Results 7,861-7,880 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: I thank Deputy Moynihan for his insights and his questions. To reference the Estimates I remind colleagues that the 2014 allocation had allowed for an end of contract provision of €9.058 million for the NBS service-provider and an allocation of €6.2 million for schools broadband, as well as additional moneys for the separate issue of postcodes. To deal with the national...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: Under state aid rules, we must maintain neutrality. The European Union does not allow us to nominate a technology. Having said that, anybody who reads the literature and has an understanding of broadband knows that the technology of choice in delivering high quality broadband is fibre. I am certainly very conscious of this and the thinking generally on what is best technically to deliver...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: That is a very fair question. I agree with the Deputy in placing the emphasis on the timelines involved. We have imposed on ourselves very exacting month-by-month timelines. I will ensure the Deputy and colleagues will receive a monthly report on where we are in the various stages we need to go through. The answer to the Deputy's question on state aid is that once the application is made,...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: We can do some work in parallel. When we make the submission for state aid approval, the clock does not have to stop. I expect and will want to go to tender at the end of the year. I do not believe we will have to stop or pause the timetable in order to wait for the response to the state aid application. I hope to make the application mid-year, perhaps in the summer, and in the meantime...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: I endorse fully what the Deputy has said because in order to do this right, we need to do it in the way I have described. We need to go through each of the stages I have outlined and go to tender, with a roll-out in 2016. Doing it right is the most important aspect. Adopting an approach simply to fill in gaps in a haphazard way will not solve the problem. It must be undertaken as one big...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: I would prefer not to put a cost figure on it because I do not want to start the bidding process today. However, I hope we can look to a number of sources of financing and that we are not just talking about the Exchequer writing a big cheque. We have spoken to the European Commission; the Juncker moneys have come on stream; we have the European Investment Bank and even considered the World...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: As I mentioned, we have made provision this year largely to cover the cost of legal and economic advice, as well as the financial, procurement and technical components.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: I think what the Deputy is driving at is the need for a large quantum of money in the budget this year for the national broadband plan. It would not, in fact, be spent this year because, as I have indicated to Deputies, we have a programme of work this year that will put us in a position where we will be able to start rolling out the plan next year and in the short period beyond. Even if I...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: I am happy that there will be robust support from the Government, including financial support, for this necessary project.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: If we get the contractors in place in 2016, it will take somewhere between three and five years for the rest of the country to be covered – the figure of 100,000 km I mentioned. Whoever the unfortunate person will be, the last person in the country to benefit will receive broadband by 2020. I expect, once the successful contractor or contractors are in place, the roll-out of the plan...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: I can only agree with what the Deputy has said and the examples given. People do need to bring the extent to which current services are not up to scratch to the attention of the commercial operators. Occasionally, colleagues in this room and others bring the matter to my attention. As I indicated, I have no direct responsibility for the operation of commercial companies. However, from...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: There was a reduction this year in the provision for Eircode and the money required to deal with exactly the point the Deputy identified, namely, to ensure that public sector database are fit for purpose for this project, because that has already been done. Provision was made for that work in previous years, including last year in particular, and the work has been substantially completed...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: I understand the Chairman's question pertains to the grant-in-aid payment to RTE and the change of €4.65 million.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: The increase in the 2015 Estimate over 2014 takes account of the proposed legislative changes that will allow An Post to access the subscription databases held by service providers such as Sky and UPC. Over the course of the year, we will be introducing legislation to permit access to those databases because An Post, as the licence fee collecting agent, needs to be able to recover licence...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: It is a projection of the increased revenue we should have from the licence fee on the basis of that system being successful.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: The programme for Government made a commitment to replace the television licence fee with a household-based broadcasting charge. We have looked very closely at developments in other countries and, if I am not mistaken, this committee's equivalent in the House of Commons investigated this issue recently. Other countries are also considering the idea of moving away from a device-specific...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: The Independent Broadcasters of Ireland has made that case in respect of the television licence fee. I am aware of the huge contribution made by the independent broadcasting sector. Deputy Moynihan referred to independent local radio, which is of critical importance. In 1988 or 1989, the Deputy's colleagues introduced a new legislative basis for independent broadcasting which gave rise to...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: Editorial decisions and programming are a matter for the broadcasters themselves. There is an interest in RTE in this important event in 2016. I am old enough to remember what was done in 1966. The television programmes about commemoration were extremely important. Television, radio and all media have a huge role in this. The Government has been looking closely at the commemoration...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: I strongly agree with Deputy Fitzmaurice. TG4 does enormous work, principally for the language, which was the basis for its establishment. It does this right across sport in particular and in some other areas the other broadcasters miss out on or, for scheduling or other reasons, do not accord as high a priority. TG4 has been very innovative and I agree with the Deputy that this is...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Alex White: The breakdown in respect of the estimate under subhead C5 deals with the energy research programmes. The Deputy will see that in respect of renewable energy research, development and deployment, there is a figure of €1.2 million. There is provision of €4.75 million for ocean energy development, a very important and exciting area. The energy policy and statistical support...