Results 801-820 of 2,304 for speaker:John Browne
- Ex-Service Personnel. (7 Nov 2006)
John Browne: I thank Deputy Wall for raising this matter. I am replying on behalf of the Minister for Defence, Deputy O'Dea, who sends his apologies for being absent. I wish to refer to the official recognition of organisations representing military veterans and the related question of these organisations being invited to appropriate State functions, ceremonies and parades of retired Army groups. There...
- Written Answers — Fishing Industry: Fishing Industry (7 Nov 2006)
John Browne: I am advised that there is a Bye-Law in the Statute Book from 1860 which prohibits trawling in this area. While the legal status of this bye-law needs to be confirmed I wish to advise the Deputy that the control authorities of the Department and the Naval Service monitor fishing in the area on an ongoing basis. To this end, I have been advised that there has been no evidence of trawling in...
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak on this strategically important issue. Energy underlines all areas of economic activity and is vital for the well-being of our people. The Government, unlike the Opposition, has responsibilities. Its task is to ensure that energy is affordable, consistently available and secure in supply. The Opposition has no policies on this issue. It is...
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: The Opposition does not want an independent regulator for energy. It wants the Oireachtas to have the power to intervene to reduce gas and electricity tariffs. Its energy policy, which was published last April, calls for the appointment of a transport regulator without any restrictions.
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: The Opposition, which is living in cloud-cuckoo land, wants to intervene in the market, to generate instability and uncertainty and to drive away new entrants.
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: That would diminish competition, which the Opposition says it wants to champion. Investors will give a wide berth to any market that has such regulatory uncertainty.
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: It is as if volatility in energy prices is occurring on the island of Ireland and nowhere else in Europe. We should examine the facts. Gas is an internationally traded commodity. Ireland is essentially a price taker. Bord Gáis Ãireann imports over 86% of the gas used in this country, the cost of which has increased by approximately 50% in the last year. International fuel prices are...
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: Household electricity bills in Ireland are just over 1% higher than those in Britain, on average.
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: The six largest electricity suppliers in the UK have increased prices throughout 2006 by between 13.1% and 39.6%.
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: The equivalent figure for the ESB was 4.11% in 2006. The UK has an abundance of generating plants, nuclear power plants, significant interconnection facilities and a large open and contestable market with privatised energy utilitiesââ
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: ââbut it continues to experience very high prices.
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: The Commission for Energy Regulation has made every effort to ensure that electricity price increases have been kept as low as possible. It reduced the revenue sought by the ESB by â¬80 million, or 3.5%. It has considered the possible fuel cost variation mechanisms in tariffs.
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: Value added tax is set at 13.5%.
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: A reduced rate applies to electricity and all forms of heating fuels. This rate is well below the rates applied to such products in the vast majority of EU member states. VAT is reclaimable for business. I would like to speak about pensioners and those on fixed incomes. That this is a caring Government is underlined by the generous level of support it has made available, in the form of...
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: It will not be able to handle the energy supplies of this island, which is essentially a price taker.
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: I await with interest further details of the commitment given by Deputy Durkan tonight. In response to a Deputy on this side of the House, he said that when Fine Gael gets into office, he will reverse the increases recently sanctioned by the regulator. If I were a betting man, I would bet that will not happen.
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: It is unlikely that Deputy Durkan will ever get to be on this side of the House. I can assure Deputy Ring that I have never been in the ESB box in Croke Park. Perhaps the Wexford teams do not play there that often.
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: I have never been invited by the ESB to sit in its box and I do not want to be invited. Like Deputies on all sides of the House, I would prefer to sit among the rank of file of my home county.
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: Over 15,000 jobs are being created each year.
- Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2006)
John Browne: We are always awake.