Results 8,301-8,320 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Leaders Questions (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Deputy Martin should have a bilateral with Deputy Ó Cuív.

Leaders Questions (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Hear, hear.

Cabinet Committees (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The Deputy's Government had no Cabinet sub-committee on health at all.

Cabinet Committees (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Deputy Martin took the file home. It went missing.

Cabinet Committees (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Deputy Martin commissioned 113 consultancy reports.

Cabinet Committees (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: It is a kind of war office, or war Cabinet, to deal with the razed earth we found after Fianna Fáil left office.

EU Affairs (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: You must be joking. It is this Government that has implemented the pain, sadly.

EU Affairs (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Does Deputy Martin remember who caused it?

EU Affairs (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: There is nothing going on. Does Deputy Martin remember who said that?

Written Answers — Transport Fuels: Transport Fuels (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The Statutory Biofuel Obligation Scheme was introduced in 2010 in order to deliver on the mandatory EU target of 10% renewable energy in transport by 2020. This scheme requires suppliers of road transport fuels to include a certain percentage of biofuel across their general fuel mix. This percentage is currently set at 4 per cent. Since the biofuels obligation came in to force on 1 July...

Written Answers — Onshore Exploration: Onshore Exploration (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 311, 312 and 329 together. I can inform the Deputy that my Department has not received applications for, nor licensed the use of exploration drilling or hydraulic fracturing in the Irish onshore and accordingly the monitoring of this activity does not arise at this time. Earlier this year, my Department granted onshore Licensing Options to three companies...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The Application Phase of the Rural Broadband Scheme closed on 29 July 2011. Almost 5,000 applications have been received. My Department is currently processing approximately 1,200 of these applications where address details need to be clarified – this is a time consuming exercise but the aim is to clear these applications over the coming weeks. The next step in the scheme is the...

Written Answers — Onshore Exploration: Onshore Exploration (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I can inform the Deputy that no company currently holds an exploration authorisation that permits exploration drilling onshore, including exploration drilling that would involve hydraulic fracturing. In February of this year, my Department granted onshore Licensing Options to three companies over parts of the North West Carboniferous (Lough Allen) and Clare Basins. The Licensing Options are...

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The renewable energy feed in tariff scheme known as REFIT is a scheme to support new renewable generation. State Aid applications have been submitted to the European Commission to continue to offer REFIT for existing renewable energy categories and to extend the scheme to cover additional biomass categories. It is intended that REFIT will be available for up to 310MW of new generation in the...

Written Answers — Transport Fuels: Transport Fuels (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The only function I have in regard to biofuels relates to the Statutory Biofuel Obligation Scheme. The biofuel obligation applies to fuel for road transport only and does not apply to diesel used for "off-road" motor vehicles such as those used in the agricultural sector. Issues relating to fuel quality in the context of minimising our pollution emissions are a matter for the Minister for...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 317 and 318 together. As the Deputy will be aware, the Broadcasting Act 2009 places specific news and current affairs requirements on sound broadcasters. The Act requires all broadcasters to devote at least 20% of the broadcast day to news and current affairs programming. There are also additional requirements relating to the provision of such programming...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: One employee in my Department will be required to retire before 1 March 2012 upon reaching their compulsory retirement age of 65 while others may retire upon reaching their minimum retirement age of 60 years of age or on actuarially reduced pension terms if they are within ten years of minimum retirement age. Since 11 July 2011, all staff in the civil service who intend to retire on or...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) launched the Greener Homes Scheme in March 2006 to support homeowners who wished to install renewable heating technology in their homes. The technologies supported included Biomass, Heat Pumps and Solar Thermal systems. The scheme closed for applications in May 2011 when solar thermal technology transitioned across to Better Energy: Homes....

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The provision of electronic communications services is, in the first instance, a matter for private sector service providers operating in Ireland's fully liberalised telecommunications market, regulated by the independent regulator, the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). Broadband services are provided by a number of private service providers over various platforms including...

Written Answers — Mobile Telephony: Mobile Telephony (27 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Authorisation to operate wireless equipment in the provision of communications services to the public is a matter for the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). ComReg has advised me that the authorisation process does not distinguish between wireless equipment located on buildings and equipment located on telecommunications masts. In addition, in the case of telecommunications...