes up almost 10 per cent of Ireland’s system peak capacity.
“When a third variable relating to climate was introduced, optimisation became more difficult. Markets are great at giving you the right answer where you are minimising or optimising a single variable, but once this becomes more complex or multipolar, their limitations are exposed.”
With the drive to decarbonise accelerating and an increasingly diverse set of assets on the system, a more centralised planning model is emerging – a development reflected in other countries too, most notably Britain. Offshore wind development has shifted to a plan-led approach: the State essentially selects sites for new windfarms, and procurement of capacity and system services have more locational aspects.
“This more centralised approach is to be expected, given the complexity of solving for multiple variables. The key will be to continue harnessing the potential of innovation and marketbased solutions, within the more central planned approach,” comments O’Shea.
“Realistically, overall market design will need to be looked at again in the coming years – to ensure we can keep delivering the new capacity we need, dispatch it in a way that minimises costs, and send the right signals to customers to unlock the demand side for much more active participation than we see today.”
“One clear consequence is that electricity can no longer be seen as a commodity at the point of production. Today, it makes a real difference whether the electrons have come from a green or brown power source, whether they originate from a flexible or inflexible generator, or whether that generator can
demand follow. It is also clear that the cost structure of the generation system is becoming far more fixed, compared to the fixed and variable cost structure of the past. Yet we are using a market model that continues to treat wholesale electricity as a commodity. The next phase of market evolution will address these challenges.”
Future
Given the change that has occurred in the electricity market in 25 years, O’Shea is cognisant that the market may be totally transformed again in the next 25. The single greatest driving force for this change, he reiterates, is the imperative to reach net zero as a country by 2050 – while continuing to sustain a strong and growing economy, as underlined in Mario Draghi’s recent report on EU competitiveness.
“25 years ago, we started a journey to deliver a competitive electricity system focused on customer choice and to ensure sufficient investment in new generation and networks. Thankfully, the journey was flexible enough to allow us to realise that at the halfway mark, the game was changing. It was no longer just about security of supply and cost. It was now about security of supply, cost, and sustainability.”
Reflecting on the previous 25 years and “the huge number of parties involved”, O’Shea concludes: “Many people across government, the CRU, ESB, and other market participants invested a great deal of time and resources in delivering the open and competitive electricity market we have today. The subsequent investment we have witnessed over the last 25 years points to the success of those efforts and while there are challenges with the liberalised market in its current form, its development has positioned Ireland to keep to a net zero future.”
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CRU publishes draft data centre policy
In late February 2025, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) published a much-anticipated proposed decision paper on Large Energy Users Connection Policy. While cautiously welcomed in some quarters, in the absence of a decision that data centres must be powered by renewable energy, it has faced recrimination in others.
Given the “step-change” increase in electricity demand among large energy users – from 5 per cent of total energy consumption in 2015 to 21 per cent in 2023 – primarily driven by data centre expansion, in 2024, the CRU published Review of Large Energy User Connection Policy consultation paper.
Subsequently, the CRU’s proposed decision paper on the Large Energy Users connection policy is intended to establish a potential pathway for larger energy users, or data centre customers, to submit new connection applications to the electricity grid. Regard for security of supply and network constraints are, it says, balanced against the minimisation, “where possible”, with the impact on the national climate objective.
Responses to the proposed decision paper can be submitted until 17:00 on Friday 4 April 2025, with an informed decision to be published “later in 2025”.
New connections
Previously, in 2021, the CRU’s Direction to the System Operators related to Data Centre grid connection processing: Decision had asserted: “There is an evolving, significant risk to electricity security supply in Ireland. A significant contributory factor to this risk is a large increase in electricity demand presented by the growth of the data centre industry.”
As such, the CRU issued directions to EirGrid, as the TSO, and ESB Networks, as the DSO, to implement measures which would prioritise the processing of data centre connection applications on a case-by-case basis.
Legal basis
Now, however, the regulator says: “The current provisions under the Climate Action Act do not provide a sufficient legal basis to allow the CRU to explicitly
mandate specific emissions reduction and offsetting measures (e.g. to require that connection applicants put in place arrangements to ensure that emissions associated with a demand connection are fully abated from the time of connection or on a set trajectory).”
This conclusion, which followed a legal review, indicates that CRU does not believe it has a mandate to “deliver a connections policy which requires explicit emissions reduction and offsetting measures”.
As such, the CRU notes its intention to “take more limited actions in respect of emissions”, including requiring data centres to regularly report on renewable energy consumption and emissions to system operators.
Simultaneously, the CRU has proposed that data centres will be required to provide onsite or proximate generation and/or storage which matches their
Maximum Import Capacity (MIC). This generation is set to be separately metered and required to participate in the wholesale electricity market.
However, this conclusion begs the question: Which body does have “sufficient legal basis” to determine how data centres can connect to the electricity grid while complying with the national climate objective?
Gas connections
Furthermore, on 14 January 2024, when the Review of Large Energy Users Connection Policy Consultation was launched, the CRU called on industry, government departments, semi-states, and agencies to help “identify the means by which we can achieve these twin goals of decarbonisation and economic growth, and the policy, regulatory and other cross-agency measures that can facilitate this”.
Initially, as per the CRU, the policy review and consultation process were intended to “provide a new pathway for Large Energy User connections to the electricity and gas systems”. This language is repeated in its February 2025 proposed decision paper.
Simultaneously, however, the CRU’s paper states: “The CRU is not proposing to introduce any new decisions relating to connections to the gas network as part of this review process but acknowledges that further policy analysis and work is required on this.”
Reaction
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland on the morning the paper was published, CRU Commissioner Tanya Harrington emphasised: “We are providing clarity to the [data centre] sector on how it can connect to the grid over the coming years... Our draft decision is very much working towards the achievement of government’s twin objectives of decarbonisation and digitalisation...
“We are trying to provide a clear set of signals for investors to come into this market. It is a matter for the data centres themselves to choose how they fuel and power themselves... There is a number of incentives to incentivise data centres who are constructing to do so in the greenest fashion possible.”
Speaking to eolas Magazine after the
Summary of the CRU’s proposed decisions in Large Energy Users Connection Policy
Area: CRU’s proposed decision:
Applicant category Policy should apply uniformly to all data centres seeking to connect to the electricity network, though the Commission seeks feedback on establishing a minimum MIC threshold.
Location Systems operators (SOs) (EirGrid and ESB Networks) should note the location of the requested data centre connection/associated generation i.e. whether it is in a constrained or unconstrained region of the electricity network.
Treatment of onsite or proximate generation and/or storage
Demand flexibility
Renewable energy targets and emission requirements
Data centres connecting to the electricity network will be required to provide dispatchable onsite or proximate generation (required to participate in the wholesale electricity market) and/or storage capacity which matches their MIC.
No additional requirement for demand flexibility provisions on all new data centre connections. However, SOs can require demand flexibility provisions from data centres on the local system on a case-by-case basis.
Data centres required to annually report to SOs on use of renewable energy (whether directly or through Corporate Power Purchase Agreements) and their site emissions, with SOs subsequently publishing annual summaries.
CRU’s paper was published, Michael McCarthy, Ibec’s Director of Cloud Infrastructure Ireland (CII) noted: “[The] publication introduces significant policy changes and obligations which industry will need time to analyse. It is important for the cloud industry to have clarity around proposed policy changes in this area to inform the future role the sector will play in Ireland’s economic and sustainable future. The CII will continue to constructively engage in the consultation process over the coming weeks”.
John Reilly, Head of Renewable Energy in Bord na Móna said: “We acknowledge the proposed decision paper published this week by Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) on the Large Energy Users connection policy. Bord na Móna intends to share a submission as part of the live consultation process in the coming weeks including detail on the role that our Eco Energy Park offering can play in supporting low carbon growth of high energy demand sectors including tech, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, agrifood, transport and logistics.
“By co-locating a variety of renewable and low-carbon energy generation assets alongside large energy users within our energy parks, we hope to facilitate industrial and economic growth while
supporting Ireland’s achievement of its climate action goals”.
Also speaking with this publication, Matt Kennedy, Head of Client Transformation in IDA Ireland, asserted: “Recognising the essential role data centres play in driving our digital economy, it is crucial to adopt a balanced strategy that supports the growing energy demands of data centres, while also safeguarding the competitiveness, sustainability, and security of our energy supply.
“This approach is central to the Government’s Programme for Government 2025 commitment to create a comprehensive plan for accelerating energy generation, enhancing connectivity, and streamlining planning processes.”
Meanwhile, in comments also made to eolas Magazine, Paul Deane, senior lecturer in clean energy futures at University College Cork, said: “The [CRU’s] decision creates uncertainty about which state agencies have the legal responsibility to deliver Ireland’s national climate law. Ultimately, it is a missed opportunity to oblige new data centre developments to use clean, indigenous energy from Ireland rather than giving them the choice to use polluting fossil fuels.”
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Digital Events Publications
Future of policing report
Sponsored by
An Garda Síochána
Ireland’s NaƼonal Police and Security Service
Having joined An Garda Síochána as Assistant Commissioner for Roads Policing and Community Engagement in May 2020 – at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic –Hilman reflects on how “easy it is to forget our many achievements in that difficult context”.
However, Hilman’s remit is much broader than roads policing, and she has responsibility for the Garda National Community Engagement Bureau; the Garda Youth Diversion Bureau; and the Garda National Public Order Unit; as well as leading on the roll out of the Community Access Support Team, or CAST project, in Limerick and on the national roll-out of the local community safety partnerships.
Equipped with 40 years of policing experience, in late 2024, the north Belfast native also assumed responsibility as Assistant Commissioner for the Eastern Region which incorporates counties Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Laois, Offaly, Kildare, Meath, and Westmeath.
Garda Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman: ‘Reversing the trend in road deaths’
Amid an unwelcome upward trend in deaths and serious injuries on Ireland’s roads, Assistant Commissioner for Roads Policing and Community Engagement Paula Hilman meets with Ciarán Galway at An Garda Síochána’s Phoenix Park headquarters to provide an update on roads policing efforts to reverse this.
Reflecting on the broader evolution of policing in the State over the last five years, the Assistant Commissioner emphasises the continued implementation of the new Garda Operating Model which will see the organisation’s divisions reduced from 28 to 21 as per A Policing Service For Our Future
Across each of her portfolios, Hilman explains that her work is primarily driven by a commitment to enabling frontline gardaí.
“In my Garda Headquarters role, the predominant challenge has been assisting individual members on the frontline at 3am. What equipment do they need? What training do they require? What information do they need? If we focus on answering these questions, then our members can continue to effectively and efficiently protect the public.”
Roads policing
Specifically, in roads policing, An Garda Síochána has deployed new technology – including via the Garda
Active Mobility Project – “to enable our members to have ready roadside access to Garda PULSE system and data conducive to making our roads safer”.
A total of approximately 11,800 mobility devices have been rolled out to operational gardaí. Using the Traffic App, a uniformed Garda member can scan car registration plates and instantly access information relating to tax, insurance, NCT, and any police warnings relating to a vehicle.
Simultaneously, since November 2023, the Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) has been providing An Garda Síochána with motor insurance information, meaning that the insurance databased within the Traffic App is updated every 24 hours. This information – relating to insurance policy details –has led to a substantial increase in detection of uninsured drivers and vehicle detentions.
“Acquiring access to insurance data has been a gamechanger for An Garda Síochána,” Hilman comments, adding: “This is an ongoing project in collaboration with the MIBI, and each month we detect an average of 2,200 people driving without insurance and we seize 1,600 cars.
“Simultaneously, we are working with the Department of Transport to determine how we can increase the information we can access in relation to the National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF) database. This would enable frontline gardaí to quickly identify road users who are recidivist offenders.”
Garda National Roads Policing Bureau
Within An Garda Síochána, the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau (GNRPB) is primarily responsible for roads policing policy development and closely liaises with the Department of Transport, providing information to inform new legislation, and preparing the broader organisation to respond to legislative changes relating to roads policing.
A recent example is the preparation undertaken to respond to the implementation of the Speed Limit Review Group’s final report in February 2025. Published in September 2023, the report recommended that:
• the default speed limit on national secondary roads be reduced from 100km/h to 80km/h;
“An Garda Síochána’s focus –and mine as Assistant Commissioner with responsibility for roads policing – is to work collaboratively to reverse the current trend.”
Garda Assistant Commissioner for Roads Policing and Community Engagement, Paula Hilman
• the default speed limit for the local and rural roads network be reduced from 80km/h to 60km/h; and
• the default speed limit on urban roads, including built up areas alongside housing estates and town centres, be reduced to 30km/h.
“Overall, at national level, the GNRPB works in partnership with key road safety stakeholders, such as the Department of Transport, and the Department of Justice, the Road Safety Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, and the National Transport Authority, among others,” the Assistant Commissioner explains.
Meanwhile, each of the 21 Garda division has its own Roads Policing Unit reporting to a divisional officer at Chief Superintendent level, while a direct link to the Assistant Commissioner at Garda Headquarters exists via the four regional Assistant Commissioners.
“The GNRPB also has meetings with the roads policing Inspectors,” Hilman explains, “while I, as Assistant Commissioner, liaise with representatives from the divisions at Chief Superintendent level. As such, we have significant internal collaboration.
“This link drives performance while acting as a conduit for feedback between roads policing gardaí and the divisions regarding the equipment and the training they need to do their job.”
Trends
Across each of the stakeholders involved in road safety, the predominant priority now is the post-Covid trend towards increased road deaths. While in 2021 road deaths had decreased to 130, this figure increased the two consecutive years that followed (155 in 2022 and 184 in 2023). While 2024 recorded 10 fewer road deaths than the previous 2023, the figure of 174 is still greater than the total figures of eight of the last 10 years.
“While we had recorded a significant downward trend in road deaths during the Covid pandemic, but now we have observed a significant increase,” Hilman acknowledges.
Among the chief contributors to road deaths, An Garda Síochána designates four as ‘lifesaver offences’. These are:
1. failing to wear a seatbelt;
2. driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
3. using a mobile phone; and
4. speeding.
“In this context, An Garda Síochána’s focus – and mine as Assistant Commissioner with responsibility for roads policing – is to work collaboratively to reverse the current trend,” the Assistant Commissioner affirms.
Response
Tasked an overarching objective of reduced road deaths – as per Our Journey Towards Vision Zero, the Government’s road safety strategy – An Garda Síochána is implementing a blend of enhanced technology, visibility, and education initiatives, alongside traditional enforcement.
“In working to reduce the frequency of death and serious injury on our roads, the application of a criminal justice approach alone will not deliver the intended outcome,” Hilman asserts.
“While An Garda Síochána must play its part in terms of enforcement activity, equally we must work with local authorities and other stakeholders to construct safer roads by design, utilise technologies such as new speed cameras, and deliver education initiatives if the State is to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads.”
Within the technology sphere, the deployment of new equipment has already had a significant role to play.
“Over the last 12 months, we have rolled out a substantial amount of new equipment in relation to roads policing,” the Assistant Commissioner observes.
This includes investment in new handheld speed detection devices, drug detection devices, automatic number
plate recognition (ANPR) technology, and new high-performance vehicles, unmarked motorcycles, and an unmarked heavy goods vehicle (HGV).
Utilised as part of Operation Iompar, An Garda Síochána has deployed its unmarked HGV to target distracted driving through targeted enforcement on the dual-carriageway and motorway network throughout the State.
Speed cameras
Simultaneously, drawing insights from data relating to fatal and serious injury collisions as well as speed data, nine static cameras will come into effect in locations determined to be high risk. Funded from An Garda Síochána’s budget and costing around €2.4 million over 18 months. To date three of these have gone live on the N59 Galway; N17 Mayo; and N13 Donegal. While work is continuing on static cameras at the following six sites:
• N80, Carlow;
• N25, Kilkenny;
• N22, Cork;
• N69, Limerick;
• Dolphins Barn, Dublin; and
• R772, Wexford.
Meanwhile, in 2024, three additional average speed cameras also went operational at:
1. the N3 (Butler’s Bridge);
2. the N5 (Swinford); and 3. the N2 (Slane).
Furthermore, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has tasked Hilman with developing a business case for the introduction of an additional 100 static speed cameras.
“The international evidence relating to speed safety cameras demonstrates a positive correlation in changing driver behaviour and reducing speed. Given that speed is a determining factor in the severity of many collisions and is the single greatest contributor – at 30 per cent – to fatal collisions, the lower speeds people drive at, the lower the number of road deaths,” the Assistant Commissioner insists.
Visibility
In April 2024, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris instructed all uniformed gardaí to undertake a mandatory 30 minutes of road safety policing on each shift. Commenting on this initiative, Hilman acknowledges: “While we knew that many gardaí were already doing this, the initiative has instilled a more coherent focus. While it is not necessarily about enforcement, it is about being visible.”
However, visibility, she says, is not solely reliant on “being seen in our new fleet of garda liveried vehicles”, it also means visibility via social media platforms and education programmes.
“Talking about these initiatives and giving them visibility in the media, alongside our high engagement rate on social media ensures that the public know and understand that these capabilities are being deployed,” the Assistant Commissioner remarks.
Education
Education and personal responsibility is paramount to roads policing and one such initiative highlighting this is the Lifesaver Project. Delivered by gardaí in collaboration with the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and primarily aimed at the transition year and leaving certificate cohorts, the road safety education programme is “hard hitting and realistic” and aims to highlight “the devastating effects that road traffic collisions have on people’s lives”.
Trialled in Limerick over several years before rolling out nationally, now more than 200 gardaí are trained to deliver a consistent and coherent two-hour programme of interactive engagement.
North-south cooperation
Discussing the cross-border aspect of roads policing, Hilman notes north-south collaboration has “a twin aspect”. Firstly, collaboration occurs geographically along the border where operations may be undertaken concurrently. “These operations are designed and led by the local divisions in the border region, north and south,” she says.
Secondly, at Garda Headquarters level, there are regular meetings with counterparts in the PSNI. “The Chief Superintendent from the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau regularly meets with the equivalent Chief Superintendent from the PSNI. One tangible outworking of this collaboration materialised in November 2023, when – for the first time – a National Slow Down Day was implemented across the entire island,” the Assistant Commissioner recalls.
Similarly, when An Garda Síochána introduced a new roadside drug driving testing system (Drugwipe 6s) in December 2022, this was then followed by the PSNI which introduced the system on an initial 12-month pilot basis from September 2024.
“Given the volume of border crossings each day, partnership working with the
“In working to reduce the frequency of death and serious injury on our roads, the application of a criminal justice approach alone will not deliver the intended outcome.”
PSNI is ongoing. The PSNI speak with us about our experiences and vice versa. It is very much about sharing experiences, including around campaigns that are being launched,” Hilman explains.
Vision/ambition
Having just completed the phase one action plan (2021-2024) of Our Journey Towards Vision Zero, the Government’s road safety strategy, attention has now turned to the phase two action plan (2025-2027).
“The Department of Transport and the RSA are engaging with us and other partners in terms of phase two, building on our achievements to date,” the Assistant Commissioner says.
Summarising her vision for roads policing, the Assistant Commissioner wants to consolidate the work completed in 2024 regarding the roll out of new equipment and notes the high volume of candidates in the recent recruitment competition for roads policing.
“In the immediate term, our focus is on increasing the skills capacity in roads policing, while continuing to enhance the equipment and training available to our
members. In the long term, as the Government has outlined, we want to achieve Vision Zero. This means halving road traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030 and eradicating them altogether by 2050. We cannot lose sight of that vision,” she emphasises.
Allied to this is the maintenance of An Garda Síochána’s roads policing capacity and capability. This includes the wellbeing of Garda members, many of whom are exposed to the scenes of fatal road traffic collisions.
“That is something we are cognisant of, and we have robust occupational health processes in place, but we must recognise that while our members have a job to do, they are also human beings. By looking after the wellbeing of gardaí, we enable them to keep communities safe.
“Similarly, I regularly meet with the representative groups which support families whose loved ones have been killed or seriously injured in a road traffic collision. As such, when discussing the figures relating to road deaths, I am always very conscious that behind each number is a loved one.”
GSOC’s transition to Fiosrú, The Office of the Police Ombudsman
The new Policing, Security and Community Safety (PSCS) Act 2024 provides for the continuation of GSOC as Fiosrú – Oifig an Ombudsman Póilíneachta (Office of the Police Ombudsman), changing its governance model from a three-person Commission to a single Ombudsman, with a structure that includes for the first time a Chief Executive Officer, enhancing Fiosrú’s powers and independence.
Key statutory objectives of Fiosrú include:
a) to promote public confidence in the processes for resolving complaints made by members of the public and in investigations;
b) to improve public understanding of role and functions of the Police Ombudsman;
c) to ensure that her functions are performed in a timely, efficient and effective manner and in accordance with fair procedures; and
d) to undertake research and analysis –in order to identify trends and patterns in complaints and investigations.
In preparation for the imminent commencement of the legislation in 2025, the work of GSOC staff gathered pace throughout 2024. This included:
Governance
• On 09 July 2024, following an open competition and approval by resolutions of both Houses of the Oireachtas, Emily Logan will be formally appointed by President Michael D Higgins on commencement of the PSCS Act. –to this – Emily Logan will be formally appointed by President Michael D Higgins on commencement of the PSCS Act.
• On 9 September 2024, GSOC welcomed the appointment of Sheila McClelland as its first Chief Executive-designate for Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman. Fiosrú will have its own vote and McClelland will be the Accounting Officer, accountable to the Oireachtas through the Committee of Public Accounts.
Emily Logan, Police Ombudsman Designate.
Process reform
• Working with colleagues across the justice system to review and reform our processes based on new provisions in the PSCS Act 2024. This includes the Department of Justice, An Garda Síochána, and our sister organisations: the Policing Authority and the Garda Inspectorate.
• Investing in our staff through a bespoke, post graduate, Law Enforcement Oversight Accreditation Programme at the University of Limerick on 28 January 2025, with 54 of our staff participating.
• Establishing new units; for instance, the development of a digital investigation unit, a specialist services unit and a statutory review unit to respond to the changing nature of policing itself, the operating environment and our oversight obligations.
• We will launch our new website for members of the public following the commencement of the Act.
• We are undertaking a significant project to develop a new case management system – a fundamental piece of infrastructure for performance, research and public accountability of Fiosrú.
We look to the future with optimism as we embark on a new journey of policing oversight.
• Fiosrú Process Reform project, to establish, in bilateral meetings with An Garda Síochána, the reformed systems, procedures, protocols and agreed lines of communication necessary for effective inter-agency cooperation in the delivery of the new legislations statutory functions.
We have been working on this transition from GSOC to Fiosrú since July 2021 so we are keenly awaiting the commencement date of Fiosrú. We look to the future with optimism as we embark on a new journey of policing oversight. At the forefront of all the work undertaken by GSOC and to follow, Fiosrú, is that we are equipped to provide the service that the public
expects: efficient, effective, human rights based policing oversight that promotes accountability and enhances trust in ourselves as the largest oversight body in Ireland, in line with the vision outlined by the Commission on the Future of Policing. Commencement of the Policing, Security and Community, Safety Act 2024 is expected in March 2025.
E: info@gsoc.ie
W: www.gardaombudsman.ie
X: @gardaombudsman.ie
Keeping
What the Programme for Government means for the future of policing
After a mixed record on meeting policing targets in the 2020 Programme for Government (PfG), the 2025 PfG contains less specific targets from government for policing improvement, with enhancing digital skills a key priority alongside increasing the number of Garda staff and officers.
A key commitment in the 2025 PfG is the expansion of the numbers of staff and officers at An Garda Síochána. The PfG outlines a commitment to “provide funding to recruit at least 5,000 new Garda recruits and additional Garda staff over the next five years”. These efforts are to be supported by additional funding for Garda training colleges and incentives to encourage retention.
The PfG also promises increased investment in equipment and technology, with a focus on digital policing capabilities. New mobile units and an expanded fleet are planned, alongside enhanced access to body-worn cameras and modern forensic tools. A new
National Policing Technology Fund will be established to support the rollout of real-time crime monitoring and predictive policing analytics.
Addressing organised crime remains a priority in the new PfG. The 2025 PfG pledges continued funding for the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, with increased cross-border cooperation to disrupt criminal networks. The Government aims to introduce legislative reforms aimed at expanding asset seizure powers under the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), allowing for quicker intervention against suspected organised crime operations.
Community policing
The PfG outlines plans for a renewed focus on community policing, aiming to strengthen ties between gardaí and local communities. The Government aims to introduce a Community Safety Partnership Model, aimed at promoting collaboration between gardaí, local authorities, and social services to prevent crime at the local level.
There is also a commitment to increasing the number of gardaí stationed in rural areas, reversing previous trends of centralisation in large settlements. New rural policing units will be established aiming to improve response times and deter crime in isolated communities.
Keeping People Safe
Reform
The Government aims to modernise policing structures through administrative and legislative reforms.
A review of the Garda Síochána Act is set to take place, with a focus on streamlining oversight mechanisms and improving Garda accountability.
The establishment of an independent policing standards commission is proposed to monitor performance and address complaints more efficiently.
The PfG also commits to a review of sentencing guidelines for serious crimes, aiming to ensure consistency and proportionality in judicial decisions. Reforms will include expanded judicial training in areas such as domestic violence and coercive control.
