Results 2,841-2,860 of 11,242 for speaker:Noel Dempsey

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (25 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: The Government's programme involves the relocation of the Department's Headquarters to Cavan and the Seafood and Coastal Zone functions to Clonakilty. In addition, Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) are relocating to Clonakilty, Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) to Dundalk and the Central Fisheries Board (CFB) to Carrick-on-Shannon. The Decentralisation Implementation Group (DIG) has set out an...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (25 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: Seventy-eight professional and technical posts within my Department are scheduled to relocate to Clonakilty and Cavan under the Government's decentralisation programme. Twelve staff members currently serving in these posts have expressed a priority first preference application on the Central Applications Facility to decentralise with their units. Twenty-six specialist skills posts in...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (25 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: The Government's decentralisation programme provides for the relocation of Seafood and Costal Zone divisions of my Department to Clonakilty in 2007 and all remaining divisions to Cavan in 2009. To date, fifty-one individuals have formally committed to decentralise to Clonakilty and forty-one to Cavan. Included in the Cavan figure are fourteen new recruits and thirteen civil servants who have...

Telecommunications Services. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: I hope Deputies opposite will not complain about not getting through too many questions at the end of this Question Time given that they will not allow answers to be given. The digital terrestrial television, DTT, pilot programme is being implemented by my Department. The purpose of the pilot is to bring further momentum to the transition to digital terrestrial broadcasting and to test and...

Telecommunications Services. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: I try not to allow the date of a general election to dictate what I might or might not do.

Telecommunications Services. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: As far as I can, I try to develop policy very carefully, do the background work and then make decisions on what is in the national interest, rather than from party political reasons or anything else. I am delighted to tell the Deputy that everything he has started thinking about——

Telecommunications Services. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: The only indication I have that the Deputy has been thinking about these matters is during the past three or four months.

Telecommunications Services. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: We have carefully thought about all the matters the Deputy mentioned. Various bodies with responsibilities in the area are developing their policies and working on recommendations and advice. Deputy Broughan asked about the pilot project in 2002-03. My predecessor launched a competition for DTT in the private sector to gauge a response. There was no response to that from the private sector....

Telecommunications Services. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: It is quite a simple sum. One must add up the cost of the televisions that will have to be bought, perhaps one or two per household. That is a matter for the individual householder. We are using the 2012 date as a guideline. Clearly there is no point in putting out a pilot, seeing how successful it is, finding out what the difficulties might be and ignoring all of that by setting a date which...

Telecommunications Services. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: I am trying to inform the Deputy. He has asked me a series of questions which I have noted. As Deputy Broughan noted, ComReg has a role with regard to broadcasting and the use of spectrum and so on. We had to consult with it with regard to getting regulations in place as part of the lead-in, so we could roll out a pilot scheme. ComReg is considering the use of spectrum. Tomorrow I will...

Broadcasting Legislation. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: I am aware of the useful comments made by the commissioner and her recognition of the concerns of a substantial number of member states on this issue. While I appreciate there is scope for some resolution of the issue through the recommendations of the Commissioner, my objective is to ensure that the regulatory framework at EU level provides a formal basis for national measures to have...

Broadcasting Legislation. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: The Deputy has given quite a succinct statement of the Commissioner's position, but in the end of the day, Commissioners do not make the final decision on directives. They have to go to EU Council, Parliament and so on. As that process continues, Ireland will clearly maintain its position. We have the support, on a consistent basis — in many respects we have led this — of 12 other member...

Broadcasting Legislation. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: Twelve member states support the Irish position, making it a total of 13 member states. I do not have the list of those member states but I can forward it to the Deputy. The Commission has been pursuing the particular line referred to earlier. Several other member states, including our neighbour, the UK, have been advocating the Commission's line. There is a clear divide. It will not be...

Telecommunications Services. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: The sale of Eircom, which is not a State company, does not affect or change the regulatory environment in the telecommunications sector. The provision of telecommunications services, including broadband, fixed-line and mobile services is a matter in the first instance for the private sector companies operating in a fully liberalised market, regulated by the independent Commission for...

Telecommunications Services. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: Anyone who has the read all my statements as the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources will be in no doubt that I am well aware of the importance of broadband provision and a good telecommunications infrastructure. I am sure Deputy Durkan reads them avidly on a daily basis.

Telecommunications Services. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: They probably keep him up all night.

Telecommunications Services. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: Over the past several years, the Government has been committed to the roll-out of broadband. The policies put in place have been successful in increasing the numbers in broadband take-up. I agree with the Deputy on private sector investment in the services. That is why the MANs programme, the group broadband scheme and so forth were put in place. In the past several years there has not been...

Telecommunications Services. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: There is none of the top companies leaving this country because of broadband. There are still many of them coming in. We have the top 50 in the first flight initiative — like Yahoo, Google and Amazon — operating here and in second flight, we have ten of the top 15 companies. I am merely making the point that I do not let that blind me to the fact that there are blackspots where broadband...

Telecommunications Services. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: There are certainly areas about which we have spoken such as local loop unbundling where ComReg has attempted to issue directives. It has not been very successful in that regard to date. It is for that reason that we are inserting the extra powers into the electronic communications Bill currently being drafted. I accept there is a need for action in that particular area. However, there are...

Telecommunications Services. (30 May 2006)

Noel Dempsey: I would not like Deputy Durkan to interpret what I said earlier as an indication that I think I can and will do nothing.