Results 6,501-6,520 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Written Answers — Electricity Generation: Electricity Generation (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: My Department liaises regularly with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on developments in technical and safety standards for micro generation. The development of standards for micro-generation equipment is largely coordinated by the relevant international bodies such as the IEC [International Electro technical Commission] and CENELEC [Comité Européen de Normalisation...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The development of fourth generation (4G) electronic communications services that use the radio spectrum is not dependant on the Digital Dividend that arises from the switching-off of analogue television broadcasting services. 4G services will be provided using multiple aggregated bands of the radio spectrum. The Digital Dividend will, however, release additional spectrum, some of which...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: Ireland is the only country in the EU and OECD which does not have a national postcode system. There is no correlation between Google street view and the National Postcode Project as they have fundamentally different applications. Google street view is a private sector proposition and I have no role in relation to its design and development. The most recent set of discussions related to the...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The regulation of telecommunications operators, including regulatory issues surrounding bill collection and billing by operators, is the responsibility of the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) in accordance with its functions under the Communications Regulation Act 2002, as amended. I understand that ComReg advised O2 that it has serious reservations about the decision by O2...

Written Answers — Electricity Transmission Network: Electricity Transmission Network (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: Directive 2009/72/EC, which provides, inter alia, for the unbundling of transmission systems, entered into force in 2009. Member States are obliged to transpose the Directive into national law by 3 March 2011. My Department is working to deliver transposition of the Directive by the deadline. The Directive requires Member States to ensure from 3 March 2012 that the ownership and operation...

Written Answers — State Agencies: State Agencies (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I welcome the publication of the Forfás report which highlights among other things the importance of the role played by State owned enterprises in the provision of critical national infrastructure, and as a significant sector in terms of employment. The report is a very useful input into the work of the Review Group on State Assets and Liabilities and to Government thinking generally about...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The Home Energy Saving scheme (HES) and Warmer Homes Scheme (WHS) are both administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on behalf on my Department. The WHS was established to address poor thermal efficiency performance in low-income housing. The scheme is delivered at no cost to homeowners through a combination of community based organisations (CBOs) alongside a panel of...

Written Answers — Electricity Generation: Electricity Generation (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 239, 244, 246 and 248 together. At the end of June 2010 there was 1731MW of renewable generation connected to the Irish grid. This included 1459 MW of installed wind capacity from over 100 windfarms; 242MW of hydro power and 30MW of smaller renewable energy generation. In 2009 14.4% of electricity consumption in Ireland is estimated to have come from...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: Government policy pertaining to the electronic communications market in Ireland is set out in "Next Generation Broadband – Gateway to a Knowledge Ireland", which I published in June 2009. The policy paper was developed in accordance with various key principles, which are crucial to the development of the market. The policy paper sets out the Government's position that investment in...

Written Answers — Broadcasting Services: Broadcasting Services (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The Audiovisual Media Services Directive requires, inter alia, that Member States shall encourage media service providers under their jurisdiction to ensure that their services are gradually made accessible to people with a hearing disability. These provisions are transposed by the Broadcasting Act 2009 and the European Communities (Audiovisual Media Services) Regulations 2010. Under...

Written Answers — Energy Prices: Energy Prices (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) collects and publishes energy statistics to support policy analysis and development in line with national needs and international obligations. The latest available comparative data from Eurostat is published by SEAI in their report "Electricity & Gas Prices in Ireland", published in May 2010. The data contained in this report covers the...

Written Answers — Postal Services: Postal Services (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: Ireland is the only country in the EU and OECD which does not have a national postcode system. A competitive procurement process will be used by my Department to develop proposals from interested parties in the development and deployment of the system. The cost to the Exchequer of the introduction of the postcode system will be determined as part of that process. Any estimate of that cost...

Written Answers — Broadcasting Services: Broadcasting Services (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: Under the provisions of the Broadcasting Act, 2009 the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) is charged with, inter alia, providing a regulatory environment that is stable and predictable and that will facilitate the development of a broadcasting sector in Ireland that is responsive to audience needs. The BAI is also charged with stimulating the provision of high quality, diverse and...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: My Department does not licence or control the production or importation of biofuel, and so does not maintain lists of operational production facilities. The production of biofuel in Ireland was incentivised under the Mineral Oil Tax Relief Schemes, which resulted in 18 projects being awarded excise relief. The schemes were designed as an interim measure to increase the level of biofuels in...

Written Answers — Postal Services: Postal Services (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: It is Government policy that An Post remains a strong and viable company, in a position to provide a high quality, nationwide postal service and maintain a nationwide, customer focussed network of post offices. My officials and I meet regularly with An Post management to discuss issues of importance to An Post, including the future of the company. However, structural, operational and staff...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below. Please be advised that details have only provided in respect of those staff primarily employed in the requested areas. It is important to note that a number of staff across the Department may have involvement in the respective areas e.g. procurement, from time to time depending on their current work projects. Specified...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (20 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The number of persons employed by my Department on temporary contracts and the cost of these is contained in the following table. 2008 2009 No. of Staff CostNo of StaffCost 28 €1,015,23219€856,651 The majority of these are employed in specialist sectors of the Department such as the Natural Resources and IT areas. This reflects the nature of the Department's work, which requires...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (21 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The provision of broadband services is, in the first instance, a matter for the private sector service providers operating in Ireland's fully liberalised telecommunications market. Broadband services are provided by private service providers over various platforms including DSL (i.e. over telephone lines), fixed wireless, mobile, cable, fibre and satellite. Details of broadband services...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (21 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below. The breakdown of staff has been provided across the policy divisions, central divisions e.g. finance, human resources, corporate services and the natural resources area. Given the remit of the Department, the majority of staff in the Department are involved in one or more of the areas of regulation, inspections,...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (21 Oct 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The Home Energy Saving (HES) scheme provides grant assistance for a range of energy efficiency measures, including roof insulation, internal and external wall insulation, boilers and heating controls. The measures selected for inclusion in the scheme are considered to be the most optimum to deliver significant energy savings to homeowners at least cost. and represent best use of budgetary...