Cybercrime
In the context of the growing threat of cybercrime, the 2025 PfG includes a pledge to establish a National Cyber Crime Unit, expanding on the existing Garda Cyber Crime Bureau. If established, the unit will aim to focus on combating online fraud, data breaches, and child exploitation, with new legislation to strengthen digital forensics capabilities.
Online safety is also addressed, with the introduction of tougher penalties for cyber harassment and an expansion of digital literacy programs to educate young people about online risks.
Analysis
The focus on increasing Garda numbers, enhancing crime prevention tools, and tightening legal frameworks reflects a government intent on addressing growing public concerns around crime and safety.
While community policing remains an important aspect, the broad strategic approach reflects a move to the right on justice and policing towards a tougher stance on crime, reinforced by digital and legislative enhancements. However, as shown by the previous government’s mixed record on implementing policing policy, the effectiveness of these measures will ultimately depend on successful implementation and sustained funding commitments.
Evaluating the 2020 PfG policing commitments
Technology investment Expand use of body cams and digital tools
Community policing Expand community policing initiatives
Organised crime Enhance powers of Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB)
Rural policing Increase rural Garda presence
Cybercrime Strengthen Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau
Partially met: Garda numbers rose but target not fully achieved
Provide funding to recruit at least 5,000 new Garda recruits and additional Garda staff over the next five years
Met: Body cameras piloted and some digital policing measures implemented
Partially met: Some pilot schemes introduced but not fully implemented
Not met: No significant increase in rural station openings
Partially met: Bureau expanded but lacked dedicated funding
Establish a National Policing Technology Fund
Introduce a Community Safety Partnership Model
Increase CAB powers for asset seizure
Create new rural policing units
Increase funding for a Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau
New Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan TD
One of the least surprising appointments to the new government was that of Fianna Fáil’s Dublin Bay South TD and former barrister Jim O’Callaghan, to lead the Department of Justice.
O’Callaghan turned down a junior ministerial role when the 2020 coalition was negotiated, and this appointment is his first at cabinet level, having been on the backbenches since 2016.
While the Programme for Government sets the broad legislative agenda for the new minister, O’Callaghan has set out his stall by initiating a review of the legal framework surrounding sexual offenses committed by minors, citing the need for a comprehensive approach to tackling youth crime.
Since taking office, O’Callaghan has spoken on several key policing challenges. In response to recent incidents in Dublin, he commended gardaí for their swift response and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to public safety.
He has also indicated support for the establishment of a dedicated transport policing unit with arrest powers, aimed at addressing antisocial behaviour on public transport.
Garda recruitment Increase number of Garda officers to 15,000
Body worn cameras: Proving the concept
In May 2024 An Garda Síochána launched the first of three phased introductions of body worn cameras (BWCs) at five Garda stations nationwide.
An amendment to existing legislation will be required to provide the basis for processing digital video evidence at the scale required for the full national rollout of BWCs. Preparing for this, An Garda Síochána looks ahead to the next phase of the project, to procure and implement a national Digital Evidence Management system followed by a tender for a national roll-out of Body Worn Cameras. In anticipation of this, those using the cameras explain the benefits of the technology and how they are finding it a useful and valued tool.
The proof of concept is now running in Store Street, Kevin Street and Pearse Street Stations in the Dublin Metropolitan Region; Henry Street in
Limerick City; and Waterford Garda Station. Each division has been issued a different camera type along with an accompanying digital evidence management system.
The proof of concept was designed to understand the technical aspects of each camera and backend digital evidence system, how BWCs will be used operationally in addition to the training, Code of Practice, the digital evidence journey and governance in use of the camera in everyday policing.
When complete, the three-phased pilot will inform a procurement process for the introduction of body worn cameras in Garda Stations nationwide.
Keeping People Safe
Since the first of these three phased introductions commenced in Dublin on 31 May 2024, 750 trained gardaí have been trialling their use in a variety of policing settings.
According to users, they are proving their worth with a wide range of benefits being experienced. As well as capturing important evidence, the cameras are showing themselves to be a valuable tool in keeping the public safe, and are now considered a vital part of the Garda’s personal protective equipment.
In Limerick City, gardaí attached to Henry Street Garda Station are using Reveal cameras - these are the only camera in the proof of concept to have a video screen on the face of them.
When activated this displays what the cameras is capturing in front of them when recording. The effect of this means when the Garda turns on the camera, the person they are engaging with can see themselves displayed on screen.
As noted by Chief Superintendent Derek Smart of the Limerick Garda Division this, coupled with the warning that
recording is in progress, has resulted in the quick de-escalation of incidents.
“What is different to how we operated before is that now we have a witness with us. So when I go out on the beat now I go and get the camera. It contributes to our safety one hundred percent. What we tend to find is things deescalate quickly and in situations where I feel there is a risk to the public or myself I can put it on, and it is there as a witness.”
A very useful feature of all the cameras is they have a 30 second buffer. This means once recording begins the footage captures the previous 30 seconds.
Chief Superintendent Smart says: “As you are interacting with someone, aggression can start from the beginning, you might try yourself to de-escalate and if that doesn’t work you can turn it on and then it captures what happened previously and you then have a record of the whole interaction”.
Of course, this is not always going to be the outcome and there will be some
individuals who continue to flout the law irrespective of the presence of the BWC.
This was the experience of Garda Emily Maher, a member of the Community Policing Unit in Henry Street, when on August 15 2024 – just two weeks into the proof of concept – she encountered an unruly man while on duty in Limerick city.
“Just two weeks after the launch here in Limerick, I was on Thomas Street, a highly populated area in Limerick city during the day with a Garda Trainee. We were just talking with a member of the public, when a male came up to us. He was highly abusive with us from the getgo. We had had no interaction with him prior to this, he just approached us and began calling us every name under the sun. I then asked him to leave the area a lot of times, as there were so many people around,” Garda Maher says.
When she tried to de-escalate the situation, Garda Maher felt the man was posing a risk, so she informed him she was going to turn on the camera.
(L-R): Antanas Daugela, Garda staff responsible for BWC at Henry Street Garda station, and Garda Emily Maher, Henry Street Garda station, Limerick city.
“He did not seem to mind, and he was asked to leave but he would not. Then I went to leave with the Garda trainee and he actually followed us and began walking in front of us. I felt that was intimidating and a lot of the public had stopped and were looking. He continued to be abusive. I had turned the camera on because there was a risk to safety, either to ourselves or the public on the street,” she says.
When the man continued to ignore the direction to leave the area and continued to be abusive, Garda Maher made the decision to arrest him, and called for additional units to help. He was arrested and appeared in court the following day. The body worn camera footage formed part of the evidence against him, and resulted in a guilty plea and a sentence of three months being imposed. The defendant filed an appeal but when it came to the appeal court he learned the footage would be brought as evidence, and withdrew the appeal.
This was the first conviction in Limerick involving BWC footage.
Each recorded piece of footage is categorised by members as evidential or non-evidential. In the Reveal cameras this can be done on the camera itself, which reduces workload, another bonus. The footage is saved for 31 days if deemed non-evidential but retained for longer depending on the evidential category used by the member.
It is important to note that despite over 4,000 recordings being deemed as evidential – which means they contain footage in support of a crime having occurred – An Garda Síochána has to date, not been required to show this footage in court.
Initial feedback indicates that the existence of the footage in cases pursued by An Garda Síochána is resulting in admissions of guilt, thereby negating the need to prove the case in court.
Garda Emily Maher, Henry Street Garda station, Limerick city.
“In every case where we have had with the footage available the defendants involved have pleaded guilty. We have briefed all the solicitors and judges here in Limerick and we will be briefing the Law Society soon. We are not getting any negative feedback. Some have raised a concern around facial recognition but this is not something that is used with the BWCs,” Chief Superintendent Smart says.
Asked if they were to go back to a position where they were to be without the cameras, Chief Superintendent Smart says: “It is certainly part of our PPE now, and that’s one of the reasons why I would not like to give it up. It is also fantastic to capture a scene when we arrive. In incidents of child neglect for instance, it allows for a good visual on how a situation looks when we arrive. This serves to support the interventions required in those instances.”
Meanwhile in Waterford Garda Station, where Motorola Solutions Body Worn Cameras are part of the PoC, gardaí attached to plain clothes detective duties are also trailing BWCs. Here, Detective Inspector Donall Donoghue says they are so effective that he cannot see a situation where his team would be without them.
“At the beginning the uptake was somewhat slow, but now we are way more confident in using them, and I know our team would not go back.
“It has really helped in respect of drugs searches we conduct. We can see very clearly why we were suspicious in the lead up to a search. The camera captures the search, and what is found or not found. The 30 second buffer also often captures evidence of items being discarded ahead of a search of a person or car, which is another support to us in proving cases,” Detective Inspector Donoghue says.
Ahead of a national rollout, the Detective Inspector had these words of advice for gardaí who have yet to use BWCs.
“What I would say to those using it, is trust it and believe in it, treat it like your notebook because it is recording incidents as you come upon them. There’s nothing like it in terms of capturing a scene. Our personnel go out wearing it every day, and have found it a positive initiative. I know our team would not go back,” he says.
Keeping People Safe
A number of key benefits have been seen in Waterford.
“Before we search a car we can turn it on, and it captures what we have found or not found as the case may be. It has worked to calm situations, when we arrive at something – be it a search or another engagement. The one thing I would say about the camera we are using is that the footage and the sound is very clear, it’s excellent really,” Detective Inspector Donoghue concludes.
In the Dublin Metropolitan Region Inspector Máiréad Scanlon said they have found BWCs to be effective in dealing with public disorder incidents where it serves to counteract false complaints and helps de-escalate situations.
“We had an incident of public disorder within the DMR where one of the antagonisers jumped onto a Garda car and acted as if he was after being knocked down. The cameras were activated and the 30 second buffer captured the incident as it unfolded, showing his actions,” she says.
This individual then became aggressive with Gardaí and took the keys of their car and threw them away.
“The cameras caught the entire thinghow it unfolded, how volatile it was and how it ignited so quickly. In looking back
on the footage what we also found was how much it really highlighted how professional the Gardaí were in that type of situation,” Inspector Scanlon says.
An Garda Síochána is learning from the experience of those participating in the proof of concept, and this feedback is feeding into refinements of the systems and processes being used.
The use of BWCs is covered in the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act 2023, which was signed into law in December 2023, and the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act 2023 (Code of Practice) Order 2024.
For more information, please visit: W: www.garda.ie/en/body-worncameras
Thursday 20 March • Croke Park, Dublin Conference 2025
The 10th annual Housing Ireland conference will host a range of expert domestic and international speakers who will comprehensively explore the challenges, and tangible opportunities for Ireland’s housing practitioners as they seek to deliver 303,000 new homes by 2030.
Expert speaker panel includes:
James Browne TD Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Graham Doyle, Secretary General, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
David Silke, Director of Insights and Operations, The Housing Agency
Caroline Timmons
Assistant Secretary, Affordable Housing Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
John Coleman Chief Executive, LDA
Fidelma McManus
Partner and Head of Housing, Beauchamps
Paul Hogan, Acting Assistant Secretary, Planning Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Margaret Geraghty
Assistant Programme Coordinator, Housing Delivery Coordination Office Team Local Government Management Agency
Paul Benson, Acting Assistant Secretary, Social Housing Delivery Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Éadaoin Ní Chléirigh Director of Development Operations, Irish Council for Social Housing
Dan Hill, Director Melbourne School of Design and Professor of the Built Environment University of Melbourne
Killian O’Sullivan
Assistant Planner, Fingal County Council
John O’Connor Former Chair, The Housing Commission
Michelle Norris, School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice University College Dublin
Kathryn Meghen CEO, Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland
Orla McGuirk, Director Construction Advisory KPMG Ireland and Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland
Roslyn Molloy, Head of Policy, Practice, and Communications The Housing Agency
Infrastructure and construction report
Sponsored by
Accelerating infrastructure delivery
The Programme for Government provides a significant opportunity to shift the dial in a meaningful way in delivering our key infrastructure needs and we cannot afford to miss it, write KPMG’s newly-appointed heads of infrastructure Paul O’Neill and Matthew King.
In previous issues of eolas Magazine, KPMG has written with some scepticism on accelerating project delivery, breaking down silos, and finally getting ahead of the curve in improving how we programme and deliver key infrastructure. Why? Because it feels like year in, year out, the same challenges are presented with very little optimism and signs for meaningful change. So, what makes this latest Programme for Government any different?
Shifting the dial
This Programme for Government outlines a commitment to deliver a clear and credible macroeconomic and fiscal framework, prioritising continued economic resilience, through investment in capital spending and funds for future needs. It recognises that delivery of essential infrastructure is a key driver in attracting and retaining investment in Ireland, growing our economy, fostering regional development, delivering on our
housing targets and achieving our ambitious climate goals. While some may argue that these are ‘soundbites’, the programme outlines several measures the Government plans to implement to support these statements, including:
• prioritising an early review of the National Development Plan;
• reviewing and reforming the prioritisation process of capital projects in key agencies;
• creating a dedicated Infrastructure Division in a re-named Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation with the division being led by a Deputy Secretary General;
• tasking the new division to work with stakeholders to advise Government on strategic project selection and prioritisation, aligned with national priorities and making maximum use of resources;
• ensuring the division develops a sustainable pipeline of projects, allowing for continued investment over the medium to long-term to deliver upon the ambition of the National Development Plan;
• creating a Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by the Taoiseach, to drive infrastructural delivery, accountability and value for money; and
• broadening the remit of the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) in the National Treasury Management Agency to provide expert advice for major infrastructure delivery as required by sponsoring departments or agencies.
Challenges and opportunities
For some time now, we have been arguing that the lack of central expertise to drive and deliver public infrastructure,
and to hold both public and private sectors accountable, is a major challenge in enabling the step-change needed to accelerate project and programme delivery. Strong political support and accountability are imperative for changing mindsets and the trajectory of our infrastructure programme.
The measures identified in the Programme for Government, including the creation of a new infrastructure division and the expansion of the NDFA’s remit, signal that government is listening and positively responding to the call for what needs to be done to shift the dial. The commitment to develop a sustainable pipeline of projects is welcomed and will enable continued investment over the medium to long term, ensuring the ambitions of the National Development Plan are realised.
However, to truly instill confidence in the market, we must ensure certainty on the programme of delivery. For too long now the market has lacked confidence in the reality of Project Ireland 2040 and the feasibility of its project delivery timelines. We have witnessed a decline
In order to advance enablers that will improve quality of life and drive our economy, we need to derisk infrastructure funding and prioritisation from changes in the political regime of the time.
in the depth of our own contracting market since the recession, further worsened by Covid-19. We are competing, especially for the mega projects, against other more attractive overseas markets that offer different contract forms and often provide support for the substantial costs incurred during the bidding process, which can amount to millions. To rekindle market interest, we should actively promote our planned 10+ year infrastructure spending programme, both domestically and internationally.
Importance of funding certainty
As an important aside, many procuring authorities are hampered in their forward planning due to the uncertainty of funding. Infrastructure delivery will always span multiple election cycles. In order to advance enablers that will improve quality of life and drive our economy, we need to derisk infrastructure funding and prioritisation from changes in the political regime of the time. The Programme for
healthcare, rail, roads, and student accommodation. If this is followed through on, it will be a real game changer.
Key commitments in the Programme for Government
As well as these promising measures to enhance how critical infrastructure is funded and delivered, it should also be noted that the Programme for Government has a number of key commitments on what will be delivered. The target to deliver 300,000 homes by 2030 end will be widely welcomed, as will the commitment on additional capital support to enable Uisce Éireann to support this target. It is also good to see the proposal to set up a Modern Methods of Construction Innovation fund to support innovation in housing delivery.
It would be remiss not to mention climate ambitions and there are number of important commitments and statements of policy included. There are commitments on renewable energy generation and key measures such as prioritising the Designated Maritime Area Plans for offshore. There is support to scale up investment in the electricity system and commitments of support for greater electrical interconnectivity. It is good to see that there is recognition of the role that Data Centres can play in the decarbonisation of our energy system as well as wider economic value. Other decarbonisation commitments include support for district heating and the acceleration of projects to encourage modal shift in transport.
Conclusion
Overall, the Programme for Government presents a promising and ambitious roadmap for addressing Ireland's critical infrastructure needs. By prioritising a clear and credible macroeconomic and fiscal framework, and committing to substantial investments in capital spending, the Government is taking significant steps to enhance economic resilience and foster regional development. The outlined measures, such as the creation of a dedicated Infrastructure Division and the expansion of the NDFA’s remit, demonstrate a proactive approach to overcoming longstanding challenges in project delivery and market confidence.
The success of these initiatives hinges on effective implementation and sustained political support. Ensuring funding certainty and insulating infrastructure priorities from political changes are crucial for maintaining momentum and delivering on our critical infrastructure needs. The ambition is to be applauded but the proof will be in the ability and speed of implementation. Infrastructure has never had so much profile as it had in this election. Let us hope it lives up to the hype.
How KPMG is responding
At KPMG we collaborate with various sectors and stakeholders to address challenges with infrastructure delivery and find better ways of working. As the market evolves, and in alignment with the Programme for Government, we have expanded our services to ensure we provide a whole project life cycle offering to clients that is credible, of value, and ensures a comprehensive range of supports are available to assist in navigating complexities and achieving policy objectives.
Contact us for expert guidance and support for your infrastructure project needs:
Paul O’Neill
Head of Infrastructure Strategy and Commercial Advisory
E: paul.oneill@kpmg.ie W: www.kpmg.ie
Matthew King
Head of Asset Management and Major Projects Advisory
E: matthew.king@kpmg.ie
W: www.kpmg.ie
Build 2024: ‘Reason to be positive’ on construction
Although the construction sector continues to deal with supply challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the Build 2024 report asserts that there is “reason to be positive” in terms of the initiatives which aim to increase the efficiency and productivity of the sector.
The Build 2024: Construction Sector Performance and Capacity report, published by the then-Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPENDR) in June 2024, outlines how the construction sector has faced significant challenges over recent years including Covid-19 restrictions, inflationary pressures, and supply chain disruptions.
However, the report asserts that there is reason to be positive due to initiatives being undertaken by the public and private sectors such as the adoption of modern methods of construction (MMC), the introduction of the public sector building information modelling (BIM) mandate, and reforms to the planning system under the Planning and Development Act 2024.
On investment and funding in the construction sector, the report states that gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) – which captures both public and private investment in building and construction (B&C) in areas such as housing, commercial buildings, civil engineering, and public infrastructure –increased by circa 6 per cent to €31.5 billion in 2023 relative to 2022. In addition, forecasts anticipate GFCF in
B&C of €36 billion in 2024 with further growth anticipated in the years ahead as investment increases.
On implementation of the National Development Plan, the report states that a total of 132 projects have received funding of €1.7 billion between 2018 and 2023 under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) while 245 projects received funding totalling €577 million between 2018 and 2024 under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF).
On planning and delivery, the report states that there were 32,801 residential commencement notices in 2023, an increase of 5,844 (22 per cent) relative to 2022. Similarly, the number of planning permissions granted for civil engineering projects increased by 14 per cent to 2,529 in 2023 relative to 2022.
However, it is noteworthy that Dublin has seen a significant drop in the proportion of planning permissions for apartments; falling from 94 per cent of all permissions in 2021 to 74 per cent in 2023. Nonetheless, apartments now account for a substantial share of
dwelling completions across the State, rising by a factor of four from 9 per cent of completions in 2018 to 36 per cent in 2023.
The value of exports by construction companies grew by one-fifth in 2022 (relative to 2021) to €3.76 billion, with market analysis suggesting that demand for commercial office spaces is slowing down and will continue to decrease over the next two to three years.
There is an opportunity for some of the workforce in commercial property to transfer to residential construction during this period, particularly apartments. There is also potential to convert some vacant office buildings into residential units.
Publishing the report, Minister Paschal Donohoe TD said: “Build 2024 shows that collaboration between the public and private sectors continues to increase the efficiency and productivity of the construction sector.
“It is vital to maintain the existing momentum and focus on measures that can assist in removing bottlenecks to delivering on the priorities outlined in the National Development Plan.”
the new government’s Vision for infrastructure
The remit of the new Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP
Delivery and Reform, Jack Chambers TD, is set to expand to include infrastructure.
Leading a department that is to be rebranded to reflect its delivery priorities over the next five years, Chambers will, at some stage in the short term, formally be called the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services, Reform, and Digitalisation
This change is reflected in the policy proposals in the 2025 Programme for Government (PfG), which outlines goals for infrastructure and construction, aiming to address the State’s evolving infrastructure needs.
Infrastructure priorities by sector
The PfG outlined priorities for national development, focusing on economic stability, housing, public services, and infrastructure. Key commitments include:
• Housing: A pledge to construct 300,000 new homes by 2030.
• Transport: Investments in major transport projects, such as the M28 motorway to enhance connectivity between Cork City and Ringaskiddy, and the DART+ program, which aims to expand Dublin’s rail network to areas like Drogheda, Maynooth, and Hazelhatch.
• Energy: Development of integrated data centres and district heating systems, alongside the construction of the Celtic Interconnector, a project designed to link Ireland’s electricity grid with France, enhancing energy security and sustainability. Trial operations are set to commence on the interconnector in 2026.
• Health: Commitment to four new hospital projects, as well as the delivery of the National Children’s Hospital, which faces reported delays into 2026, having originally meant to be completed in 2022.
• Public services: Expansion of publicly available electric vehicle charging points, promoting the adoption of sustainable transportation.
Department to be renamed
Over the course of the next five years, the Department’s remits are to expand to include infrastructure and digitalisation. This comes after initial proposals to establish a separate Department of Infrastructure, as advocated by Tánaiste (Taoiseach at the time) Simon Harris TD.
The Fine Gael election manifesto outlined the necessity of a dedicated department to manage the construction of 250,000 homes over five years and to address related challenges such as migration, child poverty, and climate change.
Ultimately, with the proposal proving unpopular with the Government’s right-leaning independent coalition partners, the Government opted for an integrated approach, consolidating responsibilities within a single department to ensure streamlined decision-making and efficient resource allocation.
The previous government’s infrastructure record
Reflecting on the previous government’s tenure, several infrastructure and construction targets set out in the 2025 PfG were pursued with varying degrees of success:
• Housing: By the end of 2024, then Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD hailed the construction of nearly 40,000 homes, surpassing initial targets. However, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) later reported that only 30,330 homes were completed in 2024, representing a 6.7 per cent decrease from 2023.
• Transport: Significant investments were made in road infrastructure, with €713 million allocated in 2025 for improvements, including the construction of new bypasses in Killaloe, Ballina, and Limerick City, marking the highest investment in roads for over five years.
• Cross-border: Over €800 million was committed to Shared Island projects, including €600 million for the A5 North-West transport corridor.
• Water: The Government committed over €1.7 billion annually to Uisce Éireann, approved the Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project, launched a €125 million Rural Water Programme, and advanced the Ulster Canal restoration, ensuring sustainable water supply and regional development.
While these efforts indicate progress, challenges remain in fully realising the ambitious infrastructure and construction goals outlined in the PfG.
The integration of infrastructure oversight into a single department under Minister Chambers’ leadership is poised to address these challenges through coordinated policy implementation and strategic investment.
Minister Jack Chambers TD
Jack Chambers TD, the youngest member of the new Cabinet aged 34, is the new Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, having swapped his former portfolio of Finance Minister with Paschal Donohoe TD. Chambers’ appointment has been welcomed by Chief Information officer Barry Lowry, who says that he ‘gets it’ regarding the importance of digitalisation in the context of the Department’s remit.
Chambers has articulated a vision of leveraging the State’s economic resources to fund critical infrastructure projects, including the housing, energy, water, and transport sectors. Notably, he announced plans to utilise €14 billion in back taxes from Apple to finance these initiatives, with a spending framework set for approval in early 2025.
The National Children’s hospital faces further delay, with reports emerging that it may not be completed until 2026, four years behind schedule and at a total cost of €2.24 billion. This represents an increase of approximately €1.59 billion, nearly tripling the original budget.
Transdev: Securing Dublin’s sustainable transport future
Speaking with eolas Magazine, Eoghan Sweeney, Project Director of Transdev Dublin Light Rail Limited, explains how Transdev is shaping the future of urban mobility.
With two decades of experience operating Dublin’s Luas light rail system, Transdev has established itself as a leading player in Ireland’s public transport landscape. However, the company’s influence goes far beyond simply running a tram system: it is a leader in innovation, sustainability, and service excellence, with a global reputation for delivering world-class transport solutions.
As Ireland’s population continues to grow and cities become more congested amid shifting commuting patterns, Transdev’s expertise has positioned itself as a strategic partner for policymakers to meet these challenges.
According to Sweeney: “Public transport is not just about moving people; it is about shaping the ways in which cities function. We must provide transport solutions that
are sustainable, efficient, and tailored to the communities we serve.”
This philosophy underpins Transdev’s approach, not just in Ireland but across the 19 countries in which it moves over 11 million passengers daily.
A global leader
Transdev is one of the world’s largest private mobility operators, delivering services across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australasia. The company manages and maintains a variety of transport systems, including:
• light rail and tram networks (such as Luas in Dublin, Sydney’s light rail system, and Rouen’s tram system);
• bus services (both urban and intercity);
• commuter rail networks; and
• autonomous and on-demand transport solutions.
In Ireland, Transdev is synonymous with Luas, Dublin’s tram system, which, today, is indisputably an integral part of the city’s infrastructure.
