Results 1-20 of 72 for going forward speaker:Ossian Smyth

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Circular Economy: Discussion (30 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: ...and significant increase over the past number of weeks. To date, over 70.6 million empty containers have been returned by customers and the value of deposits paid out to customers has been €12.3 million. There were always going to be challenges associated with introducing the scheme and these are being managed. Re-turn is working proactively on an improvement programme with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Circular Economy: Discussion (30 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: One of the reasons construction and demolition waste goes to landfill in Ireland is because it is exempt from landfill levies. The landfill levy is €85 a tonne and most of the material going into landfill now is exempt. The reason it was exempt until now was that it was not possible to get an EPA determination in a reasonable period of time to be able to use it on another site. That...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Senator Higgins for bringing forward this amendment. In order to carry out this change of shareholding from one Ministry to another, the details of it have to be laid before the Houses and a resolution can then be brought by either House to annul it. It is not the case that it automatically goes through. It is the case that either the Seanad or the Dáil can stop such as a...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Ossian Smyth: ...is the scope of this legislation; it is mostly technical. I am happy to address the various points made by the Senators and I will engage on Committee Stage on any of the amendments that are put forward. As the Senators are probably aware, the gas package was recently passed by the EU. It was agreed at a trilogue between the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Ossian Smyth: ...doctor's appointment and so on. Everything is centralised so a person can see a history of the tests they have had carried out and what the results are. Doing this empowers the patient to know what is going on. In the traditional authoritarian or patriarchal way the health service worked in Ireland in the past, a person went to hospital and things were done to them. No real explanation...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: ...of the national climate objectives including mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change in the State. The role, functions and mandate of Gas Networks Ireland going forward will be considered further in the implementation of the gas package and the directive of the European Parliament and the Council and common rules for internal markets in renewable...

Capital Supply Service and Purpose Report Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed) [Private Members] (29 Nov 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I sincerely thank the Deputies for tabling what is a constructive Bill. This is not something they are moving for effect. The legislation actually contains some good proposals. I am happy to discuss the Bill; it is worthy of debate. To Deputy Shanahan, I must say that I love County Waterford. This is partly because it was the location of my childhood holidays in Dunmore East. When I go...

Energy Charter Treaty: Statements (9 Nov 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I am very grateful for the opportunity to address the House on the Energy Charter Treaty. I want to briefly address a comment from Deputy Whitmore who asked why our emissions are still going up. She will be glad to hear that they are falling. The authority on our level of greenhouse gas emissions is the EPA. It reported that our emissions fell 1.9% last year and that they have fallen 4.6%...

Seanad: Electricity Costs (Emergency Measures) Domestic Accounts Bill 2023: Second Stage (8 Nov 2023)

Ossian Smyth: ...for Regulation of Utilities has announced a number of consumer protection measures to strengthen those already in place, including extended debt repayment periods and a reduced debt burden on pay-as-you-go top-ups. These are in addition to the winter disconnections moratorium, which will be in place for all bill-pay customers between 1 December 2023 and 31 January 2024. I want to draw...

Seanad: Electricity Costs (Emergency Measures) Domestic Accounts Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Ossian Smyth: ...to section 6 of the Bill and the review by electricity suppliers for customers who did not receive payment under the scheme. It is necessary that we have this review in place because we are going to exclude a large number of people with vacant homes. We want to make sure that we are rightly excluding them and that we are dealing with exceptional cases in a fair way. While I thank the...

Seanad: Ban on Dumping New Products Bill 2022: Committee Stage (8 Nov 2023)

Ossian Smyth: ..., one of which is a supervisory regime. We need to have some way to see how much product is being destroyed by companies, some way of inspecting them and some way of being able to measure what is going on. Secondly, we need to deal with the problem of transportation. This is not waste we are talking about but unsold products. One of the fundamental tenets of the EU is the free movement...

Financial Resolutions 2023 - Financial Resolution No. 4: General (Resumed) (11 Oct 2023)

Ossian Smyth: ...home, farm and business in rural Ireland. How is the project doing? An extra €136 million has been allocated for this year. Why do I have that extra money? I have it because that project is going at a much faster rate this year than it was last year, and it is anticipated to continue at that rate. At the current rate, part way through next year we will have connected the...

Seanad: Budget 2024 (Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform): Statements (10 Oct 2023)

Ossian Smyth: ...tax receipts will further support this ambition. In addition to the temporary cost-of-living measures already outlined, budget 2024 includes further non-core funding of €4.5 billion. This will support the country’s response to exceptional circumstances including the ongoing impact of Covid-19 and the increased demand for international protection in this country,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: ...component to be switched out so that all of those apartments can be decarbonised. The reality is that this is a great opportunity. It is much easier to switch out one large heating system than to go into 100 boilers where every apartment has its own heating system. I feel it should be targeted. I have not yet seen the draft of the SEAI report and I am looking forward to doing so. It...

Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Cap on Market Revenues) Bill 2023: Second Stage (21 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: ...by these energy-generating companies as a result of the war in Ukraine. There is significant financial pressure on households and businesses as a result of continued high energy prices. The Government is aware of this and, as previously stated, has introduced a range of measures and supports. The Bill provides for the redistribution of collective proceeds from windfall gains via...

Dereliction and Building Regeneration Bill 2022: Second Stage [Private Members] (13 Jul 2023)

Ossian Smyth: ...to leave a property empty and that is why we have the vacant property tax at three times the normal property tax on top of the existing property tax. This combination of incentives, both positive and negative, is going to bring back vibrancy back to our towns and villages. It worked in Dún Laoghaire. If it can work in my town, it can work in other towns as well. I commend...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Broadband Infrastructure (6 Jul 2023)

Ossian Smyth: ...of Education and are now live. There are 39,700 premises in County Roscommon, almost exactly half of which, or 19,300, are in the amber area of the broadband map. That means they cannot receive good quality broadband through a commercial service and the State will provide for them. The other half have broadband available through commercial providers. The Government investment in County...

Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages (5 Jul 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Deputy O'Rourke for tabling these amendments. I am opposing these amendments on two grounds, which I will go through. The specified date in this Bill, as referred to under section 2, provides for when the temporary solidarity contribution is to be payable by an energy company and section 8, which provides for when an energy company must make a return to the Revenue Commissioners. ...

Seanad: Ban on Dumping New Products Bill 2022: Second Stage (5 Jul 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Senator Boylan for bringing forward a constructive environmental Bill. I am very happy to see any Senator bring forward constructive suggestions on how to make a better environment. I am going to say, for a start, that the Government shares the objectives of this legislation. I have spoken to my colleagues and we are not going to oppose this Bill for this reason. It is an affront...