Results 27,181-27,200 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (15 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: Since 2012, greenhouse gas emissions associated with flights operating in the European Economic Area (EEA), including domestic flights as well as those to and from third countries, are covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). Airlines are required to monitor, report and verify their emissions, and to surrender allowances against those emissions. Airlines receive tradeable allowances...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan Administration (15 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 239 and 240 together. NBI Infrastructure Limited t/a National Broadband Ireland (NBI) is subject to Irish Corporation Tax and will not be a section 110 company. The NBP Contract provides that the Minister may appoint a Director to the board of the company. A minimum of one other Director will be appointed by the Shareholders of NBI following an open and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan Administration (15 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: The National Broadband Plan contract for the State intervention will be signed with National Broadband Ireland (NBI), a designated activity company resident in Ireland. NBI will be supported by a number of internationally experienced subcontractors, including KN Group, the Kelly Group, enet and Actavo among others. NBI is finalising negotiations on contracts with approximately 40...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Service Provision (16 May 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. This intervention is the subject of the procurement process to engage a company to build,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Service Provision (16 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: In April 2017, my Department published an updated version of the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map. This is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. The map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan. The Map is colour coded and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Service Provision (16 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Department and National Broadband Ireland (NBI) have completed high level designs to determine the quantities of existing infrastructure that can be re-used and quantities of new infrastructure that will need to be deployed to deliver the NBP project. In addition, NBI has completed a number of low-level designs to corroborate the assumptions made in the high level designs. The...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Service Provision (16 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 151 and 152 together. The possibility of allocating the National Broadband State intervention to the ESB was considered as part of the alternative options analysis conducted by my Department. The Attorney General has advised that there are significant legal risks in relation to both procurement law and state aid law, if the State was to mandate and fund...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Bord na Móna (16 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: While the matter raised by the Deputy is an operational one for Bord na Móna and not one in which I, as Minister, have any function, I continue to monitor developments in this matter closely. I am advised by Bord na Móna that the voluntary redundancy scheme continues to be rolled out by the company in line with operational requirements.

Seanad: National Broadband Plan: Statements (16 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Seanad for providing time for statements on this matter. This is a really important investment for the future of the country. Since Telecom Éireann was privatised 20 years ago, we have been totally dependent on the private sector to deliver the telecommunications services we need. It has been very successful and, for 75% of the population, a very good service will be...

Seanad: National Broadband Plan: Statements (16 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: I beg the Senator's pardon.

Seanad: National Broadband Plan: Statements (16 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: In the first two years.

Seanad: National Broadband Plan: Statements (16 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: Except in education.

Seanad: National Broadband Plan: Statements (16 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Senators who contributed. I hope I can reassure Senator Horkan. The plan does provide for a lower figure, but that is absolutely due to state aid rules. Originally, it was projected to cover 750,000 homes, but once a private sector operator put up its hand to take on provision in part of the area, there was an obligation on the State to carve it out. That is the reason for it...

Seanad: National Broadband Plan: Statements (16 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: I am not going to comment on that. He made a mistake of meeting someone who was tendering in a process. People have acknowledged that was a mistake. In the event, when the matter was evaluated, it was found that while the Minister made a mistake, he had, by removing himself from his position, removed the potential for the allegation that the process might have been tainted. The verdict of...

Seanad: National Broadband Plan: Statements (16 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: Exactly. It is shared. It is essentially a shared network. There is no comparison between this project and the national children's hospital. One might believe the project is expensive but we made no commitment before we knew the absolute capped cost. The complaint about the national children's hospital was that commitments were made to go ahead with the project and, those commitments...

Seanad: National Broadband Plan: Statements (16 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: I see. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is doing its job, which is to be sceptical about every investment ever considered. As the Senator will know, it was particularly active during the very difficult years, and it continues to be active, but it does not have the final word. We have set up a system whereby, like it or not, 15 Members are elected by the people to make these...

Seanad: National Broadband Plan: Statements (16 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: It is unusual. It does not happen every day but that does not mean one automatically assumes that the critique, which is the job of critics, is always right. On the issue of the ownership model, the Senator's analogy might lead him astray. We are not asking someone to build us a property that we are going to rent. We are asking someone to lay fibre on rented poles and to operate the fibre...

Seanad: National Broadband Plan: Statements (16 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: Not through the electric cables but they did look at using the electricity network as a basis for rolling it out. That was the alternative SIRO model. There are difficulties, in the context of health and safety, with using an electricity network as opposed to a telephone network. It is not a straightforward option. Regarding Senator Conway-Walsh's point that it cannot be sold on, it can...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: The national broadband plan is a plan to design, build and operate a network which will make high speed broadband available to every home in rural Ireland within seven years and to continue to operate the service for 35 years. Granahan McCourt relied on the resources of Tetrad Corporation and McCourt Global LLC to demonstrate its economic and financial capacity for the purposes of the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: The position is that the commitments in relation to equity will be contractualised in advance of contract award. Any committed funding that has not been drawn down by National Broadband Ireland at financial close will require a guarantee in a form that is acceptable to the Department. The Department will have a legally enforceable contract in relation to the equity that has to be provided....