In this context, Sweeney emphasises the company’s dual focus on international expertise and local adaptation. “One of our biggest strengths is our ability to take global best practices and tailor them to the local environment,” he says, adding: “No two cities are the same, so our solutions must be designed with the needs of the Irish market in mind.”
This approach has enabled Transdev to build a strong reputation for reliability and service excellence in Ireland.
Luas: A transformational success
The introduction of the Luas Green Line in June 2004 and the Red Line in September 2004 were landmark moments in Dublin’s transport history. For decades, the country’s capital city had struggled with congestion, limited public transport options, and overreliance on private cars. The arrival of Luas provided a modern, efficient alternative, reshaping how people navigate the city.
Since its introduction 21 years ago, the system has expanded significantly, with the Green Line extension to Broombridge in 2017 marking one of the most important milestones.
Today, Luas spans 42 kilometres, with
“Sustainability is not just a buzzword for us; it is embedded in everything we do.”
67 stops connecting key areas of Dublin. The network carries over 54 million passengers annually, underscoring its role as a backbone of the city’s transport infrastructure.
Sweeney reflects on this journey: “When Luas first launched, there was some scepticism about whether Dubliners would embrace a tram system. But today, it is impossible to imagine the city without it. The level of ridership and public trust in Luas is a testament to its success, demonstrated by our consistently high customer satisfaction scores.”
The economic benefits of light rail investment are also clear. Studies show that property values near Luas stops have increased, businesses along the
route have thrived, and commuters have enjoyed shorter, more predictable journeys.
With further Luas expansions under discussion, including an extension to Finglas, Transdev’s role in Dublin’s transport future is set to grow.
Technology for a smarter transport system
Equipped with global expertise in sustainable transport, Transdev is at the forefront of transport innovation, leveraging technology to enhance the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of its operations. “In Ireland, the company plays a major role in Ireland’s transition
To date, key technological advancements within Luas include:
• Real-time monitoring systems: Ensuring smoother operations and faster response times for disruptions.
• Predictive maintenance: Using conditional monitoring systems to identify potential challenges before they impact service.
• Smart ticketing and contactless payments: Making it easier and faster for passengers to board.
• Data-driven scheduling: Optimising tram frequency based on passenger demand and peak travel times.
“Technology plays a crucial role in modern transport. From the way we manage our infrastructure to how we interact with passengers, innovation is helping us deliver a safer, more reliable service,” Sweeney remarks.
Sustainability and green transport
With the Government having outlined legally binding targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions, sustainable
transport solutions will continue to play a key role in meeting the State’s decarbonisation targets. Sweeney states that Transdev is fully aligned with the Government’s Climate Action Plan targets, focusing on low-emission transport.
Luas is already one of the greenest modes of transport in Dublin, reducing congestion while simultaneously cutting carbon emissions compared to car travel. However, Transdev is aiming to enhance sustainability of Dublin’s light rail system by:
• exploring renewable energy generation sources for Luas operations;
• supporting TII to improve energy efficiency through better tram design and maintenance; and
• advocating for further public transport investment to reduce reliance on cars.
“Sustainability is not just a buzzword for us; it is embedded in everything we do,” Sweeney explains. “The transition to greener transport systems is essential for Dublin’s future, and we are proud to be leading the way.”
Safety and customer experience
On the reliability and safety of public transport, Sweeney says: “Public transport relies on trust. Therefore, passengers must feel safe, comfortable, and confident in the service.”
For Transdev, this means stringent safety measures and a sharp focus on customer experience. As such, Transdev has implemented:
• comprehensive staff training programmes to enhance safety awareness;
• passenger feedback systems to continually improve service quality; and
• enhanced security measures to ensure a safe commuting environment.
The Project Director emphasises that safety is not negotiable: “Safety is not just about compliance, it is also about culture. Every member of our team is trained to prioritise passenger wellbeing, and we constantly review our protocols to maintain the highest standards.”
Customer service is equally crucial to Transdev’s vision for public transport, with digital tools and real-time updates ensuring passengers have all the information they need for a seamless journey.
Transdev and Ireland’s transport future
As Ireland looks ahead to 2030 and beyond, public transport investment will be a cornerstone of national infrastructure planning. Comprising the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan, Project Ireland 2040 highlights the need for:
• further Luas expansions to accommodate growing demand;
• integration of bus and rail networks for a seamless transport experience; and
• adoption of new transport technologies, including autonomous and on-demand mobility solutions.
With population growth and urbanisation accelerating, Transdev will play a critical role in ensuring that Dublin has a public transport systems can meet future demand.
“The next decade is going to be crucial,” Sweeney says. “Cities are changing, and public transport must evolve with them. At Transdev, we are excited to be part of that transformation.”
With proven expertise, a commitment to sustainability, and a focus on technological innovation, Transdev is well positioned to help Ireland meet its transport challenges head on.
By embracing innovation, safety, and sustainability, Transdev ensures that Ireland’s public transport remains world-class while supporting economic growth, environmental goals, and urban connectivity.
“We do not just operate transport systems, we help build better cities,” Sweeney summarises, concluding: “With decarbonising targets underpinning the need for further evolution of Ireland’s public transport system, Transdev stands as a trusted, experienced partner, ready to drive the State’s public transport future forward.”
Eoghan Sweeney
Eoghan Sweeney is Project Director of Transdev Dublin Light Rail Limited, the Irish branch of global public transport operations company Transdev.
Starting as an intern, he worked across engineering, project management, and operations, rising to Deputy Managing Director and more recently Project Director in his 15 years with the company. He has played a key role in the Luas Cross City extension and has led performance, contracts, and innovation initiatives.
He holds a degree in transport operations and engineering from TU Dublin, a master’s in light rail energy reduction, and a professional diploma in strategy, development and innovation from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.
W: www.transdev.com
Ireland 2040: Projects in 2025
When launched in 2018, Project Ireland included over 150 projects with a value in excess of €20 million. The pipeline of projects has continued to expand and evolve since then. There are now over 300 large projects at various stages of the project lifecycle. eolas Magazine outlines the priority projects as specified in the Prospects 2024/2025 report.
The Prospects 2024/2025 report, published in November 2024, highlights 50 projects that make up Project Ireland 2040. The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform states that the report aims to provide further visibility on the State’s priority infrastructure over the coming years, facilitating firms to plan commercial bids for these major infrastructure projects.
Roughly half of projects are large scale infrastructure in the areas of public transport, housing and health, ranging in value from €200 million up to €1 billion or slightly above.
Almost 60 per cent of projects outlined in the report are set to commence in 2025 and 2026, and around half of projects are anticipated to be completed between 2027 and 2029, such as: Wastewater Treatment Plants in Bailieborough, Buncrana and Nenagh, the M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy Road, University
Public transport
Hospital Waterford 60-Bed Acute Mental Health Unit, new post-primary schools in Westmeath and Wicklow under Project Dargle, and regenerated social housing in Constitution Hill, Dublin 7.
Speaking upon publication, then Minister Paschal Donohoe TD said: “We need the construction industry, in Ireland, the EU and internationally, to consider the role that they can play in delivering the projects outlined in Prospects.
“Ireland needs competitive, dynamic, and sustainable construction firms that can deliver high quality physical infrastructure.”
Listed in the boxes below is each project listed in the report, along with its their current stage, construction timeline, and cost range.
3. Ballina/Lough Talt WSZ Upgrade, pre-tender: project design, planning, and procurement strategy, 2027-2030, €100 million to €200 million
4. Nenagh Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade, pre-tender: project design, planning and procurement strategy, 2025-2029, €50 million to €100 million
5. Bailieborough WWTP Upgrade, pre-tender: project design, planning and procurement strategy, 2026-2029, €20 million to €50 million
6. Buncrana WWTP Upgrade, pre-tender: project design, planning and procurement strategy, 2026-2028, €20 million to €50 million
Flood relief
1. Lower Lee (Cork City) Flood Relief Scheme, strategic assessment and preliminary business case, 2026-2030, €100 million to €200 million
2. Limerick Flood Relief Scheme, strategic assessment and preliminary business case, 2028-2032, €20 million to €50 million
3. Blackpool Flood Relief Scheme, strategic assessment and preliminary business case, 2026-2029, €20 million to €50 million
Housing and regeneration
4. A5/N2 Clontibret to the Border, strategic assessment and preliminary business case, 2028-2032, €200 million to €500 million
5. N21/N69 Limerick to Adare to Foynes, project design, planning and procurement strategy, 2025-2030, €200 million to €500 million
6. M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy Road, project design, planning and procurement strategy, 2025-2028, €200 million to €500 million
7. N72-N73 Mallow Relief Road, strategic assessment and preliminary business case, 2025-2028, €20 million to €50 million
Health
1. New Children's Hospital, implementation, 2017-2025, €1 billion+
2. Elective hospitals: Cork, Dublin and Galway, strategic assessment and preliminary business case (Dublin), pre-tender: project design, planning and procurement strategy (Cork and Galway), 2025-2027, €1 billion+
3. National Maternity Hospital, project design, planning and procurement strategy, 2025-2029, €500 million to €1 billion
4. St Joseph's Care Centre, Longford (CNU), Implementation, 2024-2027, €20 million to €50 million
5. Enhanced Community Care Hub, Knocknacarra, Galway, pre-tender: project design, planning and procurement strategy, 2025-2026, €20 million to €50 million
6. University Hospital Waterford, New 60-Bed Acute Mental Health Unit, pre-tender: project design, planning and procurement strategy, 20272029, €20 million to €50 million
2. Devolved School Building Programme 2: Project Dargle, pre-tender: project design, planning and procurement strategy, 2026-2028, €200 million to €500 million
3. Cork University Business School (CUBS), pre-tender: project design, planning and procurement strategy, 2026-2028, €100 million to €200 million
4. University of Galway Learning Commons, pre-tender: project design, planning and procurement strategy, 2025-2027, €50 million to €100 million
5. Dundalk Institute of Technology (DKIT): National Centre for Craft Apprenticeship Provision, pre-tender: project design, planning and procurement strategy, 2025-2028, €20 million to €50 million
1. Cork City Docklands, strategic assessment and preliminary business case, 2024-2037, €500 million to €1 billion
2. Accelerated Social Housing Delivery Programme, various stages, 20242027, €500 million to €1 billion
3. Social Housing PPP Bundle 4, procurement, 2026-2037, €200 million to €500 million
Miscellaneous
1. National Broadband Plan (NBP), implementation, 2020-2027, €1 billion+
2. Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), various stages, various, €500 million to €1 billion
4. Dundrum Central, applying for planning permission, 2026-2032, €200 million to €500 million
5. Bluebell Waterways, Dublin 12, applying for planning permission, 20262031, €50 million to €100 million
6. Constitution Hill, Dublin 7 (Phase 1 and 2), project design, planning and procurement strategy, 2025-2028, €50 million to €100 million
7. Ballymakenny, Drogheda, County Louth, project design, planning and procurement strategy, 2025-2026, €20 million to €50 million
3. National Concert Hall, pre-tender: project design, planning and procurement strategy, 2026-2029, €100 million to €200 million
Stuart Conaty and Fiona Egan, partners in Beauchamps, discuss a number of opportunities for streamlining existing processes and expediting the delivery of public infrastructure.
With the pressing need to accelerate the delivery of housing required to support its growing population, facilitate sustained economic growth and decarbonise its economy by 2050, Ireland must streamline the delivery of critical infrastructure.
One of the key objectives of the latest EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) introduced in October 2023 is the streamlining of the consent process for renewable energy projects as well as the “grid and storage projects that are necessary to integrate renewable energy into the electricity system”. Given Ireland’s reliance on electrification to decarbonise its economy and a target of 80 per cent of its electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030, pretty much all the future expansion and upgrading of our electricity grid will come within RED III.
For Ireland to avail of this streamlined process the State must first identify the general areas where such grid
infrastructure is required and undertake a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of these areas, identifying appropriate mitigation measures to address any significant environmental impacts. The requirement for public participation is fulfilled by the SEA process and individual projects are exempt from the requirement to undergo an environmental impact assessment or appropriate assessment, with environmental protection assured through the implementation of the mitigation measures identified in the SEA process.
Streamlined consent for other infrastructure
RED III provides a blueprint which could be applied for other critical infrastructure such as water and wastewater. Article 2(4) of the EIA directive allows member states, at their own instigation, to derogate certain projects from the requirement to undergo an environmental impact
assessment in “exceptional cases”. For a project to be an ‘exceptional case’ it must be a project where failure to implement the project would have an adverse impact on the public interest such that applying the full requirements of the EIA Directive would be likely to compromise achieving the objectives of the project. Where member states choose to apply this exemption, they must adopt alternative procedures to ensure the overriding objectives of the Directive are otherwise achieved.
Ireland has invoked Article 2(4) on one occasion only in 2022 for the installation of emergency generators to address the risk to the security of our electricity supply following the onset of war in Ukraine. However, the alternative assessment procedure adopted in that instance was cumbersome, but RED III now provides a very useful template for use with future derogations and Ireland should not be reluctant to use this procedure for other critical infrastructure.
Stuart Conaty, Partner, Planning and Environment. E: s.conaty@beauchamps.ie
Procurement and delivery of majority Exchequer funded projects in Ireland is implemented through the Capital Works Management Framework (CWMF).
While the CWMF aims to ensure transparency, accountability, and value for money, it has been criticised for its complexity and administrative burden.
The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) is a vocal advocate for reform, highlighting issues such as the overreliance on lowest-price award criteria, delays in tender awards, and the high cost of tendering. These factors have led to a narrowing of the tender pool, reducing competition and stifling innovation.
To address this, the CIF calls for a shift towards quality-based criteria and whole-life cycle costing. This approach would not only improve project outcomes but also encourage broader participation in public tenders.
The Housing Commission has also outlined a series of recommendations including, reducing the four stage approvals process for social housing projects to a single stage process, and reforming the public works contract focusing on collaboration and dispute resolution.
Embracing collaborative contracting
There is growing interest in alternative contracting models, such as the NEC (new engineering contract) form of contract, which emphasises collaboration, early contractor involvement, and proactive risk management. To date NEC in Ireland is generally associated with major infrastructure projects like MetroLink, though there are some promising examples of its use on both small and large scale projects in the UK and the North which suggest that NEC could play a broader role in Ireland and the NEC risk model should be taken into consideration as part of a broader review of the CWMF.
It should be noted many changes have been made to the suite of public works contracts in recent years to make the risk profile more balanced and palatable to tenderers. In many cases, however, where construction disputes arise, the form of contract alone is not the challenge, and the root cause of the dispute can often be traced back to procurement and tender stage, particularly as they relate to the adequacy and sufficiency of the works requirements/specification. To fully realise the benefits of collaborative contracting, Ireland must also invest in
upskilling procurement teams and embedding best practices in risk management and dispute resolution. Digitalisation also offers significant opportunities to improve efficiency. Building information modelling (BIM), for example, can enhance project planning and coordination, while modern methods of construction, and a move to more offsite manufacturing, can reduce construction timelines and lower embodied carbon.
A path forward
The challenges to delivering Ireland’s future infrastructure requirements are significant, but equally there are opportunities to overcome these challenges, streamline the consenting process and expedite the delivery of key infrastructure. Ireland needs to avail of all the measures available to it to streamline the consenting process and by prioritising quality over cost, embracing collaborative contracting, and leveraging digital technologies, it can deliver.
W: www.beauchamps.ie
Pictured (L-R): Beauchamps Projects, Infrastructure and Energy group (back row): Stuart Conaty, Partner, Planning and Environment; Fidelma McManus, Partner, Housing; John Gaffney, Partner, Competition and ESG; (centre) Áine Smith, Partner, Procurement; Richard Stowe, Partner, Construction; Ainsley Heffernan, Partner, Energy and Natural Resources; Jeanie Kelly, Senior Associate, Planning and Environment; (front row) Fiona Egan, Partner, Construction; and Anne Marie Igoe, Partner, Commercial Real Estate.
Project Ireland 2040: The latest developments
In 2025, the capital ceiling for projects under Project Ireland 2040 and the National Development Plan 20212030 is set to increase by €1.4 billion to an overall annual spend of €14.5 billion, the Government’s latest progress report on Project Ireland 2040 has shown.
The Project Ireland 2040 Annual Report for 2023, published in September 2024 states that key achievements in 2023 include the completion of over 330 school building projects, with investment in the School Building Programme exceeding €1.26 billion. The healthcare sector also saw notable progress, with the completion of five community nursing units and nine primary care centres.
Transport infrastructure was strengthened with the delivery of major road projects such as the N5 Westport to Turlough in County Mayo, and the N22 Ballyvourney to Macroom in County Cork, alongside the rollout of 100 new double-decker buses for Dublin as part of a push towards sustainable public transport. Additionally, the National Broadband Plan connected over 205,600 premises to high-speed internet.
Complementing the annual report, three regional reports examine investments in the eastern and midland, northern and western, and southern regions.
Compact growth
• 11,939 new homes were brought into the active social housing stock including 8,110 new build social homes
• Social Housing PPP programme: In January 2023 Bundle 6 was announced which will provide approximately 500 new social homes while Bundle 7, announced in November, 2023, will provide approximately 650 new social homes.
Other public investment sectors
• A new Forensic Science Laboratory at Backweston, County Kildare was completed and handed over to Forensic Science Ireland in July 2023.
• Significant progress made on Dublin Family Courts Complex.
Enhanced regional accessibility
• N21/N69 Limerick to Adare to Foynes: Cabinet approval November 2023 for acceleration of Adare Bypass in time for the 2027 Ryder Cup.
• N5 Westport to Turlough, Mayo: Scheme officially opened June 2023
• M8/N25 Dunkettle Interchange: Construction was ongoing in 2023 and the upgrade scheme was officially opened in February 2024
• N22 Ballyvourney to Macroom road: Opened November 2023
Strengthened rural economies and communities
• National Broadband Plan: 283 broadband connection points (BCPs) and 672 school strategic connection points (SCPs) were in place by the end of 2023. As at the end of 2023, over 446,500 premises have had detailed designs completed, and over 217,000 premises were available for order/pre-order. In addition, over 205,600 premises were passed and able to avail of a high-speed broadband connection, with over 65,700 premises already connected. The NBP programme is active in every county in the State, and is stated as being “ahead of schedule”.
• Under the Rural Regeneration Development Fund (RRDF), 24 Category 1 projects were approved for funding of €45.5 million were completed in 2023. Completed projects included The Virginia Library, An Ríoga Project in County Roscommon and the Trim Library and Cultural Centre.
• €22.3 million was invested in Town and Village Renewal Scheme projects, including €4.6 million which supported the purchase of 24 properties in our rural towns
• Investment of €607 million under the Regional and Local Road Grant Programme
• Athy Southern Distributor Road construction was Completed
Sustainable mobility
• BusConnects Dublin: In December 2023, An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for the first Core Bus Corridor scheme from Liffey Valley to Dublin city centre
• BusConnects Cork: Third round of non-statutory public consultation on the 11 sustainable transport corridors commenced ran from November to December 2023
• BusConnects Galway: The Salmon Weir Bridge opened to the public in May 2023.
• BusConnects Limerick: The National Transport Authority published its final new bus network for Limerick in December 2023
• BusConnects Waterford: Workshops on the redesign of Waterford’s City bus network have been complete
• 100 new double-deck electric buses for the Dublin area fleets were delivered
• An Oral Hearing for DART+ West was held in October 2023 and a Railway Order for DART+ South West was lodged in March 2023
• Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme: The construction contract for the additional platform at Kent Station was awarded in early 2023 and enabling works have begun on site
• 34 new double decker electric buses entering service in Limerick
• Active travel: 50 school projects under the Safe Routes to School Programme (SRTS) completed by the end of December 2023.
• Greenway construction projects: 54 kilometres
A
strong economy, supported by enterprise, innovation and skills
• 300,583 in IDA supported employment
• 225,495 in EI supported employment
• The STEM Extension building in Dundalk Institute of Technology was completed
• The Extension to Central Campus (EO1 Project) at Atlantic Technological University (Sligo) was completed in 2023
• The UCD Future Campus Project progressed on site in 2023
• Dublin City University (DCU) Polaris Building and Trinity College Dublin (TCD) E3 Learning Foundry: Phase 1 continued progressing on site in 2023.
High quality international connectivity
• In December 2023, Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC) substantially completed three major capacity extension works projects
• daa applied for planning permission for a suite of infrastructure projects at Dublin Airport
• Shannon Airport Group continued the sustainable transformation of commercial properties across the Shannon Campus
Enhanced amenity and heritage
• A number of projects were advanced in 2023 including the Crawford Art Gallery, the National Concert Hall, the National History Museum, and the Chester Beatty Library
• 142 projects were funded in National Parks and Reserves
• Black Islands on Lough Ree was acquired by the National Parks and Wildlife Service
• Almost €990,000 disbursed through the Cultural Digitisation Scheme
• Planning permission was awarded in January 2023 for the development of a National Velodrome and Badminton Centre at the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus
• Fáilte Ireland continued to progress a national pipeline of 27 large scale attractions: Mount Congreve House and Gardens, in County Waterford, and the new National Surf Centre in Strandhill, County Sligo were opened.
Climate action
• 47,952 home energy upgrades were supported in 2023, compared to 27,200 in 2022, representing a 76 per cent increase year-on year.
• 55 flood relief schemes completed by end-2023.
Sustainable management of water and other environmental resources
• Nine new wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) were completed (Kilcar, Ahascragh, Spiddal, Burtonport, Kerrykeel, Liscannor, Kilmore Quay, Castletownsend, and Inchigeelagh WWTP)
• 33 upgraded WWTPs were completed including Ringsend, Blessington and Mallow WWTP
• Eight water treatment plant (WTP) upgrades were completed including Achill WTP
Access to quality childcare, education and health services
• Over 330 school building projects were delivered under the largescale and additional accommodation programmes, of which over 100 are modular projects.
• A further 300 school building projects are at construction, including 31 new school builds.
• Construction commenced on Project Nore, a bundle of seven large-scale school building projects that are being delivered by the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for the Department of Education across schools in Tipperary, Kilkenny, Westmeath and Kildare.
• In Q4 2023 the new school campus at Carrigtwohill which will accommodate some 2,000 students reached substantial completion.
• 5 community nursing units (CNUs) were completed.
• 9 new primary care centres were completed, bringing the total to 174.
• Progress on the New Children’s Hospital now 90 per cent complete.
• Reinstatement works and upgrade at Wexford General Hospital.
Planning for the environment and climate
Alma
Walsh, senior advisor with the National, Regional and Urban Policy Unit of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, discusses the evolution of environmental considerations in planning policy.
Setting out the existing legislative and policy framework, enshrined in the Planning and Development Act, which creates a statutory architecture for national policy to inform regional and thereafter local planning decisionmaking, Walsh highlights the significance of the shift that has already occurred to more sustainable patterns of growth for the whole country, in comparison to the boom-and-bust cycle Ireland had experienced.
The senior advisor explains that the need to shift away from “an era of developer-led approach to planning” underpins the creation of the National Planning Framework, and the requirement for its existence at a national level.
Speaking on the 17 October 2024, the day on which the President signed in to law the Planning and Development Act 2024, the third largest Bill in the State’s history, Walsh explains that the consolidation and revision of the Planning and Development Act 2000, has been a large focus for her department over the past two years.
“The priority for planning, more generally, has been around the implementation of that new Act across the planning system,” she explains.
Walsh outlines that alongside the consolidation and revision of the Bill, the Department has been working to implement and revise the National Planning Framework (NPF), ensuring
that it goes across government and through the hierarchy of the planning system – towards a more plan-led system.
An additional priority has been the continued focus on enabling and supporting accelerated housing delivery and climate action.
Planning and Development Act 2024
Outlining some of the key reforms of the Act, Walsh points to the role of the Office of the Planning Regulator in the continued improvement of consistency and alignment throughout all tiers of planning. In addition, Section 28 ministerial statements will be upgraded
to National Planning Statements, the cross-cutting nature of which, Walsh explains, will elevate planning considerations right across government.
“Very important to note are the strengthened references to biodiversity and climate change at the National Planning Framework and National Planning Statement levels, emphasising the requirement of integration of the relevant policies and measures, including biodiversity and climate change, of the Government,” she states.
“This is a requirement around integrating the relevant policies and measures of government with specific reference, for example, to the national Biodiversity Action Plan and also to the Climate Action Plan. You can see the Act now integrating and making it a legal requirement, within the planning system, to have a direct relationship and regard to, and to be informed by those particular plans at a national level, which is a critical piece underpinning the approach around environmental protection more generally, and then again, ensuring that our own obligations under the EU directives are also met. As well as ensuring that the Planning Act is fit for purpose and flexible enough to respond to those other statutory, timebound processes that we must comply with, particularly in the area of plan making.”
Pointing to the next steps for the Act, Walsh explains that phased commencement is underway, with existing provisions of the Planning and Development Act remaining in place until the relevant provisions in the Act are commenced. The Department has outlined an intention to publish a comprehensive implementation strategy, including a detailed commencement schedule, and are undertaking preparation of revised Planning and Development Regulations.
Updated Draft Revised NPF
Originally published in 2018, the Government announced a revision in June 2023, framed in the context that the revision is not a full review, but a long-term strategy out to 2040 focused on five key drivers. Walsh points to population and demographic change projections on the back of Census 2022, and recognition of the need to
“Very important to note are the strengthened references to biodiversity and climate change at the National Planning Framework and National Planning Statement levels.”
update and adjust the NPF in response to the climate challenge as two critical areas of work.
