Results 26,721-26,740 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Service Provision (26 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: The 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. As the Deputy will be aware, the procurement process to appoint a bidder for the State intervention...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Reports (26 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: I refer to the reply to Question No. 524 of 12 March 2019. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (26 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: The first National Waste Characterisation study in ten years was published by the EPA in December, 2018. The report provides a very important insight on our waste management practices and will prove invaluable in terms of supporting current and future waste policy decisions. The report further highlights areas where improvements can and must be made if we are to keep achieving our targets...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (26 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: This Government is committed to leading the way in reducing single use plastics and is working both at a national and European level to tackle the problem. The government has: - Agreed that Government Departments and bodies will not purchase single-use plastic cups, cutlery and straws - Strongly supported new EU legislation on Single Use Plastics (SUP), which will ban straws, cotton bud...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Policy (26 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: I am currently preparing an All of Government Climate Plan which will set out the actions which must be taken to make Ireland a leader in responding to climate change. I am working with colleagues across Government to develop new initiatives across electricity, transport and heat, as well as a range of other sectors. The All of Government Plan will have a strong focus on implementation,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Policy (26 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: The preparation of a consolidated National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) is a requirement under the Governance Regulation of the Energy Union and Climate Action which brings together for the first time energy and climate planning and reporting requirements into a single national reporting framework. Member States were given a template for the Plan as part of the Regulation and had to submit...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Postal Services (26 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Government made €30m available in State funding to An Post in 2017 to support the renewal of the post office network (€15m) and the continued fulfilment of a 5 day per week mails delivery service (€15m). As An Post is a commercial State body, this support was provided by way of a loan. In 2018, Government funding of €80,000 was allocated for the ‘Digital...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (27 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: Was it wrong to have grouped the answers to Deputy Dooley's and Deputy Stanley's questions together?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (27 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 47 together. First I will put the Deputies in the picture. They are well aware of the position of the national broadband plan. Since its inception it has driven very significant private sector investment, as it was intended to do. When we entered Government in 2016, 50% of premises had access to high-speed broadband. Over the past five years...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (27 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Taoiseach has been clear that the Government fully accepts responsibility for making a decision, but he has also signalled that a decision of this nature would bind future Governments. There would obviously be a significant period between the appointment of a preferred bidder and the signing of contracts and the Taoiseach has indicated that he would provide the opportunity for the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (27 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: The project was opened for a competitive dialogue at the end of 2015. Contrary to what the Deputy said, there was not a financial framework imposed by the State. There was no indication as to what the framework would be. It was a competitive dialogue because it had been designed to ensure we would have the best technology-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (27 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: -----to meet the 100% target set by the Government. State enterprises such as the ESB did enter the competition, but, as we now know, it withdrew. The process had been very competitive until the point at which it was decided that the remaining competitors would withdraw. At that point, an additional approach of scrutiny was put in place by the Government to ensure that, even though there...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (27 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: Deputy Stanley is simply wrong. The previous Government decided that 750,000 premises would be included in the intervention area but Eir decided that it did not want to let it go. Therefore, it committed to making an investment that would deliver a service to 300,000 homes. That was its right under the state aid procedure.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (27 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy needs to understand it is an obligation of the State that a commercial bid from a private company has to be granted. That stimulated Eir to come in with a commercial proposition. To answer Deputy Dooley's question, the period between a preferred bidder being identified and the finalisation of the contract will be several weeks. This is a 25-year contract to build and operate...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Online Safety (27 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: On 4 March, I announced my intention to bring forward a new online safety Bill, which will set out how we can ensure children are safe online. There is broad consensus within the House that this is necessary. Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and Independents have indicated that they are keen for such a Bill to be progressed. The online safety Bill I am proposing would place new...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Online Safety (27 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: I accept the points made by the Deputy in terms of the need for an effective regulator and that the time for self-regulation in this area has passed. Obviously, regulated companies are subject to criminal law. Where they breach criminal law, that is a matter for the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Garda. However, the type of offences envisaged under the proposed Bill would...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Online Safety (27 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: It is very important that we have effective penalties. In addition, the industry must recognise that as well as being a legal obligation, it is at the heart of its business to ensure that its users are safe online. Interestingly, in Australia, which is far ahead of Ireland in this area, there are strong penalties but it has not been necessary to use them. It is interesting that there is a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: European Council Meetings (27 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Following a mandate provided by the European Council in March 2018, the European Commission published a communication, A Clean Planet for All, in November 2018, which will provide essential analytical underpinning for the preparation by the European Union of a long-term strategy for submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: European Council Meetings (27 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: Yes, Ireland supports the ambition of the European Commission. At this point it is working on the various scenarios that could be set out to achieve it. As mentioned in the Deputy's question, there has been talk of a higher target for 2030, but no such proposal has been brought forward at this point. The proposals for the 2021-30 period were only agreed to comparatively recently and, from...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: European Council Meetings (27 Mar 2019)

Richard Bruton: I am not going to comment on any decision of Fine Gael Members or any other Members of the European Parliament but let it be said that no proposal has been put forward by the European Commission to change the relatively recently agreed target of 40%. From everyone's perspective, an increase in ambition of the level indicated would require quite significant changes to be made. What the...