Results 27,221-27,240 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Post Office Network (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Oireachtas has given the company and its local service providers the responsibility to work with its local customer base to develop those services and deliver them in the most appropriate way. It would be totally incorrect of me to try and intervene in that process. An Post has a responsibility to its customers and it is convinced that it will deliver a better service to the people of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: I was pleased both to open and close the debate to which the Deputy refers and I was here for the entirety of it. It was a worthwhile debate and I think everyone in this House recognises that the climate emergency is the greatest threat that faces humanity. We also realise it involves not only changes for Government but also for every home, worker, enterprise and farm. We need to change...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: I will not try and tell Oireachtas committees what they should be doing. I will be bringing forward an all-of-Government plan to look at agriculture, transport, the built environment, electricity and waste and it will have a strategy for each of those. We will seek to be ambitious. We will have sectoral targets based on what we believe can be achieved over a five-year plan to 2025 and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: It will be a matter for the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, to bring forward proposals on carbon pricing. The Oireachtas has clearly signalled that the money should not be used for revenue raising but rather as a dividend or to shoehorn additional work to decarbonise the economy. The Taoiseach has put on the record his support for that approach. On agriculture, the committee on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Adaptation Plans (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: The concept of just transition will form a key pillar of the climate action plan. It recognises that while every home, workplace and community will have to make far-reaching changes in our lifestyles to achieve climate resilience and protect our environment for future generations, the level of adjustment and options for adaptation risks imposing particular hardship for some. In that light,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Adaptation Plans (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: I agree with the points made by the Deputy. Last Friday, I attended a very useful session in Mount Lucas which brought together many companies operating in the new decarbonisation world and which offer many employment opportunities. Representatives of educational institutions were also in attendance to identify how the midlands could be a centre for developing some of the new retrofitting...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Adaptation Plans (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: These are the things that are or will be in development. The plan which we will publish will only be the start of the roll-out. Smart finance will be a key part of it. Institutions such as the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, which is looking seriously at this sector, have a significant role to play. I agree with the Deputy on the role of education. It is not by accident that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Illegal Dumping (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy raised this matter previously and I am aware of his concern. Each local authority, including Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council, is responsible for the supervision and the enforcement of the relevant provisions of the Waste Management Act within its functional area. Local authorities have specific powers under the Act to require measures to be taken or to take measures...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Illegal Dumping (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: It is being taken very seriously. The national waste enforcement steering committee will discuss this particular site at its next meeting in June. An effort is being made to get co-ordination among the various agencies that can play a part in order to get resolution. As I have said, the Environmental Protection Agency met city councillors as recently as last week to try to make progress in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Illegal Dumping (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: There have already been prosecutions, as I outlined in my reply. Vehicles have been impounded and prosecutions initiated.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Medical Waste Disposal (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: My Department has engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representative organisations and public bodies, in an effort to see how best to provide the support to the target group. These bodies have also examined how health professionals and community welfare officers could assist the scheme. It should be noted however that none of the options around verification are straightforward, and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Policy (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: The declaration of a climate and biodiversity emergency by the Dáil on 9 May underlines the importance of the work currently underway to develop a new All of Government Climate Plan. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, published last October, confirmed that the international community has a limited window for real action to reduce...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Citizens Assembly (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: As part of the Programme for Partnership Government the Government committed to appoint a Citizens’ Assembly to examine a number of key challenges for Ireland including the Eight Amendment of the constitution and how the State can make Ireland a leader in climate change. As in the former case this has been followed by the establishment of a Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: EU Directives (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: The European Commission’s Directive on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, commonly referred to as the Single Use Plastics Directive, contains ambitious targets which have been successfully negotiated between the European Parliament and Member States. The finalised Directive will be formally adopted shortly and has to be transposed by Member...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Illegal Dumping (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: My Department has introduced a number of measures to strengthen efforts to improve waste enforcement generally and target illegal dumping. These include: - An annual waste enforcement grant of €7.4 million to support the recruitment and retention of 150 local authority waste enforcement personnel across the country; - The establishment of the Waste Enforcement Regional Lead...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Incentives (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: I have recently set out a new ambition for Ireland, of reaching 70% renewable electricity by 2030, and details on how this will be delivered will be contained in the soon to be launched All of Government Climate Action Plan. The Plan will set out the necessary policy measures to help meet our 2030 target and will put Ireland on a clear pathway to meeting our 2050 objectives. This will require...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Policy (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 67, 81 and 85 together. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, published last October, confirmed that the international community has a limited window for real action to reduce emissions to ensure that current and future generations can live sustainably in a low-carbon and climate-resilient world. ...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Bituminous Fuel Ban (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: The ban on the marketing, sale and distribution of bituminous coal, or ‘the smoky coal ban’ as it is commonly known, was first introduced in Dublin in 1990, and subsequently extended to our major cities. Following a public consultation process, it was further extended in 2012, and now applies in 26 urban areas nationwide. The ban has proved very effective in reducing particulate...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: Tetrad Corporation and McCourt Global LLC. were the two companies that Granahan McCourt relied on to demonstrate its economic and financial capacity for the purposes of the pre- qualification process (PQQ) of the National Broadband Plan procurement process. The requirements for relying on the resources of other entities, are set out in the Project Information Memorandum including at section...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan Implementation (21 May 2019)

Richard Bruton: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure that every home, school and business in Ireland has access to high speed broadband. This is being achieved through a combination of commercial investment across the country, and a State intervention in those areas where commercial operators acting alone are unlikely to invest. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the...