“This is in relation to the language, but more specifically, to the national planning objectives – those key national objectives that inform the regional and local tiers of plan-making,” she explains. “The strategy needs to reflect those newer commitments such as the sectoral emissions targets, for example, the updated actions of the Climate Action Plan, and, more generally, updating the NPF with the capacity to respond to the climate crisis.”
Highlighting the underpinning objective of the NPF as being of compact growth and balanced regional development, Walsh points to a revised strategy which “by and large” retains the principles and objectives of the underlying 2018 NPF, but which integrates more up to date patterns of development and growth.
“We are keen to ensure that at a local level, the opportunity to allow for further NPF implementation is given, and in recognition that some of the targets are very ambitious in terms of population growth for cities and will require longer term interventions.
“To give effect to those, there is a new element to the strategy in the form of New Sustainable Communities, as well as potential requirement to plan for population growth in line with the ESRI’s high migration scenario of over 6.3 million.”
NPF and the environment
Offering a sense of some of the changes the draft NPF is likely to deliver in relation to the environment, compared to 2018, Walsh says: “We
have listened to our stakeholders and taken on board what they have been saying around the topic of environmental capacity. So, even where the population is targeted for growth, there is a reality around the capacity to deliver that.
“This speaks very much to infrastructural investment as much as anything else, so have amended National Policy Objective (NPO) 11 to reflect that and build it into the consideration of development proposals, for example, particularly at planning application stage. This goes beyond the regular planning considerations, and, in particular, takes into account the receiving capacity of the environment. That is a real value added piece to the NPO as we see it.”
Walsh also says that the draft NPF will strengthen policies in relation to biodiversity. “We have built in additional and stronger language in relation to the environmental assessments of the NPF to acknowledge the role of planning in protecting and managing the environment,” she says.
On reflecting and integrating the Climate Action Plan commitments, including in areas such as district heat and renewable electricity, she says: “It is about front loading those commitments into our national planning policy to ensure they filter right through the system.”
Concluding on the preparation of an implementation plan, Walsh says: “Coming out of the revision process, it has been made really clear that implementation is critical for the National Planning Framework, not just at the policy level, but right across government, right across investment planning and right across other sectoral policy areas.”
Building the future: Respond’s vision for large scale developments
As Ireland’s largest construction-led Approved Housing Body (AHB) and service provider, Respond is at the forefront of delivering large-scale, mixed-tenure housing developments across the country. With over 40 years of experience, Respond is demonstrating how large-scale projects can be delivered to provide homes and build long term, integrated communities.
Respond’s commitment to delivering at scale is evident in its expanding construction programme, now valued at €2 billion. With 3,206 homes under construction, these large-scale schemes will be located across Dublin and Cork. Each will feature an approximately 50:50 split between cost rental and social homes, ensuring affordable, secure housing within mixed tenure communities.
Griffin
Point: Community focused large-scale development
Griffin Point, Donaghmede, goes beyond the traditional concept of housing by integrating communal spaces, essential services, and amenities that are designed to create a strong sense of place and belonging.
The 397 social and cost rental homes are part of a carefully designed development, ensuring that tenants not only have high quality homes but also access to the facilities and support networks they need to thrive.
Respond will also provide an Early Learning and School Age Care service within the development, reinforcing the commitment to supporting families and enabling social connection. Designed with attention to detail, the project leverages Respond’s deep-rooted expertise in placemaking, planning, construction, and housing management, ensuring the development is both expansive and deeply connected to the needs of its tenants.
Griffin Point stands out for its use of modern construction methods, which streamline the building process and enhance the building quality. The external wall system has been designed so that wall units are delivered to site incorporate pre-cast concrete panels, brick slips, insulation, and windows, minimising the need for scaffolding, accelerating the development speed, and improving health and safety on site.
Every stage of Griffin Point’s design incorporates people-first urban design elements – from green spaces that encourage outdoor interaction to shared tenant facilities that bring neighbours together. The development embodies Respond’s Urban Village Placemaking approach, proving that large-scale housing can be delivered in a way that prioritises community cohesion, safety, and sustainability.
Pipers Square: Europe’s largest Passiv house development
Sustainability is a guiding principle in modern housing, and Respond has placed it at the heart of its large-scale developments. From eco-friendly materials to thoughtfully integrated green spaces, every project is designed to enhance the environment while improving the quality of life for tenants.
One of the most ambitious examples is Pipers Square, Charlestown. At 598 units, it is Europe’s largest Passiv House scheme, representing a forwardthinking approach to sustainable urban living. Like all Respond developments, Pipers Square is designed to function not just as housing but as a wellconnected neighbourhood, where residents have access to local services, transport, and social infrastructure.
Developed by Cairn Homes, Pipers Square is built to the rigorous standards of the Passiv Housing Institute. These homes are designed to significantly reduce energy demand while providing optimal indoor air quality and comfort for its tenants, setting a new standard in sustainable urban living. These homes will offer substantial long-term
cost savings for tenants due to lower maintenance and operational expenses. It is hoped that with this many households potentially will be insulated from extreme energy price shocks, thus reducing financial burdens.
Director of Strategy and Public Affairs at Respond, Niamh Randall says: “Respond is forward thinking and always trying to adopt sustainable building practices. This Passiv House scheme will alleviate costs for tenants without taking away from the high quality of homes provided. We believe this scheme will be beneficial to our tenants who move into Pipers Square by significantly reducing energy consumption and lowering utility bills.”
More than just a sustainable housing development, Pipers Square is designed as a place where people can put down roots. The inclusion of a community hub, alongside essential services such as Early Learning and School Age Care, ensures that families have everything they need within walking distance. Situated close to shops, schools, parks, and public transport, the development supports walkable, well-connected urban living, a key element of Respond’s Urban Village Placemaking approach.
Building homes, improving lives
While Respond’s scale of delivery is impressive, what truly sets the organisation apart is its commitment to placemaking and community-building. Each large-scale development is more than just a collection of homes – it is a carefully planned, people-centred neighbourhood designed to support tenants’ wellbeing.
With over 3,200 homes in construction and a strong focus on high-quality housing design and long-term community integration, Respond is setting a new standard for large-scale housing developments in Ireland. By combining scale, expertise, and peoplefirst placemaking, Respond is not just building homes – it is creating places where individuals, families, and communities can thrive.
W: www.respond.ie
Pipers Square, Charlestown.
New housing targets bring fresh retrofitting skills challenges
The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has revised its projections of the number of workers needed for Ireland to successfully complete its retrofitting journey, owing to the Government’s new housing targets.
The revision of projected targets reflects new housing and sustainability targets, published by the previous government prior to the general election.
While a report in 2023, Report on the Analysis of Skills for Residential Construction and Retrofitting, 2023 to 2030, estimated a need for 50,831 new entrants, updated projections suggest even greater urgency due to increased housing targets and evolving construction methods.
The 2023-2030 report set a target of 33,000 homes per year and 446,300 retrofits by 2030. However, the new analysis, an updated Report on the Analysis of Skills for Residential Construction and Retrofitting, published in November 2024, raises these figures significantly, calling for the completion of 50,000 new homes annually and an increased rate of 63,444 home retrofits each year.
This adjustment reflects a growing gap between workforce capacity and national housing ambitions, emphasising the need for a more efficient and welltrained workforce.
Modern methods of construction and labour shortages
A key divergence between the two reports is the role of modern methods of construction (MMC). The 20232030 report does not account for increased usage of MMC, forecasting a 50,831 worker shortfall to meet targets.
The updated report, however, models two scenarios: one where non-MMC methods continue to predominate, requiring 78,885 additional workers, and another where a 24 per cent increase in productivity through MMC reduces the total number of required workers by 10,000. This shift highlights the growing importance of prefabrication and modular techniques in alleviating labour shortages while also signalling a need for upskilling and workforce adaptation.
The updated analysis also brings a more detailed breakdown of workforce requirements, refining earlier projections. Compared to the previous report, the demand for electricians and plumbers has increased, largely due to the shift toward electrified heating
Comparing the Governments’ two Skills for Residential Construction and Retrofitting reports
Category 2023–2030 report Updated report
Housing target 33,000 new homes per year 50,000 new homes per year
Retrofitting target 446,300 homes by 2030 63,444 homes per year (updated focus on energy efficiency)
Workforce shortfall 50,831 new entrants needed Up to 78,885 new entrants, depending on MMC adoption
systems and energy efficient retrofits. Conversely, the updated report says that trades such as roofing and glazing may see a decline as prefabricated building elements become more common.
The new report also identifies an urgent need for digital construction skills, particularly in areas like building information modelling (BIM) and smart energy installation. These trends reinforce the necessity for a workforce that is not just larger but more technologically skilled, moving away from a solely craft-based focus.
While both reports acknowledge the growing skills gap, the latest update provides clearer recommendations for bridging it. The focus is now on expanding apprenticeship programmes and ensuring greater collaboration between education providers and industry stakeholders.
Specialised training in zero-energy building techniques, solar installation, and heat pump systems is now seen as essential to addressing the shortage of qualified workers. There is also a stronger emphasis on fast tracking qualification pathways to address immediate labour shortages.
Demographic shifts
The new analysis also reflects changes in housing development trends. The 2023–2030 report had assumed steady growth in singlefamily homes, but the ESRI’s report Population Projections: structured housing demand and data from Census 2022 detail a significant shift toward apartment construction.
This requires more specialised training in highdensity building techniques and a greater reliance on modular and off-site manufacturing, which in turn demands a different mix of skills than previously projected.
Another notable difference is the pacing of workforce expansion. The 2023-2030 report anticipated a sharp increase in workforce demand, whereas the updated report proposes a more gradual scale-up.
Housing completions are now expected to rise from 30,330 in 2024 to 63,000 by 2030, while retrofitting projects are projected to increase from 34,114 homes in 2024 to 89,422 by 2030.
This phased approach aims to mitigate the effects of labour shortages and ensure a more sustainable transition to higher activity levels, as failure to do so could overwhelm the sector with an immediate shortfall.
Ultimately, the updated Report on the Analysis of Skills for Residential Construction and Retrofitting reflects a more data-driven and technologically focused outlook compared to its predecessor owing to the new targets which account for MMC adoption, phased workforce growth, and digital skill integration, and arguably provides a clearer roadmap for meeting Ireland’s ambitious housing and sustainability goals.
However, as the new government takes office, it is unclear whether green policies will continue to be a top priority at government level, meaning that success will depend on swift and strategic investments in training, education, and industry collaboration to ensure the workforce can adapt to evolving construction methodologies.
BCAR 21-day deadline: Fact or fiction?
In the recent case of Dromaprop Ltd v Leitrim County Council [2024] IEHC 234, the High Court confirmed several important principles relating to the role of a county council in the building regulations regime in Ireland.
Certificate of Compliance on Completion
On completion of a building to which the Building Control Regulations 1997 to 2024 (“the Regulations”) apply, a Certification of Compliance on Completion (“a Certificate”), signed by the Builder and the Assigned Certifier must be submitted to a Building Control Authority (“BCA”). The Regulations provide that on receipt of a Certificate, a BCA has 21 days to either:
i. invalidate the Certificate;
ii. request further information, or
iii. validate the Certificate and place it on the register thereby confirming that the Certificate was properly
completed and signed by the required persons, and that there are no unresolved matters in relation to information requests, enforcement notices or conditions attaching to Fire Safety Certificates or Disability Access Certificates.
Where the BCA does not validate or reject a Certificate or seek further information within these 21 days, the Certificate will be placed on the register automatically. Once a Certificate is placed on the register, a building may be opened, occupied or used.
Certification of Part of a Building
The Regulations allow that for buildings that are completed for occupation on a
phased basis, such as apartment complexes, Certificates for each phase may be submitted separately at the completion of each stage. These Certificates should clearly identify the parts of the building or the particular works to which they relate. Where these Certificates are in order, the BCA should accept each and place it on the register thereby allowing that part of the building to be opened, occupied or used.
In Dromaprop, the decision of Leitrim County Council not to register a Certificate was quashed. The applicant in the case carried out works on the Abbey Manor Hotel in Dromahair, County Leitrim for the purpose of converting it for use as accommodation. The applicant
submitted a Certificate to Leitrim County Council covering the above-ground floors as the two basement floors were to be closed off and not used pending development.
The council made a limited request for technical information, following the receipt of which they, outside the statutory period for a rejection, invalidated the Certificate stating that it was impossible to assess the compliance of the completed part of the works without the other phases being completed.
In quashing the council’s decision to invalidate the Certificate, the Court confirmed the following principles regarding the Regulations:
• A Council must validate and register a Certificate within the statutory timeline of 21 days unless, during that period, it decides the Certificate is invalid or seeks specified further information. Furthermore, where the council requests further information, any ultimate rejection of the Certificate must be based on matters dependent on that further information.
• A council’s failure to reject a Certificate or request further information within the 21 days gives rise to an obligation to validate and register the Certificate but does not affect a council’s subsequent enforcement powers for breach of the Regulations.
• In criticising the validity of the reason offered for not registering the Certificate, the Court also noted that there is a clear statutory intention to permit the partial Certification of buildings or projects.
It was held by the Court that the generic reasons offered by the council were inconsistent with the express statutory procedure for partial Certification. If a council raises a challenge about compliance by reference to interaction with an uncertified part of a development, they must identify something specific about the development that creates a breach of the Regulations.
Building Standards Regulatory Authority
In 2024, the Building Standards Regulator Steering Group (“the Group”) was established by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage pursuant to the Housing for All
commitment to establish an independent Building Standards Regulator. The Group issued its report in July 2024 recommending the establishment of the Buildings Standards Regulatory Authority (BSRA). Recognising that the enactment of the legislation necessary for the “BSRA“ will take some time the Group recommended a two-stage approach.
Building on existing systems and resources a corporate body known as the Building Standards Agency should be established to expedite the development of appropriate governance and management structures and to increase the inspection capacity of local authorities. The Group envisaged that the Building Standards Agency would ultimately transition to the BSRA when the relevant legislation was enacted.
Under current legislation, local authorities are BCAs for the purposes of monitoring and enforcing compliance with building regulations. The Group recommend that the BSRA would act as a national BCA by the establishment of service contracts with individual local authorities. It further recommends that:
i. in instances where a local authority is not adequately resourced to provide building control services, the BSRA should be capable of stepping in and operating as a BCA; and
ii. services provided by local authorities be assessed by
reference to measurable performance indicators to ensure consistency in the delivery of building control services and compliance with the relevant legislation.
It remains to be seen how the recommendations of the Group and the progression of the Building Standards Regulatory Authority Bill will be treated by the Government formed earlier this year but, for now, Dromaprop provides useful reassurance to developers and contractors alike that the 21-day period in the Regulations is a hard deadline.
Rhona Henry, Partner and Head of Construction and Engineering, Matheson T: 01 232 2110
E: rhona.henry@matheson.com
Alison Bearpark, Partner, Construction and Engineering, Matheson T: 01 232 2218
E: alison.bearpark@matheson.com
Rhona Henry, Partner and Head of Construction and Engineering, Matheson.
Alison Bearpark, Partner, Construction and Engineering, Matheson.
Ireland facing construction worker shortage
Almost double the number of construction workers in Ireland are needed if the State is to meet its infrastructure demands over the next decade, the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) has warned.
In a report produced in late 2024, the IFAC estimates that 80,000 workers are needed to address Ireland’s infrastructure needs, which equates to 47 per cent increase from current levels.
The report, entitled Ireland’s Infrastructure Demands, states that Ireland’s infrastructure is lagging 25 per cent behind that of high-income European economies. The report also says that, since the economy is currently performing close to capacity, that there is minimal need for new government investment, especially given that many of the areas most in need of infrastructure are already among the highest per capita recipients of government spending.
Instead, the IFAC states: “Reallocating existing spending or increasing taxes could help offset any increase in government investment.”
On the planning system, the IFAC asserts that the planning and objection system has been a “barrier to investment”.
“At present, it means it takes longer and is more expensive to deliver major projects. Reforming the planning and objection system could aid the delivery of infrastructure. This would not cost a significant amount of money, relative to overall government spending,” the report states.
Asserting that it “remains to be seen how much” of an impact the new Planning and Development Act 2024 will have on infrastructure development, the report states that one of the key challenges in addressing these shortfalls in infrastructure is labour shortages, as many of these projects demand significant numbers of the same type of workers as the construction sector.
If productivity in the construction sector is not improved, the IFAC estimates that almost 80,000 additional construction workers would be needed to address infrastructure shortfalls. If productivity improved to average high-income European levels, less than 20,000 extra workers would be needed.
Overall, the report identifies infrastructure shortages in health, housing, transport, and electricity. Given the scale of these deficits, they will require investment plans over 10 years.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland in October 2024, IFAC senior economist Niall Conroy insisted that the findings of the report were “unsurprising” given the skills capacity lost in the construction sector in 2008 after the financial crisis, and that a need to build up capacity due to an increasing population, with pent-up demand for housing.
He added that builders in the State were not widely using modern methods of construction (MMC) utilised in other countries; a partial legacy of the 2008 recession and subsequent decline in building which took place.
Conroy stated that productivity in construction in Ireland is below other European countries and that the State needs to “get more bang for its buck” given the current high levels of public spending on infrastructure.
Exciting times ahead for investment in Ireland’s public water services
As Ireland’s national public water utility, Uisce Éireann is central to achieving our national commitments across a range of key areas, in particular supporting housing and economic growth, protecting the environment and contributing to the achievement of climate resilience and adaptation policies, by Maria O’Dwyer, Infrastructure Delivery Director, Uisce Éireann.
We are facing into an exciting time for Ireland’s critical water and wastewater infrastructure. After just over a decade in operation, Uisce Éireann has already delivered very significant investment and improvements across our asset base.
As Infrastructure Delivery Director with Uisce Éireann I am excited by the opportunities that present themselves to us over the coming years; opportunities to really transform our water services through strategic investment and targeted delivery. The Government recently approved our Strategic Funding Plan which sets out funding requirements of €16.9 billion to 2029. Our Capital Investment Plan of €10.3 billion for 2025-2029 has now been submitted for approval to our regulator, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. We look forward to working
with all our stakeholders to deliver on this ambitious plan while recognising that ongoing high levels of investment will be required over several decades to address the legacy of under-investment in water services and realise our ambition to build truly world-class water services.
Key milestones ahead
Uisce Éireann has a number of key projects nearing completion or progressing this year that will be transformative in terms of providing secure, resilient and sustainable water services for millions of people right around this country.
The Water Supply Project - Eastern and Midlands Region is by far the largest water infrastructure project ever undertaken in this country and will
involve the development of a new abstraction of water from the Parteen Basin on the lower Shannon with the capacity to supply over half of the population of the country across the Midlands and Eastern region including the Greater Dublin Area. Having just completed a successful public consultation on the project over recent weeks, our team aims to lodge a strategic planning application before the end of the year.
Progress is continuing on other critical projects including the Greater Dublin Drainage project and the Athlone Main Drainage project. My team and I look forward to working with all stakeholders to progress these – and other essential projects – over the coming investment cycle.
Maria O’Dwyer pictured with the then-Minister of State Malcolm Noonan at the official opening of the new Troyswood Water Treatment Plant in Kilkenny in October 2024.
In the shorter term, we have several strategically important projects nearing completion that will bring huge benefits to communities by supporting the development of new housing, improving services for our customers, and enhancing our environment. The Arklow sewerage scheme is a prime example of this. The project, which represents an investment of €139 million, will end the decades-long unacceptable practice of discharging raw sewage into the Avoca river. Construction work is now largely complete and final commissioning will take place in the coming months. This project represents another major milestone in Uisce Éireann’s capital investment journey to end the practice of discharging untreated sewage into our waterways and sea. Since 2014, we have built new wastewater infrastructure for 34 towns and villages across the country, ending the discharge of raw sewage into the environment, with a further 7 locations under construction. Arklow is the largest town still without treatment and its completion will mean that over 85 per cent of all raw sewage discharges by volume will have been eliminated.
Supporting the development of largescale infrastructure
The need for the Water Supply Project, Greater Dublin Drainage and other essential water and wastewater infrastructure is critical to ensuring we can achieve the widest benefit to the greatest number of people. Timely and impactful decision making around these projects must be prioritised by consenting authorities and monitored to ensure the achievement of national strategic objectives. With the enactment of the Planning and Development Act, focus now turns to implementation, oversight, accountability and cooperation if the new provisions and regime are to be successful in alleviating the pressures in the system. It is essential that critical infrastructure providers and national strategic infrastructure projects are kept at the heart of the statutory approval process and prioritised accordingly, in order to support all other development across the country.
Another critical change to support the timely delivery of water infrastructure projects would be a move to a committed multi-annual funding structure.
Under Uisce Éireann’s current funding model, capital funding is provided through an allocation of Exchequer funding via the Government’s annual
budgetary process. The reliance on this process creates funding uncertainty from an operational and capital delivery perspective. There is no guarantee the level of required funding will be sustained year-to-year which has a distinct knock-on impact on planning infrastructure and capital maintenance, as well as on Uisce Éireann’s stakeholders, contractors and supply chain which depend on certainty in order to deliver value-for-money in our projects. It also impacts on our ability to adequately plan for the skills and future resourcing requirements needed in the water industry, affecting education, apprenticeships and critical skills needs.
Moving to a committed multi-annual structure, would provide stability and certainty to our supply chain partners, and bring alignment with Uisce Éireann’s multi-annual revenue control set by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities.
As anyone who works in large scale infrastructure delivery knows, predictable pipelines of work are essential for effective and efficient delivery of infrastructure on the scale we are doing nationally.
We have made significant progress over the last decade in addressing the legacy of under-investment in water services. But continued investment in and support for Ireland’s public water assets and services are fundamental to supporting these objectives. We are ready to assist the Government in meeting its agreed agenda.
I am confident that our teams across Uisce Éireann, working alongside our contracting and delivery partners, have the expertise, skills and commitment to deliver the water and wastewater infrastructure Ireland needs now and into the future. We have a big job ahead of us but I firmly believe we are on the right track and have the plan and the people to deliver for Ireland.
W: www.water.ie
Maria O’Dwyer (second from left) pictured with Minister Helen McEntee TD, Cllr Sharon Tolan, Cathaoirleach, Meath County Council, and Minister of State, Thomas Byrne TD at the opening of the Windmill Hill Reservoir, County Meath.
The Planning Act and Irish infrastructure
The Planning and Development Act has added a new dimension to the challenge of meeting Ireland’s infrastructure requirements.
In late 2024, Irish planning legislation saw its biggest overhaul in a generation at the conclusion of the Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael-Green Party triparty administration. At the heart of this reform were two monumental projects: the Planning and Development Bill Act 2024, and the First Revision of the National Planning Framework (NPF).
These initiatives emerged in response to a planning system which construction industry leaders described as being plagued by legal and procedural hurdles, a lack of consistency, and outdated legislation.
However, the factors informing these changes were broader; shaped by Ireland’s ambitious climate targets, rapid population growth, and the necessity of sustainable urban development.
The Planning and Development Act, the third-largest bill in the history of the State, marked a fundamental shift in Ireland’s planning system. This legislative reform aims to streamline the decision-making process, provide clarity for stakeholders, and introduce
mandatory timelines for key consenting bodies such as An Bord Pleanála, which is soon to be reconstituted as An Coimisiún Pleanála.
Claragh Mulhern, who holds responsibility as Head of Business Unit Adviser level for the provision of professional planning advice within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, spoke to eolas Magazine in 2024 about the need for planning reform and how it will affect policymaking.
From a DHLGH perspective, Mulhern emphasises that the then Bill’s primary goal was to shift from a developmentfocused approach to a plan-led planning system, providing clarity and consistency for all stakeholders, including developers, local communities, and policymakers.
Key changes, she lists, include:
• 10-year development plans: Local authorities are tasked with creating longer-term plans, replacing the previous six-year cycle, allowing for more coherent and sustainable development strategies.
• Mandatory timelines for decisions: Particularly for largescale infrastructure and renewable energy projects, the reforms introduced specific deadlines to improve efficiency and predictability.
• Restructuring governance: New governance arrangements for An Coimisiún Pleanála aimed to restore trust and efficiency in the planning process.
These legislative changes also seek to align Ireland’s planning system with its obligations under the Aarhus Convention, ensuring robust public participation and transparency while addressing challenges in judicial reviews.
Mulhern says that the aim of judicial review reforms was to make the planning process “more efficient, streamlining procedures while protecting citizens’ rights to challenge planning decisions”.
National Planning Framework
Running parallel to the legislative overhaul was the First Revision of the National Planning Framework, which began in 2023. Mulhern says this was driven by several key factors, including the climate transition and goals under the 2018 Climate Action Plan, updated demographic projections, and the need for better alignment between national and regional development plans.
One of the revised NPF core objectives was to address Ireland’s population distribution challenges by accounting for compact growth and reducing urban sprawl. Mulhern says that the aim of the framework was to align to Climate Action Plan (CAP) targets, focusing on sustainable development practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The revised NPF incorporated updated sectoral emissions targets and enhanced collaboration with other government departments, such as the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC).
Notably, the NPF accounts for the alignment of public transport infrastructure and green energy development with population growth, ensuring that infrastructure investments are strategically located to support sustainable communities.
Energy and climate
A significant aspect of the reforms was the integration of Ireland’s renewable energy goals into the planning system.
