Results 10,661-10,680 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Social Media: Discussion (6 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Is the Deputy asking am I happy with the arrangements to remove offensive material?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Social Media: Discussion (6 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The committee needs to probe this with the companies that come before it because I have difficulties with the take-down policy of some companies. These are reputable companies - major corporations. For example, Facebook alone has 1 billion users. Good corporate citizenship ought to mean that they should be prepared, in their host countries, to enter into sensible protocols about, for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Social Media: Discussion (6 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The phenomenon we are discussing has been around since the mid or late 1970s but it is the acquisition of critical mass over the past five or six years that has so accelerated the phenomenon with which we are attempting to tussle. It is reasonable to say that best practice will evolve because the pressures being experienced in this jurisdiction are being experienced around the world. Best...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Social Media: Discussion (6 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Before I try to answer Deputy Colreavy's serious question, I will point out that while it would be natural that committee members would reflect the concerns being brought to them by constituents, parents, etc., it is also important to acknowledge that this technology is an exciting, revolutionary and unprecedented development in civilisation. Colleagues are focusing on the minority of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Social Media: Discussion (6 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Deputy Harrington asked what is going on. The Minister for Justice and Equality has already referred the harassment issue, under the Non-fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, to the Law Reform Commission and asked it to report on that matter. The Deputy will be aware that in terms of changing criminal law the Law Reform Commission regularly reports, having teased out issues in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Social Media: Discussion (6 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: We think there may be a gap in the law with respect to the inclusion of telephone and SMS identifiable abuse and the exclusion of Internet technologies from the remit of that legislation. That may well be something that could be teased out in some detail by the committee. The issue of anonymity is very complex, and it was raised by Deputies Kenny and O'Mahony. This is before coming to the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Social Media: Discussion (6 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I agree with what Senator Brennan has said. Unfortunately, the bully does grow up and in some cases bullying has resulted in other children being the first to drop-out or attend a different school at the expense and inconvenience of their parents. In response to the question on the provenance of anonymous material, there is a question of editorial responsibility. Most good newspapers in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Social Media: Discussion (6 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: One never knows, stranger things have happened. I saw a comedian winning an overall majority in Italy. One never knows. If one is a Minister, regardless of party, and one does an interview, there are half a dozen guys lined up somewhere in the undergrowth to phone in as interested citizens, but one learns after a time that they are not as unconnected and disinterested as one might think....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Social Media: Discussion (6 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Therefore, it is not an entirely new phenomenon. In response to Senator Healy Eames, the gap in the law I referred to is the Communications Regulation (Amendment) Act 2007. That Act introduced measures dealing with the use of the telephone system to send messages that are grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing or for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Social Media: Discussion (6 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Thank you, Chairman. We take this opportunity to commend the committee on the initiative. We will follow the committee's proceedings. We are particularly interested in the committee's engagement with the stakeholders, and we will see what we can do in co-operation to address some of the issues that were raised. I am glad that several colleagues have also put on the record the very...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Electricity Transmission Network (7 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: This is a day to day operational matter for the ESB and not one in which I, as Minister, have a role or function. I have asked the company to communicate directly with the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Sale of State Assets (7 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: As part of the Government’s asset disposal programme provided for in the Programme for Government and agreed with the Troika (i.e. the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund), the Government has agreed the sale of some non-strategic power generation assets of the ESB. The disposal process is overseen by a Steering Group co-chaired by...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Services Provision (7 Mar 2013)

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, including County Dublin, can be found on the website of the Commission for...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Services Provision (7 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: It has been Government policy for some time that State entities should avail of commercial opportunities to facilitate the deployment of infrastructure to the telecommunications market. A number of commercial State companies and non-commercial State bodies are currently leveraging their infrastructure in this way and have contributed to the marked improvement in broadband services in recent...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Exploration Licences (12 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I can confirm that two of the three companies granted onshore licensing options in February 2011 have submitted applications for a follow-on exploration licence. My Department will shortly commence its evaluation, focussing on the technical rationale underpinning the applications, along with the corporate information provided. Where the outcome of this stage of the evaluation is positive,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Fisheries Protection (12 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I am advised by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) that Lough Swilly is located within a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). As the exploitation of these fisheries is by means of dredging, an “Appropriate Assessment” against predetermined conservation objectives is required. These assessments are undertaken by the Marine Institute an Agency within the aegis of the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Expenditure (12 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 369 to 373, inclusive, together. Details of all hardware provided by my Department to my home are as follows: One PC and one scanner at a total cost of €325.00. No Departmental equipment has been provided to the Minister of State, Deputy O’Dowd’s home and there was no software procured for use by myself or the Minister of State. I...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Expenditure (12 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The information requested by the Deputy on costs from March 2011 to date is outlined in the tables following. Minister’s Car Cost of Drivers to date ( Includes Employer’s PRSI and expenses) Mileage and other costs €165,497 €23,272 Minister of State’s Car Cost of Drivers to date ( Includes Employer’s PRSI and expenses) Mileage and other costs ...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Expenditure (12 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: In total, there are three credit cards held in my Department since March 2011. The cards are held by the Minister, Private Secretary to the Minister and the Private Secretary to the Minister of State. The use of cards provides for the efficient management of payments, but all use is subject to the overriding objective of economy and efficiency, full compliance with travel and subsistence...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Wind Energy Strategy (12 Mar 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I intend to finalise the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) on the draft Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan (OREDP), on which a public consultation has been held, in the coming months and to publish the final OREDP, including appropriate assessment decision and SEA Statement at that time. EirGrid has undertaken and published an SEA on the implementation plans for Grid 25, and...