Results 5,401-5,420 of 20,057 for speaker:Brian Stanley

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Petroleum and Gas Exploration (18 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: 539. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of meetings that have taken place between his officials and representatives of oil and gas companies that have either invested in offshore drilling or wish to become involved in exploration and or extraction in territorial waters. [25515/19]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Funding (18 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: 673. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the allocation for local authority grants will be forwarded to city and county councils to fund mobility aid and housing adaptation grants for council housing. [25434/19]

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Budgetary and Fiscal Implications of Climate Change: Discussion (18 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: As Vice Chairman of the Joint Committee on Climate Action I have an interest in today's discussion. I thank the Chairman for the opportunity to allow me contribute. I published a paper on biogas almost two years ago in which we examined what was happening in other countries. The driver behind that was the need for climate action, but what was also in mind was our very large agricultural...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Budgetary and Fiscal Implications of Climate Change: Discussion (18 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: Given those needs and the climate emergency we are in, what is the quickest way of kick-starting that industry? Professor FitzGerald might answer that question.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Carbon Tax Collection (19 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: 32. To ask the Minister for Finance his plans to refund taxpayers paying the existing level of carbon tax on a progressive basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25533/19]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tracker Mortgage Examination (19 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: 42. To ask the Minister for Finance if he is satisfied that all affected cohorts of tracker scandal victims have been treated fairly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25534/19]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: We see some parts of the plan falling short. We looked for the sectoral targets and commitments and the governance structure, all of which are welcome. Straight lines of accountability and measurements give us something on which to work. We have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% at an absolute minimum by 2050. The clock is ticking. With the plan, we should have a minimum of 20%...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: I raised the issue of biogas with Professor FitzGerald in the meeting yesterday. The ESRI believes that up to 20% of electricity can be produced from biogas because of our large agricultural sector. I have a constructive suggestion to make to the Minister. That issue needs to loom larger in terms of our plans to meet targets relating to dispatchable electricity generation because the wind...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: The Minister is talking about biomass there.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: On a point of order-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: I have a final question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: The Minister spoke about workers being available. He is correct that there is not much house building in some counties but in many cases the workers in those counties work in construction in the cities. In the midlands, for example, there is a fairly high unemployment rate but there is not a ready availability of construction workers. I am pointing out to the Minister that builders cannot...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: I welcome our guests and thank them for taking the time to attend. My concerns relate to the cost to the taxpayer; the risk to the public finances; the total absence of competition, given that there is now only one bidder; the fact that the owner will ultimately be the investor; the subsidy and the 340,000 households and premises to be connected by Eir; and the governance. What is set out in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: I just have a few questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: Yes, absolutely.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: I was just following the pattern of the others. In his submission, Professor Reeves stated that the current procurement process should be terminated and a more affordable alternative should be explored. Would the ESB or a model based on ESB Networks be a viable alternative? I ask this in the spirit of trying to be helpful and to move the matter further along. Given Dr. Palcic's experience...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: On the intervention area, a decision was taken to allow Eir to connect 300,000 easy-to-reach households. It effectively encircled many villages, towns and areas of significant residential development in rural areas. This was of significant concern to me at the time. Some 340,000 homes and premises are now being serviced in those areas and that appears to have derailed the whole procurement...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: Was it necessary to allow that to happen? A person with a lot of knowledge on these matters stated at a meeting in the past fortnight that it was comparable to saying one was going to build a motorway, but that a section of it would have to be privatised, which would not make sense.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: Senator O'Reilly's comparison with rural electrification is not valid because only one company was supplying electricity, namely, the Electricity Supply Board, ESB. In this case, the difficulty is the risk in terms of take-up because almost three quarters of the population have been already serviced. I was in a townland recently where there are 56 houses, 40 of which have been serviced in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Jun 2019)

Brian Stanley: Which is not available now.