Results 581-600 of 2,990 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (15 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy sets out a clear roadmap for the introduction of a Deposit and Return Scheme (DRS) for plastic bottles and aluminium cans in the third quarter of 2022. The legislative framework for the scheme will be published in the coming weeks.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (15 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) are a key element of the NBP providing high speed broadband in every county in advance of the roll out of the fibre to the home network. My Department has prioritised primary schools with no high speed broadband and continues to work with the Department of Education in this regard.An acceleration of this aspect of the National Broadband Plan will see...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (15 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in the over 544,000 premises.There are 84,374 premises in County Tipperary of which 54,564 are in the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (15 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I refer to the reply to Parlimentary Question number 42498/21 of 9 September 2021 - Order Number 60. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (15 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Question refers to a premises located in the AMBER area on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website . The AMBER area represents the area to be served by the network to be deployed under the NBP State led intervention.I appreciate people's frustration when they are living so close to a fibre network but...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Legislative Process (15 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (the CRU) has statutory responsibility, under S.I. 60 of 2005, to monitor and take measures necessary to ensure the security of electricity supply in Ireland. It is assisted in its statutory role by EirGrid which is responsible for the day-to-day management of the electricity transmission system. The CRU have advised me that they have identified...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: State Bodies (15 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The National Cyber Security Strategy published in 2019 provided that the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) will be further developed, particularly with regard to its ability to monitor and respond to cyber security incidents and developing threats in the State. The Programme for Government included a commitment to undertake a capacity review of the NCSC to benchmark the Centre...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Cybersecurity Policy (15 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The telecommunications market is regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation, including in relation to operational issues such as detecting or monitoring scam calls.While I understand that it is not possible to identify scam call numbers in advance, which can resemble normal, familiar geographical or international numbers encountered on a daily basis, the Regulator has published...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (15 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for the collation of national waste data and reports annually on Ireland’s performance against the targets set out in EU and national legislation.  Reports indicate Ireland is achieving or is on course to achieve all our EU waste targets. Further information is available at...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (15 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I propose to take Questions Nos. 215, 216 and 217 together.I propose taking Question Nos. 215, 216 and 217 together. Most cartons, whether Tetra Pak or similar, are a composite packaging material  compiled of paperboard and small amounts of polyethylene with an aluminium foil lining.  All these cartons are accepted in the household recycling bin or...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (15 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: NBI has not applied for or drawn down any contingency subsidy in respect of encroachment by another operator in the Intervention Area.     The Department has engaged extensively with industry since 2013 through multiple public consultations to determine as accurately as possible where commercial operators have existing high speed...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (16 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I expect that, increasingly, all Deputies will be concerned about the availability of broadband in their area, whether in rural or urban areas. The national broadband plan is one of the largest infrastructural projects in the history of the State. It is one over which I have some oversight and about which I am very optimistic. I think the fundamentals for this project are much stronger...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (16 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: There are four deployment areas covering Cork North-Central. It is a constituency with differences in that there urban and rural areas. Of those deployment areas, one is to be completed by 2022, two by 2024 and the last by 2026. Surveys are ongoing across Cork county. It was homes in Cork that were connected first to the network. The nature of the deployment is that it starts at the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (16 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: That is a useful contribution. I understand the NBI was before the communications committee yesterday discussing these topics. Deputy Colm Burke asked how the roll-out plan is going and when there will be a catch-up. The NBI was asked that specific question yesterday and its answer was that it expects that it will catch up by 2023. There are delays. The number of homes that have been...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Waste Management (16 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Yes, my attention has been drawn to this because, during the summer, I met with the company that was experiencing difficulties in this regard and I then contacted the Department and the EPA to discuss this. Article 28 of the European Communities (Waste Directive) Regulations, S.I. No. 126 of 2011, sets out the grounds by which a material which is recovered or recycled from waste can be...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Waste Management (16 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: For a start, no company should ever have to wait years for a decision from the Government on anything, and that stands to reason. The EPA tells me that it has only ever received 68 end of waste applications. Of these, 13 have been delivered, with a further 13 applications deemed to be abandoned or withdrawn. Of the remaining 42 applications on hand, which is more than the number the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Waste Management (16 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: One of the issues is that the EPA has no legislative or strategy requirement to come to a determination in any timeframe. I think that, generally, there should be some limit on how long it takes to reach a decision. Specifically, what we can do is to make sure the EPA is sufficiently staffed and that it has the resources it needs to do it, that we monitor the length of its applications...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (16 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Again, I refer the Deputy to the meeting of the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications with National Broadband Ireland, NBI, yesterday, where some of these issues were discussed, certainly from the point of view of NBI on the acceleration of the rollout. The programme for government states that the Government will attempt to compress the length of time for the rollout from seven...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (16 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Not everybody in Mayo will be connected at the same time. The connections will start at the exchanges and move outwards. There will be different deployment areas and some areas will come on stream before others. I have asked NBI to provide the most detailed information that it can, and it has provided more. I want it to be realistic with people and state that they are, at present, five...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (16 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: For a start, in response to Deputy Dillon, the management of the NBI contract is very important at this point. It is important, for example, that all penalty clauses are applied where they are legally due. I have told my project team not to show any kindness towards the contractor and to let it know that we will be setting a standard that all penalty clauses are applied where they are due....