Results 7,901-7,920 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Telecommunications Services (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: We did not recover from the disaster of the privatisation of Telecom Éireann and the fact that it was ripped off successively purely for the purpose of asset stripping and taking money from it, meaning that the investment was not made when we had competitive advantage. While that is history now, it is something that must be corrected. The EU targets are that every household would have 30...

Departmental Bodies (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I am currently considering the recommendations of the McCarthy report on State assets and liabilities regarding companies under my responsibility and will forward my views to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in the very near future. I expect that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform will consider the responses of all affected Departments and bring proposals on the...

Departmental Bodies (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I broadly agree with the Deputy that the selling off of State assets can be short-sighted and we do not have a great record in that regard. Deputy Ó Cuív and I had an exchange of views on the fall-out from the manner in which Telecom Éireann was privatised and the way it set back the economic potential of the country by depriving it of the investment that would have been necessary for the...

Departmental Bodies (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: To answer Deputy Murphy first, I am happy to facilitate such a debate on the McCarthy report and have no difficulty with it. I will signal as much to the Government Whip, if that is helpful. I am happy to debate the issue. Deputy McDonald is right - we still have some choices although not as many as those about which the Deputy waxes eloquent from time to time. In the tough global world in...

Departmental Bodies (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: There is a conflict of interests there, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

Energy Resources (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 34 and 38 together. The bio-fuel obligation was enacted and introduced in 2010 to deliver on the mandatory EU target of 10% renewable energy in transport by 2020. The initial penetration rate set was 4%, which represents almost a doubling of size of the previous bio-fuel market in Ireland. I am confident that the obligation will promote the sustainable...

Energy Resources (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: As the Deputy is well aware, the difficulty that confronts any Government in this regard is that the subsidy required to accommodate the import behind the question would be prohibitive in the present climate. I do not accept that the industry will not grow. It is subject to fluctuations in the prices available in the market to farmers, in particular. A number of small enterprises of this...

Leaders' Questions (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Can Deputy Martin imagine what he would have learned if he had left it as it was?

Leaders' Questions (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: It cost €111 million.

Leaders' Questions (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Deputy Cowen is only jealous.

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 and 37 together. As the Deputy will be aware, the marine renewable energy is an emerging industry worldwide which has considerable potential for economic growth and job creation. The acknowledged scale of Ireland's wave resource is such that the development and deployment of wave, tidal and offshore wind technologies is considered to have considerable...

Written Answers — Energy Prices: Energy Prices (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: In recent months wholesale oil and gas prices have been trending upwards. There are concerns in the markets that oil prices will continue to rise in the months ahead. As oil prices rise, European wholesale gas prices, which lag oil prices by about six months, are expected by the markets to rise during the last quarter of the year. Prices are being driven by geopolitical events in the Middle...

Written Answers — Energy Prices: Energy Prices (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 50 together. I have no statutory function in the setting of energy prices, whether in the regulated or non-regulated market. Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets is a matter for the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), which is an independent statutory body. The electricity retail market is now fully deregulated and...

Written Answers — Electricity Transmission Network: Electricity Transmission Network (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The Report by Frontier Economics was undertaken under a process overseen by Mr. Fergus Cahill as independent chair. The Report contains an assessment of costs, benefits and regulatory impact of the options for unbundling the electricity transmission assets set in the context of EU Third Package and the all island single electricity market. The process involved input from the direct...

Written Answers — Energy Resources: Energy Resources (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Completion of the development works by the developer is the principal factor that will determine the date for first gas. Pending such completion, it is not possible to state a date for when gas from the Corrib gas field will become available. The Corrib Project requires a number of statutory permissions in order for the developer to construct, operate and maintain the development. In...

Written Answers — Fisheries Conservation: Fisheries Conservation (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Following scientific research conducted by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), indicating that the European eel stocks are in a critical state, the EU introduced Council Regulation 1100/2007, the objective of which is to achieve recovery of the stocks to previous high levels. The Regulation required Member States to prepare a national Eel Management Plan for...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The provision of electronic communications services, including broadband, is, in the first instance, a matter for private sector service providers, regulated by the independent regulator, the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). The two key broadband issues for Government are (i) broadband availability and (ii) broadband quality. While these matters are primarily for the...

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The Programme for Government commits to facilitate the development of energy cooperatives to make it easier for small scale renewable energy providers to contribute to our renewable targets. The involvement of local community participants in renewable energy projects has been advocated as a means to progress the uptake of renewable energy and promote local community acceptance of large scale...

Written Answers — Broadcasting Services: Broadcasting Services (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: RTÉ is an independent national public service broadcaster whose remit and obligations are set out in the Broadcasting Act 2009. With regard to the duties of the corporation in respect of its revenue, these are set out in section 105 of the Broadcasting Act 2009. In brief, this provision requires RTÉ to hold sufficient revenue to pay its current debts and to provide for capital expenditure....

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (21 Jun 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Ireland generated an estimated 13.4% of electricity from renewable sources in 2010. This compares with 4.4% in 2003. The Gate 3 programme which is overseen by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) was designed specifically to support delivery of Ireland's national renewable target of 40% of electricity supplied from renewable sources by 2020. EirGrid is responsible for the issuing of...