Results 1,341-1,360 of 5,939 for speaker:Michael Moynihan

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: In regard to the distribution of revenue from the television licence fee, independent broadcasters argue they provide services that are as good as the national broadcaster and do so on a shoestring budget. It is difficult to defend the current arrangement when one considers the local radio stations. Any discussion of the new broadcasting charge needs to include the fundamental question of...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: Our committee is going to look at prices and so forth. Is the Department the parent funder of the Commission for Energy Regulation? Does that come from the Minister's Department's budget? How much money is being spent on research and development for energy or alternative sources of energy, particularly biomass? I have looked at Drax in the UK. It constitutes 10% of the UK energy market....

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: On biomass, do I take it that the €1.2 million the Minister mentioned at the very start is the only money being expended in the Department on biomass?

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: There is €4.75 million in that.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: By what date?

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: Leaving the controversy and the concerns of local communities about wind energy to one side, is there not a cost being expended by the State to provide a network at this point if more wind is going to come on the system. Is there not more money to be spent by the State, either by the Minister's Department, or by EirGrid or others? It will require investment by the State to take this wind...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: Is that the case even though some of our European colleagues have been moving away from wind energy?

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: It is the ordinary punter who is subsidising this.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: It covers a raft of issues. We have had meetings to discuss the issue of hydraulic fracking. What money is the Department spending on research into fracking? In discussing natural resources the other old chestnut is oil and gas. We have been hoping for generations to find fields off the coast. Last year it seemed that some of the fields to the south west had great potential, but that...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: Inland fisheries is the great untapped resource in the country. The Wild Atlantic Way has done a massive amount for the coast. There are a couple of things I wish to mention. Some of the Leader companies did a power of work on the life project in conjunction with the Department and the European Union. They did a pile of cleaning up of rivers and enhancing inland fisheries. The Department...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: One of the major issues was a lack of awareness among community groups, be they local development companies or local angling associations, that this funding was available. The Minister spoke about river beds, spawning and so forth and it is clear that a huge amount of work must be done. Rivers have been overgrown inland, among other things. It is a crying shame that money was sent back....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Seniors Alert Scheme (12 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: 243. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the serious concerns held by volunteers in local community groups regarding the proposed changes to the seniors alert scheme, in particular regarding the lack of consultation with those groups who have been administering this scheme, with such great effect up to now; his views on...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: National Standards Authority of Ireland (17 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: 245. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if his attention has been drawn to the delays with the issuing of certification of type approval by the National Standards Authority of Ireland for new commercial vehicles, in view of these delays are having a serious financial impact on struggling businesses; he will intervene to ensure that this situation is resolved immediately;...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (17 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: 457. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the concerns among teachers regarding the proposals to introduce public hearings, as part of fitness to teach inquiries; if she will provide an assurance to teachers, that any such hearings will be carried out in a fair and balanced way; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6996/15]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (17 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: 458. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that a school (details supplied) in County Cork does not have its resource hours reduced any further; if she will increase its allocation of resource hours; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6998/15]

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (18 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: I thank the Acting Chairman for giving me the opportunity so late to contribute to the debate. I had to attend a number of other meetings today and was not sure whether I would get an opportunity to contribute to this debate. The legislation is both fundamental and very important, but there are a number of issues about which I want to raise genuine concerns, including the holding of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Regulation of Gas Industry: Discussion (18 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: I welcome representatives of the Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors of Ireland and the CER. This is a very serious issue. I have had significant engagement with both groups. I know that the association has been pretty exasperated by the issue. More than 200 plumbers attended a meeting in a Fitzgerald hotel on a Tuesday evening in the middle of January. They are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Regulation of Gas Industry: Discussion (18 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: The commissioner's point is accepted. Anybody who is having a gas boiler installed should use a properly regulated and insured contractor. This must be the one flagged message out there. However, much unregulated and uninsured work is taking place. How will we ensure such work is stopped? What is happening in the marketplace is very dangerous and there is great frustration. The plumbers...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Regulation of Gas Industry: Discussion (18 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: Have all the more than 4,000 safety disconnections been followed up comprehensively?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Regulation of Gas Industry: Discussion (18 Feb 2015)

Michael Moynihan: I welcome the Commission for Energy Regulation, CER, to the committee to discuss this issue. There is huge frustration with the system given the reduction in oil and gas prices. The CER is right that gas is the major component in terms of Irish energy prices. People are asking why they are not seeing a reduction in the price of electricity, when they have seen a reduction in price at the...