Results 9,461-9,480 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte
- Written Answers — Broadcasting Services: Broadcasting Services (22 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) is an independent regulator responsible for the oversight of compliance in relation to broadcast content. The Compliance Committee monitors and enforces compliance by broadcasters with various aspects of the relevant legislation relating to fairness, impartiality and enforcement of standards. On foot of a decision by Government, I requested that...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (22 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: Following a recent campaign run by the Public Appointments Service, my Department plans to recruit at least one graduate this year as an Economist. There may be a requirement for additional graduates depending on the identification of suitable posts. It also participates in the JobBridge National Internship Scheme. In total 18 placements for graduates have been provided throughout the...
- Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (22 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: The rules to which the Deputy refers are the European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2011. Statutory Instrument (S.I.) 336 of 2011 transposes the requirements of EU Directive 2002/58/EC concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (ePrivacy...
- Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (22 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: The provision of high-speed broadband to all secondary schools in Ireland is being undertaken by my Department and the Department of Education and Skills, in conjunction with our network partners, HEAnet, following the successful completion of a pilot project that ran from 2009 to 2011. The procurement of the connection necessary to deliver the high-speed broadband for each school is...
- Written Answers — Postal Services: Postal Services (22 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: I have no statutory function in regard to the issue raised by the Deputy. This is an operational matter for the management and Board of An Post. I have asked the company to reply directly to the Deputy in this regard.
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (22 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: My Department has re-employed one former member of staff for a very short period during the period since April 2011.
- Written Answers — Ministerial Transport: Ministerial Transport (22 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: Since the introduction of the revised transport arrangements for Ministers in May 2011 the total cost incurred in the provision of transport to the Minister in my Department to end 2011 was â¬63,580. The cost to date for 2012 is â¬41,128. As stated by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, the decision to discontinue the provision of State cars for Cabinet Ministers (with the...
- Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (22 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: The total amount of expenditure by my Department from its consultancy services and value for money and policy reviews budget in the years 2008 â 2011 is set out in the following table: 2008 2009 2010 2011 Amount â¬2.249m â¬0.739m â¬1.245m â¬1.364m In procuring these specialized services, my Department always seeks to ensure value for money and the keeping of expenditure to the...
- Written Answers — Broadcasting Services: Broadcasting Services (22 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: There is no contract between TV3 and my Department. TV3 is a commercial broadcaster and I have no role in the operation of TV3 nor in its commercial or business decisions. TV3 operates under contract from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) to provide a national commercial broadcasting service. The Broadcasting Act 2009 provides for TV3 to operate on SAORVIEW, should it wish to do...
- Written Answers — Energy Prices: Energy Prices (22 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: Ireland remains critically dependent on imported fossil fuels, particularly oil and natural gas which are subject to price volatility and geo-political rise. This dependency underlines the immediate and long term imperatives of enhancing energy security. Ireland's energy policy objectives are in line with overall EU policy objectives and are informed by the critical work of the International...
- Leaders' Questions (23 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: It is a lost cause.
- Written Answers — Broadcasting Services: Broadcasting Services (23 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: On 25 April as a result of issues raised during a topical debate on SAORVIEW coverage in Cork, I requested from RTÃ an overview report on coverage in Cork and I can confirm that a summary report in this regard has since been received from RTÃNL by my Department. This summary concludes that in the Cork area there is a substantial increase in TV coverage as a result of the introduction of...
- Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (23 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: Ireland's telecommunications market has been liberalised since 1999 and since then has developed into a well-regulated market, supporting a multiplicity of commercial operators, providing services over a diverse range of technology platforms. Details of broadband services available on a county-by-county basis can be found on the Commission for Communications Regulation's (ComReg) website at...
- Written Answers — Broadcasting Services: Broadcasting Services (23 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: Fairness and impartiality is a critical component of broadcasting; audiences and citizens deserve to have access to programme material that is objective and free from bias, and particularly so when the broadcaster is publicly funded, as in the case of RTÃ and TG4. Since the introduction of the Broadcasting Act 2009, there is a single regulator in place, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland...
- Written Answers — Energy Conservation: Energy Conservation (23 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 158 and 159 together. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administers the Better Energy Programme. The table below details the number of energy efficiency measures delivered and grants paid from the Exchequer under the Better Energy programme in 2011 and 2012. 2011 Better Energy : Homes Better Energy : Warmer Homes Homes Completed 47,594...
- Written Answers — Electricity Generation: Electricity Generation (23 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: The Public Obligation Service (PSO) levy has been in place since 2001 and is the support mechanism for peat generation and the development of renewable electricity. The levy is designed to compensate electricity suppliers for the additional costs they incur by purchasing electricity generated by the three peat stations, from renewable energy sources and from the gas fuelled plant...
- Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (23 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: The feed in tariff or REFIT scheme underpins investment in renewable energy to meet Ireland's legally binding renewable target, by providing sufficient certainty to developers to finance projects through the guarantee of a minimum price for wind exported to the grid over a 15 year period. Such schemes are common across EU Member States. The original REFIT scheme for which state aid approval...
- Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (23 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: There are no feed in tariff schemes in place for offshore wind, wave or tidal energy technologies. The Government decided earlier this year to encourage the development of offshore wind as an export opportunity rather than as a contributor to the domestic electricity market and therefore a feed in tariff support mechanism is not being introduced for offshore wind. Wave and tidal technology...
- Written Answers — Broadcasting Services: Broadcasting Services (23 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: As the Deputy will be aware, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has the statutory responsibility for investigating complaints against all broadcasters based in this State. The BAI report that a total of eleven complaints against RTÃ were upheld on grounds of impartiality and fairness in the years from 2006 to 2010. The RTÃ Primetime Investigates documentary titled "Mission to...
- Electricity Regulation (Carbon Revenue Levy) (Amendment) Bill 2012: Order for Second Stage (24 May 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."