Results 29,801-29,820 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The national broadband plan was originally scheduled to be completed by January 2027. We were delayed by Covid-19 in 2021 and could not get contractors in. The project was delayed but we are now back on track for that finishing date. Going back to what I said earlier, we are looking at whether we can get further budget provision to deliver earlier. That is on track; in fact, it is...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: That is exactly the case. It is a system-wide message. There is a subtle difference there. With regard to quantum computing and the risk for cybersecurity, I suppose this is part of counter cyber risk work, working with our European colleagues, to ensure we have the most advanced quantum computing assisting us in protecting the networks. It can also be used as a way of attacking by...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: It is similar to fixed fibre or broadband connectivity. First and foremost, it is a matter of having a big and competitive market with a number of mobile operators, and we have had that. On the European analysis that shows how we compare to other European countries, one can never be fully satisfied and as the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach said, there are always going to be black spots where...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The Cathaoirleach Gníomhach is right. If we think back ten or 15 years, there was contentious public debate and planning applications were being reviewed and restricted. It was a subject of real controversy. That has reduced somewhat. Even four or five years ago with the start of this term in office and the establishment of this Department, there was real concern that the roll-out of...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: We would have to be careful about applying that to every house. I was involved at the start in the design and implementation of the eircode system. One of the biggest challenges then was with the Data Protection Commissioner, who was Billy Hawkes at the time. He was concerned about each individual house having a readily identifiable address, as it were, for general data protection...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with the Acting Chair. We have be careful. This will only be used in cases of real significant and imminent threat to human life. It will not be used for other kinds of issues, it will be exclusively for a risk to life, property or the environment. The Acting Chair is also right in that there have been those instances. My understanding was they were more on social media, on...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: That is a real issue, and the control systems within the social media companies themselves in terms of their ability to take down that material is also a real issue. That, however, is separate, and in the realm of Coimisiún na Meán and the Data Protection Commission as against ours. We look at the network and telecommunication system rather than the social media sects.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: My understanding was that shipping operated using GPS, which has the benefit of a universal capability. There are a number of connections between the offshore Noble and the digital sphere. There are two examples. First, the building of an interconnector with France will allow us to run a fibre-optic cable. Currently, we do not have a fibre-optic cable connection with the continent. We...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: What the Acting Chair has mentioned is not insignificant. If there is a recording of a delivery, that is akin in a way to a registered letter. Registered letters were always significantly more expensive than an ordinary stamp. An Post has a real challenge. The revenue from the mail business continues to fall significantly each year. That has been counterbalanced by an increase in parcel...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: That is not a curveball at all. We can forget Switzerland and instead talk about the west coast of County Clare. There was a working example of this in the past around Loop Head. It might have been ten or 15-years ago, where An Post also doubled its service by taking some passengers. I still firmly believe that has real potential. I would argue even more so now, and the Acting Chair will...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan (27 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The implementation of a robust, globally recognised offshore renewable energy (ORE) industry in Ireland is crucial to meeting our international and national climate and energy targets. As reiterated in the Future Framework for ORE Policy Statement, Ireland has set ambitious goals of 20GW of ORE by 2040 and at least 37GW by 2050. This will include the facilitation of floating offshore...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electricity Grid (27 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The Climate Action Plan recognises the need for a range of supporting measures to enable the transformation of Ireland's electricity sector. Electricity storage systems are a key measure to ensuring security of electricity supply in the electricity network throughout Ireland's energy transition. There are now over 1GW of electricity storage systems on the grid managing targeted demand...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (27 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Ireland has a fully liberalised and competitive market for 4G and 5G mobile network services. In 2023, following the completion of the Multi-band Spectrum Award of 2022, ComReg awarded new radio spectrum to operators allowing them to roll out additional network capacity. These licenses contain obligations requiring the operators to achieve coverage and capacity targets within clear...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Mining Industry (27 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I am aware of the current situation in Moylisha and wish to clarify that mineral exploration is distinct from commercial mineral extraction, and both occur within an Irish and EU legislative framework, including instruments ensuring environmental and water quality protection. All exploration must be undertaken in such a manner as to avoid damage to the environment and amenities of the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Policy (27 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The 2024 National Adaptation Framework (NAF), which was approved and published by Government on 5 June 2024, sets out Ireland's climate adaptation policy. The new NAF was completed following my Department's review of the framework in 2022 and a statutory public consultation undertaken earlier this year. The new NAF, developed with input from key sectors, the Climate Change Advisory...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (27 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The legislation allowing for the installation and usage of CCTV for litter and waste enforcement purposes required that the Local Government Management Agency submit to the Minister for approval, separate Codes of Practice for the operation of CCTV schemes under the Litter Pollution Act and the Waste Management Act and a further Code of Practice for the use of "mobile recording devices" (e.g....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Prices (27 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The electricity and gas retail markets in Ireland operate within a European Union regulatory regime wherein electricity and gas markets are commercial, liberalised, and competitive. Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets is solely a matter for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU). However, I have been very clear in this House and in other forums...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Illegal Dumping (27 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Under the Waste Management Act, the primary responsibility for management and enforcement responses to illegal dumping lies with the local authorities. It is a matter for each local authority to determine the most appropriate awareness, enforcement and clean-up actions in relation to illegal dumping taking account of local circumstances. It is a matter for Cork City Council to decide on...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Air Quality (27 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The national air quality monitoring network is operated, maintained, and monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme (AAMP), which is funded by my Department. The EPA decide the most appropriate locations for monitors based on best practice and EU requirements, and questions in relation to proposed sites may be addressed to them...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Prices (27 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: In Budget 2024, Government continued to build on measures to provide support to households and businesses, being especially mindful of the fact that the rising cost of living hit hardest on those with lower incomes. Budget 2024 introduced a third Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Scheme which over 2.2 million households have benefitted from -- worth €450 in total per household. ...