Results 2,021-2,040 of 2,990 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Seanad: Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I am making this deletion as it was accepted in error. Section 25(3) serves the same purpose by a relevant vendor notice, which will specify that the Minister considers it necessary to take the measures contained in the order to control risks to the security of electronic communications networks or electronic communications services which may affect national security and, where the Minister...

Seanad: Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I have always envisaged that the report to both Houses of the Oireachtas would contain information on the number of confidentiality orders and appeals as well as further information. However, there will not be any regulations made under this Part. While I am not going to accept this amendment, I will ensure that the information released includes what the Senator has requested and that it...

Seanad: Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Senator for putting forward these amendments. I propose to accept amendment No. 60 but not amendments Nos. 54 to 59, inclusive. Amendment No. 54 would frustrate the purpose of a section providing for a minimum quality of service. The aim of the provision is to provide a tool for ComReg to use when necessary and if the market does not provide acceptable quality-of-service...

Seanad: Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I agree with the intention of this amendment and I understand it, because we could have a situation where consumers are receiving automatic compensation payments and then think that is it, they are being fobbed off and do not understand their rights are not curtailed. I agree with this proposed amendment, therefore. I think it is a good one and I accept it.

Seanad: Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Senator. I do not propose to accept these amendments. Section 41(1) imposes an obligation on operators to establish procedures for dealing with complaints in settling disputes. Section 42(1) requires operators to have a code of practice in place. Should it be necessary for further detail to be put on these obligations to further elaborate on the requirement that they be...

Seanad: Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: Yes, subject to consultation.

Seanad: Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: These amendments are to reflect the new ministerial title and change it to the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan and Reform.

Seanad: Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Senators and my officials for their help on this Bill.

Seanad: Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: It needs to return there.

Energy Costs and Windfall Taxes: Motion [Private Members] (15 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I sincerely thank the Social Democrats for bringing this motion forward. It is very welcome to see a constructive set of proposals around a very serious problem that is facing us all. I am happy to see that. It is a form of constructive opposition. When I look at the motion I see that the Government agrees with most of what is in it. I will first address some specific questions that were...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Deputy. I will start with the carbon fund. There is a €2.905 million Estimate for 2023. This is for the purchase of carbon units to meet our targets for 2020. It is the final amount of money that we have to pay for not meeting our 2020 targets. To date, we have paid €117 million. It was expected that the final payment would be paid during 2022, but I believe...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: Well, there is an intermediate 2025 target and then a 2030 target. However, I do not think we are due to pay anything until 2030. Some kind of accounting will be done at the end of 2025. I will come back to the Deputy with some estimates but, as I stated, it all depends on the future pricing of carbon and whether we meet our targets. I shall move on to subhead A7. The question is about...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Deputy. I will start with the first question on output indicators. I take his point that the output indicators are few and may not be so relevant to what we would expect to see as a list of key performance indicators for a budget. There is an attempt to keep them consistent from one year to the next so we can chart them from year to year and see how progress is going. If the...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: The EPA is the statutory body responsible for keeping track of our national greenhouse gas, GHG, inventory. I know that estimates appear much earlier than their definitive figures, and those estimates appear from different Government agencies. It does take some time to see a final, definitive statement from the EPA as to how large our emissions were. The figures tend to be published...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I think the REV is published in December. It should have the latest data in it. If there are data that have been agreed or signed off, they should be in it. I take the Deputy's point. The Deputy also asked about the climate action plan and who is in charge of keeping track of its deliverables and do on. I understand that the Department of the Taoiseach has a co-ordinating role in...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: If we look at the budgets, there is a five-year budget until 2025 and another one until 2030. During that time any Minister can of course be called before a committee. There is a legal requirement on the Government to meet those emissions ceilings. There are sectoral emissions ceilings for which a corresponding Minister can be found in each case. In any event, where a target is not being...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: That has not been decided yet, and there is a conversation going on with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to determine how those costs would be allocated. The Deputy asked about the land use review as well.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: When the land use review was set up there were two phases to it. The idea is that the review would cover farmland, forests and peatlands, find optimal use options and inform Government decisions. The review will balance environmental, social and economic considerations and involve a process of evaluation of the ecological characteristics of the land. It will include considerations of...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the committee for the opportunity to present the 2023 Estimates for programmes A, B and C at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. The Estimates for programme D, the connectivity and communications programme, were considered by the Select Committee on Transport and Communications on 8 February 2023. The total provision for the Department this year is...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I would certainly want to have some input into that. The Deputy also asked about the timeliness of the EPA's data publication on greenhouse gas emissions.