Results 241-260 of 2,990 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (2 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: As stated in my reply of 11 May to a Parliamentary Question on this matter, the premises referred to in the Question is located in the BLUE area on the NBP High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website at www.broadband.gov.ie. BLUE areas are not included in the State intervention area covered by the National Broadband Plan as commercial operators are...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (2 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in over 544,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with 695 schools. Despite the challenges...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Food Waste (2 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The strategy for tackling food waste is clearly set out in the range of comprehensive actions focusing on food waste prevention, redistribution, infrastructure and food waste management contained in the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, which was published in September 2020. These include a commitment to halve food waste by 2030. The plan is available at www.gov.ie. In...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Data Protection (2 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The issue of privacy, including online privacy, is a matter that concerns all of Government. However, the protection of personal data in terms of legislation and government policy does not fall under the remit of the Department of the Environment, Climate, and Communications. Rather it is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Justice and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (3 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in over 544,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with 695 schools. There are 38,897...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (3 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Department has had no further correspondence with the European Commission since providing a response to the Commission on 7 May 2020 and it is not clear whether in fact there are any formal complaints open at this time.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Policy (3 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I have no function in relation to the regulation of the sale of such products in Ireland. The Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has established, earlier this year, a multi-stakeholder Working Group to examine issues related to the use of peat moss in the Horticulture sector.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Cybersecurity: Discussion (Resumed) (26 May 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Chair. We meet against the backdrop of the significant ransomware attack on the HSE that has seriously impacted on the ability of our hospitals and wider health services to provide essential services to our citizens and on the front-line staff in the health service who have been working under extraordinary pressure over the last 14 months since the start of the pandemic. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Cybersecurity: Discussion (Resumed) (26 May 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Senator Dooley. He is absolutely right that cybersecurity is a journey, and not a destination. I will start with the Senator's question on what vulnerabilities might have shown up that we might have protected against. That question will be analysed as a result of the three inquiries that will go on. Clearly, the focus right now is on resolving the problems with the HSE's network...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Cybersecurity: Discussion (Resumed) (26 May 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I will start by saying that the salary offered originally was not €89,000. To correct the record, it was in the range of €106,000 to €127,000. Second, the figures discussed at the committee yesterday are far in excess of the salaries paid to any other national cybersecurity centre of comparable size across Europe. We discussed that with our partners yesterday....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Cybersecurity: Discussion (Resumed) (26 May 2021)

Ossian Smyth: No. I am happy that the people who are doing those jobs are extremely skilled and well able to do them. The jobs are not directly comparable. The set of obligations and the compensation one gets in a commercial company are very different to what happens in the context of the Government. There will be no penny-pinching here. It is not the case that we will underpay or try to get a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Cybersecurity: Discussion (Resumed) (26 May 2021)

Ossian Smyth: We did receive applications. The person who was selected and who went through the process knowing what the salary was eventually decided, for personal reasons, not to proceed with taking up the job.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Cybersecurity: Discussion (Resumed) (26 May 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Approximately three months ago. It is a new position. The idea of having a director of the National Cyber Security Centre was a new position created at the end of last year. The initial candidate who went for it decided not to take up the offer. We will go back out to the market. We will be looking for somebody and will be offering a higher salary. I have not decided on that yet and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Cybersecurity: Discussion (Resumed) (26 May 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Exactly, it will be a higher grade.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Cybersecurity: Discussion (Resumed) (26 May 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I do not have those figures to hand but I would be very happy to provide the committee with a list. I presume the positions have openly known salaries that a matter of public record.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Cybersecurity: Discussion (Resumed) (26 May 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I am, but the decision will not be mine alone. I will go back to discuss it with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath. He will certainly want to know about it. Then it must go to the Government. A memo will go to Cabinet asking it to agree to the appointment. It is not solely at my discretion but I will make a recommendation on it. I will take into...