Results 10,321-10,340 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Ministerial Appointments (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: In December 2012, I announced the appointment of David Puttnam as Digital Champion for Ireland. The overarching objective of the role of Digital Champion is to promote more digital adoption. This is likely to entail working with and inspiring key stakeholders communicating the benefits and possibilities of digital more widely – so that people whether at home, in business or in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Agencies (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I wish to advise that following the Deputy’s previous Parliamentary Question No. 335 of 25 October 2011, I had requested the bodies under the aegis of my Department to provide the information sought in relation to details of Junior and Senior Counsel engaged over the period 2006-2011, directly to the Deputy. I have now requested the bodies under the aegis of my Department to respond...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Public Broadcasting Charge (16 Jan 2013)

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 or services. In line with this...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Television Licence Fee (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 609 and 610 together. The total revenue raised by way of the television licence fee and the number of prosecutions in each of the years 2010 and 2011 is set out in the table. In 2011, evasion was estimated to be over 15%. My Department is currently examining the 2012 figures with a view to providing a revised estimate of evasion. While this work has yet to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Mobile Telephony (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: In June 2009, following an approach by the EU Commission, the major producers of mobile phones, responsible for the production of 90% or so of mobile phones placed on the EU market, agreed in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to harmonise chargers for new data-enabled mobile phones. The MoU specifies that "all new mobile phone models and new chargers models on the market produced by the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Funding (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 612 and 614 together. The only non-statutory bodies, i.e. a body not established or operating under a parent statute, funded directly from my Department’s Vote during 2012 were the National Digital Research Centre and ‘The Wheel’, an umbrella group for voluntary bodies that was established as a once off project to assist older people...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Services (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The provision of electronic communications services is, in the first instance, a matter for private sector service providers operating in Ireland’s fully liberalised telecommunications market, regulated by the independent regulator, the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). Broadband services are provided by a number of private service providers over various platforms...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Staff Redeployment (17 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Two members of staff in my Department are currently seeking a transfer to another location. There were two staff transfers from my Department in 2012. Both staff members transferred from the Department’s office in Dublin to the Department of Social Protection in Cavan. Information in respect of bodies and agencies under the aegis of my Department is a day to day matter for those...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Inland Fisheries (22 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I have been advised by Inland fisheries Ireland that the River Maigue’s conservation limit (CL) currently stands at 4,634 salmon and currently it is achieving only 17% of its CL. Consequently it will closed for the 2013 season. The river has been closed to Salmon fishing under the Salmon and Sea Trout Regulations since 2006. The existing fish counter was upgraded in 2012 in order to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Mobile Telephony (22 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I am aware of the press article referred to by the Deputy. This is an issue that will arise right across the EU as 4G services are rolled out and I can confirm that a group has been established by my Department to examine the degree to which this issue may arise in Ireland when the roll-out of 4G services commences later in 2013. This group comprises officials from my Department, as well...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Inland Fisheries (22 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I am advised by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) that the fish counter referred to is a one channel counter operated on a crump which was installed to assist fish over the large weir at that location. The counter was fully operational for all of 2012 except for a three week period in June when an emergency repair which was carried out. For the previous 5 years, in the same period of June an...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Prices (22 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: From time to time I receive representations in relation to the prices of oil products and their impact on consumers. I have no statutory function in the setting of oil prices. The Irish oil industry is fully privatised, liberalised and deregulated and there is free entry to the market. The taxation of oil products is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Finance. The upward trend...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Prices (22 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I have no statutory function in the setting of gas or electricity prices, whether in the regulated or non-regulated parts of these markets. Responsibility for the regulation of the retail electricity market is a matter for the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), which is an independent statutory body. Since 4 April 2011 prices in the electricity retail market have been fully deregulated...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Ministerial Staff (22 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I do not employ any family members. The restrictions under the terms of the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour on civil servants engaging in political activity do not apply to non-Civil Service Ministerial Private Office Staff and they can engage in political activity or join political parties if they wish. These are not matters for which staff are accountable to me under their...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Telecommunications Services (22 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I understand that Commissioner Kroes recently indicated that the European Commission would outline plans later this year for a suite of measures to foster competitiveness and innovation for a digital Europe. Ireland looks forward to more detail on these proposals from the Commission. In the interim, I look forward to progressing many of the key areas for the Digital Agenda for Europe...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Services (22 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 424 and 425 together. Broadband connectivity, as an enabling infrastructure for economic and social development, is a critical element of future sustainable economic growth and a priority for Government. In terms of telecommunications policy, my Department plays a key role in providing a supportive legislative and regulatory environment within which...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Offshore Exploration (22 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Question Nos. 426 to 428, inclusive, together. There have been only four commercial petroleum discoveries since exploration began offshore Ireland in the early 1970s. The producing Kinsale, Ballycotton and Seven Heads (Kinsale area) gas fields off the coast of Cork and the Corrib gas field off the coast of Mayo. The three Kinsale area gas fields are nearing depletion and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Services (22 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: All post-primary schools will have a 100Mbps broadband connection installed by the end of 2014, through a project jointly funded by my Department and the Department of Education and Skills (DES). In 2009, under the initial pilot phase of this project, a total of 78 post-primary schools, were provided with 100Mbps broadband. Of these, 2 schools were located in the Counties of Carlow and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Appointments to State Boards (22 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I wish to advise the Deputy that for the past two years I have, on the Department’s website, invited Expressions of Interest from persons wishing to be considered for appointment to vacancies on State Boards under the aegis of my Department. In both years, this information has been used to inform decisions for appointments to State Boards. I will shortly be advertising on the website...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (23 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I am very conscious of the dangers posed by carbon monoxide gas to people in their homes and at their places of work. That is why I launched the first Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week on the 24th September 2012; a week which saw a sustained, multi-media publicity campaign to alert people to the dangers and give them advice as to what they should do to be safe. The issue was widely reported...