Mulhern says that a key consideration in the reform process was the importance of providing clarity on where and how renewable energy projects – such as onshore wind and solar farms – could be developed.
This clarity, achieved through the alignment of the NPF with Climate Action Plan 2024 (CAP24), aimed to provide developers and communities with the certainty needed to meet the country’s ambitious climate targets. The review process also considered regional capacity assessments, ensuring that national energy targets could be broken down into actionable regional policies. This approach is described by Mulhern as critical to balance Ireland’s energy demands with environmental considerations and local community interests.
Speaking to eolas Magazine in November 2024, the head of Bord na Móna, John Reilly, said: “We do not have an energy problem in Ireland; we have an energy infrastructure problem. The energy transition, globally, is going to cost trillions of dollars. In
Ireland, it is going to cost billions of euros, but it is a transition, which, if done properly, can bring enormous benefits to the economy.
“The entire cost of the upgrading of our infrastructure should not fall on the ratepaying base of electricity consumers. The current mechanisms used today to pay for our energy infrastructure must be examined. It was an interesting and positive development that the previous Government utilised a portion of the Apple tax revenue and put it on the table on behalf of the State to develop our grid infrastructure.
“We must look at innovative ways in which the delivery of grid infrastructure – both transmission and distribution – can be accelerated, and a key part of that is deciding how it is paid for and by whom. It may seem counter intuitive but if we significantly increase demand for green electricity as a core element of this energy transition, we will significantly reduce the unit cost of electricity for all consumers, in spite of the significant investment in infrastructure that is required.”
Acknowledging the challenges posed by planning, Reilly stated that one of the State’s major challenges is “delivering the power lines necessary to move power across the country from where it is generated to the major demand centres on the eastern seaboard”.
Therefore, he says: “We must utilise the capacity currently available on grid infrastructure we have developed in the regions and bring the demand closer to the supply. Acknowledging this opportunity to co-locate assets on a single site is something which will unlock major benefits for the wider energy system and consumers.”
Public participation and expert collaboration
Again, from a DHLGH perspective, public engagement was central to the revision of the NPF and the legislative reform process. Mulhern highlights the key role played by the Planning Advisory Forum in facilitating dialogue between government bodies, expert groups, and the general public.
Referencing the establishment of an expert review group, which included figures such as Frances Ruane (Chair of the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council), Laura Burke (Director of the EPA), and Brendan O’Sullivan (Head of Planning at UCC), the DHLGH official suggests that the revision of the NPF was informed by a diverse range of perspectives, addressing associated challenges in housing, infrastructure, and climate resilience in a “holistic manner”.
DATE FOR YOUR DIARY! 2025
Wednesday 11 - Thursday 12 June
Energy Ireland 2025 will bring together all the key stakeholders in the Irish energy sector to discuss and debate the key drivers of the energy transition and energy security. Ireland’s main energy conference will look at the developments that will decarbonise Ireland’s increasingly integrated energy system.
Speakers include:
Tanya
Paddy
Linda
Paul
Richard
Andy
Retrofitting report
Tracking Ireland’s retrofitting journey
Barry Quinlan, Assistant Secretary at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) with responsibility for built environment, retrofit, and heat policy, tells eolas Magazine about the steps ahead in Ireland’s retrofitting journey.
Retrofitting in Ireland has gone from being a niche preoccupation to priority national policy. Quinlan began his role in late 2021, a period marked by the onset of the war in Ukraine, which underscored the urgent need to reduce dependence on the importation of fossil fuels and transition to a net zero economy.
While admitting that the scale of the challenge – retrofitting hundreds of thousands of homes while simultaneously building new ones – seemed “daunting”, he says that he has been “consistently impressed” by the sector’s growth and adaptability.
“The numbers speak for themselves. Between 2021 and 2023, spending on retrofitting increased by a staggering 220 per cent, rising from €99 million to €325 million. The number of upgrades more than doubled, with 48,000 homes retrofitted in 2023 compared to just 15,220 in 2021.
“The success of the free upgrade Warmer Homes Scheme, which has seen a 160 per cent increase in activity, highlights the programme’s impact on lower-income households.”
These achievements, he states, have placed Ireland “at the forefront of retrofit innovation globally”, with other EU countries and the UK looking to Ireland as a model of best practice.
Credible plans and strong teams
According to Quinlan, success on Ireland’s retrofitting journey stems from two critical factors: a credible, wellfunded plan and a strong delivery team.
He says that that the National Retrofit Plan benefits from long-term financial certainty. “The allocation of a total of €8 billion to the National Development Plan ensures predictable annual increases, enabling DECC and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to plan effectively,” he says.
Quinlan also says that partnership between the State and industry has been “instrumental”, adding: “The attitude of DECC and SEAI to driving delivery with the industry is really important. We have faced challenges together and dealt with them swiftly to keep the programme moving forward.”
Challenges and solutions
Despite the progress, significant hurdles remain. Quinlan outlines several key challenges and the solutions being implemented:
1. Demand generation: Many homeowners perceive retrofitting as costly or overly complex. To combat this, the Government offers grants covering up to 30 per cent of the cost – a level of state support significantly higher than exists in other countries. Awareness campaigns and efforts to reduce the “hassle factor” are also helping to drive demand.
2. Financing: For those ineligible for free upgrades, financing remains a barrier. To address this, DECC introduced a €500 million low-cost loan scheme in collaboration with the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and commercial banks. With rates as low as 3 per cent, this scheme aims to make retrofitting more accessible to middle-income households.
“The allocation of a total of €8 billion to the National Development Plan ensures predictable annual increases, enabling DECC and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to plan effectively.”
3. Supply chain and skills: The rapid pace of retrofit activity has strained the supply chain and workforce. In response, DECC has partnered with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to develop training programmes and financial incentives for upskilling. This ensures that workers can retrain without losing income.
4. Governance and oversight: As the programme scales, robust governance is critical. DECC’s quarterly reports provide transparency, dispelling myths and allowing stakeholders to monitor progress.
Vision
While Quinlan commends the sector for its achievements, he emphasises that Ireland is still “in the foothills” of its retrofit journey. The goal of retrofitting 500,000 homes by 2030, with 400,000 adopting heat pumps, will require “another leap in ambition and innovation”.
The next phase will involve addressing more complex retrofits and deeper energy upgrades. Quinlan points out that some of the “low-hanging fruit" has already been picked, meaning future projects will require greater coordination and investment.
However, he expresses confidence in the sector’s ability to rise to the challenge, particularly given the political support retrofitting has garnered.
Quinlan calls on industry leaders to be “ready and be ambitious”. “With funding secured and demand continuing to grow, the onus is now on the sector to deliver at scale,” he says, asserting that businesses must be prepared to invest in skills, expand capacity, and prepare for “the next wave of activity”.
Political support
One of the programme’s greatest strengths, Quinlan asserts, is its crossparty political support, pointing to the fact that there were significant retrofit policy proposals in all the major parties’ general election manifestos.
Quinlan says that this political consensus, combined with Ireland’s strong economic performance, provides “a stable foundation for the sector’s growth”.
Concluding, Quinlan says that Ireland’s retrofit programme is “not just a climate initiative”, adding: “It is a transformative economic opportunity. By reducing emissions, improving energy efficiency, and creating jobs, it delivers benefits across society. While challenges remain, the sector has proven its resilience and adaptability.”
He summarises: “With strong foundations in place, Ireland is well positioned to achieve its retrofit targets and set a global standard for sustainable building practices.”
Electric Ireland Superhomes: A retrofit one-stop shop for approved housing bodies and local authorities
Electric Ireland Superhomes is a joint venture between Tipperary Energy Agency and ESB (Electric Ireland) established in 2021.
We are an SEAI registered one-stop shop looking after all the key stages of a home energy retrofit, from design, contractor selection, project completion, and management of SEAI grant funding to bring houses and apartments to a minimum of a B2 BER standard. Electric Ireland Superhomes’ vision is to empower our customers to achieve warmer, healthier, low-carbon homes with a renewable energy focused approach. We are currently on track to achieve our target of retrofitting over 30,000 homes by 2030.
Electric Ireland Superhomes delivers
retrofit solutions with the support of a multi-disciplined staff of over 50 people comprising of retrofit advisors, energy engineers, surveyors and BER assessors. We now have a dedicated team that specifically focuses on larger projects with special focus on housing owned and managed by local authorities, approved housing bodies and non-corporate landlords. This team is led by Mike O’Rourke who has over 28 years’ experience in building services engineering, with the last 7 years in the housing retrofit sector and supported by David Ahearne with over 25 years in project and account management roles
and experience within the retrofit sector.
The dedicated ‘large projects’ team bring a wealth of expertise in planning, execution, and oversight, ensuring that projects are delivered on time and within budget. With a keen understanding of the intricacies of project management, they can effectively navigate potential challenges, mitigate risks, and optimise available resources. Their ability to anticipate potential roadblocks and implement strategic solutions contributes to the overall success of the project.
Ultimately, by entrusting Electric Ireland Superhomes with the oversight of their energy efficiency retrofit programme, a local authority or approved housing body stands to benefit from enhanced efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and successful project outcomes.
Local authorities
For local authorities, Electric Ireland Superhomes can provide a range of services to meet their needs from a full energy retrofit consultancy service to the provision of services expected under the Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme.
From 2022 to date, our large projects team have been engaged by several local authorities, for the delivery of energy retrofit works of over 1000+ units.
Our minimum objective is to deliver a B2 post BER rating on all homes and in 2023 44 per cent of all our local authority houses achieved an A post BER rating.
This year we have been contracted by additional local authorities for their energy efficiency retrofit programme and are forecasting significant growth in this sector.
Approved housing bodies
For approved housing bodies and noncorporate landlords, Electric Ireland
“Ultimately, by entrusting Electric Ireland Superhomes with the oversight of their energy efficiency retrofit programme, a local authority or approved housing body stands to benefit from enhanced efficiency, costeffectiveness, and successful project outcomes.”
Superhomes can provide a full one-stop shop service that can avail of the SEAI grants for houses that were built and occupied before 2011 and have an existing BER of B3 or lower. SEAI grants supported retrofit measures include insulation upgrades (including roofs, walls, and floors), replacement doors and windows, mechanical ventilation, airtightness, solar PV, and heat pumps.
The process for an energy retrofit starts with an initial consultation to establish your requirements followed by a detailed house survey that includes the building fabric and heating systems. An energy report is then prepared that recommends a package of measures. Once satisfied with the recommendations in the report, we can finalise the design of the works, prepare documents for tender or pricing, and manage the grant process. We carry out
interim checks on the retrofit works in progress and a detailed final inspection once the project is completed. A health and safety file and post works BER Certificate are provided on completion of the project.
Grants offered are provided by the Government of Ireland through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).
For more information contact: Mike O’Rourke +353 86 440 2565 Head of Contracting and Safety
E: david.ahearne@electricirelandsuperhomes.ie Or email multiples@electricirelandsuperhomes.ie
Europe’s heat pump revolution
Paul Kenny, Director General of the European Heat Pump Association, talks to eolas Magazine about the role of heat pumps in Europe’s energy future, emphasising Ireland’s progress and the broader European landscape.
Europe remains heavily dependent on fossil fuel imports, which are costly, insecure, and undermine economic competitiveness. “Energy is the area where Europe struggles in terms of competitiveness,” Kenny states, highlighting the urgent need for decarbonisation and the central role of heat pumps in this transition.
Stressing that through the Fit for 55 package, Europe’s heat decarbonisation ambitions are steadfast, Kenny draws attention to the geopolitical dimension of energy, particularly the influence of misinformation campaigns targeting climate policies and heat pumps. “There is a concerted disinformation effort, particularly in Poland, aimed at undermining the deployment of heat pumps,” he notes.
Europe’s strategic heat pump advantage
Unlike solar photovoltaics (PV) and electric vehicles, where Europe has lost its competitive edge to China, Kenny asserts that Europe remains a leader in heat pump technology.
“We maintain a stronghold in industrial, domestic, and commercial applications. Even Asian manufacturers produce for the European market within Europe,” he explains, further claiming: “This presents a strategic opportunity that must be safeguarded.”
“Smart integration of heat pumps with dynamic electricity pricing could reduce energy costs by between 30 per cent and 40 per cent, mirroring successful models in Sweden.”
Paul Kenny, Director General, European Heat Pump Association
The Renewable Energy Directive sets a 42 per cent target for renewable energy, up from the current rate of between 14 per cent and 15 per cent. Kenny says that “the only viable pathway to achieving this is through the widespread deployment of heat pumps and renewable electricity”.
Regulatory and market challenges
Observing that “several regulatory barriers hinder the rapid expansion of heat pumps across Europe,” Kenny says that “in some countries, planning permissions, noise assessments, and heat loss assessments create unnecessary delays”. “Harmonising and streamlining these processes”, he says, will be “critical to accelerating adoption”.
Kenny also emphasises the impending shift in refrigerants from synthetic gases to propanebased alternatives, a transition mandated by EU law by 2027. “This will increase material costs by approximately 30 per cent, which will inevitably impact pricing,” he says, further noting that policymakers “must account for these economic shifts to ensure sustained market growth”.
Ireland’s leadership in energy policy
Kenny highlights Ireland’s progress in renewable energy, citing significant advancements in grid infrastructure, battery storage, and interconnection. “The commissioning of new interconnectors in the coming years will reduce reliance on gas for electricity generation and lower electricity prices,” he says.
The State’s commitment to flexibility in its climate plan is also noted by Kenny as a “competitive advantage”. “Smart integration of heat pumps with dynamic electricity pricing could reduce energy costs by between 30 per cent and 40 per cent, mirroring successful models in Sweden,” Kenny states.
Scaling up development
Another critical factor for success cited by Kenny is installer capacity. “In markets with high heat pump adoption, installation margins are lower, making the technology more accessible,” he explains. “In contrast, in Germany, profit margins on installations remain excessively high, limiting widespread uptake despite generous subsidies.”
Public awareness and regulatory stability also play “crucial roles”. “In Sweden, younger generations have no concept of gas boilers; they only know heat pumps,” Kenny says, further asserting that replicating this societal shift across Europe requires “consistent policies and investment in consumer education”.
Policy imperatives
Kenny calls for decisive policy interventions to sustain the momentum in heat pump deployment:
• Lowering VAT on heat pumps: “Ireland was restricted from reducing VAT below 9 per cent due to EU law, but forthcoming directives will enable reductions to 0 per cent.”
• Expanding installer training programs: “Every installer must be equipped to recommend and install heat pumps as a default solution.”
• Enhancing grid integration: “Ensuring that heat pumps can dynamically respond to electricity pricing will maximise cost efficiency.”
Kenny reaffirms that the State is on the right trajectory but, cautions that government “must remain committed to investment and strategic policymaking”.
“Ireland’s energy policies are widely regarded as a model within Europe,” he asserts.
“While ambitious targets may not be fully met, structured implementation will ensure continued progress toward a sustainable and secure energy future,” Kenny concludes.
Tuath and KORE pioneer sustainable retrofits with Circular Reno project
As housing providers seek to upgrade older homes to modern standards and embed sustainability into their practices, Tuath Housing Association and KORE Retrofit are breaking new ground with an innovative retrofitting initiative.
Tuath Housing Association is a not-forprofit approved housing body, providing long-term, safe, and quality housing. The organisation currently manages over 15,000 homes, catering to the needs of over 38,000 people. Tuath endeavours to prioritise environmental stewardship and sustainable practices in all aspects of its work.
KORE Retrofit is a County Cavan-based business that is committed to delivering eco-friendly retrofits and energy
upgrades to create energy-efficient, sustainable homes across Ireland.
Together, Tuath and KORE are the driving forces behind Circular Reno in Ireland.
Embedding sustainability in retrofitting
Circular Reno is an EU-funded project aiming to implement biobased materials in home retrofits and create an action
plan to address housing and energy challenges. The project brings together four EU social housing providers; Tuath Housing Association (Ireland), Vilogia (France), Wonion (Netherlands) and LEG (Germany), alongside construction and retrofit companies and facilitators, to exchange knowledge and ideas. It also aims to develop the biobased building material sector and to support the transition to biobased materials.
The need for sustainable solutions in construction and retrofit materials has never been more important as the drive to reduce the sector’s impact on the planet gains momentum. Increasing regulation means the sector will be required to account for embodied carbon emissions and address circularity concerns.
Locally sourced biobased building materials can offer a solution; eliminating emissions associated with the extraction, production and transportation of traditional materials. Biobased materials such as hemp and straw even absorb and store carbon dioxide during their growth, effectively acting as carbon sinks meaning we can literally ‘build with carbon’. In addition, biobased materials often emit fewer volatile organic compounds, promoting better indoor air quality. Finally, at the end of their lifecycle, biobased materials decompose naturally, reducing landfill waste and environmental impact of demolition.
However, the availability of affordable, eco-friendly construction materials is limited in Ireland and policy and regulation in this space is in its infancy. Meanwhile, farmers are seeking new opportunities to diversify their activities, especially in the context of the climate crisis. Circular Reno connects the construction and agriculture sectors by establishing a value chain working group for biobased materials.
Tuath and KORE have completed two pilot homes under this initiative to date, the first in Clonygowan, County Offaly and the second in Ballycumber, County Offaly.
Both homes were fitted with off-site manufactured wall panels with a biobased EPS glue. These panels were installed using a bracket on the exterior walls, significantly reducing installation time compared to traditional external wall insulation systems.
Additional upgrades to these two homes included:
• full demand control ventilation;
• air-to-water heat pumps;
• solar panel systems;
• new triple-glazed windows and doors;
• pumped cavity wall insulation; and
• 300mm hemp insulation installed in the attic/roof space.
The works to the second home also included the removal of a solid fuel cooker and the addition of a stove.
The homes were transformed by the retrofits. The first house went from a D2 BER rating to an A1 rating while the second house went from C3 to A1.
The first home achieved an air tightness rating of 2.363, while the second home achieved a rating of 2.625; reducing uncontrolled air leakage and improving comfort and cost efficiency.
Learnings and impact
While still in its infancy in Ireland, Circular Reno is already making an impact.
By testing and developing solutions now, ‘Reno’ properties take steps to align with the EU’s commitment to carbon neutrality and requirements for all residential buildings to be ‘climate neutral’ by 2050.
For those in construction, Circular Reno provides a model for integrating biobased materials into retrofitting practices. The project shows how using materials like biobased foam insulation and modular construction panels can help Ireland achieve its energy efficiency targets while reducing reliance on fossil-based materials.
In the farming sector, promoting agricrops for biobased construction materials provides new income streams
“We look forward to building on our success with retrofits to more of our
while offering opportunities for agricultural diversification.
Importantly, participating tenants are benefitting from lower energy bills, increased thermal comfort and improved indoor air quality, contributing to their overall health and wellbeing.
As each home is retrofitted under Circular Reno, the project partners continue to increase process efficiency and efficacy. By strategically planning the retrofitting of each home and completing as much work off-site as possible, there is less disruption to residents while time spent onsite is streamlined.
In the first home of this project, the EPS arrived onsite in panels but had to be rendered while the windows needed to be installed. In the second home, the base coat for the render was completed at a factory offsite while the windows were installed within the panel itself. As a result, the second home’s occupants left for work in the morning and upon their return in the evening, the wall
panels, windows and doors were installed and the house had returned to being airtight.
Brian Flax, Marketing Manager, KORE Retrofit says: “Throughout these two retrofits, we have made significant progress in how we carry out the work; continuously improving processes to deliver excellent results for all stakeholders.
“The achievements here will stand to us as we continue with the Circular Reno initiative.”
Nick Sheward, Director of Property Services, Tuath Housing, says: “We are very proud to be partnering with KORE to ensure that our residents’ homes are comfortable, sustainable and energyefficient. We look forward to building on our success with retrofits to more of our homes.”
W: www.tuathhousing.ie
W: www.koreretrofit.com
Is Ireland on track to meet its retrofit targets?
While significant progress has been made towards the State’s residential retrofit targets, these are challenged by financial, structural, and policy-related obstacles. Accelerating delivery will depend on a collaborative approach write Ciara Ahern, senior lecturer, and Elihu Essien-Thompson, software engineer and data analyst, with TU Dublin.
Ciara Ahern
Elihu Essien-Thompson
In 2019, the European Commission published the European Green Deal, setting an ambitious target for European Union (EU) member states to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. This directive mandates a 55 per cent reduction in net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030, relative to 1990 levels.
In Ireland, the residential sector is a significant contributor to GHG emissions, primarily due to the age of its housing stock; approximately 67 per cent of European homes were constructed before 1980, predating modern thermal building regulations. With a replacement rate of less than 0.1 per cent annually, most of these dwellings will still be in use by 2060, underscoring the critical need for energy-efficient refurbishments.
To address this, Ireland's Climate Action Plan (CAP) was introduced in 2021, aiming for 500,000 residential retrofits to achieve a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2 or higher, and the installation of 400,000 heat pumps by 2030. These initiatives are paramount to reducing the residential sectors carbon footprint. Ireland’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) or Building Energy
Figure 1: Evolution of dwelling retrofit status between 2023 and 2024
Figure 2: Rate of retrofit between 2021 and 2025
Figure 3: Proportion of EPC ratings across the Irish housing stock in 2024
Rating (BER) database plays a central role in this strategy, providing empirical data on a dwelling's retrofit status. As of the third quarter of 2024, over 1.26 million EPCs have been issued in Ireland, covering 66 per cent of the nation's 1.86 million occupied dwellings.
The Irish Building Stock Observatory (IBSO), established in 2022, has been instrumental in processing and validating this data, offering quarterly snapshots that reflect the refurbishment status of Ireland's housing stock, as shown in Figure 1.
Analysis of IBSO data from 2020 to 2024, and as shown in Figure 2, reveals a notable trend: while there was a decline in retrofit activities during the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent construction hiatus caused by global events, a significant rebound occurred post-2023. This resurgence indicates a growing momentum towards achieving the CAP's targets.
However, projections based on logistic market modelling suggest Ireland is projected to meet its B2 retrofit target by 2032, slightly exceeding the original 2030 goal by two years. The heat pump installation target, however, presents a more significant challenge, with forecasts estimating that the 400,000-unit goal will not be achieved until 2042 under current trends.
These projections account for market growth phases, including acceleration, saturation, and eventual plateauing. The data suggests that the initial surge in retrofits post-2023 will slow as the easier-to-upgrade dwellings are completed, requiring more aggressive policies and incentives to maintain momentum and address complex retrofit cases.
A deeper dive into retrofit rates by dwelling typology reveals disparities. As shown in Figure 3, detached and semi-detached houses have seen the most significant increases in B2 retrofits, with 295 per cent and 209 per cent growth respectively between 2021 and 2024. In contrast, apartments, particularly mid-floor units, exhibit lower retrofit rates. This discrepancy is partly due to the inherent energy efficiency of
Figure 4: Proportion of EPC ratings across the Irish housing stock in 2024
apartments, which benefit from shared walls and reduced exposure, but also points to potential challenges in mobilising retrofit initiatives within multi-unit dwellings.
Financial considerations play a pivotal role in retrofit decisions. As can be seen from Figure 4, C-rated homes dominate the EPC landscape. Homeowners in C-rated dwellings often face a “comfort barrier”, perceiving their homes as sufficiently comfortable with manageable energy costs, thus diminishing the incentive for extensive retrofits.
Moreover, while achieving a B2 rating can be costly – often requiring significant investments in insulation, window replacements, and heating system upgrades – access to green mortgages and preferential financing is typically available starting at a B3 rating. This financial structure may inadvertently discourage homeowners from pursuing the more ambitious B2 upgrades.
Case studies further illustrate these challenges. For instance, as shown in Figure 4, a 1980s three-bedroom semi-detached house underwent three retrofit scenarios to a B2 energy rating that vary in cost and complexity: one involving the replacement of an open fire with a stove and window upgrades, the second scenario remove the fire entirely without window enhancements, and the third assessed principally using PV panels to achieve the B2 energy rating.
All approaches achieved a B2 rating, but none met the Heat Loss Indicator (HLI) threshold of 2.3 W/k/m2 required for heat pump grants. Notably the homeowner would have been able to achieve the green mortgage threshold at a significantly lower investment cost than that of meeting the B2 policy target.
To bridge the gap between current progress and the 2030 targets, several strategies are recommended:
1. Coherent financial incentives: Aligning grant structures and green financing options to reward deeper retrofits can motivate homeowners to aim for B2 ratings specified in the Climate Action Plan.
2. Targeted outreach: Focusing on dwelling types with lower retrofit rates, such as older apartments, through tailored programs can address specific barriers these units face.
3. Policy adjustments: Aligning the B2 target with the HLI index to create a pathway to heat pump adoption more accessible. This could be supported by a higher level of financial incentives to encourage homeowner adoption.
In conclusion, while Ireland has made commendable strides in its residential retrofit journey, achieving the ambitious 2030 targets necessitates a multifaceted approach. By addressing financial, structural, and policy-related challenges, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders, Ireland can accelerate its progress towards a more energy-efficient and sustainable housing stock.
The key to retrofitting Ireland’s rural homes: Embracing a mixedtechnology approach
Catherine Hannon, Head of Public Affairs and Sustainability at Calor Ireland, discusses the opportunity of a mixed technology approach to retrofitting and heat decarbonisation versus a ‘one size fits all’ solution. She emphasises that providing choice and affordability is essential to empower rural homeowners to contribute to Ireland’s energy transition.
