Results 12,541-12,560 of 21,588 for speaker:Denis Naughten

Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: The roll-out of the national broadband plan will happen in every county together.

Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: This is a very complex contract. The contract paperwork runs to approximately 2,000 pages. I am in regular contact with the team that is managing this to make sure there is no delay within the competency of the Department, but the three bidders have sought additional time for this process. The last thing I want to see happen is that we would award a contract and spend the next five years...

Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: On the concerns the Deputy has raised regarding the potential for cherry-picking and the "doughnutting" effect he spoke about-----

Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: I live in rural Ireland. My constituency and native county have the worse broadband coverage in the country. I am very conscious of all of these issues. My Department is conscious of all of these issues. This is a matter on which we are actively engaged on an ongoing basis. On the issue of quality, the Deputy made the point that families need fibre-to-the-home now. Anecdotal evidence...

Priority Questions: Climate Change Policy (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: I thank Deputies Stanley and Lawless for their kind comments. The programme for Government includes a commitment to establish a national dialogue on climate change. This builds on the commitment in the energy White Paper to establish a national energy forum to maximise and maintain consensus on the broad policy measures set out in the White Paper required to ensure the transition to a...

Priority Questions: Climate Change Policy (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: The fact the dialogue has not commenced is not a block to action. We have published the final consultation on the renewable heat incentive scheme. It will be up and running this year. We have published a discussion document on the mitigation plan. The formal consultation on that will begin in March. We are now working on the adaptation plan. We will also consider the replacement for the...

Priority Questions: Climate Change Policy (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: First, €350,000 is allocated for this year in that regard. If the Deputy has any suggestions or thoughts as to how we can engage with communities throughout the country, I am quite happy to hear them. Suggestions have been put to me about the public participation networks and how they could be involved in the national dialogue. I also want to see schoolchildren involved in it...

Priority Questions: Waste Disposal Charges (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: The charges applied by waste management companies are a matter for those companies and their customers, subject to compliance with the applicable contract, consumer and environmental legislation. Matters relating to consumer legislation fall under the remit of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. My Department is undertaking a review of pricing structures for household...

Priority Questions: Waste Disposal Charges (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: Deputy Stanley is right that the local authorities have a crucial role to play in this respect. That is why the waste management planning lead authorities and the enforcement regional lead authorities engage directly with the local authorities about waste. The Deputy is correct about illegal dumping. That is very frustrating. We have made a specific additional allocation. I will make...

Priority Questions: Waste Disposal Charges (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: Deputy Stanley is perfectly correct about that. We have to work on preventions, and one of the initiatives I want to focus on this year is food waste. There is huge potential to reduce the volumes of food waste. The Deputy is right about unnecessary packaging. That is the objective of the circular economy. My Department is working with other Departments in the context of the...

Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: I thank Deputy Sherlock for his good wishes. The national broadband plan aims to deliver high-speed broadband services to every household, school and business in Ireland. This is being achieved through a combination of commercial investment by the telecommunications sector, and for those areas that will not be covered by commercial operators, the State has committed to intervene...

Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: We are seeking a USO because we feel it is probably the most effective way to deal with isolated cases in the blue area relating to the national broadband plan. There are places in Dublin 1 and Dublin 2 that cannot get high-speed broadband. We believe that the only way to enable them to do so is through a USO. We are trying to deal with issues, including those relating to local...

Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: My priority and that of the officials in my Department is to roll out as much mobile, wireless, fixed-line or fibre broadband as we can as quickly as possible. We are facilitating the commercial operators in doing that. We are pushing the national broadband plan as far as we can. We are working closely with the three preferred bidders and the European Commission on the communications and...

Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: I thank Deputy Niamh Smyth.

Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 558 together. EirGrid estimates that the cost of constructing the proposed North-South interconnector will be €286 million, with €180 million of this cost being incurred in Ireland and the remaining €106 million being incurred in Northern Ireland. The proposed interconnector is a critical piece of energy...

Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: I have heard what the Deputy has said, but I am a bit surprised that she is questioning whether we need the interconnector. I look forward to meeting representatives of the groups tomorrow morning. Having listened to many of them already, it seems to me that there is agreement across the board that an interconnector is needed, even if the question of how it should be connected might remain...

Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: I am told the only feasible way to underground a circuit with 1,500 MW capacity over a distance of 138 km is to use a specialised high-voltage direct current with conversation equipment at either end, not AC technology. For a DC link to act reliably with a synchronous network, it would be necessary to develop new and complex control systems that have not been tried before in order to...

Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: I am meeting representatives from NEPP in the morning and I will listen to what they have to say.

Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (7 Feb 2017)

Denis Naughten: I am quite willing to hear what people have to say. However, it is important for people to understand that a legal case has already been lodged with the courts and a planning process is ongoing. I have to be conscious of both of those issues.