Results 8,381-8,400 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Other Questions: Wind Energy Guidelines (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: Work and analysis are ongoing in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government in conjunction with my Department and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland on the review of wind energy guidelines. No firm decisions have yet been taken, but it is hoped to finalise the review in the very near future. I understand the concerns the Deputy has raised about the perceived...

Other Questions: Wind Energy Guidelines (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: I do not wish to mislead the Deputy or anybody in the House, nor would I, in suggesting it is days or weeks, but the matter is being actively considered by the two Departments with a view to publication of the guidelines by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. That will give the Deputy an understanding of the issue.

Other Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: I thank the Deputy for his question which relates to a motion passed by Leitrim County Council. While I have received communication from the county council, as outlined in the Deputy's question, I would comment as follows on the appointment of CDM Smith and the involvement of that company in the multi-agency trans-boundary programme of research commissioned by the EPA on the potential...

Other Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: I do not know who said that. It was not me.

Other Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: While I understand what the Deputy is saying, I respectfully disagree with him when he says there is no need to have the matter researched. We should have it researched here and have expert scientific evidence available to us in this jurisdiction. That is why the EPA has commissioned the study. The science is critical and there is a consortium of parties involved - I read out the list -...

Other Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: We will have to part company on the science. Perhaps I am naive, but I think the science stands on its own. Scientific evidence is important to policy making. As a policy maker, the Minister of the day will make a decision based on the best available advice and evidence and will come to the House to account for it. It will be at least another year before the EPA's findings emerge. We...

Other Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: The Deputy has noted that CDM Smith Ireland Limited and its sub-consultants signed a conflict of interest declaration as part of the tender documentation. The declaration stated it had no conflict that would impair its ability to meet the requirements as specified, whether through personal interest, current or prospective contractual obligations or any other activity or association.

Other Questions: Energy Conservation (16 Jun 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. My Department is working on a new energy policy White Paper which will set out Ireland’s energy policy up to 2030. I aim to publish the White Paper in October. In regard to its energy efficiency aspects, eliminating waste and the...

Other Questions: Energy Conservation (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: Certainly Deputy Wallace's expertise is welcome and I have taken a note of what he has said. It is most helpful, as are the insights from other colleagues. As Deputy Colreavy said, it is right that we should have a sense, as best we can, of the extent of the issue. Deputy Moynihan also mentioned the point about older local authority schemes. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland...

Other Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: There is no prospect of there being any developments in this area for quite some considerable time. The Environmental Protection Agency commissioned study is under way. It will not report before the middle of 2016. I would have thought that at that stage we would require a significant period either for me or whoever has the honour of being in this position as Minister to review and...

Other Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: I largely agree with the Deputy's comments. The problem from the point of view of political discourse is that with an issue like climate change, people too often regard it as something to be dealt with by someone else, somewhere else and at some other time. In fact, it is an issue that affects all of us, and it is already impacting our planet and must be addressed. To direct the Deputy...

Other Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: I will take on board Deputy Colreavy's insights in regard to TTIP and ISDS. To answer Deputy Wallace's question, I support the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, in bringing forward the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill. That legislation constitutes progress. In fairness, however, notwithstanding its importance, it is only one...

Other 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. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State-led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided. I will make the reply available to Deputies rather than read it all because time...

Other Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: As I understand it, the Deputy is proposing a database to monitor the availability of broadband services. It would not, in the first instance, be the responsibility of the Department. ComReg also has certain statutory duties and a role pursuant to legislation. My focus is on spreading access to high speed broadband across the country, in particular rural areas where the commercial sector...

Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Network (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: I welcome the opportunity to address the House on the day the initial report of the post office network business development group has been published for consultation. I established the group which is led by the entrepreneur Bobby Kerr in January to explore commercial and public service opportunities to secure the future of the post office network. It has found that a disproportionate...

Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Network (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: I have met the chairman, the chief executive and the board of An Post. As the Deputy may be aware, Mr. Christoph Mueller has decided to retire from the position of chairman. We are now in the process of appointing a new chair of An Post, which will happen in the coming weeks. I look forward to the new chair being appointed and the opportunity I will undoubtedly then have to engage with him...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Fisheries Protection (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: I am advised that research on salmon in Ireland’s coastal areas and marine environment both concentrates on increasing knowledge of juvenile and adult migratory patterns, identifying and partitioning marine based mortality, understanding the impacts from aquaculture on wild salmon and monitoring salmon survival rates. Stock assessments can only be carried out on the individual stock in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Media Mergers (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: In July last year the Oireachtas passed the Consumer and Competition Authority Act 2014, introducing the new Part 3A of the Competition Act 2002. This Act fundamentally updated the media mergers regime, implementing the recommendations of the Advisory Group on Media Mergers. These changes were designed to deal with contemporary issues like an increasingly fragmented media, the rise of online...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadcasting Sector Regulation (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: Part 7 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 provides for public service broadcasting in Ireland and sets out the provisions relating to the regulation, operation and funding of the public service broadcasting corporations, RTÉ and TG4, including their principal objects. These objects provide the companies’ statutory mandates and encapsulate national policy in terms of public service...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Fuel Prices (16 Jun 2015)

Alex White: I am acutely aware of the financial challenges faced by families and businesses from high energy prices. The Government’s national strategy on affordable energy makes it clear that addressing energy poverty is a whole of Government responsibility. My Department offers energy efficiency upgrades that are free of charge to households that are at risk of energy poverty. I also...