“Choice and affordability are crucial for rural energy consumers who are located off the natural gas grid or living in older homes using higher carbon fuels like oil, coal, and peat,” explains Catherine Hannon. “Consumers should be provided with a range of options, including cleaner, lower carbon, and renewable liquid gases, along with improved energy efficiency measures”.
With the increasing spotlight on the evolution of Ireland’s energy needs, there is a growing push to reduce the environmental impact of our energy choices and cut carbon emissions. At
this critical juncture for achieving our climate targets, companies must offer pragmatic solutions to the energy and environmental challenges our society faces.
The success of Ireland’s ambitious retrofitting and decarbonisation targets hinges on our ability to develop policies and solutions that are not only environmentally sound but also socially and economically viable. Data* that was reported in 2024 around the continued increase in oil usage for home heating in Ireland, highlighted the urgent need for a variety of solutions, particularly in the retrofitting sector, a trend that continues to impact the housing market indicating that government and industry must collaborate to deliver innovative and inclusive approaches to retrofitting homes.
For nearly 90 years, Calor has provided clean, reliable, lower carbon energy to homes and businesses across Ireland, especially in rural areas. Calor’s mission is to drive Ireland’s energy transition and create a sustainable future for generations to come. This mission is supported by Calor’s reaccreditation to
Catherine Hannon Head of Public Affairs and Sustainability at Calor Ireland.
the Business Working Responsibly Mark in 2024, Ireland’s third party (NSAI) verified Environmental, Economic, Social, and Governance (EESG) standard.
Calor’s responsible product strategy aims to ensure that the source and supply of its products become increasingly renewable and sustainable to meet future customers’ needs. The launch of a certified renewable liquid gas (BioLPG) in 2018, demonstrated Calor’s commitment to playing an active role in Ireland’s transition to a decarbonised economy. BioLPG, or bio propane, is chemically indistinct from LPG and as a ‘drop-in’ fuel, can be blended with LPG without a change of equipment.
Renewable-ready gas boilers combined with solar PV and moderate retrofitting measures can also result in increased energy efficiency and lower carbon emissions at a significantly lower upfront cost. LPG and BioLPG can also be used seamlessly in cutting-edge heating systems, such as hybrid heat pump installations.
By expanding the choices available to homeowners, Ireland’s retrofitting goals could be greatly accelerated. Currently, the scale of the task risks overwhelming consumers in rural off-grid areas, leading to disengagement and inaction. Recognising the significance of factors influencing adoption is crucial, especially when considering that climate targets require behavioural changes among citizens and urgent, transformative actions in key industries such as housing, transportation, and power generation.
The most recent report* by Liquid Gas Ireland (LGI) which analysed the latest census data, found that 46 per cent of all households still rely on high carbon fuels, including oil, peat, and coal, for heating. There has also been a national increase in the number of homes using oil since 2017. While the overall national proportion of households using these high carbon fuels has slightly decreased since 2017, the total number of housing units using oil has increased by 28,173 to 714,177.
“When examining the data in more detail, it is clear that in some counties, especially those off the natural gas grid, homeowners are highly reliant on oil for heating. The LGI report shows that 66 per cent of homeowners in Donegal rely
“Choice and affordability are crucial for rural energy consumers who are located off the natural gas grid or living in older homes using higher carbon fuels like oil, coal, and peat.”
Catherine Hannon, Head of Public Affairs and Sustainability at Calor Ireland.
on oil, and this trend is replicated in other counties such as Mayo (61 per cent), Monaghan (75 per cent), and Kerry (63 per cent).”
Another consideration is the age of Ireland’s housing stock. According to CSO figures analysed by LGI, 65 per cent of all houses were built before 2002, equating to just over 1.2 million homes. These homes are typically less energyefficient and more costly to heat.
This ageing infrastructure poses a significant challenge and often requires more extensive and costly interventions. It is not just about environmental impact; it is about the economic feasibility for homeowners.
“Many off-gas-grid buildings are older and difficult to electrify. For heat pumps to operate effectively, homes need to be well-insulated, often requiring an expensive, deep retrofit and the inconvenience of vacating the property during construction. This is not a viable option for everyone, so solutions to decarbonise these households should be flexible enough to meet their needs.” states Hannon.
Calor’s traditional LPG product allows rural off-grid consumers to transition from higher carbon and more polluting fuels such as heating oil, coal, and peat to a cleaner and lower carbon alternative. Continued innovation in the liquid gas sector is investigating the development of rDME, a low carbon, sustainable liquid gas that will complement the advances made by BioLPG.
rDME can be produced via gasification and catalytic synthesis using feedstocks such as municipal solid waste, forest residues, animal waste,
sewage/industrial sludge, and energy crops and offers a versatile and flexible decarbonisation route for domestic and industrial heating, cooking applications, and the transport sector.
Calor advocates for a technology-neutral approach to decarbonisation, recognising that there are alternative, clean, lower carbon solutions available, including off-grid liquid gases – LPG, BioLPG, and in the future, rDME.
Heat decarbonisation policy interventions, such as the proposed Renewable Heat Obligation, should ensure a level playing field for all renewable fuels. Calor continues to highlight the need for parity in Government support for both on grid and off natural gas grid consumers, to assist with the cost of the transition to renewable fuels, as well as the cost of retrofitting. With the right market policy supports, there is also an opportunity to advance the development and production of renewable liquid gas (BioLPG and rDME) in future, here in Ireland.
Calor is committed to partnering with policymakers, industry, and consumers to achieve an affordable, progressive, and ‘just transition’ to decarbonisation.
W: www.calorgas.ie
Making Irish homes cosier and more energy efficient
SSE Airtricity is working with governments, local authorities, and domestic customers to support the decarbonisation of homes across the island of Ireland.
Generation Green Home Upgrade
As a leading provider of cleaner, greener energy for homes and businesses across Ireland, we are all about making Ireland a more sustainable place.
Stuart Hobbs is the Director of SSE Airtricity Energy Services (AES), a business dedicated to delivering home energy upgrades and utilising energy efficiency technologies to deliver a cleaner greener environment. SSE AES offers home energy upgrades under a number of different government-funded programmes: SEAI One Stop Shop retrofit programmes, Better Energy Homes, local authority energy efficiency retrofit programmes (EERP), and SEAI Warmer Homes. Up to 1.5 million homes in Ireland are in need of energy upgrades by 2050, as energy efficient buildings are essential to meet our climate action targets. These upgrades typically include external wall insulation, energy efficient windows and doors, attic insulation, heating controls, heat pumps, solar PV and battery systems, and electric vehicle (EV) charging points.
Part of the Irish Government’s Climate Action Plan includes a national retrofit programme aiming to see 500,000 homes, one-third of Ireland’s housing stock, retrofitted to a B2 building energy rating by 2030. SSE AES is supporting the retrofit of 40,000 homes in Ireland over the next 10 years, with around 4,000 upgrades already completed. These works will drastically reduce the emissions of thousands of homes, saving millions on energy costs for consumers and making their homes warmer, healthier. Once delivered, this will equal approximately €20 million in reduced energy costs every year.
1. One Stop Shop:
A Generation Green Home Upgrade from SSE Airtricity is the perfect way to upgrade your home. Hobbs states: “We offer an award-winning retrofit service with a full range of home upgrade options, expert project management and a streamlined grant application process. We have partnered with Ireland’s leading experts in energy efficiency upgrades. From solar PV to windows and doors, internal and external insulation, heat pumps, and EV chargers, we only work with the best. Our customers receive a free home consultation to discuss their home upgrade requirements and receive expert recommendations from our team of specialists. It is one call, it is one job, it is one point of contact.”
2. Local authority energy efficiency retrofit programmes (EERP)
SSE Airtricity has been providing home energy upgrades since 2012, working with SEAI, local authorities and other housing bodies on joint initiatives. SSE AES help local authorities deliver their Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) obligations by taking a lot of the hassle and complexity away, enabling
them to deliver larger projects at a better cost and with more flexibility than their own resources might allow. “Over the last decade, we have delivered significant energy upgrades to fuel poor and social housing units, and we have significant ambitions to expand and increase these partnerships. SSE AES’s award-winning service provides a full EERP turnkey solution for local authorities, managing the works from start to finish on a partnership basis with local authorities or housing bodies. We offer pre- and post-BERs, full project design, guidance and preparation and management of all tender documents to be fully compliant with EU procurement requirements, including full end-to-end project management.” SSE AES also compiles all certificates and associated paperwork for the local authorities to make a successful claim to the department. In addition, SSE offers financial support to the project in the form of energy credits generated, as well as offering bridging finance for local authority EERP projects. SSE AES has a body of retrofit contractors and resources ready and able to deliver in all 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland.
3. SEAI Warmer Homes
Warmer Homes is a nationwide retrofit scheme administered by the SEAI delivering free energy upgrades for households in receipt of certain government benefits. Energy retrofit measures delivered under this scheme include high energy efficiency heating
systems, ventilation, external wall insulation, attic insulation and in some cases windows and doors – making these homes warmer, healthier, and more economical to run. SSE AES is a registered SEAI Warmer Homes contractor to deliver energy upgrades under this national scheme. SSE AES has delivered over 270 home energy upgrades under this scheme since 2020 across a range of shallow and deep retrofit measures and have recently been successfully reappointed to the SEAI 2023 Warmer Homes Contract, to continue delivering energy retrofit upgrades on behalf of SEAI over the next four years.
Award winning service
SSE AES retrofit programmes received awards and recognitions over the past few years for their various retrofit services. Last year alone SSE AES received nominations and secured wins alongside its local authority partner, Dún
Laoghaire-Rathdown, for their upgrade to 58 units in Beaufort OAP Complex in Glasthule. These included winning the Residential Energy Upgrades Awards category at the SEAI Energy Awards 2023, the Local Authority Innovation Award category at the Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards, and achieving the gold award in the Energy Initiative/Project of the Year at the All-Ireland Sustainability Awards. Also our One Stop Shop Service won the Best Retrofit Service at the 2024 Bonkers Awards.
For further information on SSE AES programme supports, contact Stuart Hobbs on: T: 087 923 6404 E: stuart.hobbs@sse.com W: www.sseairtricity.com
SSE AES and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council receiving their SEAI Residential Energy Upgrade Award 2023 for the Beaufort Project. (L-R): Darrell Crowe (SSE AES), Stuart Hobbs (SSE AES), Willie Walsh (SEAI), Denis O’Callaghan, (Cathaoirleach, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council), James Ryan (DLR Co Co).
“It is cosier. There was a desperate draught from that door and that is all gone. The heat – and being able to regulate it – is wonderful. It is excellent.” Local resident of Beaufort OAP Complex in Glasthule.
Overcoming disruption in residential retrofits
John Curtis, research professor at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), highlights a crucial but often underestimated factor in homeowners’ decisions about energy retrofits: disruption.
Curtis outlined how the perceived “hassle” of retrofitting – ranging from noise and dust to logistical headaches –can be a major deterrent, even when financial incentives are available.
For policymakers and industry leaders striving to accelerate home energy upgrades, Curtis’ research provides a stark reality check.
“Only about half of homeowners are even realistically considering a retrofit at any given time,” he explains, emphasising that blanket incentive schemes may not be enough to drive widespread adoption. Instead, he
asserts, the key lies in both understanding and addressing the disruptions that cause many homeowners to hesitate.
The toll of disruption
Home energy retrofits are essential for reducing emissions and improving efficiency, yet uptake remains slower than expected. While much of the focus has been on reducing costs and increasing energy efficiency, Curtis’ research suggests that practical concerns often outweigh financial considerations.
“The perception of disruption varies widely among homeowners,” he notes. His research shows that while some homeowners are willing to endure shortterm inconvenience for long-term benefits, others, particularly older homeowners or those with young families, see retrofits as “too much hassle, regardless of the potential benefits”.
He adds: “Even if homeowners acknowledge the benefits of a retrofit, the effort required to plan, manage, and live through the process often leads them to delay or abandon the idea.”
“Addressing disruption directly –rather than assuming homeowners will tolerate it – may be key to increasing retrofit adoption.”
John Curtis, research professor, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI)
Heating system complexity
Another key challenge Curtis identifies is the complexity of existing heating systems. Since many homes, particularly older properties, have a mix of heating technologies such as radiators, underfloor heating, and solid fuel stoves, this makes it difficult for homeowners to choose the best retrofit solution.
“Most households do not have a single heating system,” he explains. “Instead, they have a combination of different systems, which makes the decision-making process far more complicated.” This complexity, he says, can lead to “decision fatigue”, with homeowners ultimately choosing to do nothing rather than risk making the wrong choice.
There is also the fear that retrofitting could disrupt existing systems without delivering substantial improvements. “For those who already have a working heating setup, the idea of tearing it out and replacing it with something unfamiliar can be daunting,” Curtis states, highlighting the need for clearer guidance and support to help homeowners navigate their options with confidence.
Addressing the disruption challenge
Given these insights, Curtis outlined several ways to address the disruption barrier and encourage more homeowners to proceed with retrofits:
1. Targeting the right homeowners: Since only around 50 per cent of homeowners are genuinely considering retrofits, Curtis advises that policies should be more targeted. “It is not about convincing everyone, it is about making retrofits easier for those who are already inclined to act,” he says. By identifying and engaging these homeowners more effectively, he asserts that resources can be directed where they will have the greatest impact.
2. Reducing perceived and actual disruption: To
make retrofits more attractive, efforts must be made to minimise disruption. This could include offering temporary accommodation for major projects, phased installations, or improved project management services.
“Homeowners need to feel that they can maintain normal life during a retrofit; otherwise, many will opt out,” Curtis says.
3. Providing clearer information and guidance: One of the most significant barriers is uncertainty about what to expect. Curtis stresses the need for more transparent, personalised advice on timelines, costs, and potential disruptions. “Clearer, more practical information could help homeowners make informed decisions rather than feeling overwhelmed,” he says. Case studies and testimonials from homeowners who have successfully undergone retrofits, he states, could also help build trust in the process.
By refining policy approaches, reducing perceived barriers, and improving communication, the ESRI research professor is confident that government and industry stakeholders can help make home energy upgrades a more viable and attractive option.
“If retrofitting programmes fail to account for the real-world challenges facing homeowners, they risk leaving behind a significant portion of households who might otherwise be willing to improve their home’s energy efficiency.
“Disruption is a major, yet often underestimated, factor influencing homeowners’ decisions about energy retrofits,” Curtis says, adding: “While financial incentives and energy savings are important, they are not always enough to overcome concerns about inconvenience and complexity.
“Addressing disruption directly – rather than assuming homeowners will tolerate it – may be key to increasing retrofit adoption,” Curtis concludes.
Grant launches next generation Aerona R290 heat pump
Leading Irish heating technology manufacturer Grant has announced the launch of its new-generation air source heat pump – the Grant Aerona R290, representing an investment of €2.4 million.
Further demonstrating Grant’s commitment to innovation and position as a leader in sustainable home heating, the Aerona R290 was designed in Ireland, specifically for the Irish and UK climate and is already proving itself to be in another league in terms of innovation and efficiency and a significant addition to the Grant product portfolio.
Throughout the research and development phase, Grant invested heavily in the design and testing of the new heat pump range to ensure the technology is best suited for year-round climate conditions in Ireland and the UK.
Pictured is Stephen Grant, Founder (left) and Niall Fay, Director, Grant.
Innovative and aesthetically pleasing, the Aerona R290 heat pump range has been designed to suit many types of homes and housing projects and features five models in outputs of 4kW16kW. Models within the range can also be monitored and managed remotely giving installers and householders full control of their heat pump system and the ability to provide offsite diagnostic support.
Built upon three core pillars – design, performance, and peace of mind – the A+++ energy rated Aerona R290 provides an even more environmentally friendly, low carbon heating solution for the next generation. It uses the energy efficient and natural refrigerant R290, which has an incredibly low Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 3 compared to other refrigerants commonly used in heat pumps like R32 which has a GWP index of 657, signalling an important advancement in sustainable home heating.
Stephen Grant, Founder of Grant says: “The launch of the Aerona R290 heat pump marks a significant development in sustainable home heating and within our product portfolio. As our newgeneration heat pump, the Aerona R290 comes as Grant celebrates 15 years of being in the heat pump market and is a testament to our commitment to design highly efficient, reliable heating technologies which can make a real sustainable difference. As more homes make the transition to lower carbon heating solutions, we look forward to continuing to support customers through the delivery of technologies, products and services that can help them make a real difference.”
Niall Fay, Director, Grant adds: “We are delighted with the interest that the Aerona R290 is receiving from both trade and local authorities throughout Ireland. As a company we will continue to support the deployment of renewable technologies and the drive towards sustainability and reducing carbon emissions through the development of innovative heating products and training for industry.”
Aerona R290 training courses
About the Grant Aerona R290 air to water, air source heat pump
• Innovative design
o Environmentally friendly R290 refrigerant
o Ultra-low noise levels recognised by Quiet Mark
o Modern styling and colourway
• Exceptional performance
o Highly Efficient A+++ Energy Rating
o Rated at -5°C air temperature and 55°C water flow temperature
o Five models with outputs from 4kW - 16kW
o Remote monitoring and management
• Peace of mind
o Designed by Grant to suit many types of housing
o Awarded for outstanding innovation
o Design and on-site technical support
Alongside the new Aerona R290 heat pump range, Grant is also launching the Aerona Smart Controller, and QR Smart Pre-Plumbed AWave Integrated Cylinder. These new products will feature within the company’s integrated heating package solutions, providing further choices and flexibility for design and installation whilst providing the same quality and reliability that a Grant heating system is renowned for.
New training courses are available on the Grant Aerona R290 heat pump for those working in the trade and on new build projects. Courses are available to attend on site and online through the Grant eLearning academy.
To find out more information on training please email: training@grant.ie
W: www.grant.ie
Twitter: @GrantIRL
Instagram: @Grant_IRL
LinkedIn: Grant Engineering ULC
You Tube: GrantengineeringIE
Grant Aerona R290 4kW air source heat pump
Grant Aerona smart controller.
Irish National Retrofitting Conference 2024
The Energy Ireland National Retrofitting Conference 2024 took place on 28 November at Dunboyne Castle Hotel, County Meath. Around 180 delegates attended the conference which was held in partnership with SEAI and sponsored by SSE Airtricity.
Delegates in attendance heard from speakers, both visiting and local, from organisations including the European Heat Pump Association; Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications; Irish Green Building Council; Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council; TU Dublin; and Economic and Social Research Institute.
David McCourt, Cooperative Housing Ireland; Leighanne Fay, KORE Insulation; Eamonn Brownlee, SSE Airtricity; Shane McCullough, Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland; Georgina Molloy, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland; Kieran Yeow, Dublin City Council; Ciaran Byrne, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland; and Kevin Dunphy, Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board.
Conor Redington and Danuka Jeewan Piyumai Dalpadadu Anagipur from University of Galway.
April McHale, Daikin and Justine Barrett, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.
Sinéad Hughes, Irish Green Building Council addressing the delegates.
Likithaa Rajagopal, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and Velile Sibanda, Kildare County Council.
Jennifer Doran, LGMA and Eamonn Gillen, Donegal County Council.
James Keating, SSE Airtricity and Glen Kelly Greenland Eco Construction Ltd.
David McCourt, Co-operative Housing Ireland and Jennifer Whitty, Tuath Housing.
Joe Fitzgerald and Stephen McGrath from Ecological Building Systems.
Barry Quinlan, Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications addressing the delegates.
David Duignan and Edward Moffatt from Longford County Council.
Darrell Crowe and Eamonn Brownlee, SSE Airtricity.
Galway City: A net zero pilot city
Galway City is participating in the EU NetZeroCities Pilot Cities Programme and is testing innovative ways to reduce the city’s carbon emissions. Galway City’s project focuses on energy efficiency in buildings and aims to address the barriers associated with retrofitting homes.
The project involves:
• The establishment of a community one-stop-shop (Warm Home Hub) to provide information and guide households through their retrofitting journey;
• Research on retrofitting skills and training courses for contractors and the development of measures to address any gaps in provision and uptake;
• A multi-agency steering group tasked with addressing the challenges faced by households in relation to retrofitting at local, regional and national levels; and
• The sharing of knowledge and experience with other European cities, through twinning and learning arrangements.
The NetZeroCities pilot project is based in Galway City’s Decarbonisation Zone, covering a population of c. 7,000 in the Westside and Shantalla areas of Galway City. Led by Galway City Council, the aim of the project is to increase retrofitting rates in this area by working directly with the community and trialling different approaches of engagement and delivery. Galway is one of 104 cities across Europe selected for the NetZeroCities Pilot Cities Programme. The Programme aims to test innovative solutions to rapid decarbonisation over a two-year period. For more information, check out www.netzerocities.eu/pilot-citiesprogramme.
Warm Home Hub, Westside Resource Centre, Seamus Quirke Road, Galway (091) 398125 / (085) 1986975
info@warmhomehub.ie www.warmhomehub.ie
The Warm Home Hub
The Warm Home Hub serves as a onestop-shop for residents in Galway’s Decarbonisation Zone seeking to retrofit their homes. Located in the Westside Resource Centre, it offers support to householders, consultation with contractors, and educational sessions on the benefits and process of home energy upgrades. The hub makes retrofitting more accessible to residents by guiding them through every step of the process.
Key features of the Warm Home Hub include:
• Community engagement and education;
• Accessible and available expert support;
• A step-by-step retrofit pathway;
• Free home energy assessments;
• Data analysis for informed decision-making and targeted campaigns.
The Warm Home Hub team offer oneon-one consultations to households and can provide bespoke guidance, based on individual properties. The team also host workshops, drop-in clinics, family events and more to increase awareness on energy efficiency and retrofit options. Working closely with existing schemes, such as SEAI Sustainable Energy Communities and the Healthy Age Friendly Homes Programme, the Warm Home Hub serves as an honest broker for all actors in the retrofit chain.
The Warm Home Hub is an independent and community-based service offering free support and guidance on energy efficiency and home energy upgrades.
Other elements of the Galway NetZeroCities Pilot Cities Programme are:
Retrofit Accelerator Programme
The Retrofit Accelerator Programme is designed to address key challenges in upskilling and workforce development for retrofitting. Led by the University of Galway, in collaboration with Atlantic Technological University, this work seeks to identify gaps in education and training offerings, assess the reasons behind low participation in existing programmes, and finds ways to increase engagement.
Quadruple Helix Steering Group
A multi-agency steering group has been established to bring together key stakeholders – government, industry, academia, and civil society – and drive systemic change in the approach to energy efficiency.
The Galway City NetZeroCities pilot cities programme runs from June 2023 to May 2025. The project consortium are Galway City Council, Atlantic Technological University, Galway Energy Co-operative, Northern and Western Regional Assembly, and the University of Galway.
This project has received funding from the H2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the grant agreement n°101036519.
For more information, visit: E: climate@galwaycity.ie W: www.netzerocities.eu
Merepark, County Wicklow: Where sustainable living meets modern comfort with Mitsubishi Electric’s Ecodan heat pumps
Merepark housing development is the latest addition to the Altidore Gardens community, located in Newtownmountkennedy, County Wicklow. Central to this development is a focus on sustainability, innovation and connectedness to the scenic surrounding beauty of the Wicklow mountains.
With a total of 154 houses in this development, it was important to get the heating and domestic hot water systems just right. D/RES, the developer and one of Ireland's leading sustainable private housebuilders, wanted to create energy efficient homes that would provide the homeowner with both comfort and reliability. Mitsubishi Electric collaborated with McGuinness Mechanical, a leading mechanical engineering contractor, from the earliest stages of this project’s inception to achieve this. The McGuinness design team worked closely with Mitsubishi Electric throughout the project’s lifecycle, collaborating on site visits, designs, heat loss calculations, selections and sizing the units.
With the goal of sustainable living with modern comfort, Mitsubishi Electric Ecodan heat pumps were the perfect fit for the housing development. Ecodan Heat Pumps are the renewable, low
carbon alternative to traditional high carbon heating systems, and provide reliable, renewable heating technology that delivers highly efficient sustainable space heating and hot water all year round.
“Mitsubishi Electric has reliability, green credits, sustainability and that sort of background to it and we felt that a partner like them with their knowledge, their background, their historical track record that’s really what we were looking to partner with”, says Brett Chrystal, Head of Sustainable Design at D/RES Properties.
All homes were fitted with a 6kW Split Mitsubishi Electric Ecodan Heat Pump. The Ecodan outdoor units provide an innovative, stylish and compact single fan unit. The outdoor unit upgrades freely available heat energy from the air and transfers it to the home to provide space heating for radiators and/or under floor heating. It utilises advanced technologies
to deliver improved efficiencies. However, an Ecodan is not only highly efficient; it is also one of the quietest units available on the market.
Each property was fitted with a 170L indoor unit. These indoor units handle the space heating and DHW demand. An Ecodan provides the home with a continuous supply of hot water via a dedicated hot water cylinder – just like a standard boiler.
With an Ecodan Heat Pump, there is a range of controls to choose from including an advanced wireless controller. A simple room controller allows the homeowner to control their own system and monitor its performance remotely. With the MELCloud Home App any smart device can be connected and control the heating and hot water locally, contributing to the overall efficiency of the property and giving tailored comfort to each household.
However, for the homeowner the Mitsubishi Electric journey does not stop once the site is finished. All the household units are registered to the INSTALL ME App, meaning the homeowner will get a notification when their unit is due to be serviced. To ensure maximum performance from an Ecodan Heat Pump throughout its working life, the system needs to be regularly serviced and maintained. Service can be provided by the installer or by Mitsubishi Electric.
