Results 6,521-6,540 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: It is imminent. I do not have the exact timeline but I got a presentation on it a number of weeks ago and expect to be able to bring it to fruition quickly. I want to mark one thing. We are an outlier in the dramatic increase in use, which is partly due to the reductions in transport fares of 20% generally and 50% for those aged under 24. Dublin Bus passenger numbers are 10% above...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I agree we have to prioritise investment in public transport and alternatives. Particularly in the case of the approach roads to Dublin, there is a fundamental problem in that the M50 is full to capacity and there is no potential for any excess capacity. Within the M50, we will introduce demand management, road space reallocation and BusConnects services. It does not make strategic sense...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: As I said, we do have to prioritise. The NDP stands. It is not that any projects are being dropped but there are certain projects we have to advance. The Government has set out an agreed approach whereby we will invest 10% of our capital budget in active travel, as is absolutely appropriate, and the first step we need to take is to retain the existing road network to ensure it will be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I agree. We cannot rely on offsetting as the way of addressing the bigger problem we have. We do need to reduce our level of travel, going back to "avoid, shift, improve". Even for personal or family reasons, if we are travelling all the time, that is not necessarily family friendly and reducing that travel could have a range of other benefits. The public sector has to meet its target of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I do not know the answer to that question but I will ask my officials to revert to the Senator.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy is correct about new developments. We have to stitch in rules such that EV chargers will be there by default, without having to be retrofitted-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: We will have to look at how we speed that up-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: The point I was going to make is that we are going to public consultation next month, as I understand, on settlement guidelines to ensure new areas of development will have to have different rules for EV charging and parking in order that we will move towards-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: True. Most of our cities could be described in that way. My understanding is that, where an area is not taken in charge, that issue is the responsibility of the local authority.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I am sorry - it is the responsibility of the local authority to ensure an area is taken in charge.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I agree, and we need to accelerate that process. I cannot resolve the matter by fiat. We need local authorities to improve their ability to accelerate it while we design new settlement guidelines for new developments. Similarly, I may have given the wrong impression earlier, I do not believe we can deliver the BusConnects infrastructure by fiat or experimental traffic orders, but we can...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: Yes. Part of the way we can manage that is by using some of the parking spaces for charging so that we will not be incentivising the excess use of cars. However, there is an issue for those in areas where they cannot charge. There must be some facility so that, if people have to have cars, they do not need to be fossil fuel cars.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: Agreed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: In response to Deputy Whitmore, we will publish guidelines later this year on safety and accessibility issues relating to EV charging. We will have to wait for the advertising review, but I am not aware of, and am not pushing for at this time, a complete ban. We can review that position, of course – in all these matters, we have to keep considering various options – but that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: It will have to go to the Government first. There have been slight changes in the plans even this week. For example, there will be a vote of confidence next Tuesday. I was meant to be at the EU Energy Council. I may have to reconsider that now because of the vote of confidence. The strategy was due to go to Government slightly later than that. We will have to get the timeline of the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Social Media (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I have not had any engagements with representatives of TikTok.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Infrastructure (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I am advised by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) that, as of 10th March 2023, over 131,300 premises can order or pre-order a high-speed broadband connection across 26 counties, with over 120,500 premises passed across 26 counties and available for immediate connection. There are 37,074 premises in County Mayo that will be passed by National Broadband Ireland with high-speed...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Environmental Schemes (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 166, 167 and 168 together. The Climate Action Plan and National Retrofit Plan commit set ambitious targets to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2/cost optimal and the installation of 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes to replace older, less efficient heating systems by end-2030. In February last year, Government...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Social Media (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: My Department has in place a social media usage policy to guide staff when using social media in a private capacity when at work. The aim of the policy is to protect staff, the reputation of the Department, and the security and integrity of the Department’s computer networks. The policy is available on the Department’s intranet and applies to all permanent and contract staff. A...