Results 2,381-2,400 of 4,096 for speaker:Cormac Devlin

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (11 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: 780. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on the financial supports that are available to beekeepers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49560/22]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (11 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: 781. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of efforts to prevent the spread of varroa mite among Ireland's native honey bees; if he will consider reintroducing a restriction of the importation of non-native honey bees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49561/22]

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: Staying with the topic of Irish Water, is the Tánaiste aware of the earthy-smelling and poor-tasting water that is being supplied to homes and business in the south Dublin-north Wicklow area? I understand that complaints relate to supplies from the Vartry water supply plant, which serves customers in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Dublin city and north Wicklow. Irish Water has assured...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: I welcome all of our witnesses. I will start with cybersecurity and the NCSC. Mr. Griffin said that the ambition was that 20 new staff would be recruited by the end of this year. Given that we are close to that point now, how successful has that been? What is the status of the recruitment programme?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: It is good that the Department is potentially ahead of where it wanted to be. Renovations were carried out on the interim facility being used for the centre. What was the extent of those renovations, what did they cost and why were they done on an interim facility when there was a plan to move to a new facility?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: That lease can be renewed again and the property used for another-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: Does Mr. Griffin have an idea of the costs to date? How much has been spent on those interim works?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: Is the newer building in Beggars Bush that the NCSC will move in to also owned by the OPW or is that leased?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: Okay, that is fine. If Mr. Griffin could provide a note on that, it would be much appreciated. I will now turn to the NBP, which we have discussed previously at the committee. I understand the deployment plan is 12 months behind schedule. Delving into that further, fines of €135,000 were issued in respect of build delays. I gather from what Mr. Griffin said in his opening...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: Are they not revised targets?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: Are we not behind on the revised targets?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: Just before Mr. Mulligan comes in I would like to ask another question because my time is limited. From 1 February to August of this year, sanctions totalling €134,800 were imposed but I understand there is a refundable option if other build milestones are achieved. I ask Mr. Mulligan to touch on this in his response.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: When does the refundable option kick in? How is it traded off against the milestones that are missed?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: I thank Mr. Mulligan. With regard to blackspots, we focus a lot on rural Ireland but there are obviously blackspots in urban Ireland also. There are some glaring ones where there is fibre in the ground but houses cannot connect to it. I know the Department is aware of certain situations. I brought some to its attention. It is galling for people in an estate of 700 houses where it would...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: I thank Mr. Ó hÓbáin. The Department needs a carrot and stick approach with certain operators. While they have plans, the public have been waiting years for them to be able to connect to cabinets or whatever other infrastructure is required. In urban areas there is an expectation, and rightly so. Not being able to connect when fibre is right outside the house is illogical.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: I thank all the witnesses for attending the meeting and for their opening statements. I will stick with the last item, the district heating system. The witnesses mentioned that the Department has started a working group. I am not sure when that began, but they are hoping to report by the end of the year. It seems quite late to me to have begun such a process. Can the witnesses give a bit...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: I thank Ms McCarthy. Is the SEAI aware of whether Poolbeg, as it is constructed, can contribute to such a system?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: They can be joined at a time in the near future, it is hoped.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: I appreciate that and I thank Ms McCarthy. The committee might follow up on the district heating system and the working group. I am sure we will discuss it again. I want to turn to the issue of deep retrofits. On the previous occasion the SEAI was before the committee, the target was 500,000 homes with 75,000 homes per annum. If I heard correctly, 25,000 homes have been done so far this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Cormac Devlin: With regard to the one-stop shops, when we initially spoke, three suppliers had been earmarked, which was putting enormous pressure on the system. There are now 12 and ten are about to join. Even so, 22 is not sufficient to cover the country. What other methods are being deployed to try to encourage people to come into the one-stop shops? As I have asked previously, what are the biggest...