For more information: W: les.mitsubihsielectric.ie
Accelerating the energy efficiency renovation of residential buildings
Behavioural economist Evelina Gunnarsson discusses the application of behavioural insights to encourage energy efficient renovations.
“By combining a system approach with behavioural insight, we can tackle structural barriers, streamline processes and foster sustainable habits,” says Gunnarsson, who believes that understanding human behaviour is essential to influencing energy renovation decision-making.
Highlighting that driving sustainable change is more often than not underpinned by making the best choices the easiest ones, Gunnarson is quick to point out that even the best technical solutions can fail, if they do not align with how people actually think and behave.
Exploring this further, the behavioural economist is quick to point out that humans, despite the beliefs they hold, are not always rational decisionmakers, with choices often influenced by external factors.
Showcasing the point, she asks: “How many people leave a light on in their home or their phone charger connected, even when they know it wastes energy? Similarly, how many people go shopping with a list of healthy items, only to find themselves adding some less healthy items when shopping?”
This, Gunnarsson explains, is an example of how human choices do not always align with intentions and underpins the challenge of accelerating energy efficiency: turning good intentions into consistent actions.
Classified as the “intention-action” gap, Gunnarsson says this gap is evident in homeowners who want more energy efficient homes, but fall short taking the actions required to make it happen, even when the long-term benefit is evident. The behavioural economist points to three defining factors which
influence human decision-making:
1. Status quo bias: Sticking with the current situation appears easier than change, even if that change has long-term benefits;
2. Social norms: Seeing neighbours or peers adopt energy efficiency solutions can inspire action. Conversely, a lack of physical adoption can reinforce inaction;
3. Information and choice overload: Too many options and too much information can lead to indecision or wrong decisions.
“Understanding human behaviour is essential,” she says. “A sustainable change is often about making the better choice, the easiest one.”
Gunnarsson points to research done in Germany which underpins this point. A study compared green energy uptake in
Not considering an energy efficient renovation
• Increase awareness and engagement by using crucial messengers as advisors
• Tailor key messages to different target groups
• Target owners at key ‘trigger points’.
households who had to opt in against households automatically opted in, but with an option to opt out. The results showed that the green energy adoption rate soared when green energy was the default.
“This is a powerful reminder that small adjustments in how choices are presented or framed can create great impacts,” she states.
Gunnarsson’s organisation Ramboll recently carried out a study for the European Environment Agency with the aim of understanding behavioural factors influencing energy efficiency renovation uptake in residential buildings across the EU.
The study identified important stakeholders influencing energy renovations in residential buildings such as homeowners, intermediaries, suppliers and others, but also prioritised some groups based on their influence over decisions and their roles in the renovation process. The study particularly focused on ownership, recognising that this is where ultimate decisions and costs lie, but categorised the various forms of homeownership to include landlords. It also focused on installers and contractors, who often directly influence energy consumption through the solutions they propose.
Outlining the most prominent practical factors affecting stakeholder’ decisionmaking identified in the study, Gunnarsson points to some key drivers:
Improved living conditions: Owners are privately motivated by the desire to enhance thermal comfort and indoor living conditions.
Considering energy efficient renovation options and planning
• Make the decisionmaking process easier for owners
• Make the available financial support and programmes more appealing to owners
• Clarify the financial benefits of implementation.
Social and environment engagement: Appearance improvement is not only a strong driver for those who love n their homes, but also for landlords who recognise that improvements increase tenant satisfaction and raises the property value.
Energy efficiency: Energy efficiency is often a primary goal or outcome of renovation.
Influence from trusted sources: Owners are more likely to act when the advice comes from a trusted source.
On some of the barriers identified, the behavioural economist says: “Unsurprisingly, one of the largest obstacles is the ‘hassle’ factor, the perceived effort and disruption caused by renovation, and this is not limited to the physical work, it includes price comparison, grant applications or even in some cases the thought of having to clear out the attic before work can begin. Bureaucratic barriers can often be a greater obstacle than the cost itself.
“However, perceived financial risk by owners is a barrier, particularly when there is a high upfront cost and this risk aversion plays a strong role.”
In relation to installers and contractors, Gunnarsson says that although not behavioural, a lack of skilled workers with adequate training means that contractors may feel less confident in recommending or implementing innovative or new energy efficiency solutions.
Decision-making
The report breaks the complex decision-making process for owners
Implementing and finalising energy efficiency renovations
• Combine the implantation of energy efficiency measures with training from a trusted advisor.
into three key categories:
Understanding that there is a need to renovate; searching for an appropriate energy efficiency renovation measure; and carrying out the renovation.
“Based on these different phases, we recommended solutions based on the different stages of the decision-making process. Because, by tailoring the different solutions to different target groups, we can better support owners and overcome the different barriers, or use the drivers that we identify,” she explains, with findings set out in the table below.
Concluding, Gunnarsson says:
“Understanding how human behaviour shapes decision-making is crucial for designing effective interventions, and behavioural science can help bridge the gap between attention and action, while enabling tailormade solutions for each stage for the renovation journey. Importantly, depending on the target group, one solution does not fit all.
“We must recognise the power trusted messengers and community engagement has on the decisionmaking process, and underpin this by simplifying the financial and administrative processes, to make those best actions the easiest ones to take.
“Finally, we must combine these behavioural insights with a system approach. Energy renovation does not exist in isolation, it is part of a broader system of policies, markets, communities and individuals. By combining a system approach with behavioural insight, we can tackle structure barriers, streamline processes and foster sustainable habits.”
Halfway to 2030: What the new government means for retrofitting
Five years since the introduction of retrofit targets of 500,000 homes to ‘B2’ BER standard or above, the Government has retrofitted approximately 55,893 homes to said standard. Meeting the 2030 target will now require an average annual retrofit of approximately 63,444 homes. eolas Magazine examines the depth of the commitment to the retrofitting agenda in the Programme for Government (PfG).
In 2020, the then-government set forth an ambitious agenda to enhance the energy efficiency of the State’s building stock, aiming to retrofit over 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2 or higher by 2030. This initiative was a cornerstone of the State’s strategy to reduce carbon emissions, acknowledging that approximately 40 per cent of the country’s energy-related carbon emissions originated from buildings.
The National Retrofit Plan also included retrofitting approximately 36,500 local authority-owned homes.
Five years on, the 2025 Programme for Government reaffirms and expands upon these commitments, introducing a series of measures designed to accelerate progress in retrofitting and sustainable energy adoption. This analysis evaluates the 2025 commitments against the 2020 targets,
highlighting advancements and areas requiring attention, and offers insights for policymakers in the Irish retrofitting sector.
The 2025 Programme for Government pledges to “ramp up our targets to deliver more B2-equivalent home retrofits each year from 2026 to 2030, with a focus on lower-income households”. This commitment not only reinforces the original goal of retrofitting
500,000 homes by 2030 but also emphasises social equity by prioritising lower-income households. This approach aligns with the National Retrofit Plan’s objective to address barriers to retrofitting, particularly for vulnerable populations.
Increasing accessibility
Recognising the financial challenges homeowners face in undertaking retrofitting projects, the Government plans to “revise and improve the provision of grants and financing models,” ensuring accessibility for older community members.
The introduction of the €500 million Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme, offering low-interest loans ranging from €5,000 to €75,000, aims to make retrofitting financially attainable for a broader segment of the population. This initiative complements existing schemes and aims to stimulate demand by reducing upfront costs.
Community-led retrofitting initiatives
The PfG introduces innovative approaches such as supporting group retrofitting projects, enabling neighbours to collaboratively upgrade their homes. This strategy is designed to make the process more economical and less daunting for individual homeowners.
Additionally, the Government aims to increase the number of sustainable energy communities, by “fostering local engagement and collective action in energy efficiency efforts”.
Building upon pilot schemes, the Government also proposes developing mechanisms that allow private homes within social housing estates to opt into retrofitting projects at adjusted costs. This approach aims to ensure that all residents, regardless of ownership status, have the opportunity to benefit from energy efficiency improvements, thereby promoting community-wide sustainability.
Targeting older homes that still rely on oil heating, the Government encourages a switch to renewable heating systems, aiming to lower carbon footprints and reduce costs. In scenarios where deep retrofits are not immediately feasible, the consideration of biofuels, such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), offers a transitional solution. The emphasis on improving traceability in HVO procurement underscores the commitment to environmental integrity.
500,000 by 2030: Progress to date
Category 2030 targets (2020 PfG)
Overall home retrofits
500,000 homes to BER B2 by 2030
Social housing retrofits
36,500 local authority-owned homes retrofitted
Community initiatives
Financial support
Renewable heating transition
Increase the number of sustainable energy communities (SECs)
Expand grant and financing models for retrofitting
Phase out oil and gas heating in favour of renewables
District heating Expand district heating networks
Skills and workforce development
Carbon tax usage
Train workers to meet retrofitting demand
Use revenue to fund retrofitting and social measures
Skills
Skills capacity constraints has been an obstacle to progress in retrofitting. The PfG outlines the provision of upskilling and training opportunities across the green economy, including the establishment of industry centres of retrofitting excellence nationwide. This focus on education and training will be critical to building the capacity required to meet the increased demand for retrofitting services.
Analysis
A key challenge with meeting retrofitting targets has been that it is hard to sell to consumers due to the disruption it causes to one’s home, and the amount of debt is requires the homeowner to take on.
Progress to date Objectives in 2025 PfG
~55,893 homes retrofitted to BER B2 or higher (as of October 2024)
Ongoing: Latest figures not publicly available
SECs growing: Progress in community-led projects
€500 million Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme introduced in 2023
Slow progress: Oil heating still prevalent
Ramp up annual B2 retrofits from 2026 to 2030, prioritising lower-income households
Limited implementation
National Retrofit Plan launched: Training programmes initiated
Ongoing investment from carbon tax revenue
Expand schemes to allow private homes in social housing estates to opt in at adjusted costs
Further increase SECs and support group retrofitting projects
Revise and improve grants: Ensure accessibility for older people
Support oildependent homes in switching to renewable heating explore sustainable biofuels
Enact legislation in 2025 to accelerate rollout of district heating
Establish industry centres of retrofitting excellence nationwide
Continue funding retrofitting through carbon tax revenues
While polling shows that there is a desire among the population to meet environmental challenges, the proposals under the PfG fall short of outlining how government and the retrofitting industry can sell the intrinsic value of retrofitting homes to the general public.
The industry is significantly more developed than when it was introduced at scale in 2020, meaning that there is scope for progress. However, unless further reform is to come, it is difficult to imagine how government can bridge the gap from retrofitting an average of just over 11,000 homes per annum, to 63,444 per annum.
Maria Walsh MEP: The Mercosur Trade Deal is a risk for Irish farmers and standards
As the EU looks towards ratifying the Mercosur trade deal, significant concerns are growing, particularly among the many Irish farmers I meet and work with on a daily basis, writes Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh.
They are concerned about competing with imported products that are cheaper and produced at lower standards, threatening the livelihoods of farmers across Ireland and the EU.
During any discussion on this issue, it is important to note that the Mercosur deal offers benefits to certain sectors in the EU, including pharmaceuticals, processed food, geographical indications and machinery. It covers Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, has been 25 years in the making and was agreed in principle in 2019.
If ratified, it will reduce tariffs on over 90 per cent of EU exports to Mercosur countries, potentially boosting trade figures in areas like business services, life sciences, and beverages. However, for our beef farmers – the backbone of Irish agriculture – the deal in its current form presents more challenges than opportunities.
A fair playing field?
The prospect of tonnes of meat produced at lower costs and under poorer environmental and labour standards entering the European market is, understandably, a concern for Irish farmers. The agreement allows for an additional 99,000 tonnes of beef from Mercosur countries to enter the EU at a reduced tariff rate of 7.5 per cent, phased in over a period of six years. Of this, impact assessments estimate that 50,000 additional tonnes are likely to be imported. While this represents less than 1 per cent of total EU beef production, it carries significant weight for Irish farmers who are competing in an increasingly volatile global market.
Irish farmers produce beef of the highest quality which is renowned across global markets. After years of prioritising ethics and sustainability, we cannot change the goalposts and ask our farmers to compete with imports from countries where environmental protections are weaker, and production costs are significantly lower.
Environmental double standards
One of the most glaring issues within the Mercosur agreement is the difference in environmental standards between EU and South American farmers. With increasing pressure to reduce emissions and adopt sustainable practices to meet the targets set out in the EU Green Deal, Irish farmers are already navigating the complexities of climate action. These are necessary and welcome developments, the need for which are recognised by the majority of farmers, but they do come at a cost.
Given these costs, farmers have pointed to what they see as the hypocrisy of increasing imports given that as recently as 2022 saw record Amazonian deforestation. Despite efforts by the current Brazilian administration to curb this trend, farmers raise concerns that a return to previous political administrations could trigger rapid land clearance for cheap beef once again.
Some progress has been made within the Mercosur deal regarding environmental standards. The addition of a joint instrument in the agreement, which aims to enforce the Paris Agreement and tackle deforestation by 2030, is a positive step. However, questions remain about what the enforcement of these commitments look like in practice. How can we ensure that the Mercosur countries will meet their obligations, and what response will the EU take if they fail to do so?
I have had many exchanges with both the Trade and Agriculture Commissioners in the past few weeks and that is exactly what I insisted on: guarantees that there will be no unfair competition between our farmers and the South American ones in terms of environmental obligations.
Impact on Irish farmers
At the heart of this issue are the farm families who rely on beef production to make a living. The Mercosur
deal has been at the forefront of my discussions with farmers across the Midlands-North–West constituency throughout 2024, and will remain there into 2025. They have very real concerns about the impact this deal will have on their ability to compete in an already tight global market. Many have expressed concerns that the flooding of the EU market with South American beef could drive down prices, making it even more difficult for them to secure a fair price for their produce.
The Commission has tried to assuage these concerns with the promise of a €1 billion Mercosur ‘safety net’ fund. However, regardless of the value of the fund, it provides little comfort to Irish farmers if they do not know how, or if, it will support their incomes. Crucially, the fund also cannot come out of the same envelope as CAP funding given the reliance of farmers on this for income security.
At the end of the day, I know that farmers do not want to rely on any type of ‘safety net’ fund. They want to work hard, produce high-quality products and receive a fair price in exchange. They do not want hand-outs, or pity. They want fairness, security and to be able to do their job with dignity.
A done deal?
I do not agree with those who say this is a done deal. While the European Commission has come to an agreement on Mercosur, the next two steps include approval from the Council, composed of leaders of the 27 member states, and approval from the European Parliament.
On a national level, the Programme for Government commits to working with ‘like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests in opposing the current Mercosur trade deal. What that means in practice is that we will not support it until we have sufficient commitments and assurances that our farmers are protected.
These next few months will be key to ensuring the needs of European farmers are reflected in the deal, and we are still working with the Commission on getting guarantees in our priority areas. Trade is important, but it must not come at the expense of our farmers, our rural communities, or our environment.
Maria Walsh is a Fine Gael MEP in the Midlands-North–West European Parliament constituency. Walsh has been an MEP since 2019, and prior to this was a Defence Forces reserve and was the 2014 Rose of Tralee. Walsh holds an undergraduate degree in journalism from University College Dublin.
Ireland’s latest foreign policy priorities
As Ireland prepares to assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2026, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris TD has outlined the Government’s foreign policy priorities for the coming years.
Speaking in Dublin on 13 February 2025, Harris emphasises the Government’s position on Ireland’s role at the heart of the European project and its responsibility in shaping the future of the EU amidst global uncertainty.
The Tánaiste reiterates the Government’s longstanding position that Ireland’s membership in the EU is central to its economic and geopolitical stability.
“Ireland in 2025 is deeply fortunate to be at the heart of the greatest peace project that the world has known,” he states, further asserting that the EU has been a catalyst for social progress, economic growth, and political stability, and Ireland has been an active participant rather than a passive beneficiary.
The Fine Gael leader also highlights Ireland’s role in shaping EU policy, emphasising how the State has played a leading role in on broad policy challenges. “Our fingerprints are on the Union of today and our imprint on the blueprint for tomorrow,” he says.
Harris acknowledges the shifting geopolitical landscape, particularly amid the return of President Donald Trump in the United States and its implications for transatlantic relations. Harris emphasises the need for a united European approach in responding to global challenges, including shifts in global trade and security threats.
“My own department [DFA] has been expanded to encompass trade in recognition of the priority we are attaching to this area and in light of the policy developments in the USA,” he says.
Following discussions with EU trade ministers, Harris expresses optimism about continued engagement with the US but warned of the dangers of further escalation in trade disputes.
“There is a window for negotiation,” he says, underlining the importance of diplomacy in maintaining economic stability.
Security and defence
Ireland’s approach to security and defence has evolved in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While maintaining its policy of military neutrality, the Government has committed to strengthening national security and increasing military cooperation within the EU.
“Security and defence matters. There is no shying away from this,” Harris says. He also reiterated Ireland’s commitment to providing aid to Ukraine in the wake of Trump deciding to meet Russian dictator Vladimir Putin without the input of European countries or the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “A bad deal for Ukraine is a bad deal for all of us,” the Tánaiste says.
Domestically, the Government is advancing key initiatives including a National Security Strategy, a National Maritime Security Strategy, and a significant increase in the defence budget to €1.5 billion by 2028.
“Ireland is more than ready to play that leadership role to strengthen European security in all its dimensions,” Harris declares, reinforcing that security is “not just a military issue but also extends to economic resilience, digital safety, and protection against hybrid threats”.
EU enlargement
The Tánaiste states that Ireland remains committed to the integration of new member states, particularly in the western Balkans. Harris announced the development of a new Irish strategy for the region, including the opening of diplomatic missions in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Moldova.
“At its core, the EU is a union of values and it is a promise of a better future built together,” he says, emphasising that EU enlargement is “not just about economic opportunity but also a security imperative for Europe”.
To support this, the Irish Government has established its Fund for Enlargement and European Values, aimed at assisting candidate countries in their EU accession processes. “Ireland is an example of successful enlargement. We are determined to continue to ensure that other countries can also fulfil their potential within the European family,” Harris affirms.
Economic competitiveness
Economic competitiveness is another key priority for Ireland’s foreign policy. Harris describes two 2024 reports on competitiveness and the single market by two former Italian prime ministers – Enrique Letta and Mario Draghi – as “milestone documents”.
The Tánaiste states that Ireland’s competitiveness strategy focuses on four areas:
• strengthening the Single Market, particularly in services;
• investing in EU-wide grid infrastructure;
• supporting SMEs in scaling up; and
• reducing regulatory burdens while maintaining environmental standards.
Harris signals that Ireland would continue to advocate for these priorities within the EU, working closely with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Irish Commissioner Michael McGrath on upcoming regulatory proposals.
Strengthening diplomatic relations
Stating that Ireland’s commitment to multilateralism remains strong, the Minister for Foreign Affairs says that he will work to deepen bilateral ties with key partners, pointing to the success of the Global Ireland Strategy, which has enhanced Ireland’s diplomatic and economic presence worldwide.
He announces that the Government will expand its successful Nordic strategy to include the Baltic region, strengthening ties with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. He also highlighted the untapped potential in Ireland’s relationship with Poland, describing the country as “an incredible country which is home to a very large socalled reverse diaspora.”
Additionally, Harris welcomed the renewed relationship between the EU and the UK, emphasising the importance of collaboration with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government. “We shape the Union – not alone, but with partners,” he says, underscoring Ireland’s role as a “bridge between the EU and the UK”.
Looking ahead
As Ireland gears up to host the EU presidency, the new Minister for Foreign Affairs emphasises that this will be an opportunity which “must be embraced”. “We are going to make the most of this rare opportunity. It is an exciting moment,” he says
He concludes with a call to action: “Let us seize this moment and do something really special – special for Ireland and special for the EU.”
Harris’s entry to the Department of Foreign Affairs coincides with its new emphasis on trade, suggesting that the new government’s priority is to enhance trade and focus on making Ireland a country to attract FDI in light of the new administration in the United States, the continued fallout of Brexit, and the focus on international justice in Palestine and Ukraine which had been the Department’s priority towards the end of Micheál Martin’s spell as Foreign Affairs Minister.
The 27th Seanad
All 60 members of the 27th Seanad have now been either elected or appointed, with a record number of women taking their seats in Ireland’s upper house.
For the most part, the status quo will prevail in the Seanad, with the members of the upper house being dominated by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. The two parties combined have 37 (62 per cent of the seats) members, of which 11 are direct appointments by the Taoiseach.
While Sinn Féin, in raw numerical terms, scored a solid if unspectacular result in the elections, it will be relieved at having found a role for two ousted former TDs – Chris Andrews and Pauline Tully – as well as electing one of its most high-profile northern Executive figures, former Minister for the Economy, Conor Murphy.
There were causes for celebration among the Social Democrats and Aontú in particular, as they made are set to make their debuts in Seanad Éireann. Labour –in spite of a broadly successful general election result – will be disappointed at having went from electing five Seanadóirí in 2020, to only two in 2025.
A notable result for the Green Party – which was virtually wiped out in the general election – was the return of Malcolm Noonan – erstwhile junior minister at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in the previous government – to the Oireachtas.
Female representation and minorities
The new government has been criticised by opposition figures for the lack of women at Cabinet level, with only five of the 19 TDs (26 per cent) attending cabinet being women. In addition, only six of Fianna Fáil’s 48 TDs are women, while Fine Gael has 10 female TDs out of a total of 38.
In the Seanad, however, Fianna Fáil has a much higher percentage of female senators compared to its proportion of female TDs, with nine (47 per cent) of Fianna Fáil’s 19 senators being women. Five (29
per cent) of Fine Gael’s 17 senators are women, and out of the 13 independent senators in the new Seanad, five (38 per cent) are women.
Four parties have a majority of women among their groups of senators. These are:
• Sinn Féin (four out of six);
• Social Democrats (one Senator who is a women);
• Labour (two senators, both women); and
• Aontú (one senator who is a women).
Overall, there are 26 women in the new Seanad, giving a female representation rate of 43 per cent, a record high number for either chamber in the Houses of the Oireachtas. This can be compared to a female representation rate in the Dáil of 25 per cent.
Elsewhere, only one senator, Eileen Flynn, is from an ethnic minority background. Flynn is the first female Irish Traveller to be elected to either house in the Oireachtas.
The Seanad has historically been utilised by Irish governments to integrate northerners into the political process. While the government parties have not appointed or elected any senators from the North, the Social Democrats’ successful candidate, Senator Patricia Stephenson, was born in Belfast and Sinn Féin successfully elected County Armagh’s Conor Murphy.
What can senators do?
Speaking to eolas Magazine in December 2024 (issue 67), Senator Alice-Mary Higgins explained the fundamental differences between the role of a Senator and the role of a TD: “As a Senator, you have a national constituency and a more thematic focus.
“One interesting difference is that in the Dáil committee stage of a bill, where most amendments are made, is usually debated by just a few TDs from a relevant committee, whereas in the Seanad, every bill from every department must go through the whole house and every senator gets to debate and vote. That means the Seanad can often join the dots in a different way.”
Rather than a conventional checks and
balances role, the Seanad is more like the British House of Lords, albeit slightly more democratic. It scrutinises legislation and has an important role in the amendment process of passing legislation, as seen in the passage of the Planning and Development Act 2024, when Seanad amendments accounted for an additional 175 pages of the legislation. However, unlike the House of Lords, while the Seanad can delay a bill for 90 days, it seldom exercises this ability, with the Seanad only opposing the Dáil on two occasions, and not since 1959.
The Seanad has survived three significant shocks in its history:
1. 1928: Removal of direct elections under the Free State government, which simultaneously enhanced its powers.
2. 1937: Facing a Seanad which was proving to be problematic for the passage of his government’s legislation, former Taoiseach Éamon de Valera ensured that the newly ratified Bunreacht na hÉireann provided clarity that the Dáil was the house with the legitimacy to pass legislation.
3. 2013: The Government tries to abolish the Seanad entirely. Following passage of the 32 Amendment Bill
2013, the Irish people voted to retain the Seanad, in spite of the stance of the Taoiseach of the day, Enda Kenny, who supported abolition.
Bunreacht na hÉireann presented a major curb on the powers of the Seanad, ensuring the level of checks and balances afforded to the Seanad were minimal, whilst providing for a number of technical measures from which the Seanad can avail, although these have rarely been enacted.
Indeed, only on two occasions has the Seanad voted against a Bill which was passed by the Dáil. In 1958, de Valera proposed a first-past-the-post electoral system which could have increased Fianna Fáil’s majority in the Dáil. Whilst this Bill was passed in the Dáil in 1959 by a majority of 19, the Seanad rejected the Bill by a majority of one.
Despite this opposition, the Dáil availed of its power to pass legislation which had been rejected by the Seanad after 90 days, with the proposal eventually being defeated in a referendum in 1959.
In its modern form, the Seanad has the powers to delay a bill by up to 90 days, whereas the original Seanad which operated in the Free State had the power to delay legislation by an initial period of up to nine months, which was extended in
Fianna Fáil’s Senator Mark Daly, who is set to serve as Seanad Cathaoirleach for a second time, will serve a fifth consecutive term for Fianna Fáil in the upper house.
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1928 to a period of delay of up to 20 months. The aim of this this was to provide an enhanced level of checks and balances.
