Results 1,021-1,040 of 11,242 for speaker:Noel Dempsey

Written Answers — Electricity Infrastructure: Electricity Infrastructure (16 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: The siting of infrastructure, including the placement of cables, is a day-to-day matter for the management of the ESB and Eirgrid and not one in which I have a function.

Written Answers — Seachtain na Gaeilge: Seachtain na Gaeilge (16 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: My Department's partnership committee will meet next week and the agenda includes ways in which Seachtain na Gaeilge could be celebrated this year. Beidh cruinniú de choiste pháirtíochta mo Roinne an tseachtain seo chugainn. Beidh bealaí chun Seachtain na Gaeilge do Gaeilge do cheiluíradh i mbliana ar chlár oibre na cruinníthe sin.

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (17 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: My Department does not currently maintain a database in regard to the amount of waste generated and, accordingly, I am not in a position to provide specific breakdowns of figures or percentages of waste by the categories listed by the Deputy. The collection of waste is generally handled by Ipodec in the Dublin area and by local arrangement in the Department's country offices. My Department...

Written Answers — Departmental Credit Cards: Departmental Credit Cards (17 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: It has not been possible to prepare a comprehensive response in the time available. To provide details of all transactions on all cards during the period in question requires the collation, transcription and checking of an enormous amount of data. Officials in the Department are currently investigating the optimal method of supplying the Deputy with the information requested, having regard to...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (17 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: No public relation consultancies, contracts or procurements have been entered into by or on behalf of my Department in the past three years.

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (22 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: Housing grants schemes are generally the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. I have neither plans nor funds to introduce a grant scheme of the type suggested in the question. Sustainable Energy Ireland, SEI, which was established as a statutory agency in May 2002, implements initiatives on renewable energy and energy efficiency on...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (22 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: My Department provides significant public funding for TG4 to enable it to provide an Irish language television service. The 2005 Estimates includes a provision of €24.858 million for TG4. Decisions in relation to the commissioning of programmes are a matter for TG4. I have no role in the matter.

Written Answers — Postal Services: Postal Services (22 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 268 of 8 February 2005. 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 company to implement pension increases following pay increases to employees. However, decisions outside the...

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (22 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: My Department is responsible for the promotion and development of renewable energy including biofuels and I am committed to the development and promotion of a biofuels market in Ireland's transport fuel sector. The targets set in the biofuels directive for market penetration of biofuels are indicative and not mandatory and present a challenge to Ireland given the low base from which we are...

Written Answers — Broadcasting Development: Broadcasting Development (22 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: I have received a request from Screen Producers Ireland for a meeting and I am considering that request.

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (22 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: Decisions on the commissioning of programmes are a matter for TG4. I have no role in the matter.

Written Answers — Broadcasting Legislation: Broadcasting Legislation (22 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: Work is continuing on the development of legislative proposals that will form the basis of a new Broadcasting Bill. The priority issues to be addressed by the legislative proposals are the establishment of a single content regulator for both private and public service broadcasters as recommended by the forum on broadcasting; the establishment of RTE as a commercial company under the Companies...

Written Answers — Housing Grants: Housing Grants (23 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: Housing grants schemes are generally the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. I have neither plans nor funds to introduce a grant scheme of the type suggested in the question. Sustainable Energy Ireland, SEI, which was established as a statutory agency in May 2002, implements initiatives on renewable energy and energy efficiency on...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (23 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: The Government's decentralisation programme provides for the relocation of my Department's seafood and coastal zone functions, involving 91 posts, to Clonakilty. An Bord Iascaigh Mhara, accounting for 93 posts, is also to be relocated to Clonakilty. The latest information from the Public Appointments Service, formerly the Civil Service Commission, indicates that 140 expressions of interest...

Written Answers — Electricity Generation: Electricity Generation (23 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: I am aware of the statement in question. Liberalisation of the electricity market has proceeded on a phased basis since February 2000 under the regulatory oversight of the Commission for Energy Regulation, CER, the independent regulator for gas and electricity, in accordance with the Electricity Regulation Act 1999. On 19 February this year the market opened fully to competition. This is over...

Written Answers — Postal Services: Postal Services (23 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: An Post is statutorily obliged under section 12 of the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983 to satisfy all reasonable demands for postal services throughout the State. The public receives a wide variety of mail from a number of sources, much of which could be regarded as unsolicited mail, including unaddressed mail material, which may be delivered by operators besides An Post. An...

Written Answers — Coastal Protection: Coastal Protection (23 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: A value for money report in March 2002 highlighted the need for a more strategic focus in addressing the problem of coastal erosion in Ireland. In this respect the coastal protection strategy study commenced in 2003. The study will address the nature and extent of erosion at various locations and different types of coastline in Ireland and seek to identify the most effective means,...

Written Answers — Gas Pipelines: Gas Pipelines (24 Feb 2005)

Noel Dempsey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 113 to 115, inclusive, together. At the outset, I inform the Deputy that the questions posed by him in regard to the design of the upstream pipeline compared to the design of the transmission pipelines used by Bord Gáis Éireann do not compare like with like. Transmission pipelines used by Bord Gáis Éireann are designed using IS 328. In the case of the...

Written Answers — Communications Masts: Communications Masts (1 Mar 2005)

Noel Dempsey: My responsibility regarding safety issues at mobile phone masts relates solely to emissions of non-ionising radiation from these sites. There is no scientific or medical evidence that emissions below the level of internationally recognised guidelines from mobile telephone masts are injurious to health. Over recent years, more than 25,000 peer reviewed studies into possible health effects of...

Written Answers — Natural Gas Grid: Natural Gas Grid (1 Mar 2005)

Noel Dempsey: Any intending supplier of gas to Sligo is free to apply to the Commission for Energy Regulation, CER, for the necessary consent. A preliminary evaluation in 2001 by Bord Gáis Éireann, BGE, having examined all possible routes for this project, found that none was commercially viable and even the least expensive option would cost more than might be recovered over the lifetime of the pipeline....