Results 11,161-11,180 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Leaders' Questions (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I think the Deputy heard the wrong answer.

Leaders' Questions (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: We have.

Leaders' Questions (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: We have not had one in 15 years.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Services Provision (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Considerable progress has been made in recent years in both the coverage and speeds of national broadband infrastructure, with a multiplicity of commercial operators, providing services over a diverse range of technology platforms. The Government, through the National Broadband Plan, which I published on 30th August last year, has recognised that the key imperative now is to ensure high...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Regulation (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 272 to 274, inclusive, together. Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets, including disconnections, is a matter for the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), which is an independent statutory regulator. I have no statutory function in the matter of disconnections of electricity or gas customers regardless of the supply company...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Public Relations Contracts Expenditure (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The information which the Deputy requested is outlined in tabular format below for the years 2011 to date in 2013. Company Amount Spent on Public Relations Purpose of Consultancy Morrow Communications Ltd €72,050 (excl VAT) Provision of services in relation to outreach in rural communities with respect to low flying geophysical survey and soil geochemical survey. Murray...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Electricity Generation (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: There is no legal or regulatory limit on the amount of electricity that may be generated within a commercial or farm building from solar photovoltaic panels. However, if electricity is to be exported to the electricity network, the installation must export power in accordance with the conditions set out in the premises connection agreement with either the Distribution System Operator (DSO),...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Electricity Generation (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Electric Ireland has been offering a 9c/kwh feed in tariff, on a commercial basis, to domestic microgenerators (including in the solar photovoltaic category) since February 2009. No other electricity supply company has to date chosen to enter the domestic market and to offer a microgeneration feed-in-tariff on a commercial basis, although the Commission for Energy Regulation invited them to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Appointments to State Boards (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I have, for the past three years, 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. Thirty-one applications were received in 2011, thirty-seven applications were received in 2012 and eighty-eight applications have been received to date in 2013, following the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: EU Issues (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: A wide variety of information is held by Public bodies in all Member States ranging from demographic and economic data to historical documents. The Irish Presidency reached agreement with the Parliament on this proposal on 25 March. The agreement on Public Sector Information (PSI) will facilitate access to, and re-use by the private sector of data held by public sector bodies, including,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Tax Code (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: All companies in Ireland pay the standard 12.5% rate of corporation tax on their trading profits arising in Ireland. A higher 25% rate applies in respect of investment, rental and other non-trading profits, and profits from certain petroleum, mining and other activities. Chargeable capital gains are taxable at the capital gains tax rate of 33% In terms of reliefs, Section 62 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Renewable Energy Incentives (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The primary support mechanisms for renewable electricity are the REFIT (Renewable Energy Feed in Tariff) schemes, which are designed to provide certainty to renewable electricity generators by providing them with a minimum floor price for each unit of electricity exported to the grid over a 15 year period. Using a fixed feed in tariff mechanism, the certainty afforded by a guaranteed minimum...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Renewable Energy Exports (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Ireland’s 40% target for 2020 relates to renewable electricity. Expert advice suggests that Ireland has the capability to achieve this national target from onshore renewable generation alone, with capacity to spare. This means that there is potential for projects of scale onshore that are aimed at export markets. It also means that our offshore wind resource can be developed as an...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Parliamentary Questions Numbers (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I wish to advise that the number of Parliamentary Questions which my Department has responded to the Deputy on during the period 2011 to date in 2013 is set out in tabular format below. Comprehensive responses were given to all of these questions at the time they were answered and no undertaking was given to provide any additional information. Year Number of PQs Answered 2011 1 2012...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Staff Sick Leave (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The information requested by the Deputy is outlined in the tables below. Total Uncertified Sick Days Taken - 2009 2010 2011 2012 Uncertified Sick Days Taken 271 268 274 184 Average per Employee* in the Department 1 1 1 1 Total Certified Sick Days Taken - 2009 2010 2011 2012 Certified Sick Days Taken 3,301 3,088 2,109 2,181 Average per Employee* in the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Electronic Communications Policy (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 285 to 287, inclusive, together. As Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources I have overall responsibility for electronic communications policy, but I have no responsibility in relation to the actions of persons conducting illegal downloading of copyright music and other material over electronic communications networks. The issue of alleged...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Biofuel Obligation Scheme Targets (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Under the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive, all Member States in the European Union have each been set binding targets of 10% of the energy in transport to come from renewable sources by 2020. Ireland will meet this target mainly by achieving significant increases in the use of biofuels with the increased use of electric vehicles also contributing a small percentage to the target. The...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Electricity Generation (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: In view of falling technology costs, my Department recently asked the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to update existing analysis on the costs of varying levels of support for microgeneration technologies, including solar, with a view to considering how the sector could be supported in the future. It is not clear on what data the Deputy is relying in suggesting a threefold...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Agencies Issues (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: As stated in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 477 on 28 May 2013, matters in relation to the sale of premises are a day to day operational matter for the Board of Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) subject to Public Financial Procedures. Details as regards public tendering and the transaction referred to by the Deputy are included on files held by the Board and not the Department. In this...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Agencies Issues (18 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I wish to advise the Deputy that there are 3 Regulators, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) and Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), which come under the aegis of my Department. All of the regulators have been established on a statutory basis and are independent in the exercise of their respective functions, including functions...