Changing of the guard
11 of the members of the previous Seanad won election to the Dáil in the concurrent general election, while 14 members of the previous Seanad decided not to run for re-election, and have left politics.
Notable names among these include former Fianna Fáil senator Lisa Chambers, who bows out of politics for the time being after a political career which – once highly promising – devolved into failure. Chambers failed to be elected to the Dáil for the second general election in a row and was an unsuccessful candidate in the European elections in 2024.
The new Seanad has a marked general shift between the new crop of senators, and those who took their seats in 2020. The previous Seanad included Fine Gael’s Paddy Burke (1993), Fianna Fáil’s Denis O’Donovan (1989), and independent David Norris, all of whom were elected in the 1980s and 1990s. All the members of the 27th Seanad first took their seats in the 21st century, with the longest serving incumbent senator now being Fianna Fáil’s Diarmuid Wilson, who has been in the house since 2002.
Seanad Éireann election 2025
Independent Senator Eileen Flynn – who was appointed to the Seanad by Taoiseach Micheál Martin in the previous term – makes history as the first female Irish Traveller to win election to the Houses of the Oireachtas.
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The 27th Seanad: Members in full
Panel
Administrative Panel
Agricultural Panel
Name Party
Garret Ahearn Fine Gael
Martin Conway Independent (Resigned from Fine Gael in February 2025)
Mark Daly Fianna Fáil
Eileen Flynn Independent (Civil Engagement Group)
Fiona O’Loughlin Fianna Fáil
Nicole Ryan Sinn Féin
Diarmuid Wilson Fianna Fáil
Niall Blaney Fianna Fáil
Paraic Brady Fine Gael
Victor Boyhan Independent
Maria Byrne Fine Gael
Joanne Collins Sinn Féin
Teresa Costello Fianna Fáil
Paul Daly Fianna Fáil
Eileen Lynch Fine Gael
PJ Murphy Fine Gael
Malcolm Noonan Green Party
Sarah O’Reilly Aontú
Cultural and Educational Panel
Industrial and Commercial Panel
Labour Panel
Cathal Byrne Fine Gael
Joe Conway Independent
Shane Curley Fianna Fáil
Seán Kyne Fine Gael
Pauline Tully Sinn Féin
Frances Black Independent (Civil Engagement Group)
Ollie Crowe Fianna Fáil
Aidan Davitt Fianna Fáil
Mary Fitzpatrick Fianna Fáil
Laura Harmon Labour
Garret Kelleher Fine Gael
Sharon Keogan Independent
Conor Murphy Sinn Féin
Linda Nelson Murray Fine Gael
Chris Andrews Sinn Féin
Pat Casey Fianna Fáil
Nessa Cosgrove Labour
Gerard Craughwell Independent
Mark Duffy Fine Gael
Robbie Gallagher Fianna Fáil
Mike Kennelly Fine Gael
Maria McCormack Sinn Féin
Margaret Murphy Fianna Fáil
Joe O’Reilly Fine Gael
Patricia Stephenson Social Democrats
National University of Ireland Alice-Mary Higgins Independent (Civil Engagement Group)
Dublin University
Taoiseach’s Nominees
Michael McDowell Independent
Rónán Mullen Independent
Tom Clonan Independent
Aubrey McCarthy Independent
Lynn Ruane Independent (Civil Engagement Group)
Manus Boyle Fine Gael
Nikki Bradley Fine Gael
Lorraine Clifford-Lee Fianna Fáil
Alison Comyn Fianna Fáil
Evanne Ní Chuilinn Fine Gael
Joe Flaherty Fianna Fáil
Imelda Goldsboro Fianna Fáil
Noel O’Donovan Fine Gael
Anne Rabbitte Fianna Fáil
Dee Ryan Fianna Fáil
Gareth Scahill Fine Gael
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100 years of Irish-US diplomatic relations
A new era has begun with the return to the White House of President Donald Trump. The years ahead look set to be a testing time for America’s role in the world, including for its relations with the European Union that are so vital to Ireland, writes former Irish Ambassador to the United States, Daniel Mulhall.
When I presented my credentials to President Donald Trump on 8 September 2017, I was conscious of being in a long line of Irish diplomats who served our country in Washington DC. That line stretched back October 1924 when Timothy Smiddy presented his credentials to President Calvin Coolidge as the Irish Free State’s Minister Plenipotentiary to the USA. That ceremony was a considerable achievement, less than two years after the state’s formal establishment.
In a 1922 report, the Free State’s first Foreign Minister, George Gavan Duffy, described the United States as “the only country where we can strongly and directly influence official action on a large scale”. That was the motivation behind the quest to gain diplomatic recognition in Washington.
The Government was fortunate that Canada had already been permitted by London to establish diplomatic relations with its southern neighbour, and there was
no way that Ireland could have been denied a similar right. For the Free State, the priority in Washington was essentially political – maximising Irish independence in practice and symbolically.
Cosgrave’s visit
As head of government, WT Cosgrave paid a groundbreaking visit to the USA in 1928 at a time when overseas visits by politicians were far less frequent than they are today. On arrival in New York, Cosgrave was treated to a famous New York ticker tape parade, and went on to visit Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington DC, where he was hosted by President Calvin Coolidge and addressed the US Senate. Cosgrave’s visit has rightly been assessed as ‘an unqualified success’, burnishing Free State’s image as an independent nation-state.
While in Washington, Cosgrave stuck up a good rapport with Secretary of State, Frank Kellogg who, later that year, became
the first high-level political visitor to Ireland. Kellogg was in France to sign the Kellogg-Briand Pact, and Ireland was the only other country on his itinerary. The visit was regarded as a milestone for the Free State because it further demonstrated the extent of its autonomy within the British Commonwealth.
De Valera and the USA
The United States watched with apprehension the acrimonious relations between Ireland and Britain following de Valera’s election in 1932. De Valera harboured unreasonable hopes that Roosevelt might put pressure on the British Government to end partition. The Americans, who were getting closer to Britain as the threat from Nazi Germany grew, were never likely to side with Ireland, although Roosevelt did provide gentle encouragement to Chamberlain during the negotiations on the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1938.
The 1940s were probably the most difficult era in IrishAmerican relations, especially after the US entry into World War II in 1941. De Valera got on badly with Roosevelt’s cousin, David Gray, who was America’s wartime ambassador in Dublin.
De Valera’s decision, against the advice of Iveagh House diplomats, to call on the German envoy after Hitler’s death damaged Ireland’s standing in America and angered many Irish Americans.
The shamrock enters the fray
In the 1950s, Ireland declined to join NATO and quietly sat out the Cold War, but in 1952 the then Ambassador, John Hearn, delivered a bowl of shamrock to the White House, thereby initiating an invaluable tradition. That period also saw the beginning of efforts to attract US investment to Ireland. The economic dimension to our relations has grown exponentially in the intervening decades making the US by far our most important international trade and investment partner.
Brexit time
The four horsemen cometh
In the initial stages of the ‘Northern Ireland conflict’, the US Administration steered clear of any involvement, claiming that there was ‘no appropriate basis to intervene with regard to the domestic political situation’ in another sovereign country. During the 1970s, John Hume established an influential rapport with Senator Ted Kennedy, which paid off when President Carter made a firstever presidential statement on Northern Ireland.
The Congressional Friends of Ireland was established in 1981, a bipartisan group that still exists and has been a big help to Ireland over the years.
Irish American lobbying resulted in President Clinton appointing Senator George Mitchell as Special Envoy to Northern Ireland. He was an inspired choice. Whenever the talks he chaired looked set to run aground, Mitchell’s patience and resilience, schooled by long years in the US Senate, invariably came to the rescue.
In the Oval Office during the Clinton Presidency, I was struck by the depth of the President’s knowledge of developments in Northern Ireland. I recall times during the talks in Belfast when word would go around that the White House was on the line. This meant that the world’s most powerful figure had picked up the phone to urge the talks’ participants to make the necessary compromises.
Irish America found its voice again in the wake of Brexit. In May 2019, Congressman Richie Neal of Massachusetts persuaded Speaker Nancy Pelosi to join a Congressional Delegation on a visit to London, Dublin, Belfast, and Derry. During her visit, the Speaker said that if “Brexit undermines the Good Friday accord, there will be absolutely no chance of a US-UK trade agreement passing the Congress”. Those remarks were impactful because Brexit advocates had been counting on a US trade deal to compensate for losses in trade with the EU. US involvement in the peace process saw the interests of our small country get an influential hearing in Washington. Ireland can never match the comprehensive ties Britain has with America, but has its own diplomatic assets anchored by people-to-people links created by immigration. A new era has begun with the return to the White House of President Donald Trump. The years ahead look set to be a testing time for America’s role in the world, including for its relations with the European Union that are so vital to Ireland.
Daniel Mulhall is a retired Irish Ambassador, consultant and author, whose latest book is Pilgrim Soul: W.B. Yeats and the Ireland of its Time (New Island Books).
Ambassador of Ireland, Thomas J. Kiernan, presenting President John F Kennedy with an arrangement of shamrocks on St Patrick’s Day, 1961..
Opposition victory in Dáil speaking rights row
Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy TD was forced to back down on her initial decision to grant speaking rights to the Rural Independents Group (RIG). In this context, eolas Magazine examines the context which led to this decision, and its alignment with the Dáil’s standing orders.
The Regional Independents Group (RIG), a technical group comprised of nine independent TDs, negotiated as a block of TDs with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. From this, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran TD became a Minister of State, and the negotiations are understood to be the basis upon which Murphy was nominated as Ceann Comhairle.
When the 34th Dáil had its first sitting – 71 days after general election 2024 was held – proceedings were suspended twice in quick succession after opposition TDs voiced their contempt for the Ceann Comhairle’s initial decision to grant speaking rights to backbench members of the Regional Independents Group on an interim basis, while awaiting legal advice which she told the Dáil she was
evaluating. At the time of writing, Murphy has not announced what the legal advice was, and this is set to be discussed in a Dáil reform committee.
What is a technical group?
A technical group is a parliamentary arrangement, mostly unique to Ireland, that allows independent TDs and smaller parties to band together for the purposes of securing greater speaking time, priority in debates, and representation on committees. Unlike most European legislatures, most notably the House of Commons, political groups in the Dáil must have a certain number of TDs to gain speaking rights during parliamentary proceedings, and government backbenchers are not granted speaking
time during Leaders’ Questions.
While such groups do not necessarily have a shared political ideology, they function as a means for smaller voices to gain procedural advantages in a legislature that traditionally prioritises larger parties.
In essence, the RIG would be both in government and, technically, in opposition.
The controversy on speaking rights arose because the RIG sought to form an opposition group while simultaneously nominating one of its members as a junior minister in the government as part of the Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael coalition.
Opposition leaders, particularly from Sinn Féin and Labour, argued that this was an attempt to manipulate the rules, allowing pro-government TDs to encroach on opposition time without actually being in opposition. The opposition’s strong pushback against this move was ultimately upheld by the Ceann Comhairle’s ruling, reinforcing the principle that technical group privileges should reflect genuine political alignment rather than strategic manoeuvring.
Should the Regional Independents Group have speaking rights?
Murphy’s decision to deny the RIG opposition speaking rights must be assessed against the Standing Orders of the Dáil. Standing Order 170 explicitly requires that opposition speaking rights be granted only to those who are “in Opposition”.
While the RIG is formally a technical group and not a political party, its nine TDs negotiated as a group with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. Arguably, since it negotiated like a political party, ensured that its policy priorities were put into the Programme for Government, and, in parliamentary terms, is a political party, it is arguable that all of the group’s members should be classified as being ‘in government’, akin to backbench TDs from the Green Party in the 33rd Dáil.
While Michael Lowry and other members of the RIG argued that independent TDs should have greater flexibility in their parliamentary classification, the rules do not support such an interpretation.
With the Ceann Comhairle’s ruling, there will be no speaking rights granted to any of the members of the RIG. Furthermore, unlike in other legislatures, the deputies will be bound to these terms for the rest of the Dáil’s term, as a member cannot ‘cross the floor’ to join a technical group, as demonstrated in 2015 when three Fine Gael TDs resigned the party whip, former a new party – Renua – and were not able to join or form a technical group.
The Dáil’s procedural framework is designed to maintain clear distinctions between government and opposition, ensuring that speaking rights align with a TD’s actual political stance. In this context, Murphy’s ruling was in line with parliamentary procedure.
Political fallout
Fianna Fáil leader and Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD has not publicly commented on the ruling, although he has stated that the Dáil reform committee should examine whether the standing orders are fit for purpose in their current form.
Expressing disappointment with the ruling, the RIG’s de facto leader, Michael Lowry TD called for new procedures to accommodate independent TDs who support the government, criticising the Ceann Comhairle’s handling of the controversy as “excessive” and as having “caused problems for everyone”.
Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald TD welcomed the ruling. McDonald had previously criticised the RIG’s attempt to gain opposition speaking time, describing it as a “brazen sham.” She emphasised the importance of maintaining the “integrity of parliamentary procedures” and ensuring that opposition time is reserved for those genuinely holding the government to account.
Standing Order 170
For Murphy, it is arguable that this decision has saved her role as Ceann Comhairle, as there was a level of unity among opposition TDs – ranging from Sinn Féin, to Labour, the Social Democrats, Independent Ireland, and People Before Profit-Solidarity – which has rarely been observed in modern Irish politics.
While no Ceann Comhairle has been ousted since James Dillon in 1982, the removal of John O’Donoghue as Ceann Comhairle in 2009 was arguably as a result of pressure from opposition TDs, most notably Eamon Gilmore, and it is widely accepted that a functioning Ceann Comhairle must have the confidence of both the Government and the opposition alike.
The Taoiseach’s remarks on Dáil reform, namely that the Standing Orders should give all TDs “reasonable access to speaking time”, could see changes made to the Standing Orders, but there can be no doubt that the procedures were implemented as designed, and any changes to speaking rights can only be made via reforms to the Dáil’s standing orders.
(1) Formation of technical groups. A body of members in opposition, not being a party, may be accorded group rights in the Dáil, provided that:
• the number of members in the body is not less than five;
• the body is not comprised of members who are members of a party; and
• the body undertakes to comply with the standing orders which apply to groups.
Michael Lowry TD and Barry Heneghan TD will not be granted speaking rights as opposition TDs.
Social Media Dublin 2025
Now in its 11th year, Social Media Dublin took place on 29 January 2025 in Croke Park, Dublin. Bringing together over 350 attendees, this is the major event for the Irish social media and communications industry. With speakers delving into the future of social media for 2025 and onwards, showcasing successful social media campaigns from Ireland and beyond.
Delegates heard from a range of expert speakers, both visiting and local, from organisations including Virgin Media Television; Visit Wales, Welsh Government; Aer Lingus; The Very Group; WWF UK; and the Technological University of the Shannon.
Chris Barnes, Public Health Agency Northern Ireland; Steve Parker, Stripe Communications; Jessica Hannon, The Housing Agency; Darragh Doyle, Dublin City Council Culture Company; Orla Thornton, Technological University of the Shannon and James Keep, WWF UK.
Scott Gault, Aer Lingus addressing the delegates.
Luke Kelly and David Nutley from Office of the Ombudsman.
Erika Kilmartin, Majella Dooley, and Meghan Hehir from Atlantic Aviation Group.
Ciaran Ó Flaithearta, Hollie McHugh, and Bhavya Bhatia from Citylink.
Emily Brown, Katie Black, and Ciara Smith from The Shannon Airport Group.
Niamh McGovern, Conor Lavelle, and Shirley Simmonson from Respond.
Paola Floris; Failte Ireland, Clodagh Whelan; Forsman and Bodenfors, Ainsley Kavanagh; Forsman and Bodenfors, and Kate Cregan; Failte Ireland.
Jonny Moore; Verve, Katie Malone; Verve, and Trasa Walsh; Sweartaker.
Lara Lenehan; Virgin Media Television, Catrin Elis; Welsh Government, Rowena Crowley; Drury, and Nicole Mezzasalma; Battenhall.
Fiona O’Kearney and Alli McNamara from University of Limerick.
Lara Lenehan, Virgin Media Television addressing the delegates. 135
public affairs eolas
TRADE UNION DESK
Has
the long weekend had its day? Irish public holiday questions answered
Whether you call it a bank holiday, public holiday, or long weekend, if you are an employee, you are likely to be counting down the weeks to the next one, when most businesses will close, and we get to enjoy a paid day off work.
When are they?
We have 10 public holidays each year: New Year’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, Easter Monday, the first Monday in February, May, June and August, the last Monday in October, Christmas Day, and St Stephen’s Day.
In years where St Brigid’s Day, or 1 February, falls on a Friday, the Friday will be the public holiday instead of the first Monday. This will first occur in 2030.
Good Friday is not a public holiday. It is a bank holiday –banks close on the day. Other workplaces choose to take Good Friday off, but it is not an official holiday covered by legislation. It is in Britain and Northern Ireland. For the rest of us, it is a normal working day.
Are public holidays outdated, or do we get too few? Do you lose out if they fall on days that you are not rostered to work, and how much is the new one – for St Brigid’s Day – costing businesses? The Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ (ICTU’s) Laura Bambrick answers some commonly asked questions about these extra days off work.
Do some employees miss out?
To ensure that all employees get the benefit of a public holiday, if you are required to work on the day one falls your employer must instead give you a different day off within a month, or add an extra day to your annual leave, or pay you one day’s pay in lieu. Your employer gets to decide which option will apply to you.
Part-time employees also qualify, but you must have worked at least 40 hours in total in the five weeks prior to the public holiday. There is no 40-hour service requirement for full-time employees, it is a day-one right. Part-timers who do not normally work the day the holiday falls on, are entitled to be paid one-fifth of their weekly pay.
How much do they cost business?
The St Brigid’s Day holiday was introduced by the last (34th) government as part of a package of new employment rights to thank workers for getting the State through the Covid-19 pandemic. Introducing a new
“While public holidays began in the 19th century... they are still fulfilling [a] vital function.”
Laura Bambrick, Social Policy Officer, Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU)
public holiday was not without its critics among employers, who were ostensibly concerned about the increased labour costs for their business. In fact, one Kerry hotelier went so far as to claim “no one wanted” the new one. Some 2.5 million employees beg to differ.
But public holidays do come at a cost. In 2024, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment published a hefty 175-page impact assessment of improvements to workers’ rights. It estimated the cost of an extra public holiday for the economy was 0.09 per cent of GVA in 2023, equating to €355 million.
However, the cost of a public holiday is not evenly spread across the economy. Some sectors, such as tourism, hospitality, recreation and retail, are impacted disproportionately because of the wage costs for staff who work on the day, as we ell as the relatively high share of part-time employees, who are entitled to compensation. On the other hand, people spend more money on public holidays and these sectors benefit most from a boost in consumer spending.
Does Ireland have too few?
The new St Brigid’s weekend brings the total number of public holidays to 10 each calendar year, putting us on an equal footing with Northern Ireland but still lagging behind the EU average of 12 per annum.
This does not necessarily mean Irish workers are getting short-changed. In many European countries, certain public holidays are not automatically replaced if they fall on a Saturday or a Sunday. Unless time off in lieu of public holidays falling on a weekend is covered by an agreement between trade unions and employers, employees in those countries may have fewer days off work in some years than in others.
In Ireland, when a public holiday falls on a weekend the law entitles employees to a substitute day off, with most businesses opting to remain closed on the following Monday. This guarantees all Irish employees the benefit of 10 public holidays every year.
Are they outdated?
Public holidays first became law in 1871, at a time when the working day and week were considerably longer than legally permitted today. The workforce is also much more diverse now, with fewer of us sharing a cultural or religious attachment to these set days.
However, it would be a very brave decision by any government to take away workers’ holiday time. But it has happened, with predicable backlash.
In 2005 France scrapped one of its 11 public holidays. Not only did French employees lose their right to a paid day off but they were to work the extra day without pay – their wages instead going into a government fund for improving eldercare. Employers and the self-employed were exempt from this 100 per cent income tax ‘day of solidarity’. After three years of anger and resistance from PAYE workers and their unions, the public holiday was restored.
In Ireland today, low-paid workers do not generally get more than the legal minimum annual leave required of their employer – 20 days for a full-time employee, which has remained unchanged for nearly 30 years. Public holidays bump up the minimum time off work to 30 days. So, while public holidays began in the 19th century to give workers a well-deserved break, far from being a relic of our past, they are still fulfilling this vital function.
Political Platform
Thomas Gould TD
A GAA coach and passionate orator, Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD tells eolas Magazine about his pride in being the first TD to enter Leinster House from Knocknaheeny, Cork city, and says that the key to a good politician’s legacy is “countless small achievements”.
“I believe that a good politician’s legacy is countless small achievements.”
Thomas Gould TD
What inspired you to get into politics?
I was inspired by my parents. They were community activists. My mother was sick all of her life and died at 50. She was only a young woman. We saw firsthand the health service and how it was failing people. This was not because of the brilliant staff. The core problem with the health service was, and still is, political.
I also saw the same political failures in Knocknaheeny and Churchfield, where I grew up, and across the northside of Cork City. There was nothing there for young people or for anyone really. We were ignored by politicians, and I was motivated to get into politics because I was determined to give people a voice and fight for our communities.
What has been your proudest achievement in politics?
Being elected as the first TD from Knocknaheeny was an extremely proud day for me, my family and our community.
I believe that a good politician’s legacy is countless small achievements – it is the people I help every day, the people who felt that no one was on their side until they came to me.
These are the people I have helped access housing, prevent falling into homelessness, and access school places for children with additional needs. It is achievements like this, that can change one life; that sticks with me.
Who do you admire in politics or public life?
I admire Mary Lou McDonald who is a strong leader. She is a constant reminder that we can have better. She believes in the power of, and importance of, communities and people.
The bond that Mary Lou has with people when she meets with them and the depth of her compassion and empathy has to be be seen to be understood.
Why did you choose to join Sinn Féin?
In school, I always loved history, especially Irish history. I always believed in a 32-county united Ireland. At home, there was always a tradition of republicanism in the family.
The 1980 and 1981 hunger strikes – with the death of Bobby Sands and the other nine hunger strikers – were a political awakening for me. Sinn Féin was the only party to have a vision for Ireland and my community.
What are your key priorities for your constituency?
Housing remains my top priority – both the delivery of social and affordable homes and proper housing maintenance. At the same time, we have huge challenges with dirty water, buses, and the delivery of services for children with disabilities must be a priority.
All these challenges, alongside infrastructure and funding, are what is needed to end the neglect of the northside.
What are your interests outside of work?
I am a proud member of St Vincent’s GAA Club. I previously served as chairperson and believe strongly in the GAA and particularly in camogie and hurling, which are the greatest sports in the world.
I manage and coach teams at all levels in the club. I really enjoy spending time with my father, my wife and two daughters – I am very lucky that they are also involved in the club from a playing and coaching perspective.
“How can we condemn these actions as illegal yet continue trading in the products of this oppression?”
Senator Frances Black
Senator Frances Black: Enacting Occupied Territories
Bill is the right thing to do
I have been advocating for the Occupied Territories Bill since 2018 because I believe it is the right thing to do. The settlements are illegal, rob families of their land, and undermine prospects for peace, writes
Senadóir Frances Black.
In the six years since I introduced the Occupied Territories Bill, the situation in Palestine has plunged deeper into crisis. Thankfully, there is a ceasefire in Gaza today, but for the past year, the world has witnessed the horrific war while a silent catastrophe unfolded in the West Bank. We are seeing one of the largest land grabs in decades: homes are destroyed, families uprooted, and innocent lives lost to violence. How can we condemn these actions as illegal yet continue trading in the products of this oppression? This hypocrisy must end.
Before the general election in November 2024, the government parties committed to supporting this Bill, but they are now proposing their own version. As far as I am concerned, it makes no difference whether the Government passes my legislation or introduces its own. What matters is the policy. Will it implement a full ban on all trade with illegal settlements? Will the Government’s Bill comply with international law, as clarified by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), or will it include exemptions and weaken the mandate? This is the crucial question that every journalist, activist, and politician should be asking when the Dáil reconvenes.
Let us not forget international law. In July 2024, the ICJ issued a historic finding, stating that the occupation and settlements are illegal and that there is an obligation on all states not to trade with them. This clear requirement must be taken seriously.
Both the Taoiseach and Tánaiste have acknowledged these obligations, and I welcome this recognition. Programme for Government 2025 also commits to adhering to the ICJ’s ruling. However, the Court emphasised that states must “abstain from entering into economic or trade dealings” with Israel regarding the occupied territories and illegal settlements. There is no ambiguity; trade means trade, and we cannot ignore politically challenging aspects.
What we ask for is not new. In 2014, Ireland and the EU quickly banned trade in goods and services with Russian-occupied territory. A similar ban was implemented within months of Russia’s illegal actions in Ukraine. Why should there be a double standard? International law must be applied equally and consistently; otherwise, it means nothing. This is even more critical given the EU’s inadequate response to the genocide in Gaza.
I reiterate: if we want to implement the ICJ ruling, the quickest way is to pass the Occupied Territories Bill. I am open to technical amendments to strengthen it, but what matters is that a full ban is enacted and that we uphold our commitments. No more theft of land without consequences. No more ifs or buts. Ireland can lead on this, and we have no time to waste.
I believe we have made progress because ordinary people across the country have spoken out and demanded action. The activists are truly inspiring. We must never give up on the Palestinian people.
