Results 7,501-7,520 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: National Broadband Plan Implementation (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) the Government aims to ensure that high speed broadband is available to all citizens and businesses in Ireland, through a combination of commercial investment and a State-led intervention. The commecial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately €2.5bn in network upgrades and at least 1.6m of the 2.3m addresses in Ireland are...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Conservation (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: The National Smart Metering Programme is a central component of the Government’s strategy to enhance management of energy demand, deliver smart networks and enable greater energy efficiency. It is also aligned with EU obligations on Member States under the Energy Efficiency Directive to progress smart metering. Under the European Union (Energy Efficiency Regulations) 2014 the roll-out...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Efficiency (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: I recently published a Draft Bioenergy Plan which is available on my Department’s website (www.dcenr.gov.ie). The draft Plan will undergo Strategic Environmental and Appropriate Assessments, including public consultation, which will inform the content of the finalised Plan. These assessment processes will commence shortly. Analysis underpinning the draft Plan is that an additional...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Media Pluralism (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: The Broadcasting Act 2009 provides the framework for the licensing and regulation of broadcasting services in Ireland. In order to fulfil the functions provided for in Section 66 of the Act, the BAI operate an Ownership and Control Policy (the most recent version of which was published in 2012) which sets out the regulatory approach and the rules enforced regarding ownership and control. The...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Security of the Elderly (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: The provision of telecommunications services, including fixed line SMS, occurs within a fully liberalised market, regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). ComReg, which is independent in the exercise of its functions, can intervene in the market to ensure universal public access to basic voice, fax and functional internet access services at fixed locations from at...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Media Pluralism (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: The media enjoy a position of special rights and responsibilities and are an important conduit for the exercise of freedom of expression, the development of civic discourse and the proper and adequate representation of the diversity that exists in our society. Owing to this critical role played by the media it is vital to the public interest that the State protect media pluralism as far as is...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Postal Services (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: I refer to the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 107 of 4 June 2014. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: Through the National Broadband Plan (NBP) the Government aims to ensure that high speed broadband is available to all citizens and businesses in Ireland, through a combination of commercial investment and a State-led intervention. The commercial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately €2.5bn in network upgrades and at least 1.6m of the 2.3m addresses in Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Regulation (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: Irish energy markets, in complying with EU and national legislation, are liberalised, competitive, commercial, and subject to regulation by the independent Commission for Energy Regulation (CER). I have no statutory function in the matters of monitoring or setting of gas and electricity prices. The CER does not decide the retail prices charged by any of the various suppliers of electricity...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Renewable Energy Incentives (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: I recently published a Draft Bioenergy Plan which is available on my Department’s website (www.dcenr.gov.ie). The draft Plan will undergo Strategic Environmental and Appropriate Assessments, including public consultation, which will inform the content of the finalised Plan. These assessment processes will commence shortly. The draft Plan sets out the broader context for the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Regulation (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: The Irish oil industry is fully privatised, liberalised and deregulated and there is free entry to the market. There is no price control in the oil sector and it is Government policy to encourage price competition and consumer choice. The Commission for Energy Regulation has no statutory function in the regulation of petrol and diesel prices. The Maximum Prices Order was removed in 1991 and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Postcode Implementation (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: My Department commenced a procurement process for a National Postcode System in 2011. An open and competitive procurement process was conducted in accordance with Department of Finance and EU procurement frameworks. A pre-qualification questionnaire was issued on on 17 January 2011. This invited interested parties to tender for the contract as a postcode management licence holder for a period...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Prices (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: The Irish oil industry is fully privatised, liberalised and deregulated and there is free entry to the market. There is no price control in the oil sector and it is Government policy to encourage price competition and consumer choice. I have no statutory function in the setting of oil, petrol or diesel prices. Previous surveys have shown that prices charged by Irish retailers for oil...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: I propose to take Questions Nos. 189 and 194 together. The provision of broadband services occurs within a fully liberalised market. The commercial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately €2.5bn in network upgrades and at least 1.6m of the 2.3m addresses in Ireland are expected to have access to commercial high speed broadband services over the next number of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Post Office Network (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: 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 in the community. I see a strong future for the network by using its existing strengths to remain a significant player in the provision of Government, financial and other services....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Postal Services (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: Operational matters for the post office network are a matter for the Board and management of An Post and not one in which I have a statutory function.Information provided by the company on the number of post offices closed on an annual basis over the last ten years is set out in the following table: - 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Post Office Closures 54 46 47 76 38 12...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Electricity Generation (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: I propose to take Questions Nos. 192 and 193 together. While responsibility for climate change policy is primarily a matter for my colleague the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, my Department, which has responsibility for energy policy, has a critical role to play in delivering effective interventions required to achieve climate policy objectives. Ireland is...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Telecommunications Infrastructure (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: The security of telecommunications networks is, in the first instance, a matter for the telecommunications operators. Under the Communications Regulation Act 2006 as amended, the European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Framework) Regulations 2011 and the European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Privacy and Electronic...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Telecommunications Services Provision (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: In terms of the quality of mobile phone coverage throughout the country, mobile licences issued by ComReg require Mobile Network Operators to provide a minimum level of national population coverage. There are no Universal Service Obligations attached to mobile phone licences and the design of individual networks is a matter entirely for the operators concerned. Given that mobile telephone...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Cyber Security Policy (23 Oct 2014)

Alex White: This Government is committed to keeping our children and young people safe online, and to ensure that our legal and administrative systems reflect best practice in this area, and that people enjoy the same protection and rights online as already exist offline. To that end, the Internet Content Governance Advisory (ICGA) Group was established in December of last year to review existing policy...