Results 9,121-9,140 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Postal Codes (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: Eircodes are an essential piece of the national postal infrastructure. Public sector bodies, particularly those with large customer facing operations, have started using Eircodes in customer engagement and this process will continue over the coming months. In accordance with the contract for the development and maintenance of Eircodes, my Department has put in place reporting structures with...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: It is an administrative transfer.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: Yes, that is correct.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: We are dealing with better energy communities there.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: Yes.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: It arises from the fact that we had revenue from extra data sales and the exploration licensing programme. We are in a position to reinvest these moneys.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: There are some savings with metropolitan area networks, MANs, which gave rise to the €2.5 million underspend. In regard to MANs phase 1, this allocation is required to provide for any possible additional claim arising from a dispute from between Sligo County Council and the works contractor. There were no further developments in 2015 and the dispute is ongoing. The moneys will be...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: I cannot give the Deputy an exact indication. However, it is a good and valuable project on which I hope to see good progress in the early part of next year.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: The undertakings were given and announced by private operators in the commercial sector. I agree with the Deputy that when undertakings are given and plans laid out, it is unsatisfactory if they are not completed within the timescale indicated. As he is aware, what we have done is map the country between the commercial sector and where there has been State intervention and the test in the...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: It will happen some time next year. As the Deputy indicated, there has been an delay in that regard, which is the reason the moneys have not been spent in 2015. I hope we will see good progress early in 2016 as it is a great project.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Energy Policy: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: I thank the Chairman and the members of the joint committee for inviting me here to discuss Ireland's energy policy. I acknowledge that at its meeting on Tuesday, 24 November, the joint committee focused on the topics that were to be addressed at the EU Council of Energy Ministers meeting later that week. The main topic of that meeting was energy union. I welcome the opportunity today to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Energy Policy: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: I thank Deputy Moynhihan. With regard to wind, as I said in my opening statement onshore wind has demonstrated its value and cost-effectiveness. That is clear and the information and data are available to prove that. We have installed wind generation capacity of just under 2,400 MW. The provisional 2014 figure indicates that 18.2% of electricity demand was met by wind generation. Almost...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Energy Policy: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: There were reductions last winter and it is not true to say the gap is a year. I had a close engagement with the suppliers last winter and, indeed, with the regulator and it was explained to me that because of the manner in which supplies of oil and gas are acquired, the companies use a hedging mechanism. In fact, gas is the more relevant to our discussion. They buy ahead at a price they...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Energy Policy: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: I thank the Deputy for her questions and observations. I do not want to start on a discordant note but many people say to me - I accept it as absolutely genuine and in good faith - that they realise we have to address global warming, that serious adverse effects are already visible from climate change, that we have to engage in a plan to decarbonise our economy, that we must move away from...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Energy Policy: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: When I first approached this matter, I believed these were black-and-white questions. I also believed that if one considered a set of assumptions and setback distances, it should be very easy to work out what it would mean in terms of lands available for wind turbines and wind farms. However, it became clear early on that the matter is much more complex than that. There are different types...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Energy Policy: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: I hope so. The White Paper will be an important element of that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Energy Policy: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: I hope so.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Energy Policy: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: On the first point raised by the Deputy about oil and gas, I do not wish to misrepresent him but he was querying why we would continue with oil and gas at all. The White Paper will emphasise that we are in a transition. There will not be a moment next year, the year after or almost certainly for as long as any of us might have a chance of being in this House that we will be able to say that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Energy Policy: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: -----in terms of a transition fuel. They will be there and we need them for security of supply. People talk about coal and say we should turn off Moneypoint. I have heard what has been said in the past couple of weeks about closing Moneypoint, for which I have some sympathy, but if one were to close Moneypoint, one can forget about the supply of energy in the country. There will not be a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Energy Policy: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (3 Dec 2015)

Alex White: The White Paper is at a high level of policy. The questions of the specifics of feed-in tariffs, in whatever area, are for consultation and decision. For example, the REFIT scheme on which we are consulting at present will be dealt with in the course of 2016. It will not be dealt with in the White Paper. It cannot be because there are all sorts of rules relating to state aids and...