Results 28,141-28,160 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan Implementation (16 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: Every home, farm, school and business in Ireland will have access to high speed broadband – no matter where they are located – following the Government’s decision to approve the appointment of a preferred bidder to the National Broadband Plan. Most of the areas that the Deputy references in Kildare (Old Bog Road, Cappagh, Kilcock, Ballraheen, Maynooth, Byranstown,...

Seanad: Children's Digital Protection Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: I would like to say a few words at the start of the debate. While I welcome the Bill and appreciate a great deal of work has gone into it and there are considerable amendments to it before the House, I want to outline to the House the position the Government has taken in recent months. As Members will be aware, I recognised earlier this year that the time for self-regulation was past and...

Seanad: Children's Digital Protection Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: Am I supposed to make a comment on any of these?

Seanad: Children's Digital Protection Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: With regard to section 3(4), I am advised that a Minister making regulations in that manner would not pass muster with the Attorney General.

Seanad: Children's Digital Protection Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: I was referring to section 3(4).

Seanad: Children's Digital Protection Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: The legislation with which I am dealing deals with harmful content. That is only a subset of a much wider category of problem. I draw Senators' attention to the action plan for online safety published last year. This plan deals with a much more comprehensive approach to this issue. I was then Minister for Education and Skills and appeared before the Oireachtas Committee on Children and...

Seanad: Children's Digital Protection Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: That is another area where the Attorney General has drawn my attention to difficulties. The provision that a person may be tried in the State for an offence by a person outside the State gives rise to certain jurisdictional issues that would be problematic.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that retrofitting will be a major part of the journey. We need to see a tenfold increase in the scale of retrofitting by 2030. Obviously, Professor FitzGerald is indicating we need to go beyond that. That will represent less than 1% of GDP, large and all as it is. Therefore, we will be able to accommodate what is proposed. The approach the Government is taking is...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: I am glad to say that, in the 2020 budget, we doubled the provision for the warmer homes scheme compared with the 2019 provision. It is the scheme that provides 100% retrofitting free of charge-----

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: -----to people who are on the fuel scheme, including pensioners and those on social welfare payments long term who earn less than €100 per week in addition to their pensions and social welfare payments. We also assigned €20 million to the roll-out of a new aggregated model. This is the first test of a new approach. It will be piloted in the midlands and build on a core of...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: -----it to a wider range of homes that can participate under-----

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: They are grant schemes. They will be supported and will use a suite a measures. We are moving towards an aggregated model that will offer easier pay. The current grant scheme, approximately 30% of which applies to those who are not eligible for the warmer homes scheme, will continue.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electric Vehicle Grants (17 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: The electric vehicle purchase grant provides grant aid of up to €5,000 towards the purchase of a new battery electric vehicle or new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. From the introduction of the scheme to the end of September 2019, grant support has been provided for the purchase of a total of 8,450 new vehicles to the value of almost €39 million. To date this year, over...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Service Provision (17 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Government appointed National Broadband Ireland as the Preferred Bidder for the National Broadband Plan in May. This followed a tender process designed to ensure that every home and business throughout the country will have access to future proofed high speed broadband and will cater specifically to an estimated 1.1 million people, representing almost 25% of the population of rural...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan Administration (17 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: My Department recently consulted publicly to close the ongoing mapping exercise, seeking submissions from operators who wish to have their existing high speed broadband networks, or who have developed plans to invest in high speed broadband networks over the next 7 years, to be included on the Department’s High Speed Broadband Map. In response to requests from a number of operators,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan Data (17 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: The overall NBP procurement process is supported by a specialist team including external expertise and advisors who were appointed by competitive tender processes since the launch of the NBP in 2012. These include a range of national and international experts with commercial, economic, environmental, financial, insurance, legal, procurement, state aid, tax and technical expertise and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Capital Expenditure Programme (17 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 259 and 260 together. My Department does not have any capital projects that have cost €100 million or more in the past 5 years. My Department has one capital project that is anticipated to commence in the next five years that is expected to cost over €100 million, the National Broadband Plan. The Department is commencing a procurement process...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Illegal Dumping (22 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: In recognition of the impact of illegal dumping on communities across the country, my Department developed the Anti-Dumping Initiative to enable local authorities to identify high risk or problem areas, develop appropriate enforcement responses, including the use of drone technology, and carry out clean-up operations in conjunction with community organisations. My Department provided funding...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Question Heading for question(s) 487,508,511 (22 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 487, 508 and 511 together. The Government has allocated €119m in the budget for the initial roll out of the National Broadband Plan State Intervention in 2020, which is at present pending contract award. The multi-annual expenditure ceilings for Capital Expenditure for my Department are published in the Budget 2020 Expenditure Report. The total...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Service Provision (22 Oct 2019)

Richard Bruton: Every home, farm, school and business in Ireland will have access to high speed broadband – no matter where they are located – following the Government’s decision to approve the appointment of a Preferred Bidder to the National Broadband Plan. Under this plan, Ireland will become one of the first countries in the world to ensure that those in rural areas have the same...