Results 5,461-5,480 of 20,061 for speaker:Brian Stanley

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (3 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: That is alright.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (3 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: Given that there was toing and froing with the Department of Finance, and we know that senior officials in the Department of Finance take a different position from the witnesses on the plan, as they have explained to the committee, would it not have been prudent for the National Development Finance Agency to be more directly involved in overseeing this project?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (3 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: When did its role finish?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (3 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: When was that? What year?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (3 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: They did. They stated it was a very limited role. Mr. Mulligan confirmed that they have had no involvement of any description since 2018. In relation to the overall project, there are a couple of points that are fairly clear to the public and those, such as ourselves, looking at it. One is that the 340,000 premises that have been cherry-picked by Eir, and that Eir is serving...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (4 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: 2. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will re-engage with both Eir and the ESB regarding the national broadband plan. [28663/19]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (4 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: This question is about the national broadband scheme. Will the Minister re-engage with Eir and the ESB regarding this plan? I am asking him to look again at the current process which, by any measure, is banjaxed. We are looking at a cost differential of €2 billion. Over the past couple of years, an overall cost of €800 million has become €3 billion. Worse still,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (4 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: I thank the Minister for his reply. The reality is there are two main reasons for the escalation of costs. One is that Eir was allowed to cherry-pick in 2017 and that banjaxed the process and made it more expensive to service the remaining 500,000 premises. The second reason is that the Government is going with a bidder that has no infrastructure and does not own poles or a yard of ducting...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (4 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: The Minister is correct that Eir cannot re-enter the current procurement process. The problem is that the current procurement process has run into the sand by any objective measure. The Minister is now entering into a cul-de-sac. He is going to end up in the situation depicted in the diagram of the governance structure prepared by his Departmental officials. That is not going to work. It...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (4 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: Did the European Commission respond? Did it overrule the Minister and state that he had to go ahead with this process?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (4 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: Can we have a copy of that document?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (4 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: Eir is not a shark.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Climate Change Policy (4 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: 4. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans for a just transition review group as referenced in the Climate Action Plan 2019. [28664/19]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Climate Change Policy (4 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: I ask the Minister of State to outline the Department's plans for a just transition review group as referenced in the climate action plan. We know we have a major transition to make and we obviously need to get moving with that. In some ways we need to play catch-up. What are the Department's plans to kick-start that?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Climate Change Policy (4 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: I thank the Minister of State for that reply. He outlined the challenges and it will undoubtedly be challenging. My party and I understand that and we want to take up those challenges. However, there are opportunities. We do not want the transition to create a bigger dependency, particularly for the midlands. We want to see the opportunities grasped quickly. We want to be ambitious and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Climate Change Policy (4 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: I asked the Minister of State when the review group will be set up. He might give me an answer to that question. The Bord na Móna is the most acutely affected, but motor mechanics will also be affected. We also have the situation with Moneypoint. A number of workers will be displaced and will need to retrain. The scale of what needs to be done is enormous. Bord na Móna was...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Policy (4 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: 7. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans for a microgeneration scheme; and the role he envisages for the Microgeneration Support Scheme Bill 2017 in the plan. [28306/19]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Policy (4 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: My question is on the Minister's plans for microgeneration. How will my Microgeneration Support Scheme Bill fit into his plans? The Bill has completed Second Stage and a report is due on it.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Policy (4 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: I hope the Bill is not opposed by Government. I first introduced it in 2017 but it has been moving at a snail's pace. I am glad that Committee Stage is under way, as the Minister of State noted. We are awaiting the clerk's report on that and I hope we will be able to see quicker progress at that point. Will the Government block the Bill? Should we expect it to use the money message...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Policy (4 Jul 2019)

Brian Stanley: It is good to hear a scheme will be in place by 2020. There are good examples of microgeneration schemes in other countries. I know the Department will be ultra-cautious on these issues but there are good examples of schemes that are already operating. I ask that lessons be learned from those examples. The average person wants to know when he or she will be able to self-generate and...