Results 721-740 of 2,990 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Telecommunications Services (30 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I am aware of phone customers in Ireland recently experiencing an escalated level of nuisance scam calls and smishing and that they can cause considerable distress and anxiety, in addition to causing some customers to incur additional charges. It is not possible, from a telecoms point of view, to assess the level of scam call activity or to quantify it with any accuracy. While...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (30 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, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along some 699 schools. Design work is...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Telecommunications Services (5 Oct 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I am aware of phone customers in Ireland recently experiencing an escalated level of nuisance scam calls and smishing and that they can cause considerable distress and anxiety, in addition to causing some customers to incur additional charges. It is not possible, from a telecoms point of view, to assess the level of scam call activity or to quantify it with any accuracy. While...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (5 Oct 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, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along some 699 schools. I am advised by NBI...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (5 Oct 2021)

Ossian Smyth: There are 84,299 premises in County Mayo of which 47,872 are in the commercial area and 36,793 are within the NBP Intervention Area. I am advised by NBI that, as of 24 September 2021, over 257,000 premises in the Intervention Area across all counties have been surveyed and over 108,000 premises are under construction across 30 Deployment Areas. Surveys are complete in the areas of...

Energy Prices: Motion [Private Members] (6 Oct 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: “notes that: — the Government is acutely aware of the recent energy price increases and their impact on households; — electricity and gas retail price rises, both in Ireland and across Europe, are predominantly related to current international...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Infrastructure (7 Oct 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Question refers to an area located in the AMBER area on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website www.broadband.gov.ie. 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: Departmental Correspondence (7 Oct 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I refer to the reply to Question No 150 of 30th September 2021. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Infrastructure (7 Oct 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 www.broadband.gov.ie. 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...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Schemes (12 Oct 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I am here on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Heather Humphreys. I am glad the Senator supports the revitalisation of towns and villages and helping people to work from home. It is Government policy to do that. We agreed it last summer. The Senator is raising the practicalities of the short time...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Schemes (12 Oct 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I take the Senator's point about changing timelines and how they may have dissuaded applicants and I will take those back to the Minister. I thank her for her invitation to visit south Kildare. I recently bought a renovated electric car from a company called Range Therapy in Narraghmore, outside Kilcullen. It took a very old electric car and upgraded it by adding extra batteries. It is a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Energy Infrastructure (12 Oct 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Senator Carrigy for referencing the climate action plan which, as he probably knows, is being updated. The newly revised climate action plan will be issued in the coming weeks, but I will take into account what the Senator has being saying. The routing of gas pipelines or the connection of towns to the gas pipeline network are matters for Gas Networks Ireland, a commercial...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Energy Infrastructure (12 Oct 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Senator agrees that it is unlikely that, under a strict cost-benefit analysis, extending the gas network will be found to be viable. He has also said that there is a project of investigation to see whether biogas can be injected and whether we can make progress on that. I support that. The midlands have been targeted for just transition funding. We need to find ways forward and biogas...

Seanad: Budget 2022: Statements (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Budget 2022, with an overall expenditure allocation of €87.6 billion, reflects the Government's commitment to return the public finances to a more sustainable position, address challenges in the key areas of housing and climate action, enhance public services and social supports and ensure a balanced recovery from the pandemic. To respond to the pandemic, the Government made available...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Infrastructure (12 Oct 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Question refers to premises located in the AMBER area on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website www.broadband.gov.ie. 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: Waste Management (12 Oct 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I refer to the reply to Question No. 237 [46695/21] of 28th September, 2021  The position is unchanged.

Financial Resolutions 2021 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I will describe a couple of measures to reduce waste next year. Around our country, there are historic landfill sites, including, for example, the illegal site at Kerdiffstown in County Kildare. There is €26 million in my budget for landfill remediation. Fly-tipping is still going on, albeit much less than before. One still sees mattresses and things dumped in our beautiful...

Financial Resolutions 2021 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Perhaps I used too little time.

Seanad: Budget 2022: Statements (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thank all the Members who made contributions. I found them interesting and informative and I will try and address some of them for a start. Starting with Senator Casey. I agree it is important to have a credible economic policy. One of the reasons for that is that if we do not have it we cannot borrow on international markets and we cannot get the money that we need at the price that we...

Seanad: Budget 2022: Statements (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Senator Cummins asked about the closure of banks. An Post has stepped in and said that it will run services for one of the major banks. An Post reports to the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Naughton. She has been dealing with An Post management and workers and can inform the Senator on that matter.Senator Lombard also asked about...