Results 861-880 of 11,242 for speaker:Noel Dempsey

Written Answers — Post Office Network: Post Office Network (23 Nov 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The Government is committed to a viable and sustainable rural post office network providing a range of services to meet consumer needs. This commitment is illustrated by the Government injection of €12.7 million into the network in 2003 to facilitate modernisation measures. The Government has also strongly supported An Post initiatives such as the channelling of new utility and banking...

Written Answers — Communications Masts: Communications Masts (23 Nov 2004)

Noel Dempsey: There is no scientific medical evidence that mobile telephone masts are injurious to health. In recent years, more than 25,000 peer-reviewed studies into possible health effects of non-ionising radiation and the class of electromagnetic emissions associated with mobile phone technology have been published. No definite causal link has been proven between the emissions and any adverse health...

Written Answers — Energy Resources: Energy Resources (23 Nov 2004)

Noel Dempsey: Under the Turf Development Acts, Bord na Móna plc is charged with the management, development and working of the bogs and other lands vested in the company. Bord na Móna plc owns approximately 7% of the total peatland in Ireland. The estimated reserves of peat for energy in the ownership of the company is calculated at 45 million tonnes. Neither my Department nor Bord na Móna plc is in a...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (23 Nov 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The provision of broadband is a matter for the private sector companies operating in a fully liberalised market, regulated by ComReg. Several companies are marketing broadband services in the Athy area. Broadband can be delivered by a number of technologies, including DSL, fibre optic cable, coaxial cable, fixed wireless links and satellite. My Department's website, www.broadband.gov.ie,...

Written Answers — Electricity Generation: Electricity Generation (23 Nov 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The promotion of renewable energy, of which wind energy is the predominant technology, is a key priority of the Government. The 1999 Green Paper on sustainable energy established a target to add 500 MW of new renewable energy based electricity generating plant to the electricity network by 2005. This target has since increased to 718 MW. The wind resource is random and cannot increase or...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (23 Nov 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I have no statutory function in this matter. It is an operational issue for the service provider concerned. Responsibility for the regulation of the telecommunications service providers rests with the Commission for Communications Regulation which is an independent statutory body.

Written Answers — Postal Services: Postal Services (26 Jan 2005)

Noel Dempsey: As the Deputy may be aware, An Post has been in negotiations for several months with the main union in An Post, the Communications Workers Union, on the implementation of a change management programme for the company. The recovery plan presented by the board and management, and which assumed significant changes in work practices, some tariff increases and the payment of wage increases, sets...

Written Answers — Electronic Communications: Electronic Communications (26 Jan 2005)

Noel Dempsey: Regulation 13 of the European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Data Protection and Privacy) Regulations 2003, SI 535 of 2003, provides for prohibitions and restrictions on the sending of unsolicited faxes for direct marketing purposes to individuals and companies. Responsibility for the enforcement of the regulation rests with the Office of the Data Protection...

Written Answers — Broadcasting Policy: Broadcasting Policy (26 Jan 2005)

Noel Dempsey: Under SI 299 of 2002, Broadcasting (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions), and SI 307 of 2002, Marine and Natural Resources (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister), the departmental administration and ministerial functions in regard to broadcasting transferred to my Department and me, as Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (26 Jan 2005)

Noel Dempsey: Discussions are ongoing with Eircom and other telecommunications operators on the funding of the emergency call answering service. These discussions only relate to the funding of the service. Regarding the connection of emergency calls to the Samaritans, Eircom has advised that it has no function in providing connections from its call centre and that, where requested, the phone number of the...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (26 Jan 2005)

Noel Dempsey: Under the National Development Plan 2000-2006, an indicative €200 million of Government and ERDF funding is being invested, in association with the local and regional authorities, in the creation of high-speed open-access broadband networks and fibre trunks. These facilities will remain in State ownership while allowing the service providers open access at competitive costs. The first phase...

Written Answers — Mobile Telephony: Mobile Telephony (26 Jan 2005)

Noel Dempsey: My Department maintains a watching scientific brief on health issues relating to electromagnetic energy, including those related to mobile phones. Concerns about the possible sensitivity of children to electromagnetic fields were first raised by a review of the available research related to biological and health effects of electromagnetic fields from mobile telephones. This was carried out by...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (26 Jan 2005)

Noel Dempsey: The licensing or authorisation of operators in the telecommunications sector is the responsibility of the regulator for the sector, the Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. ComReg has statutory independence in the exercise of its functions and the Minister has no function in the matter. NTL, which offers a telephony service, a cable television service and a broadband service was...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (26 Jan 2005)

Noel Dempsey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 411, 427, 429 and 430 together. An post pensioners are paid from An Post pension fund which is founded by employer and employee contributions. The authority to implement pension increases was delegated to An Post, subject to certain conditions, as this activity was considered part of the day-to-day operations of the company. In practice, this allowed the...

Written Answers — Public Service Obligations: Public Service Obligations (26 Jan 2005)

Noel Dempsey: The universal service obligation, which includes nationwide delivery requirements, is enshrined in EU and Irish law and therefore is a statutory requirement for An Post as the designated universal service provider. Furthermore, the European Communities (Postal Services) Regulations 2002 set out the area of the postal market solely reserved for An Post as the universal service provider....

Written Answers — Post Office Network: Post Office Network (26 Jan 2005)

Noel Dempsey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 413 and 423 together. The Government is committed to a viable and sustainable nationwide rural post office network providing a range of services to meet consumer needs. The Government has already made an equity injection of €12.7 million into the network in 2003 to facilitate modernisation measures. Furthermore, the Government has strongly supported An Post...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (26 Jan 2005)

Noel Dempsey: Under the National Development Plan 2000-2006, an indicative €200 million of Government and ERDF funding is being invested, in association with the local and regional authorities, in the creation of high-speed open-access broadband networks and fibre trunks. These facilities will remain in State ownership while allowing the service providers open access at competitive costs. The first phase...

Written Answers — Mobile Telephony: Mobile Telephony (26 Jan 2005)

Noel Dempsey: Mobile telephones are in widespread use on a global basis. The limits for non-ionising radiation are global limits established internationally by the International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection, ICNIRP. There is no evidence that exposure up to these limits is damaging. Accordingly, I do not propose at this stage to put maximum radiation information on each mobile handset....

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (26 Jan 2005)

Noel Dempsey: I have put out to consultation the recently expressed view of the Commission for Energy Regulation, which is an independent body under paragraph 9 in the Schedule to the Electricity Regulation Act 1999. I am aware of reports that one company has decided to invest in other locations instead of this country for now. That is a commercial decision for the company. It is important to optimise the...

Written Answers — Industrial Relations: Industrial Relations (26 Jan 2005)

Noel Dempsey: I do not have primary responsibility within the Government for industrial relations issues. However, I am very much aware of the ongoing talks process established by the Labour Court in response to a request by the national implementation body under the Sustaining Progress agreement. These talks are aimed at resolving a number of industrial relations issues in the ESB. It is public knowledge...