Results 26,081-26,100 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. ` (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I do not accept this amendment. This is a standard provision in legislation where there is a transfer of staff from one body to another. It provides that the transferred staff will have the same terms and conditions as they currently have, as required under the European Communities (Protection of Employees on Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations 2003.

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. ` (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The Senator has made good points. This matter does not relate to the example provided alone, an industrial dispute that had a significant effect. We must be flexible in the next year or two as we amalgamate a number of agencies and look for efficiencies in how we deliver public services. Obviously, one wants to maintain the primary rights and conditions of employees, but we will also need...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. ` (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: These are minor drafting amendments agreed with the Parliamentary Counsel. Amendments Nos. 26 and 28 provide better clarity of meaning in the text, and amendment No. 27 is necessary to ensure the provisions of section 53(20) of the principal Act include consents under subsection (4) as well as subsection (3).

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. ` (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: Absolutely. More than anything else, our competitiveness throughout the country will depend on fibre availability. It must be rolled out competitively. State infrastructure is one of the best ways to roll it out throughout the country. I agree with the Senator on the need to keep the cost down and availability up.

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I very much accept the spirit of the amendments but, unfortunately, I cannot accept them in this legislative form. As I stated during the debate on Committee Stage, the advice from the Attorney General is that it would not be appropriate to set out the terms and conditions of a licence in primary legislation, even if we do not disagree with the intent behind it. Section 7 empowers ComReg to...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Seanad for passing what is important public interest legislation focused on protecting people who have been scammed via their mobile phone operations. This is a very real issue. It involved the largest volume of correspondence on my desk, which was often from young people who were inappropriately dealt with by commercial organisations. What we have done today is to give the...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. ` (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I apologise for my delayed arrival. Most of the amendments I hope to move are of a textual nature rather than being substantive changes. Amendment No. 1 is an example of this. We are seeking to apply the definition of "Commission" to the whole Bill rather than just Part 2, which deals with the regulation of premium rate services. The definition of "Commission" is appropriate to the whole Bill.

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. ` (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: We have had long discussions in this and the other House on whether we should have a single regulatory agency for both telecommunications and broadcasting or separate regulators, which is the current approach. I stand by the position we have taken, while recognising that it is a point for valid discussion. I am keen that we get on and establish regulation of premium rate services. The...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. ` (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: These are minor textual amendments which have been agreed with the Parliamentary Counsel to provide consistency in the wording in section 6(2) and section 15(2). It is to ensure standardisation of language. In certain sections we have used the words "each service is" and we are seeking to standardise the terminology rather than change the meaning substantively.

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. ` (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I do not propose to accept amendment No. 8. There is a need to balance the power of the commission to regulate with the rights of the persons being regulated. The Bill, as drafted, strikes this balance. It provides the commission with the power to set conditions to a licence that may be complied with and with effective powers to deal with non-compliant service providers. There is...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. ` (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I am afraid the proposed amendment cannot be accepted. In drafting the Bill consideration was given to allowing ComReg to make an order exempting classes of premium rate services from the requirements to be licensed. In order to provide for exemptions from this requirement the legislation would need to be clear about the types of service that would be exempted. In discussing this with the...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. ` (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I regret I will not be able to accept the proposed amendments. As I stated during the debate on the same amendment on Committee Stage in the Dáil, it would not be appropriate to set out the terms and conditions of a licence in primary legislation. The advice from the Attorney General's office is that the type of detail proposed in the Senator's amendments is more appropriate for inclusion...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. ` (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with both Senators on the importance of having effective sanctions and we are seeking to do this. A code is in place under RegTel but the difficulty is that it is not enforceable. We are legislating to give legal powers for that to happen both in regard to the ability to stop unwanted services and to obtain refunds. A number of sections provide for such conditions to be part of the...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. ` (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I agree. Section 12 addresses services provided without a licence, which are unregulated, and provides for fines of up to €250,000, while section 32 provides for fines of €5,000 on summary conviction for someone who has committed an offence. These fines are necessary as a backup to the codes we are putting in place.

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. ` (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The amendment was agreed with the Parliamentary Counsel. The intention of the provision is that if one or more services provided under a licence is causing harm to consumers or may cause potential harm to consumers, the licence covering all services may be suspended pending an investigation by ComReg. The amendment clarifies that intention.

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. ` (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The amendment is not accepted. To ensure fair procedure the section provides that the licensee be notified prior to making an application to the High Court but to make the application ex parte would go against this provision. Following debate on the amendment on Committee Stage in the Dáil, I received clarification from the Attorney General's office that the notification procedure would...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. ` (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I do not propose to accept the amendment. As a matter of policy, it is not considered appropriate that the breach of a condition of a licence should be an offence. The powers in the Bill to ensure compliance with the conditions are adequate for the purpose. The possible revocation, suspension or amendment of a licence under section 10 provides a strong incentive for service providers to be...

Written Answers — Building Regulations: Building Regulations (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 295 and 301 together. I refer to the response given today by the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government to Question No.29 which addresses the question of building regulations in relation to domestic heating and hot water systems. All works carried out under the Home Energy Saving (HES) Scheme are underpinned by a comprehensive Technical...

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The production of biofuel in Ireland has been incentivised to date under the Mineral Oil Tax Relief Schemes, which have resulted in 18 projects being awarded excise relief on specified volumes of biofuel they produce. There have been at least five biofuels plants constructed or redeveloped on foot of excise relief granted under the schemes. A number of others are either at an advanced stage...

Written Answers — Energy Conservation: Energy Conservation (27 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: To date, energy efficiency improvements in nearly 40,000 homes have been made under the Warmer Homes Scheme (WHS) and the ESB's associated Home Insulation Scheme which operates according to WHS specification. Some €20 million was provided for the scheme in 2009, which included €5 million provided by ESB and BGE. Structural improvements were made to over 19,000 homes in 2009. This...