Results 2,661-2,680 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Order of Business (Resumed) (17 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: On behalf of the Green Party, I offer my condolences and sympathy to the family of Michael Mills. We recognise the work he did with the fourth estate in curbing what we do in the political scene. He moved out of that estate into the Office of the Ombudsman, which is an estate that looks over all of us and checks what we do. For the honourable manner in which he carried out his duties in...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (17 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: The Greener Homes Scheme, which is administered by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) on behalf of my Department, provides support to homeowners to invest in a range of domestic renewable energy heat technologies including solar panels, biomass boilers and stoves and heat pumps. There is no grant aid available for the conversion of solid fuel heating to an oil fired system as this would be...

Written Answers — River Weirs: River Weirs (17 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: In July 2006, the Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources issued a direction under the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act 1959 to Fermoy Town Council, the owners of the weir, to carry out alterations to the Fermoy weir to allow for the free passage of fish while mitigating the impact on rowing activities. This direction issued in the interests of...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (17 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: I have provided funding of €2.5 million to the Warmer Homes Scheme in 2008. There are 17 active community based organisations currently involved in the Warmer Homes Scheme of which 16 have current fund agreements in place for 2008. All current fund agreements are for periods up to 12 months and most will be seeking renewal of agreements in late summer. The estimated number of low income...

Written Answers — Salmon Fishing Licences: Salmon Fishing Licences (17 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: My function in the matter of allocating salmon fishing licences is, under the Control of Fishing for Salmon Order, limited to authorising the issue of commercial fishing licences by regional fisheries boards, setting out the criteria under which those licences may be issued and prescribing the maximum number of commercial licences which may be issued by regional boards. The maximum number of...

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (17 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: I am firmly committed to the development of micro-generation in line with the Programme for Government and the Energy Policy White Paper to encourage the development of micro-scale suitable for use in the domestic context. The vast majority of electricity meters currently installed in domestic houses cannot operate in reverse and are therefore incapable of crediting customers for electricity...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (17 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: In the time available, it has not been possible to identify and assemble the information requested in respect of my Department. Consultancies undertaken by bodies under the aegis of my Department are a matter for the bodies in question and I have no responsibility for such consultancies. My Department is compiling the data sought by the Deputy in respect of the Department and I shall forward...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (17 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: The provision of broadband services is, in the first instance, a matter for the private sector. Broadband service providers operate in a fully liberalised market, regulated, where appropriate, by the independent Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. The role of the Government is to formulate regulatory and infrastructure policies to facilitate the provision of high quality...

Written Answers — Postal Codes: Postal Codes (17 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: The National Postcode Project Board (NPPB) presented its recommendation as to the most appropriate postcode system for Ireland, the costs and benefits arising from its introduction along with a detailed implementation, promotion and maintenance plan. The proposal of the NPPB was to proceed with an alpha-numeric postal sector postcode model. A proposal concerning the introduction of postcodes...

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (17 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: The Stein gasification process is one technology option available to developers in the waste to energy sector. The Stein gasification process would appear to be capable of harnessing energy from waste on a large scale. However any such programme must be compliant with the national waste management requirements including compliance with the waste management hierarchy in the first instance....

Written Answers — Electricity Generation: Electricity Generation (22 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: I have recently announced an electricity microgeneration programme whereby grant support to meet 50% of the initial start up costs will be made available for the installation of microgeneration systems in approximately 50 trials to be conducted nationwide. This programme is being administered by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) and will focus on commercial/organisational on-site generation...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (22 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: This Department did not exist in its current form in 1997. The Department's energy and communications divisions were attached to the Department of Public Enterprise. The Department's natural resources divisions were attached to the Department of the Marine. The records available indicate that the total spent on training in the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources in 1997 was...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (22 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: Each Bill and Act produced by my Department from 1997 to date in 2008, can be viewed on the Oireachtas website, www.oireachtas.ie, where their progression through the Houses of the Oireachtas is shown in chronological order, together with the name of the sponsoring Minister.

Written Answers — Departmental Advertising: Departmental Advertising (22 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: In the time available, it has not been possible to identify and assemble the information requested. My Department is compiling the relevant data sought by the Deputy in this regard, and I shall forward it to him as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (22 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: My Department has not provided funding to any agency, body, community, religious or other group, or organisation, in the United States from 2000 to date.

Tributes to the Taoiseach (23 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: On my behalf and that of my party, I wish to pay personal tribute to the Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, as he prepares to step down from his office. It is personal because I wish to recount some simple recollections. While the Taoiseach may not remember some of them, I first saw him in the Phoenix Park at a road bowling event some time in the early 1980s. A tribe from Armagh had come...

Telecommunications Services. (23 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: My Department has prepared a draft policy paper on next generation broadband, NGB. It is intended that the paper will be finalised shortly and published for consultation. The paper will review current communications infrastructure policy and propose actions to promote the roll-out of NGB policy. In this context, it will address the optimum role for the Government in the planning and...

Telecommunications Services. (23 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: I do not under estimate the difficulties in this area. It is deeply frustrating that people cannot get broadband in parts of the country.

Telecommunications Services. (23 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: I was answering Deputy Coveney's question. He made a point about what we say on the issue of broadband. I recognise we need to go further in terms of closing the gap and acknowledge that we need to improve in certain areas, but the reality is that dramatic increases have been made. We have the fastest growing broadband take-up of any country in the OECD and we are probably the leading...

Telecommunications Services. (23 Apr 2008)

Eamon Ryan: Both the difficulties and the opportunities should be recognised. I am committed to this policy area and I am working around the clock to deliver on it, just as I am in any other area. I refute the suggestion that I am more interested in one area of my brief than in others. In fact, I see the clear connection in terms of delivering energy efficiency through digital technology. The...