Results 26,461-26,480 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury: Motion (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: I hope this motion is something that will commend itself to the committee. Essentially, we are signing up to the Minamata Convention. The convention addresses all aspects of the use of mercury throughout its life cycle. The convention sets out a range of measures banning mercury mining and so on. We have signed up to the convention as a result of having enacted a series of EU legislative...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury: Motion (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: Yes. What I have signed is the national regulations, but the convention must then be ratified by the Dáil. We could not move to ratify it until those regulations were in place.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury: Motion (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: The EPA monitors mercury levels, which are extremely low. I do not have the precise details, but the levels are extremely low. Mercury is a hazardous waste, so the procedures for its safe disposal are set out in the same terms as found in the hazardous waste directive, which states that producers of waste shall comply with the guidance provided by the EPA and are subject to inspection by...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury: Motion (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: The European regulations were passed in 2017-----

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury: Motion (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: -----so it was at least a year later. Yes, stakeholder consultation seemed to be involved. I know from experience that the drafting of statutory instruments can get into many delays. This does not necessarily reflect a lack of ability in Departments, but there tends to be a bit of a logjam in draftsmen's offices, which has dogged every Government of which I have ever been a party, and I am...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury: Motion (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: There is a coherence to the brief I hold. On one side, the climate action, waste and energy elements are natural bedfellows because they are about better use of resources, so I think that is correct. On the other side, I have much of the digital technology, broadcasting and post communications element. Again, there is a certain coherence here. They are very disparate elements but there...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury: Motion (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: I do not think there is any danger from the fillings. Mercury is a very stable and hard-wearing compound when mixed with other metals, which is why it was used. There is no risk of leakage or seepage from fillings. The issue is the manufacture and managed storage waste of the materials where they are generated. My understanding is that the dental sector is migrating away from the use of...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury: Motion (5 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Acting Chairman.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Staff Data (6 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: My Department currently has a total of 69 staff assigned to climate and related energy policy functions, across eight separate divisions. This staff complement has significant experience in developing and implementing climate and energy policy at international, EU, national, regional and local levels. In addition to its own staff, the Department also has access to scientific and technical...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Litter Pollution (6 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: Littering is first and foremost a matter of individual responsibility and compliance with the law. The primary remit of my Department in relation to littering is to provide the legislative framework, which is then managed and enforced principally by the Local Authorities. The latest figures available from my Department’s National Litter Pollution Monitoring System, a system designed...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (6 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: Under the Waste Management (Farm Plastics) Regulations, 2001, all companies that place farm film products on the Irish market are obliged to either:1. operate a deposit and refund scheme, collect, or arrange to collect, free of charge the farm plastics from their customers and register and report to their Local Authority; or, 2. participate in an approved farm plastics recycling scheme. There...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: EU Directives (6 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 172 and 173 together. Ireland has fully supported the ambition of the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment from the outset, including the 90% collection target contained in Article 9. Ireland tabled no amendments to Article 9 of the Proposal for a...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Statutory Instruments (6 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: The government are committed to making Ireland a leader in responding to climate change. Transitioning to low carbon fuel sources is crucial to achieving that ambition. These new Peat Regulations will ensure that, for the first time, all commercial peat extraction in sites over 30 hectares will now be subject to licensing by the EPA, which will include a mandatory Environmental Impact...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Adaptation Plans (6 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 175 and 176 together. The government are committed to making Ireland a leader in responding to climate change. I am currently developing an all of government plan, with actions across all areas such as heat, electricity, transport and agriculture according to strict timelines. Transitioning to low carbon fuel sources is crucial to achieving our ambition. The...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Better Energy Homes Scheme Administration (6 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Better Energy Homes Scheme is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on behalf of my Department. As Minister I have no function in relation to registration of Contractors. SEAI administers and maintains a list of contractors who are registered to undertake works under the Better Energy Homes Scheme. Each registered contractor is required to undertake all...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Better Energy Homes Scheme Eligibility (6 Feb 2019)

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 135,000 homes have received free upgrades under the scheme, leaving the occupants better able to afford to heat their...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Food Wise 2025 Strategy (7 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: Under the EU Effort Sharing Regulation, Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions targets for 2021 to 2030 in the non-ETS sector can be represented in the form of a ‘carbon budget’ for emissions from relevant sectors of the economy, including transport, agriculture, buildings and waste. Potential approaches to the future setting of sectorial targets to enable the achievement...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Budgets (7 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: Government allocated €275 million in Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016-2021 published in September 2015, for the initial years of the network build-out for the National Broadband Plan State intervention. The €275m represented an initial stimulus, in the knowledge that significant further funding will be required over the lifetime of the proposed 25...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan Funding (7 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: The National Broadband Plan is one of the projects funded through the Capital allocation for my Department. Funding for the National Broadband Plan is allocated from the Communications subhead A.3. Section 91 of the Finance Act 2004 provides that a maximum of up to 10% of the total capital allocation of each Vote may be carried over to the following financial year, subject to the approval...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Budgets (7 Feb 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 212 to 214, inclusive, together. Detailed capital allocations for my Department, broken down by programme area and subhead, were published in the Revised Estimates Volume on 19th December 2018. The 2019 capital allocations (including €15m capital carryover) for the Communications, Energy and Environment & Waste Management Programme areas...