Results 3,081-3,100 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (17 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: All commercial electricity generating plant, North and South, now operates within the Single Wholesale Electricity Market on the island, which was established on 1 November 2007. It is the case that the two jurisdictions continue to operate different schemes to support the construction and operation of new renewable energy powered electricity generating plants. The support mechanism in...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (17 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: The provision of broadband services is, in the first instance, a matter for the private sector. Broadband service providers operate in a fully liberalised market, regulated, where appropriate, by the independent Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. Details of broadband suppliers, prices and locations throughout the country are available on www.broadband.gov.ie. The role of the...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (17 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: In 2007, an amount of €261,029.75 was spent on public relations by the Press Office of my Department. This is broken down as follows: Staff costs: €179,503.49 Non staff costs: €81,526.26. The role of the Press Office is to inform the public via the media about the policies, functions and activities of my Department. This work includes, inter alia, managing communications relating to...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (17 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: The Government's Decentralisation Programme involves the relocation of my Department's headquarters to Cavan and the relocation of three bodies under its aegis, Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) to Dundalk, Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) to Dungarvan and the Central Fisheries Board (CFB) to Carrick-on-Shannon. A permanent site has been acquired, by the Office of Public Works (OPW), for the...

Written Answers — Regulatory Impact Analysis: Regulatory Impact Analysis (18 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: I refer to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 949 of 17th June 2008, which detailed my Department's conduct of Regulatory Impact Analysis in respect of legislation for the period in question. Regulatory Impact Analysis is conducted in my Department in accordance with the guidelines, published in 2005 by the Department of the Taoiseach. If the Deputy has a question about any specific...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (18 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: The provision of broadband services is, in the first instance, a matter for the private sector. Broadband service providers operate in a fully liberalised market, regulated, where appropriate, by the independent Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. Details of broadband suppliers, prices and locations throughout the country are available on www.broadband.gov.ie. The role of the...

Written Answers — Radio Broadcasting: Radio Broadcasting (19 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: The Broadcasting Bill 2008, which is currently before the Seanad, proposes a number of additional measures designed to support the community radio sector in Ireland including: Setting the proposed broadcasting regulator, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), the explicit objective of stimulating the provision of high quality, diverse and innovative programming by community...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (19 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: Sustainable Energy Ireland have advised me that the applicant to whom the Deputy refers did receive a letter of offer for grant aid under the Greener Homes Scheme on the 1st of December 2006, and a reminder of same in August 2007. The offer was revoked on the 21st of December 2007, as the letter of offer lapsed after one year, as set out under the terms of the scheme. A request for payment...

Seanad: Electricity Regulation (Amendment) (EirGrid) Bill 2008: Second Stage (24 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: I am pleased to have the opportunity to present the Electricity Regulation (Amendment)(EirGrid) Bill to the House. The Bill, which was initiated in the Dáil in April, forms a key part of the Government's priority legislative programme and underpins a number of key elements of the Government's energy policy. The Bill provides for an expanded role for EirGrid, the national transmission...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (25 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: The provision of broadband services is, in the first instance, a matter for the private sector. Broadband service providers operate in a fully liberalised market, regulated, where appropriate, by the independent Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. Details of broadband suppliers, prices and locations throughout the country are available on www.broadband.gov.ie. The role of the...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (25 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: All EC Directives issued since 1973 and relevant to this Department have been transposed and thus implemented into national legislation with the exception of those that were recently issued and not yet due for transposition and Directives 2003/54/EC, 2004/8/EC and 2006/32/EC. The outstanding Directives are expected to be transposed shortly and it is intended that all recently issued...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: Amendments Nos. 2 and 103 are intended to address the drafting issues raised by Senators in amendments Nos. 3 and 104. Amendment No. 1 is intended to remedy a minor associated error in section 2. The provisions are largely technical and I welcome the opportunity to introduce them on Report Stage.

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: Sections 9 and 82 define the experience or capacity required of persons considered for appointment to the boards of the broadcasting authority of Ireland, RTE and TG4. Having considered the issues raised on Committee Stage by Senator Doherty, I have proposed in amendments Nos. 6 and 64 a modification of the criteria in sections 9 and 82 to encompass experience of, or capacity in, sports...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: I am sympathetic to the points that were raised by Senator O'Toole and he has acknowledged my amendment No. 76 as including representation from the Gaeltacht in the bodies we are creating. RTE's website does include Irish language material, especially in its Irish language output. The Bill also allows the use of public money on the website for the first time. I would like to see the use of...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: We had an interesting discussion on Committee Stage. When Senator O'Reilly raised amendment No. 17 on Committee Stage, proposing a change to the objectives, I expressed the view that this had already been sufficiently dealt with elsewhere. I do not want to accept this amendment, but I said then that we would look at how the Bill might be amended so that the issue of the quality of...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: Quality, especially in communications, is a subjective area. Amendment No. 41 gives clear direction to the broadcasting authority to consider the quality assurance two-year review. This would be taken up by the authority and it would present its analysis. Legislation does not need to be prescriptive to the nth degree. A clear direction to consider the quality issues will lead to a report...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: To respond to Senator Bradford, I do take the spirit of it in the sense that we need public sector broadcasting to present programming to the various publics, and to ensure that it is not always on the basis of commercial return and it looks after specific audiences. I also have the sense that programming which dips into the our heritage, especially archive programming, would make very...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: The amendment relates to the levy imposed on broadcasters by the BAI to meet its expenses. As I indicated on Committee Stage, I believe the levy is justified and appropriate. Also, the BAI should not seek, through a levy on broadcasters, to obtain funds greater than those it requires. As I outlined on Committee Stage, the legislation places sufficient strictures on the BAI in this regard....

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: We must go back to the fundamentals of the Bill. One of the basic principles was that we wanted to have a level playing pitch between public sector broadcasters and commercial, independent and community broadcasters. In those circumstances it would be inappropriate, where a levy is to be applied, to fund the regulation of that level playing field in order that it would apply to one...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Eamon Ryan: As I mentioned on Committee Stage, I appreciate Senator Quinn's concerns and I understand the thinking behind amendment No. 28. I agree that best practice dictates that annual reports and accounts should be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas without delay upon completion of the audit. I do not accept, however, that the timeframe proposed in this amendment would necessarily achieve...