Results 26,121-26,140 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: The rainy day fund has been established for fiscal stability. It involves setting aside resources that are temporary in nature as a feature of the present stage of the economic cycle. I think that is a prudent approach to the public finances. The Senator will have read the comments of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, which has taken issue with the approach we are taking, even with the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: The guidelines for local authorities are for the adaptation. I do not know what date. I will have to come back to the committee with the date on which they will become effective. We are trying to come up with a set of policy instruments that we will start to implement in 2019 and will evolve. I do not have a list to hand but the purpose of this work is that together, we develop that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: The new buildings directive came in under the energy performance of buildings directive of 2018. It aims to have all new buildings as near zero energy buildings by 2020. This predates my arrival in the Department. I do not know whether the buildings the Senator mentioned came in under that or what their energy specification is.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: I do not have the answer to that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, reviews the criteria for grants. The warmer homes scheme applies and there was a three-year pilot scheme of 900 homes in a specific community healthcare organisation area, namely, CHO 7. It differed in that it was not just a grant. The HSE was also working on it to identify the clients and in so doing it secured a lower fall-off of people...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: On the carbon tax, I am clear, as the Taoiseach is, that we need to have a trajectory of where the carbon tax will be in 2025 and in 2030 and a pathway to get there. The Taoiseach indicated that he was supportive of it, as was Deputy Eamon Ryan, the leader of the Green Party. The Taoiseach made the comment that it would be good if the committee as a whole reached consensus around a...

Climate Change: Statements (6 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: We are, and five minutes is very limited time, so I will try to be brief and perhaps just refer to matters that were not referred to in the committee yesterday. The emissions figures for 2017 have been published and, overall, show a slight reduction in carbon emissions. The areas that drove this reduction were energy, which is down 6.9%, residential, which is down 5%, and transport,...

Climate Change: Statements (6 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: I should also say that we had two and a half hours in the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate Action yesterday so it is not the case that it is not being taken seriously by Government.

Climate Change: Statements (6 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputies for participating in this debate. We had a good exchange, as some of the Deputies acknowledged, for two and a half hours yesterday in the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate Action. That committee, as the House will be aware, has been appointed to report back by the end of January on how we should respond to the various reports on climate change, including the report of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Cyber Security Policy (6 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: While my Department does not release specific details in relation to the staff or precise funding allocated to the National Cyber Security Centre for operational security reasons, in Budget 2018 additional funding was secured for additional capacity in the NCSC, both in terms of personnel and additional technology. Further recruitment into the NCSC was undertaken in 2018 and is...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Better Energy Homes Scheme (6 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme is funded by my Department and administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).  The scheme delivers a range of energy efficiency measures free of charge to low income households vulnerable to energy poverty. To date over 130,000 homes have received free upgrades under the scheme, leaving the occupants better able to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Asbestos Remediation Programme (6 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: There is no funding available from my Department for the removal of asbestos from residential properties. However, the Home Renovation Incentive (HRI) scheme lets homeowners, landlords and local authority tenants claim tax relief on repairs, renovations or improvement work that is carried out on their main home or rental property. The works must be completed by a tax-compliant...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Post Office Closures (6 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 218, 222 and 223 together. An Post is a commercial State body with a mandate to deliver a postal delivery service and a viable post office network. In November 2017, Government was presented with a future for An Post and the post office network that was uncertain and extremely bleak with a very real possibility that the company would go under. The...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Legislative Measures (6 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 219 and 220 together. There were two post enactment reports published by my Department since March 2011, the details of which are as follows:- Post Enactment Report Date of Publication Post Enactment Report on Energy Act 2016 24 July 2017 Post Enactment Scrutiny Report on Communications Regulation (Postal Services) (Amendment) Act 2017 17 May 2018 The...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Schemes (6 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: There are a number of grant schemes administered either directly by my Department or on behalf of my Department by the agencies under its aegis, for which funding can be applied for.  I have set out in the table details of the programmes, the basis or criteria used for the allocation of funding and the value of the Project/Grant. Name of Scheme Basis or Criteria used for allocation of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electric Vehicles (6 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: A key aspect of the work of the Low Emission Vehicle Taskforce, co-chaired by my Department and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, involved examining how best to support the development of the electric vehicle charging. The first phase of the Taskforce's work, which focused on electric vehicles, is now complete and the progress report is available on my Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Recycling Policy (11 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: I understand that Kildare County Council has prepared proposals for a civic amenity site in north County Kildare and has sought funding from my Department to support its development. There is currently no grant scheme in operation in respect of capital investment in civic amenity sites.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Noise Pollution (11 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: Current legislation in the area of noise does not specifically address the use of bird scarers (also referred to as crow bangers). There are no plans at present to introduce such legislation.  There is provision, however, under sections 107 or 108 of the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992 to deal with the issue of nuisance noise from a range of sources,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Service Speeds (11 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: The premises referred to by the Deputy is in the LIGHT BLUE area on the High Speed Broadband Map, which is available on my Department's website at .In April 2017, my Department signed a Commitment Agreement with eir in relation to its plans to provide high speed broadband to 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis.  The LIGHT BLUE areas are where eir is in the process of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Policy (11 Dec 2018)

Richard Bruton: The National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) is to be completed in accordance with a template contained in the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action Regulation. In accordance with the template,  various impacts, including just transition aspects of the planned policies and measures, are to be set out.Investment in the low carbon economy has the potential to...