Results 26,441-26,460 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Warmer Homes Scheme Applications (31 Jan 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) operates the Warmer Homes Scheme on behalf of my Department. Individual applications to the Warmer Homes Scheme are an operational matter for SEAI and as the Minister I have no role in such matters. However, to be of assistance to the Deputy, officials in my Department have been in contact with the SEAI and they have advised me that at...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electric Vehicles (31 Jan 2019)

Richard Bruton: Providing adequate charging infrastructure is critical to ensure the continued growth in the uptake of electric vehicles. There are currently 668 standard public charge points as a part of the ESB eCars Network and a limited number provided by local authorities and retail outlets. There are also 77 fast chargers, mainly on national routes. Under the first call for applications from the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Schemes (31 Jan 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Warmth and Wellbeing Scheme was established in 2016 as a joint energy, social and health policy initiative with the Department of Health and cross Government support from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. The Scheme was designed to objectively measure and validate the health and wellbeing impacts of improving the living conditions of vulnerable people living in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Illegal Dumping (31 Jan 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 207 to 209, inclusive, together. The information requested by the Deputy is available on my Department’s website at the following links: In 2018, 216 anti-dumping initiative applications were submitted, 201 of which were approved by the regional steering committees who select the projects using the criteria developed by the Waste Enforcement...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: We have debated the issue of a digital safety commissioner at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment. It was agreed there that I would seek legal advice on the definition of "harmful material" because there is a category the committee wants to identify, harmful but not unlawful. There is no definition in the existing Bill and there are variants on...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Landfill Sites (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: I understand that Kildare County Council has extended the deadline for submission of expressions of interest to tender to 14 February 2019. The extension was granted on foot of requests for more time made on the eTenders procurement website.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Service Provision (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: Under a Commitment Agreement signed with my Department in April 2017, eir is in the process of passing 300,000 predominantly rural homes with high speed broadband. According to data for Q3 2018 submitted by eir to my Department the company has passed almost 210,000 premises nationwide as part of its ongoing deployment. Information on eir's rural deployment is available on that...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: The negotiations referred to by the Deputy were in relation to amending Directives introduced by the EU as part of a Circular Economy Legislative Package. The legislative amendments form one element of the EU’s overarching policy statement on the Circular Economy, ‘Closing the Loop’, published at the end of 2015. The Directives amended were: - Waste Framework Directive -...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: The fee payable to apply for a waste collection permit is €1,000, €2,000 or €5,000 depending on whether the application is to collect waste in a single local authority functional area, a regional waste management area or nationally, as set out in Regulation 8 and the Third Schedule to the Waste Management (Collection Permit) Regulations 2007, S.I. 820 of 2007 (as...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Air Pollution (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: All smoke, including smoke from wood burning, contains a range of toxic pollutants including fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that impact on health. While, there is no set of legislation that specifically addresses smoke from wood burning, Section 26 of the Air Pollution Act gives local authorities powers to serve a notice on the occupier of any premises in order to prevent or to limit air...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Policy (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: I have announced the preparation of an All of Government Climate Action Plan which when complete will set out how we can make Ireland a leader in responding to climate change. The plan will build on existing policy and will focus action across Government in all sectors of the economy that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. The National Mitigation Plan, published in July 2017, restates...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: The facility in question operates under an Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) licence granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The monitoring and enforcement of conditions attaching to IPPC licences are a matter for the EPA and I am precluded from exercising any power in relation to the performance by the EPA of its licensing functions in specific cases under the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Better Energy Homes Scheme (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Better Energy Homes scheme is funded by my Department and is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The scheme offers cash grants to all homeowners whose homes were built and occupied before 2006. The grants offered cover a range of works, including wall and attic insulation, heating controls and the installation of renewable technologies. In 2018 the Better...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Warmer Homes Scheme Data (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Warmer Homes scheme has been in operation since 2000 and provides free energy efficiency upgrades to low income homeowners living in or at risk of energy poverty. The number of homes upgraded and overall funding for 2017 and 2018 is set out below. Subject to survey by SEAI and assessment of potential for improved energy performance, the scheme can provide energy efficiency upgrades...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Building Energy Rating Compliance (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Deep Retrofit Pilot Scheme is investigating how to create a scalable offering for the deep retrofit of Ireland’s housing stock to an A3 Building Energy Rating (BER), while building consumer demand and contractor capacity for deep retrofit. Under the scheme Government is currently funding up to 50% of the total capital and project management costs for homes that achieve an A3...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Better Energy Homes Scheme Data (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Better Energy Homes Scheme is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on behalf of my Department. The Better Energy Homes Scheme provides a financial incentive to private homeowners who wish to improve the energy performance of their home. Fixed grants covering 30% of the works are provided towards the cost of a range of measures including attic insulation,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan Implementation (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: The specific premises referred to by the Deputy is in the AMBER area on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map, which is available on my Department's website at www.broadband.gov.ie. The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP. This intervention is the subject of an ongoing procurement process. The procurement process...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Water Pollution (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: As Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, I have no role or function in the matter raised. The matter should be raised with the relevant Local Authority and, if appropriate, with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Energy Regulation (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I should outline very clearly that the Commission for Regulation of Utilities is an independent regulator. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities is independent of me as Minister and it sets its own processes for application forms, application fees, processes it will go through, guidance it provides for applicants and so on. It also is fair...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Energy Regulation (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Senator knows as well as any of us that An Bord Pleanála makes decisions and does not engage in a process of toing and froing with public representatives or others. It has planning guidelines and seeks to implement them in the fairest way possible. I cannot shed any light on what difficulties are arising. The EU code states that each generational unit shall be compared with the...