Results 1,461-1,480 of 2,990 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: There are two substantial amendments here. The first is to change the EPA Act. This is to allow for the licensing of emergency generators and to allow this to work in terms of planning permission. Currently, under the EPA legislation, a licence can only be granted where planning permission exists. In this case, the EPA Act will be changed to allow for a licence to be granted where...

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: The use of renewable energy, demand management and community energy supplies are all part of the circular economy and are directly relevant. As Senator Boylan said, we are in an emergency. It is important to keep the lights on and to have security of supply to deal with an energy crisis. I did not mean any disrespect by the way it was introduced. We brought it in as soon as we could. I...

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I note the Senator's comments.

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I will start with Senator Ruane. I absolutely appreciate the intention behind her amendment No. 36 to exempt people with disabilities from the provisions of the Bill.In fact, the Bill provides that regulations will be put in place to work out the details of Bill. I am happy to consider those aspects at that stage. Before we make regulations to put a levy on any particular item, it must go...

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: The Senator was asking why we should put a limit on the amount, or maybe lower and upper bounds. The reason I am doing that is so that the Minister is not given too much power. I do not want a situation in which the Minister could put a levy of €100 on a cup of coffee, which would make no sense. What we are creating is an executive power for the Minister to, following public...

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: The Senator can propose an increase in the levy on Report Stage, which I will consider then, but it cannot be an infinite levy with no upper bounds.

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I want to come back to Senator Dooley's point about littering because I did not respond to it earlier.

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: Senator Ruane can come in if she wants.

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I am not accepting Senator Ward's amendment. He is welcome to introduce a modified amendment on Report Stage and I will consider it then. On Senator Dooley's question about introducing a strategy on litter, I will consider that. All of this is relevant to the visible existence of litter. People are concerned about it. They relate to it. The Senator is correct that in the autumn all this...

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Action Chairperson and thank Senator Ruane for these amendments. I do not intend to accept Amendments Nos. 5 and 6 or Nos. 15 to 23, inclusive. Section 8(9) of the Bill is a broadly-drafted provision that provides for how money from the circular economy fund may be used. The section is similar to the corresponding section in respect of the environment fund and it provides for a...

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: Amendment No. 8 is a small drafting amendment relating to the drafting of a poverty impact assessment under section 7. The amendment ensures that the Minister can procure the services of an expert group or body to carry out the assessment, if required, and that it does not have to be carried out by his or her Department. There are other amendments grouped with this one. May I address those?

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: Should they first be addressed by the Senators who tabled them? What is the normal order here? I do not know the-----

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: Okay. Whatever is normal.

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I have finished speaking to the Government amendment. Should the Senators now be allowed to-----

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I am not accepting amendments Nos. 9 to 13, inclusive. The civic amenity sites are the major interface for dealing with recycling and for the general public getting rid of waste and they are often not consistent from one place to another. Different waste streams are accepted and it is not always entirely clear why. It is confusing. I agree with Senator Boylan that men's sheds are part of...

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I absolutely agree with what the Senator is trying to achieve. However, I will not be accepting amendments Nos. 14 and 74, which deal with different aspects of how we use and dispose of consumer goods. Significantly enhanced repairability and ease of maintenance of consumer goods is an essential component of the circular economy. The whole-of-government circular economy strategy recognises...

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: It is a shocking practice where a commercial company, retailer or Internet retailer takes perfectly good consumer goods from a shelf and puts them straight into landfill or destroy them because they have calculated that they will get a better return on investment or a higher profit by actually destroying working consumer goods. The EU has agreed a general approach to that and an anti-dumping...

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: The amendments in this group relate to the circular economy programme. The programme gives effect to the objectives set out in the circular economy strategy. The strategy is prepared by the Minister and approved by the Government. As such, the programme gives operational effect to the objectives in the strategy, which are drafted by the Minister and subject to Government approval. It is...

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: With regard to amendment No. 49, the PFAS family of chemicals is a significant concern in the EU and globally as these chemicals can cause long-lasting environmental damage and adverse health impacts. In this regard, it is important that they are comprehensively regulated at EU level rather than through the national legislation of individual member states. In recent years, the EU has set in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (30 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I propose to take Questions Nos. 108 to 110, inclusive, together. The contract for the National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led intervention, which was signed with National Broadband Ireland (NBI) in November 2019, is a comprehensive and detailed document. To protect the State investment and ensure that the NBP milestones and deliverables are met, the contract has been designed to include...