Results 1,401-1,420 of 2,990 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Recycling Policy (18 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy 2020 - 2025 commits to examining measures to support increased use of recycled materials in packaging and this includes the possible introduction of a virgin plastic levy. My officials have established a dialogue with the organisation concerned to better understand the current behaviour in the plastics recycling market. ...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (18 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in almost 560,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with some 679 schools. I am advised by NBI...

National Parks and Wildlife Service Strategic Plan: Statements (Resumed) (19 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Deputy Connolly and all the other Deputies for their contributions on the review and strategic action plan for the National Parks and Wildlife Service. This is a €55 million plan that fulfils an important commitment in the programme for Government and it will be a very positive result for Irish nature. I want to turn to some of the contributions. Deputy Whitmore’s...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (24 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Deputy. The Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill has passed Committee Stage in the Dáil and is going to Fourth Stage on 1 June. It will introduce the power for local authorities to gather evidence of people who are carrying out illegal dumping. It will allow the use of drones, body-cams, CCTV and so on to gather that...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Energy Policy (24 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Deputy for asking this important question. Ireland imports approximately three quarters of its natural gas from the UK, with the remainder coming from the Corrib field. The UK has a diverse supply of gas, including indigenous UK gas, Norwegian gas, liquefied natural gas and via interconnectors with Belgium and the Netherlands. The UK and, by extension, Ireland are not heavily...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Energy Policy (24 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: The first question is the nature of the legal agreement between Ireland and the UK on the supply of gas. I will have to consult the Civil Service to give Deputy Stanton an exact answer on that. I do not, however, think it is a gentlemen’s agreement between the two countries. The next question was about the form of liquid back-up for the gas supply plans. I believe it is gas oil and...

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (25 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I am pleased to present the Bill to the House. This Bill provides for significant enhancements to the statutory framework for the protection of whistleblowers in Ireland. It updates the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 to provide for the transposition of the EU whistleblowing directive into Irish law, the establishment of a new office of the protected disclosures commissioner and to...

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (25 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: That is absolutely fine.

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (25 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I thank all Senators for their contributions. I will continue my contribution where I left off by describing some of the main provisions of the Bill. I had been discussing Chapter 3, section 14, which inserts the new sections 10C and 10D into the principal Act. These sections concern the handling of disclosures made or transmitted to the commissioner. In the first instance, the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (24 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract signed on 19 November 2019 to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area.  My Department has no direct role in relation to the matter referred to and any queries regarding same are a matter for NBI.  I have...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (24 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: In April this year, my Department agreed an Updated Interim Remedial Plan (UIRP) with NBI, which recalibrated the targets for 2022 to take account of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and other delays to the Programme. The UIRP has a revised target of 102,000 premises to be passed by the end of January 2023 (Contract Year 3). I am advised by NBI that as of 13 May 2022 over 56,600 premises...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (24 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: NBI has advised that, as of 31 December 2021, over 285,500 premises within the Intervention Area were surveyed or had surveys underway, which equates to almost 51% of the total Intervention Area of almost 560,000 premises. I am advised by NBI that, as of 13 May 2022, almost 327,000 premises have now been surveyed or have surveys underway which equates to over 58% of the total Intervention...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Strategies (24 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: The Digital Connectivity Strategy sets out the digital targets to be delivered by the telecommunications sector by 2030 and the initiatives needed to deliver these targets. A draft of this strategy was published as part of a public consultation launched on 23rd February. Comments and observations were invited from all interested parties on the draft strategy. The public consultation closed on...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Infrastructure (26 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in almost 560,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with some 679 schools.I am advised by NBI...

Transport, Accelerating Sustainable Mobility: Statements (31 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: The Minister is at a Cabinet meeting.

Transport, Accelerating Sustainable Mobility: Statements (31 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: He is at a Cabinet meeting.

Transport, Accelerating Sustainable Mobility: Statements (31 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I thank all Members for their contributions. It is clear we are all committed to improving and increasing sustainable mobility throughout the country. Transport is central to Ireland's decarbonisation efforts. In 2020, road transport alone accounted for 94% of transport emissions. Road transport also contributes to increased levels of noise, collisions, congestion and pollutants that...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Environmental Policy (31 May 2022)

Ossian Smyth: The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy 2020 - 2025 commits to examining measures to support increased use of recycled materials in packaging including the possible introduction of a virgin plastic levy.  Any intervention in the market must be carefully assessed and my officials are engaging with Repak, the national Extended Producer Responsibility scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Cost of Living Issues (1 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: Providing electronic communication services, is a matter for the relevant service providers operating in a fully liberalised market, regulated by the Commission for Communication Regulation (ComReg), as independent Regulator. While as Minister, I do not have statutory authority to influence the prices set by the commercial companies concerned, I understand, that competition in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Infrastructure (1 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 66 together. I am advised by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) that, as of 20 May 2022, over 327,600 premises have now been surveyed and over 175,300 premises are under construction or complete across 26 counties, demonstrating that the project is reaching scale. I am further advised that almost 67,700 premises are now available to order or pre-order a...