Results 15,361-15,380 of 21,588 for speaker:Denis Naughten

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Post Office Network (7 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: As Minister, I am responsible for the postal sector including the governance of An Post.  I am acutely conscious of the value placed by communities in both rural and urban areas on services provided by post offices and am committed to ensuring that a sustainable post office network is available to all our citizens for the medium and for the long term. The post office network has been...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Post Office Closures (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: As Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, I am responsible for the postal sector, including the governance of An Post which is a commercial State body with a mandate to deliver a postal delivery service and a viable post office network. I am acutely conscious of the value placed by communities in both rural and urban areas on services provided by post offices. I am...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Post Office Closures (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: Let me make it crystal clear that my priority throughout all of this process, as I have said in the House before, is to make viable as many post offices as possible. The Deputy knows from the statistics we have given that one of the post offices that will close makes 11 social welfare payments a week. If we are honest about this, we all know examples of where people are bypassing the local...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Post Office Closures (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: An Post is altering its retail network to try to meet the changing needs of communities right across this country and reflect shopping patterns. The Deputy is correct in that there are communities where there are other retailers willing to operate the service and I accept that is an issue. That is the reason An Post has put out a call to those retailers to the effect that it is prepared to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: I thank the Deputy for his question. The national broadband plan, NBP, is ambitious, with the objective of ensuring that access to a high speed broadband service is available to every premises in Ireland. Realising this objective will significantly enhance Ireland’s standing as a leading EU digital economy. Bidders wishing to participate in the ongoing NBP procurement process had...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: The tender was submitted earlier today. That will be gone through by a team comprising approximately 80 people who have been involved in this procurement process, which also includes external advice that was available to the Department. This procurement process has been complex. I accept it is quite technical. It is unique in terms of its level of ambition, vision and challenge....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: First, the tender was submitted today. I have not had sight of that tender, and nor should I. Deputy Stanley asked detailed questions about the metropolitan area networks, MANs, across the State. If the Deputy submits a question on that matter, we will provide the detail on it. On the towns specifically, the Deputy will be aware that the towns serviced by the MANs are now getting...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: The procurement process to select a company that will deliver high-speed broadband to 543,000 premises in the State intervention area is now in its final stages. The bidding consortium is proposing a predominantly fibre-to-the-home solution, which will be capable of delivering more than 100 Mbps to premises and up to 1 gigabit for businesses. This network will be a wholesale open...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: As I said, I cannot or will not comment on that at the moment. I understand the consortium will issue a statement later today, which will provide detail on the questions that have been raised.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: Let me be crystal clear for Deputy Dooley and all Members. As I stated, the procurement process involved is complex and each of the bidders had to provide evidence of the necessary economic and financial standing along with the required technical and professional capability to deliver on this. We received a tender earlier today and the evaluation team needs to be allowed the space to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Infrastructure (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: There have been a number of announcements of private sector commercial proposals to build liquefied natural gas, LNG, facilities in Ireland. These include the Shannon LNG project, which is designated as an EU project of common interest, and a number of other more recent proposals. These are commercial projects and the location, development and final investment decisions...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Infrastructure (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: First of all, the figure is 40% of our renewable electricity by 2020. I am determined to try to achieve that target. The production, sourcing, buying and selling of natural gas produced outside this jurisdiction is an operational matter for the undertakings involved. There are a number of supply sources, with North America potentially one of those. Qatar is the largest producer of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Infrastructure (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: I am not just the Minister for energy. That is why I have told the Deputy in my response that not only is it important that we have power in this country, but that it be clean power as well. I am determined to ensure that we have the cleanest possible generation. In terms of renewables, we have significant opportunities off our east and, in particular, west coasts. We have approximately...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Sustainable Development Goals (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: I thank the Deputy. In July, I presented Ireland's first national review of the SDGs to the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. Following the adoption of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, including the 17 SDGs, by UN member states in 2015, the forum was designated as the central platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 agenda at global...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Sustainable Development Goals (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: I thank Deputy O'Sullivan. I acknowledge the tremendous work the Irish ambassador, David Donoghue, did on behalf of Ireland and Kenya, which led the charge for the development of these SDGs. People did not believe that it was possible to get agreement about SDGs. The Deputy is right about having co-ordination across Departments. It is my responsibility to ensure that happens, working with...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Sustainable Development Goals (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: As part of the implementation plan over the next couple of years, priority is being given to public awareness and to stakeholder engagement. We accept that that is fundamental to this. My role as Minister is overseeing coherent implementation across Government and Departments. I have specific responsibility for energy, sustainable consumption and climate action. It is not just about...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Waste Management (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: The Waste Management Act 1996, as amended, and the Waste Management (Collection Permit) Regulations 2007, as amended, set out the regulatory framework for the collection of waste in the State.  The obligations on local authorities with regard to collecting household waste are set out in section 33 of the Waste Management Act 1996, as amended. In summary, it provides that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Waste Management (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: I hear what the Deputy says. First, we are open to considering any suggestion or idea to reduce the generation of waste in the first place. That must be the number one priority. The difficulty with the Deputy's suggestion is that the logistical cost involved in collecting, segregating and managing waste for 2,000 houses would make it very expensive for the houses involved. As the Deputy...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Waste Management (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: We are quite open to exploring the possibilities in terms of what the Deputy has outlined. My objective is to keep material out of landfill sites and anything that could help to do that would be positive. Specifically on waste generation, important work is being undertaken by some of Ireland's leading agrifood businesses to reduce unnecessary plastic packaging in the food supply chain....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (18 Sep 2018)

Denis Naughten: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48, 50, 80 and 83 together. As the Deputies will be aware, in 2017 I commissioned two studies designed to address the main points of the motions passed by Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann, as well as key concerns expressed by those opposed to the development of the North-South interconnector, NSIC, as an overhead line. The first is an...