New law aims to secure Ireland's oil supply into the future
Environment Minister and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan described the bid to develop contingency plans for Ireland's energy supply as 'prudent housekeeping'. File picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan will seek Cabinet approval on Wednesday morning for a bill aimed at securing Ireland's supply of oil.
Mr Ryan will present the Oil Emergency Contingency and Transfer of Renewable Transport Fuels Functions Bill, aimed at ensuring Ireland has sufficient supply of fuels.
The main purpose of this bill is to strengthen the Government’s ability to manage stocks in the unlikely event of a curtailment of oil supplies. Mr Ryan will tell Cabinet:
Mr Ryan will tell Cabinet that it is important to stress that there is no such concern or risk at present. International oil supplies and prices have been steady over recent months.
Key measures to be introduced in the bill include clarity around the powers of the Minister, and how quickly they can be deployed to control the supply and distribution of fuel in an emergency.
The bill will also put all aspects of oil emergency planning on a statutory footing and will establish a register of oil suppliers to ensure fast communication to retailers.
As part of the State’s EU and International Energy Agency (IEA) obligations, the National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) holds approximately 85 days of strategic stocks. NORA’s stock holding is expected to be at 90 days by the end of January.
The Government’s approach is in keeping with that of other EU members, where emergency preparedness plans have been sharpened in response to the ongoing energy implications of the war in Ukraine.
The Cabinet will also approve its strategy to fast-track the bringing of vacant homes back into use at its first meeting of the new year today, Wednesday, including the use of compulsory purchase orders and €80,000 grants.
The agenda for the meeting is light but Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien will bring a memorandum for approval which will illustrate how various measures aimed at delivering homes will be brought together.
As part of the first annual review of Housing for All in November, it was agreed that a strategy would be published to consolidate the various strands of work to address residential vacancy.
Included in this strategy is the repair and leasing scheme (RLS) which is targeted at owners of vacant properties who cannot afford to do them up to access up to €80,000 of funding required to bring them up to the standard for rental property.
Under the scheme, the local authority or approved housing body pays for the repairs upfront and the home is taken into social housing stock by way of lease for between 5 and 25 years.
The cost of the repairs funded by the local authority is offset against future rent.
The Cabinet will also hear of the buy and renew (B&R) scheme which provides ongoing capital funding to local authorities to deliver social housing while also tackling vacancy and dereliction in our cities, towns, and villages.
Ministers will also be told of compulsory purchase orders by local authorities in addressing vacancy particularly when other forms of engagement have been unsuccessful.
The Housing Agency has issued CPO guidance material which has been made available to local authorities and the department has engaged with local authorities who are successfully utilising the CPO process with a view to identifying best practice for dissemination to all local authorities.
Ministers will also be briefed on the vacant property refurbishment grant which provides people with a grant of up to €50,000 to support the refurbishment of vacant properties.
Under the ready to build scheme, local authorities make serviced sites available in towns and villages at a discounted rate to individuals who want to build their own home. Both schemes under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund are targeted to deliver some 2,000 homes by 2025, the Cabinet will be told.
The Cabinet will also hear that Department of Housing funding to each local authority of €50,000 to support the work of a Vacant Homes Office has been increased to €60,000.
Ministers will also look to approve the annual accounts of Horse Racing Ireland, and Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys is to bring a memorandum to approve increased salaries for staff involved in employment schemes.
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