Results 2,201-2,220 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Written Answers — Departmental Records: Departmental Records (18 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: The Department does not maintain a record of my attendance at headquarters. I attend the headquarters daily or almost daily throughout the working year except when Ministerial duties in Oireachtas Éireann or other locations preclude daily attendance.

Written Answers — Prospecting Licences: Prospecting Licences (18 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: My Department is currently processing an application for eleven Prospecting Licences in Mayo, over an area south of Westport and including the Doolough/Cregganbaun area. Notice of Intention to grant these Licences was advertised in the Connaught Telegraph on 14th November 2007. In deference to local concerns that this paper did not have sufficient circulation in some of the areas in...

Environmental Policy. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: The energy conservation capital grant-in-aid to Sustainable Energy Ireland, SEI, in 2008 is €63 million. Within that envelope, the allocation for the greener homes scheme in 2008 is €28 million. Some €35 million is being allocated across the range of energy efficiency and renewable energy programmes managed by Sustainable Energy Ireland, including €5 million for the new home energy...

Environmental Policy. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: To clarify, the amount spent this year is approximately €28 and the amount allocated for next year is €28 million. One can hardly call this a cut.

Environmental Policy. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: This scheme will continue to evolve. Deputy Coveney is correct to state it is a demand-led scheme. Because of the nature of demand-led schemes, it is difficult to forecast and be accurate on what will be the demand from the public. This is true not only with regard to the number of applications but also the number which feed through to contracts being signed and work being undertaken....

Environmental Policy. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: One must take into account that the SEI has numerous schemes, all of which have significant benefits. It is appropriate for us——

Environmental Policy. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: When the funding is doubled from one year to the next——

Environmental Policy. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: I have doubled the funding.

Environmental Policy. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: The SEI's funding has doubled. When this can be done at a time when budgetary circumstances are tight it shows the importance the Government attaches to this area. I intend to evolve the greener homes scheme in terms of introducing new technologies and, as we did this year, reducing grants where appropriate such as when schemes achieve their ambitions, including establishing a volume of...

Environmental Policy. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: ——which have a requirement for renewable heating systems in new buildings it will allow us to further adapt the scheme to target it at existing rather than new houses.

Environmental Policy. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: No cuts have been made but we have a continuation of the greener homes scheme in phase two which remains popular and will continue to draw down funds. It will continue to evolve——

Environmental Policy. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: ——as market conditions apply. The greener homes scheme budget is €28 million. This scheme will continue to evolve and change——

Environmental Policy. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: ——as it is appropriate for us to manage various programmes.

Telecommunications Services. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: The EU statistics agency, EUROSTAT, published a report, "Internet usage by enterprises 2007" on 10 December. This showed Internet access by enterprises in Ireland at 94%, which is the EU average. In all, six member states were at 94%, ten were above average and ten were below average. The average rate for broadband connection was 77%. At 66%, Ireland was among 13 member states which were...

Telecommunications Services. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: I accept that Ireland has lagged behind other countries, primarily as a result of an initial lack of investment in our incumbent network and a lack of competition between cable operators and the incumbent. Competition has been the main driver of competition in other countries and is the reason they are ahead of us. We must also acknowledge that with subscriber growth here twice the OECD...

Telecommunications Services. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: The provision of broadband services is, in the first instance, a matter for the private sector. Broadband service providers operate in a fully liberalised market, regulated by the independent Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. The widespread provision of broadband services continues to be a priority for the Government. In that regard, my Department has undertaken initiatives...

Telecommunications Services. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: The report on the next generation network will be completed in early January when it will be sent to a national advisory panel I will establish to obtain an outside opinion. As this is a complicated area, it is good to examine international experience and precedents. The report will be published after the panel's work is completed. This will be a short process which will last for weeks...

Greenhouse Gas Emissions. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: Overall energy related CO2 emissions, including domestic and international aviation, increased by 0.4% in 2006, resulting from a 0.9% increase in overall energy demand while the economy grew by 5.7%. This compares with a 5.1% increase in energy related emissions in 2005 and a 4.2% increase in demand. On a Kyoto Protocol basis, excluding international aviation, a reduction in energy related...

Greenhouse Gas Emissions. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: I am grateful to the Deputy for informing me of the support schemes for Christmas lighting in Irish. Eirgrid has set out the increases in electricity that arise at this time of year from Christmas lighting. We will see many opportunities and technological developments which will provide certain solutions. For example, with LED lighting we can achieve light with a much lower energy...

Greenhouse Gas Emissions. (19 Dec 2007)

Eamon Ryan: I assure the Deputy that the meetings that occur outside the Cabinet in preparation for Cabinet sub-committee meetings are ongoing. The delivery of the carbon budget, the first one in any country in the world, took an extensive amount of preparation but we are only at the start. It will require cross-Government, cross-Department involvement in a common goal, which is to reduce CO2...