Results 1,741-1,760 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Energy Resources. (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: Deputy Coveney and I were opposition colleagues at a time when the borrowing limit was increased for the ESB from, if I recall correctly, €2 billion to €6 billion.

Energy Resources. (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: Looking at the recent annual accounts it is interesting to note that the borrowing level has not increased to anywhere near what was anticipated. It is probably closer to what it was at the time when emergency legislation had to be drafted. I am less concerned about the balance sheet, the borrowing aspect of the ESB, than I would be if it had been closer to the levels we provided for in...

Energy Resources. (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: Sorry, perhaps I can finish.

Energy Resources. (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: Perhaps I can finish briefly.

Energy Resources. (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: We have the obvious target of 15% in electricity generation by 2010. At present we are close to 10%. With targets we have to be careful not to set limits to our ambitions. I would like to go way beyond some of the targets already set. I have no objection if that can be done on an annual basis or otherwise.

Energy Resources. (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: Yes. Those targets that have been set are the floor.

Energy Resources. (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: I am quite happy to be measured on reaching those targets not as a limit of our ambitions but as the floor on an annual basis and to be picked up on that if we do not achieve it. I will come back to the ESB at a later stage.

Telecommunications Services. (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: There were 698,000 broadband subscribers in Ireland at end of quarter two of 2007 according to official figures from ComReg. Since then, the 700,000 target has been achieved and I am confident the final figure for the end of 2007 will greatly exceed 700,000. This 698,000 figure is equivalent to 16.48% of the population. At the start of 2005 only 3% of the population were broadband...

Telecommunications Services. (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: Where we are not getting sufficient service I have no problem in deploring that and in encouraging the companies involved. I will have no problem in regulating as much as possible to ensure that the companies involved begin to provide services. In the case of Wicklow if that is the level of exchange that has been enabled, then it is an issue of real concern. The response to that is how we...

Telecommunications Services. (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: I do not know where Deputy Coveney got the 18 months figure. I believe I said earlier that the scheme would be operational by the second quarter of 2008, which would be less than six months away. The group broadband scheme was fully implemented in terms of processing all the applications and providing grants in 2004 and 2005. Based on the experience of that scheme it was decided that the...

Telecommunications Services. (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: Eircom's fixed line network is one of many regulated communications networks in Ireland. The communications landscape has been transformed over the last decade. Where once we had just one publicly owned telecommunications company, we now have close to 400 operators in the communications area. Ireland now has a mix of mobile, wireless, cable and fixed networks all of which are capable of...

Telecommunications Services. (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: Yes, it would be a positive development. We look to the UK example where a similar incumbent provider separated its business and provided its mainline retail network on a wholesale access basis. Going back to the argument the Deputy made earlier, it seems to me that there is an economic or commercial benefit for companies moving in that direction. By raising the overall level of business,...

Telecommunications Services. (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: Earlier I spoke about the developing competitive market in terms of not just fixed line telecommunications providers of which there are several. The number of companies in the telecommunications area is very significant in wireless, cable and a range of different technological services. We need to be very careful that we do not just jump into a very quickly evolving and competitive market...

Alternative Energy Projects. (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: I am aware of the need to strike a land balance between energy and food crops. The European Commission has indicated its awareness of general sustainability issues regarding biofuels and has signalled its intention to introduce incentives and support systems to avoid such issues. Specifically, it intends to encourage the development of "second generation" biofuels which can be produced from...

Alternative Energy Projects. (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: I would very much welcome a detailed debate but this may take more than a debate in the House. For example, this could be a subject for a committee because it is highly complex and technical. Second generation biofuels have different implications for generating feed stock, as they are generated from a general organic source rather than a food source. Such issues require much analysis and...

Alternative Energy Projects. (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: I will do whatever I can to ensure Irish farming benefits from biofuel supports rather than distant sources, without infringing world trade rules, which could result in Ireland being pulled up and a stop-start approach for the industry. My colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has a key role in this regard. We must be innovative and, at the same time, careful. The...

Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: I travelled to the United States from 24-27 July last to make contacts and garner information on best policy practice in the area of telecommunications and energy, including energy sustainability. I used the opportunity to also visit a number of Irish community centres in the Bronx and Yonkers to speak to the 'undocumented Irish' and reported their situation to Minister for Foreign Affairs,...

Written Answers — Energy Policy: Energy Policy (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: I met with the ESB Group of Unions on 23rd July in relation to the energy policy objectives set out in the Programme for Government and the Energy Policy White Paper which impact on ESB. In inviting the Unions to meet me, it was my intention to hear any concerns that they might have on the issues and to provide a clear outline of my own position and that of the Government. I have made it...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 19 together. The provision of telecommunications services, including broadband, is a matter for the private sector. Broadband service providers operate in a fully liberalised market, regulated, where appropriate, by the independent Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. The role of the Government is to formulate regulatory and infrastructure...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (11 Oct 2007)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16, 24 and 68 together. I have no function in regulating the provision of services in the telecommunications market. Primary responsibility for consumer protection falls within the remit of my colleague the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the National Consumer Agency. A function of the Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg, is...