Results 8,901-8,920 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Telecommunications Services (25 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I accept Deputy McHugh's point that a methodology that relies solely on population does leave rural areas in some difficulty. The way things have developed in recent times means that there is fierce competition between the private sector companies for the urban consumer, but some of the same companies are not very interested in the less populous areas to which Deputy McHugh makes reference....

Post Office Network (25 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The Government's core policy goal for the postal sector is to ensure Irish customers, whether business or residential, enjoy competitively priced, high-quality postal services. The Government is committed to a strong and viable An Post and supports its maintenance of the maximum number of economically viable post offices. The Government also appreciates the importance of the rural post...

Post Office Network (25 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I accept what Deputies Coffey and Conway have stated on the social role and responsibility of An Post. We spent a good deal of time during the debate on the Bill discussing this very issue. The difficulty is that An Post is also a commercial State company and it must be viable; this is its mandate. It is this balance between the commercial mandate and the social responsibility that is...

Written Answers — Energy Conservation: Energy Conservation (25 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: In line with the Government's Affordable Energy Strategy, a number of alternative approaches to the delivery of Better Energy: Warmer Homes will be actively progressed in 2012, including enhancing arrangements for working with voluntary housing associations and mixed-ownership estates to ensure that those most at risk of extreme energy poverty are prioritised. Under the Affordable Energy...

Written Answers — Television Licence Fee: Television Licence Fee (25 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134 to 137, inclusive, and 139 together. The total amount of revenue raised by the TV Licence in 2011 was €217.77m. The total amount of revenue raised by the TV Licence to date in 2012 is unavailable until month end. The 2011 Census estimated the number of occupied households to be circa 1.7 million. A minority of these have to date made statutory...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (25 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: In 2011, RTÉ received a Grant-In-Aid arising from licence fee receipts that amounted to €182.4m.

Written Answers — Television Licence Fee: Television Licence Fee (25 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: As the Deputy may be aware, the current TV licence system is such that, except for certain classes of social welfare recipients, if you own a television set in Ireland you are liable to pay a television licence. An Post is currently responsible for the collection of television licence fees and for identifying those persons who have unlicensed televisions sets. The Programme for Government...

Written Answers — Exploration Licences: Exploration Licences (25 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The Petroleum (Exploration and Extraction) Safety Act, 2010 makes provision for the safety of petroleum exploration and extraction (upstream) activities and associated infrastructure to be regulated by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER). It provides that the regulation of upstream safety will be achieved through the establishment and implementation of a new risk assessment based...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (25 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I assume that the Deputy is referring to the after sales service offered by 3 Ireland insofar as the National Broadband Scheme (NBS) is concerned. My Department entered into a contract with 3, a Hutchison Whampoa company, for the delivery of the NBS in late December 2008, following the conclusion of a competitive dialogue procurement process. The objective of the NBS is to deliver broadband...

Seanad: North-South Interconnector (25 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I would like to stress the strategic imperative for this economy and our citizens of cost effective investment in electricity networks. The Government is committed to ensuring that the investment plans of EirGrid and ESB Networks are delivered across the country. The significant level of grid investment required over the next decade is critical for safe and secure electricity supply. It...

Seanad: Tourism Promotion (25 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I am pleased to have this opportunity to respond to the important matter raised by Senator Conway on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Finance. VAT is charged on the supply of goods and services. The rate applying is subject to the requirements of EU VAT law, with which Irish VAT law must comply. The EU VAT directive governs VAT law and the rates applicable to various goods and...

Seanad: Tourism Promotion (25 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I will be glad to raise the Senator's questions with the Minister for Finance. The usual argument applies. A good case can be made to extend the 9% VAT rate. That is not possible in these circumstances for the reasons I explained - that is, it is not included in annex III of the VAT directive. The specific point made by Senator Conway about the 15% to 23% range is something about which I...

Leaders' Questions (26 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The Deputy is on both sides of the argument.

Written Answers — Television Licence Fee: Television Licence Fee (26 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: As the Deputy may be aware, the current TV licence system is such that, except for certain classes of social welfare recipients, if you own a television set in Ireland you are liable to pay a television licence. An Post is currently responsible for the collection of television licence fees and for identifying those persons who have unlicensed televisions sets. The Programme for Government...

Written Answers — Salmon Management: Salmon Management (26 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The Barrow is one of 141 rivers assessed nationally each year to determine whether they can be a) opened for salmon fishing, b) opened to salmon fishing on a catch and release basis, or c) closed to salmon fishing. These assessments show that it is substantially below its salmon conservation limit and stocks are being allowed to rebuild naturally in accordance with best international...

Written Answers — Television Licence Fee: Television Licence Fee (26 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The Programme for Government commits to examining the role and collection of the TV licence fee in light of existing and projected convergence of technologies and to transforming the TV licence into a household based Public Broadcasting Charge to be applied to all eligible households and applicable businesses, regardless of the device used to access content. In line with this commitment, my...

Written Answers — Broadcasting Services: Broadcasting Services (31 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: Sky is a commercial company and is not regulated in Ireland. I have no role in relation to this matter.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (31 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The allowances and salary payable in respect of private secretary posts in my Department are as set out in Circular 28/2009: Revision of pay of Civil Servants (Application of pay adjustments in accordance with the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Act, 2009). The salary scale of my Private Secretary is €46,081 to 58,294 (HEO, PPC Scale). The allowance payable to...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (31 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I can inform the Deputy that there are 18 State bodies under the aegis of my Department. Of these there are 15 whose boards are appointed in whole in or in part by the Minister and/or the Government. On 3 June 2011, I publicly sought Expressions of Interest from anyone wishing to be considered for appointment to vacancies which were to arise on State Boards, under the aegis of my Department,...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (31 Jan 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: One retired public servant has been hired by my Department since I assumed office as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources on 9 March last. Information in respect of staffing of agencies under the aegis of my Department is a day to day matter for those organisations and my Department does not have the information sought in respect of State agencies, by the Deputy. My...