Results 1,641-1,660 of 2,990 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Building Regulations (27 Oct 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and for giving me the opportunity to give him an update on the Government's supports for home retrofit. In order to hit our targets we need to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a building energy rating, BER, of B2 and install 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes to replace older, less efficient heating systems by the end of 2030. This...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Building Regulations (27 Oct 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I will take the Deputy's comments to the Minister and discuss this with him. I take the Deputy's point there is a real problem for these stone houses. As he says, they are likely to be lived in by people who could be in energy poverty, people who are older, people in remote locations in rural areas and so on, and this needs to be addressed. That is why the guidelines are being worked out....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Emergency Services (27 Oct 2022)

Ossian Smyth: Following a competitive procurement process, BT Communications Ireland Limited (BTCIL) holds the contract to operate the Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS). The Contract provides a comprehensive set of Key Performance Indicators centred on the availability and quality of the service and BT’s performance against these metrics is closely monitored by my Department, including...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Youth Perspectives on the Circular Economy and COP27, including Climate Justice and Energy: Discussion (21 Oct 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I will be quick. Things started to go wrong for the world in the past 60 years. Some 100 years ago, human beings did not have much impact on the planet, as far as I can see. Eventually, technology advanced to the point where we could do all kinds of things, and lift people out of poverty, but it then went too far. We got to the point where people did not have to fix their shoes any more....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Youth Perspectives on the Circular Economy and COP27, including Climate Justice and Energy: Discussion (21 Oct 2022)

Ossian Smyth: They are all great.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Youth Perspectives on the Circular Economy and COP27, including Climate Justice and Energy: Discussion (21 Oct 2022)

Ossian Smyth: Was the almost 18-year-old going to vote for the Acting Chairperson?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Youth Perspectives on the Circular Economy and COP27, including Climate Justice and Energy: Discussion (21 Oct 2022)

Ossian Smyth: Yes, it was that group’s proposal.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Youth Perspectives on the Circular Economy and COP27, including Climate Justice and Energy: Discussion (21 Oct 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I have to go UCD now. I thank the members and guests. If any of the young people have ideas about the circular economy and what we could do better, I ask them please to email me and mention that they were talking to me, and I will discuss those ideas further with them.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (8 Nov 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I am advised by National Broadband Ireland, NBI, that, as of 28 October 2022, more than 97,000 premises can order or preorder a high-speed broadband connection, with in excess of 87,700 premises passed and available for immediate connection. Construction is under way across all 26 counties, demonstrating that the project is reaching scale. To date, the level of connections is increasing...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (8 Nov 2022)

Ossian Smyth: The way the NBP contract works is that the contractor is paid only when it connects 100% of an area. Every single home in a deployment area has to be connected for the contractor to get its payment, which is different from what happens in the urban areas. As the rural areas are connected, there will be no black spots in them. The urban areas are where I am concerned about black spots. I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (8 Nov 2022)

Ossian Smyth: Starting with Louth, as I said, 3,334 homes out of 8,837 have been passed, making it the number one county in Ireland for connections. For those who need connection and do not yet have it, and have been waiting for three or more years, we have provided information on the website. We want to be honest and let people know they will have to make other arrangements. The three technologies...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (8 Nov 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I am advised by NBI that, as of 28 October 2022, over 97,000 premises can order or pre-order high-speed broadband connections. More than 87,700 premises have been passed and are ready for immediate connection. Construction is under way across 26 counties. This demonstrates that the project is reaching scale. NBI has advised that over 3,334 premises in County Louth are passed with a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (8 Nov 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I hear the Deputy and have read that letter. I can see there is a personal story behind it of somebody who has moved home to their parents to save money for a house and then found they do not have the connection they need to run their business, and I understand that. It is not just to run a business because you need the Internet if you want to work from home, study from home or even just...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (8 Nov 2022)

Ossian Smyth: At this rate, NBI is passing by 5,000 homes every month. Next year, that will accelerate to 7,000 homes per month. Approximately 100,000 Irish families in rural Ireland who had no decent broadband Internet access will have fibre broadband by the end of the year. The project is back on track after really being set back during the pandemic. The Deputy said there is a sense from the people...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Communications Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (26 Oct 2022)

Ossian Smyth: The first amendments we were going to discuss provide for the new Part 3. This group consists of amendments Nos. 3 to 16, inclusive, and amendment No. 36. Are we discussing those amendments now?

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Communications Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (26 Oct 2022)

Ossian Smyth: Yes.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Communications Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (26 Oct 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I will come back to the question the Chair asked previously about the amendment of the Digital Hub Development Agency Act.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Communications Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (26 Oct 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the committee for facilitating Committee Stage today. I also thank members for their general support for the Bill during pre-legislative scrutiny and on Second Stage in the Dáil. As members are aware, this is a long and technical Bill. As well as transposing the enforcement and security provisions of the European electronic communications code, the Bill provides the Commission...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Communications Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (26 Oct 2022)

Ossian Smyth: We will table this amendment on Report Stage.