180. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the measures his Department is taking to ensure we have a more robust climate action strategy to help communities deal with heatwaves, periods of drought and flash floods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56305/26]

185. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the measures being taken under the Climate Action Plan to support communities in adapting to the impacts of climate change, including heatwaves, droughts, flooding and biodiversity loss; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56435/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 180 and 185 together.

More frequent and intense storms, longer periods of drought, rising sea levels, heatwaves, floods and coastal change are just some of the impacts of our changing climate to which we must adapt.

The Government is committed to protecting Ireland’s present and future generations with a whole of government approach to Climate Adaptation underpinned by the National Adaptation Framework (NAF), published in 2024, and coordinated by my Department via the National Adaptation Steering Committee (NASC).

Ireland’s first National Climate Change Risk Assessment (NCCRA), prepared by the EPA in 2025, was a key deliverable under the NAF. The NCCRA identifies, ranks, and prioritises national climate change risks and areas where action needs to be prioritised to make Ireland more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

Under the NAF and informed by the NCCRA and standardised climate data from Met Éireann, 10 Sectoral Adaptation Plans (SAPs) covering 13 key sectors were approved and published by Government in November 2025. Sectors were required to collaborate on cross-cutting issues and with Climate Action Regional Offices (CAROs) during SAP development.

31 Local Authority Climate Action Plans (LACAPs) were published in 2024 which included adaptation actions to build resilience against flood, heat and drought. Since 2022, approximately €19.7m has been paid to local authorities by my Department to develop and implement their LACAPs.

In June 2026, my Department received a business case from the County and City Management Association (CCMA) requesting that provision be made for the existing 110 climate posts in local authorities to become permanent posts. I support this in principle and officials in my Department are currently reviewing the business case with a view to presenting a submission to me.

A new Adaptation Taskforce, which I established at the end of last year, provides for senior-level oversight and co-ordination of Ireland’s approach to adaptation including systemic delivery barriers and cross-cutting issues and risks.