Results 14,361-14,380 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Telecommunications Services (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The Intervention Area is a collective of geographical regions where a high speed reliable broadband service is not offered by commercial operators. Consequently the State has contracted National Broadband Ireland (NBI) to build a high speed fibre network in the Intervention Area as part of the National Broadband Plan. The NBP contract commenced in January 2020 and to date approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Efficiency (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) operate a grant scheme to help domestic customers who install rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) equipment on homes built and occupied before 2011. Details of eligibility criteria and how to apply are set out on the SEAI website. To date 4,810 applications have received grant support under the scheme with...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electricity Generation (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: A Micro-Generation working group, chaired by my Department, is developing an enabling framework for micro-generation which tackles existing barriers and establishes suitable supports within relevant market segments. The proposed support mechanism is outlined in a public consultation on this Department’s website at www.gov.ie  which is open for submissions until 18th February...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 59 and 60 together. Local authorities continue to be responsible for municipal waste collection within their functional areas. The obligations on local authorities in relation to collecting household waste are set out in section 33 of the Waste Management Act 1996, as amended. In summary, it provides that each local...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Recycling Policy (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The introduction of a deposit and return scheme (DRS) for plastic bottles and aluminium cans is a commitment in the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economywhich I published in September 2020. Development of the Action Plan was assisted by the deliberations of the Waste Advisory Group - a broad-based stakeholder forum which my Department chairs and which includes members from environmental...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Environmental Policy (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: On taking office as Minister, I made the Programme for Government commitment to end the issuing of new licences for the exploration and extraction of gas on the same basis as the decision taken in 2019 by the previous Government in relation to oil exploration and extraction, effective immediately. My Department is no longer accepting new applications for exploration licences for natural gas...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Efficiency (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The Programme for Government and the Climate Acton Plan set ambitious targets to retrofit 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating of B2 or cost optimal and to install 400,000 heat pumps in existing buildings during this decade.  To assist with the achievement of these targets, €221.5 million in capital funding is being provided this year through my Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electricity Generation (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a developing technology which has the potential to contribute to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation and industrial activity and can include the following:- The capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at source from electricity generation or industrial activity. - The transport of the captured...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Remote Working (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The Government’s strategy on remote working “Making Remote Work – National Remote Work Strategy” was published last month. The Strategy recognises the significant advantages that remote working can bring such as less commuting, more time for family and leisure, fewer transport greenhouse gas emissions, new job opportunities for people who want to live in Rural...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The Programme for Government and the Climate Action Plan set ambitious targets to retrofit 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating of B2 and to install 400,000 heat pumps in existing buildings over the next 10 years.  Heat pumps are an attractive and extremely efficient alternative to fossil fuel heating systems such as oil, gas and solid fuel heating systems.  In...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The Question refers to a premises located in the AMBER area on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website www.broadband.gov.ie. The AMBER area represents the area to be served by the network to be deployed under the NBP State led intervention.I appreciate people's frustration when they are living so close to a fibre...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68, 74 and 75 together. The Questions refer to premises which are located in the AMBER area on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website www.broadband.gov.ie. The AMBER area represents the area to be served by the network to be deployed under the NBP State led intervention....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Cybersecurity Policy (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 69 and 70 together. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) which is located within my Department is composed of highly skilled, specialist technical staff, with skillsets in areas such as computer science, software engineering, malware analysis, information technology forensics, cryptography, software development, and cyber security compliance, as well...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Infrastructure (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The Celtic Interconnector is a €1 billion electricity interconnector jointly proposed by EirGrid and their French counterparts, the French transmission system operator, RTÉ (Reseau de Transporte d’Électricite). It is proposed as a 575km long (500km subsea), 700MW cable from the north-west coast of France to the south coast of Ireland. At this scale it would be able to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Warmer Homes Scheme (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme is funded by my Department and administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The scheme delivers a range of energy efficiency measures free of charge to low income households vulnerable to energy poverty. To date over 142,000 homes have received free upgrades under the scheme, leaving the occupants better able to afford to heat their...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The Government advice is clear that within level 5, people should work from home unless it is absolutely necessary to attend in person for the delivery of an essential service. The list of essential services is available at www.gov.ie. My Department communicated with the minerals exploration sector in March and September 2020 to reiterate the advice provided by the Health and Safety...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Warmer Homes Scheme (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme is funded by my Department and administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The scheme delivers a range of energy efficiency measures free of charge to low income households vulnerable to energy poverty.To date over 142,000 homes have received free upgrades under the scheme, leaving the occupants better able to afford to heat their...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Bituminous Fuel Ban (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The Programme for Government commits to extend the Smoky Coal Ban to new towns and, over the term of the Government, to move towards a full nationwide ban.I have already delivered on the first part of that commitment by creating 13 new Low Smoke Zones with effect from 1 September 2020, and the ban now applies in all towns with populations in excess of 10,000 people. The next step in the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: 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 the over 544,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with 695 schools. The deployment...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Post Office Network (3 Feb 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The importance of the post office network has been clearly demonstrated throughout the pandemic where we have seen a range of initiatives through our post offices which have helped support local communities, the elderly and vulnerable. The serious decline in mail volumes and the impact of Covid-19 on footfall through post offices has had a severe impact on the postal network and the...