Results 4,501-4,520 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Warmer Homes Scheme Funding (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: The Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on behalf of my Department as part of the Better Energy Programme. Since 2009, the scheme has supported the renovation of almost 97,000 homes in Ireland. Under the Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme, energy efficiency upgrades are provided free of charge to those households who meet...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Inland Fisheries Ireland (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: Inland Fisheries Ireland was established in 2010. In the five year period 2010-2014 substantial Exchequer support, amounting to almost €130 million, has been provided for IFI. Almost €24 million has been provided for IFI in my Department's Vote this year. The establishment of IFI has provided for an improved national perspective in the formulation of inland fisheries policy...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: National Postcode System Implementation (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: Eircode, the National Postcode System for Ireland was officially launched by the Minister on 13 July 2015 together with the new online ‘Eircode finder tool’ on the website . The Eircode Finder, is an eircode look up application that helps citizens and business to fully utilise the new postcode system. There was significant interest in the ‘Eircode finder tool’ on...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: National Broadband Plan Implementation (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: The National Broadband Plan proposed Intervention Strategy document, which was published on 15 July last, sets out a series of detailed proposals by Government in respect of the proposed State intervention. It sets out the key elements of the intervention - what services are proposed and how they will be delivered. It outlines various aspects of the proposed intervention including the type of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: National Broadband Plan Implementation (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: The Minister published the draft Intervention Strategy for public consultation on 15 July 2015 and the draft strategy and relevant expert reports are available on the NBP website . This public consultation closes on the 25thof this month. Following the consultation process, the Minister plans to move to formal procurement phase towards the end of this year in order to select a preferred...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy may be aware, in June 2013, EU Member States authorised the European Commission to commence trade and investment negotiations with the US and those negotiations are ongoing. The purpose of the trade negotiations is to reduce barriers to trade and investment in order to generate jobs and growth. Ireland stands to gain significantly from this because of the existing significant...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Renewable Energy Projects (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: One of the central themes in the Green Paper on Energy Policy, published in May 2014, is citizen empowerment. Since its publication the Department undertook a public consultation process which included analysis of over 1200 written submissions and thirteen stakeholder seminars, held in Dublin, Westmeath, Sligo, Cork and Wexford, on the various priority areas highlighted in the Green Paper. A...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Renewable Energy Feed in Tariff Scheme Implementation (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: Electricity and heat produced from anaerobic digestion (AD) are supported under the REFIT 3 scheme. The rates of tariff for AD technologies available under the scheme were calculated following analysis by the Department along with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, and Teagasc. Since the introduction of the scheme in 2012, the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Renewable Energy Generation (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: The development of Ireland's abundant offshore renewable energy resource will be an increasingly important element of Ireland's future energy policies. Offshore renewable energy has the potential to: generate carbon free renewable electricity; reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels; enhance our security of energy supply; and deliver green growth and jobs to the economy. Policy...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Hydraulic Fracturing (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: The research programme directed at examining the potential environmental and human health impacts of hydraulic fracturing commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency is ongoing. That research programme will have regard to experiences in other countries and draw on published reports and other sources. While the research programme is ongoing, it would not be useful for me as Minister to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Hydraulic Fracturing (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: The research programme directed at examining the potential environmental and human health impacts of hydraulic fracturing commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency is ongoing. That research programme will have regard to experiences in other countries and draw on published reports and other sources. While the research programme is ongoing, it would not be useful for me as Minister to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Bord na Móna (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: While the matter raised by the Deputy is an operational one for the management team at Bord na Móna, and not one in which the Minister has any function, it is a matter of concern to him. Accordingly, he has been closely monitoring developments in relation to this issue. I am advised that the matter of compulsory redundancies at a Bord na Móna subsidiary, Anua, has recently been...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Policy (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: The protection of consumers vulnerable to energy poverty is a critical element of both EU and national energy policy.As the Deputy may be aware, the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources is preparing a new Affordable Energy Strategy following a public consultation held earlier this year. As part of this work, officials are participating in the European Commission's...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Bord na Móna (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: While the matter raised by the Deputy is an operational one for the management team at Bord na Móna, and not one in which I, as Minister, have any function, it is a matter of concern to me. Bord na Móna is facing significant business challenges in the context of the deregulation of the electricity market and increasingly competitive and challenging environments across all its...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Telecommunications Infrastructure (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: The provision of mobile telephony services is subject to a requirement to secure access to the required radio spectrum by way of licence. The management of the radio spectrum is a statutory function of the Commission for Communications Regulation under the Communications Regulation Act, 2002 as amended. Licences issued by ComReg apply terms and conditions on Mobile Network Operators, such as...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Resources (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: Ireland’s energy policies recognise the importance of waste material as an energy resource. Both the Alternative Energy Requirement and Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff schemes support electricity generated from landfill gas and the biodegradable element of municipal solid waste as well as energy from anaerobic digestion (AD). Anaerobic digestion is a technology that can be used to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) is a Government policy initiative which aims to deliver high speed broadband to every citizen and business in Ireland. This is being achieved through a combination of accelerated commercial investment by telecoms operators, and a proposed State intervention to provide high speed broadband to those parts of the country where the commercial sector will not...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Renewable Energy Incentives (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: Various community level energy initiatives are supported by the Government through the Better Energy Areas and Communities Programme which is administered on behalf of the Department by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). That programme allows community and locally based organisations to apply for funding on a competitive basis to support sustainable energy upgrades to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: National Broadband Plan Implementation (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: Both the draft Intervention Strategy and accompanying expert reports which I published for public consultation in July last deal in some considerable detail with the various ownership options and models available to Government. I am interested in the views of industry and wider stakeholders on this subject and will make a final decision on this aspect of the Intervention Strategy after...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Inland Fisheries Ireland Staff (22 Sep 2015)

Joe McHugh: In the five year period 2010-2014 substantial Exchequer support, amounting to almost €130 million, has been provided for inland fisheries and almost €24 million has been provided for IFI in my Department's Vote this year. The establishment of IFI has facilitated an improved national perspective in the formulation of inland fisheries policy which is more streamlined, coherent...