Results 3,901-3,920 of 6,823 for speaker:Darren O'Rourke
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy (Resumed): Regional Airports (15 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: Is Mr. MacCarthy satisfied that those systems are in place and he can secure the capital support he has outlined?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy (Resumed): Regional Airports (15 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: Mr. Ó Cúláin touched on his relationship with Donegal County Council. I would like to hear about the wider tourism and business proposition and whether route development is under way or there is a need for specific new route development.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy (Resumed): Regional Airports (15 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: The committee could certainly pick up that proposal. If the witnesses have anything to add after this meeting, it would be useful to provide it so that we could take to the Department.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy (Resumed): Regional Airports (15 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: I would like to hear from Ms Considine.
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023) Darren O'Rourke: I thank the Chair. I am not sure I understand the Chairman's request to confine questions to one subhead. We might move more quickly if we stick to programmes. On the carbon fund, I note the allocation of €2.9 million. The Minister of State says this is the last allocation for our commitment to our 2020 targets. Could he outline our estimated international obligation, if any?...
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023) Darren O'Rourke: Very good. It is a 2030 target from here on out.
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023) Darren O'Rourke: Do we have a significant increase in funding for the residential and community retrofit programme? Could the Minister of State speak to that under this programme? I support the comments that have been made on the output indicators. In this programme they are a little more satisfactory, in my opinion. Regarding the indicators on page 132, we do not have the 2022 figures for context and...
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023) Darren O'Rourke: No, it was more that there will be energy credits coming in next month.
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023) Darren O'Rourke: Could the Minister of State give an update on the intention to produce a policy statement on geothermal energy for the circular economy? I believe a pilot or feasibility study was done recently. The area is being examined in the context of several challenges, particularly that concerning communal heating systems for apartments in Dublin and elsewhere. Could he also update us on the...
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023) Darren O'Rourke: We are on programme C.
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023) Darren O'Rourke: I hope the three matters fall under programme C. I am referring to geothermal energy, landfill and inland fisheries.
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023) Darren O'Rourke: Yes. I thank the Minister.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: I apologise for missing some of the earlier contributions. There were reports in the Business Postat the end of last year regarding some pilot assessments in the Department. A challenging feature of the Climate Action Plan 2023 concerns individual Departments coming to terms with the climate implications and their responsibilities in that regard, with new models for assessing the climate...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: Is the Minister hopeful that model will be live and in effect this year?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: Has an impact assessment been carried out? Are there concerns within the sector, either here or elsewhere, and has there been feedback on it from the IDA in particular? Have concerns been raised by candidate companies or is it in line with what they are seeing or experiencing elsewhere?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: What about planned data centres?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: Will those potential projects be assessed by the new environmental impact standards?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: Take, for example, the case of a new social media company that is entering the Irish market. As part of that, a data centre might be provided. I can think of some that are in the Irish market. Can I take it that is not something that would happen ordinarily or would be subject to this assessment?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: I will pick up on a couple of points. This is a fair conversation about data centres. I do not think all data centres are equal. The business models of individual companies are different. Not all of them are working in the space of remote working and cloud technology. It is important to recognise that we have an increasing number of islanded data centres that are seeking connection to...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: That is fine. This committee has spent an age engaging with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, in respect of the number of data centres that are on the grid, and that are expected to be on the grid, but are not covered by that policy statement. That is significant, even before we consider the policy framework that will impact future connections. It is a challenge for the...