Results 8,361-8,380 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Bord na Móna (11 Jun 2015)

Alex White: The matter raised by the Deputy is an operational one for Bord na Móna. The company faces significant business challenges in the context of the deregulated electricity market and increasingly competitive and challenging environments across all its business areas. I understand that in order to ensure its continued success, the company is implementing a programme to transform all...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Rural Broadband Scheme (11 Jun 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: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (11 Jun 2015)

Alex White: My Department currently has 7 employees who earn less than €11.45 gross per hour. If a minimum wage of €11.45 were introduced, it would present an additional cost of €20,541.41 gross per annum to my Department. The salaries paid to employees of the bodies under the aegis of my Department are generally matters for those bodies.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: North-South Interconnector (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: In January 2014, an independent expert panel was established to oversee the integrity of the process being undertaken by EirGrid to report on comprehensive, route-specific studies of overhead and underground options for both the Grid Link and Grid West projects. While the North-South transmission line project is outside the panel's terms of reference, the panel did agree, on foot of a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: North-South Interconnector (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: Given that the planning process is under way for the North-South project, submissions or observations in respect of the application for planning approval may be made to An Bord Pleanála during the ten-week period of statutory public consultation which begins today. It is open to the Deputy and members of the public to make submissions on that planning application for consideration by An...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: North-South Interconnector (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: EirGrid is the statutory agency with responsibility for this project and the grid across the country. It has made a proposal to the board and set out certain options. It has said the option under discussion is the optimal one and has set out the scientific and other evidence that underlies the conclusion it came to. However, it is now up to An Bord Pleanála. It is open to citizens in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Energy Policy (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: The Government’s strategy on affordable energy highlights how addressing energy poverty is a critical whole-of-government responsibility. To that end, my Department offers energy efficiency upgrades that are free of charge to households that are at risk of energy poverty. I introduced a new scheme in 2014 that requires the main energy suppliers to deliver annual energy efficiency...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Energy Policy (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: As I stated, I appreciate the Deputy's interest and insights on this issue. I agree with him that this is an area in which we need to continue with our efforts. We need to increase our efforts in order to have a policy that addresses this undoubted issue. The Deputy mentioned solar panels and retrofitting. There have been initiatives in this regard. I was involved in announcing some...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Energy Policy (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: I take the point. As we migrate to a decarbonised economy here and elsewhere in Europe, we must always remember that there is a cost associated with these changes. Those costs must be discharged, regardless of whether it is directly from the Exchequer or from the consumer, industry or business. The cost must land somewhere in the system and the economy. The Deputy makes a fair point that...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Telecommunications Infrastructure (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: The State-owned metropolitan area networks, MANs, have played an important role in driving competition in the regions and have facilitated large and small retail service providers operating in a fully liberalised market in providing high-speed broadband services without having to build their own networks. The MANs provide a link between national backhaul networks and the so-called last mile...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Telecommunications Infrastructure (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: There are constraints on State intervention and in funding or subsidising activity other than in circumstances where there is clear market failure, as the Deputy is well aware. That said, he raises an interesting issue about infrastructure that is already in place and asks if it is being used in the way intended for which funding was provided. I take his point. As I said in my introductory...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: The national broadband plan aims to ensure every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. In tandem with commercial developments, intensive work is under way in my Department to progress a State-led investment to secure the country-wide introduction of next generation broadband access. On 24 November last, a public consultation...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: Any of the timeline indications I have given to the House have so far been maintained. The Deputy is right in saying that the big hard stops will be the procurement process late in the year, in November and December. The next stage is to bring the intervention strategy to Cabinet, I hope in July, the pre-notification process to DG Competition and then to get on to the procurement...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: That is my intention. I can say in good faith to the Deputy that nothing has changed since the last time we had this engagement in the House that would make me believe there would be any issue with November-December. In other words, what I know now, I knew the last time we had this conversation here. We are on course to get to procurement by the end of the year, November-December, as I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: Is the Deputy referring to this particular project?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: No, it would not.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Post Office Network (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: Postal services play an important communications role, serving the needs of domestic and business customers alike. However, the postal sector is undergoing systemic change with migration towards electronic communications, resulting in significant core mail volume decline year-on-year. It is Government policy that An Post remain a strong and viable company, in a position to provide a high...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Post Office Network (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: I understand that the Department of Social Protection recently amended its old age pension application forms to reorder the list of payment options available to new beneficiaries, putting EFT payment first and relegating payment via the post office second. This is because electronic payment is often more convenient for recipients, as well as being cheaper for the Department to process. I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Post Office Network (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: That is exactly one of the things we need to do and it is uppermost in our minds. The shift towards electronic payments, as recognised by the IPU, needs to be made to enable the post office network to compete with the banks and in order that the post office network can be as good in transacting this business as any other outlet. The Deputy is right in that regard. This illustrates the...

Other Questions: Wind Energy Guidelines (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: The wind energy development guidelines provide guidance for planning authorities on planning for wind energy projects by ensuring consistency of approach in the identification of suitable locations for wind energy developments and the treatment of planning applications throughout the country for such developments and assisting developers and the wider public in considering wind energy...