Results 8,281-8,300 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (12 May 2015)

Alex White: I refer to the reply to Question No. 579 of 6 May. As I outlined in that reply, the map available at my Department’s website shows the areas that will have access to high speed broadband by commercial operators and the target areas for the proposed State Intervention. The reply also indicated that, in addition, the website provides detailed information on over 50,000 townlands in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Vacancies on State Boards (12 May 2015)

Alex White: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the attached table. In line with the Government's new arrangements for appointments to State Boards, all appointments are advertised through stateboards.ie,except where other processes are in place as specified in Section 9 of the Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards (November 2014). Suitable candidates are identified following an...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (12 May 2015)

Alex White: I propose to take Questions Nos. 612 and 613 together. The National Broadband Plan is delivering high speed broadband to every home and business in Ireland regardless of its location. This is being achieved through a partnership between Government and commercial telecommunications companies. The commercial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately €2.5 billion in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Policy (12 May 2015)

Alex White: The overarching objective of the Government's energy policy is to ensure secure and sustainable supplies of competitively priced energy to all consumers. A new Energy Policy Paper which will set out Ireland’s energy policy up to 2030 is being developed. To facilitate the development of the new Policy Paper, a Green Paper on Energy Policy in Ireland was published in May 2014 commencing...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (12 May 2015)

Alex White: The National Broadband Plan is delivering high speed broadband to every home and business in Ireland regardless of its location. This is being achieved through a partnership between Government and commercial telecommunications companies. The commercial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately €2.5 billion in network upgrades and enhanced services with...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (12 May 2015)

Alex White: The National Broadband Plan is delivering high speed broadband to every home and business in Ireland regardless of its location. This is being achieved through a partnership between Government and commercial telecommunications companies. The commercial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately €2.5 billion in network upgrades and enhanced services with...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (12 May 2015)

Alex White: The National Broadband Plan is delivering high speed broadband to every home and business in Ireland regardless of its location. This is being achieved through a partnership between Government and commercial telecommunications companies. The commercial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately €2.5 billion in network upgrades and enhanced services with...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (12 May 2015)

Alex White: As part of the detailed planning phase of the National Broadband Plan, my officials continue to engage with a wide range of industry and stakeholder groups.This engagement process also included a recent meeting with a representative of the company referred to in the Deputy's question. The meeting afforded my officials an opportunity to outline the scope and detail behind the proposed State...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (13 May 2015)

Alex White: The National Broadband Plan aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided. The commercial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Pension Provisions (13 May 2015)

Alex White: I propose to take Questions Nos. 201 and 202 together. The ESB General Employees' Superannuation Defined Benefit Scheme is a contributory pension scheme through which pensions for the majority of employees in the electricity business are funded. The fund is vested in trustees nominated by ESB and its members for the sole benefit of employees, former employees and their dependents. The...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (14 May 2015)

Alex White: The Government strongly supports the importance of high quality Broadband connectivity for long term economic and social sustainability. The National Broadband Plan is delivering high speed broadband to every home and business in Ireland regardless of its location. This is being achieved through a partnership between Government and commercial telecommunications companies. The commercial...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (14 May 2015)

Alex White: I propose to take Questions Nos. 217 and 218 together. The National Broadband Plan aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided. The commercial...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Consumer Prices Data (14 May 2015)

Alex White: The total amount of expenditure by my Department from its consultancy services and value for money and policy reviews budget in the years 2011 to 2014 is set out in the following table. - 2011 2012 2013 2014 Amount €1.364m €0.919m €1.273m €1.829m In procuring these specialised services, my Department always seeks to ensure value for money and the keeping of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Alternative Energy Projects (14 May 2015)

Alex White: I propose to take Questions Nos. 220 and 221 together. Analysis underpinning the Draft Bioenergy Plan, published in October last year, indicates that an additional bioenergy focussed measure in the heat sector would represent the most cost effective means of meeting a number of different policy goals including addressing the potential shortfall in our renewable heat levels. Therefore,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Policy Review (14 May 2015)

Alex White: The overarching objective of the Government's energy policy is to ensure secure and sustainable supplies of competitively priced energy to all consumers. A new Energy Policy Paper, which will set out Ireland’s energy policy up to 2030, is being developed. To facilitate the development of the new Policy Paper, a Green Paper on Energy Policy in Ireland was published in May 2014 opening a...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Electricity Transmission Network (14 May 2015)

Alex White: The Deputy will be aware that the Independent Expert Panel established in January 2014 is overseeing the integrity of the process being undertaken by EirGrid to report on the Grid West and Grid Link projects. The EirGrid reports are required to be comprehensive, route-specific studies of overhead and underground options for the projects. They must also be complete, comparable (overhead line...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: National Gas Grid (14 May 2015)

Alex White: On 27 March 2015 Eirgrid published, for public comment, a discussion paper on Ireland's grid development strategy - "Your Grid, Your Views, Your Tomorrow.". The paper, which reviews, inter alia, the Grid Link, Grid West, and North South Transmission Line projects, confirms that Ireland’s energy transmission needs may be met with reduced new infrastructure because of technological...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Postal Codes (14 May 2015)

Alex White: The up-to-date position in relation to the eircodes project is set out in reply to Question No. 210 of 7 May 2015. The correspondence to my Department referred to in the Question was dated 17 April and 30 April 2015. A reply issued from my Department on 8 May.

Topical Issue Debate: Radio Broadcasting (19 May 2015)

Alex White: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Government policy is to encourage and support a diverse media that serves all of the people. Licence fee funding for public service broadcasting provides an independent and reliable income, which allows the two public service broadcasters - RTE and TG4 - to meet their public service objectives with a high level of editorial independence. This is...

Topical Issue Debate: Radio Broadcasting (19 May 2015)

Alex White: While I am responsible as Minister for these issues in the first instance, they touch on the legislation that is in place. For that reason, a legislative amendment would be required if we were to go down the road being suggested, or at least being suggested for discussion, by the Deputy. I have to say I have some sympathy with the point he has made about radio. As a former radio producer,...