Results 1-20 of 543 for at speaker:Ossian Smyth

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The European Commission has advised that we check as early as possible in the process. Ideally, it would be at the point where a person gets the electronic passenger locator form or at online check-in. The worst case would be where everybody is being checked at the destination country and lines are building up at immigration. The intention is that everybody will be checked pre-departure...

Seanad: Development (Emergency Electricity Generation) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Oct 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I am quite happy to look at the Australian model. It is very important to look at what is happening in other jurisdictions. That is cutting-edge technology and we will certainly look at that. Senator Boyhan should make those suggestions known when he is contributing to the public consultation, which I am sure he will.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Aviation Industry (14 Feb 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Senator Boylan and I am glad that she agrees that we should be looking at emissions rather than passenger numbers and at emissions per capita. I will look to see whether I can get a good breakdown of general aviation so we are not mixing up private jets with medical flights, cargo and so on. Much of this debate emerged with a provocative and noisy campaign by Ryanair saying it would...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Cap on Market Revenues) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (5 Oct 2023)

Ossian Smyth: Price is a factor. However, it is not the only factor. Predictability of investment is a factor and Ireland, if we are not good at anything else, is certainly good at attracting foreign direct investment. We have extensive experience in that area. We also managed, at the same time as attracting foreign direct investment, to recoup large sums of money from those who have invested here and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Cybersecurity: Discussion (Resumed) (26 May 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Senator asked whether the data collected as part of vaccination was at risk, and he named some of the various data fields collected. To put the Senator's mind at rest, my understanding is they are collected by a system in the cloud developed very recently by IBM and they have not been affected by the hack and all of those data are safe. On the question as to whether we are at war, I...

National Broadband Plan: Statements (27 Jan 2022)

Ossian Smyth: That is a reasonable question. That information is on the website today. I looked at it a while ago and that has been rectified. If it was not on it, it is there now. I met the board, first at a virtual meeting and then at a physical meeting where I actually met all of them. Deputy Duncan Smith is correct. All of the names of the people on the board have to be published and have to be known.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (16 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Again, I refer the Deputy to the meeting of the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications with National Broadband Ireland, NBI, yesterday, where some of these issues were discussed, certainly from the point of view of NBI on the acceleration of the rollout. The programme for government states that the Government will attempt to compress the length of time for the rollout from seven...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (14 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: The nature of the plan is 100% coverage. The country has been divided into 227 areas. The contractor only gets paid when it connects 100% of premises within that area. In other words, it has to pass fibre past every farm, business and home to get its payment. This is not a scheme that leaves people out. It completes by the end of 2026 and at that point 100% of the premises in the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: -----even if the contract stopped. One would have to prove and have evidence that the supplier was the party at fault. A contract might stop because it had been really poorly specified by the buyer. One might have ordered something that was impossible to deliver or that would take too long or that did not actually solve the problem. If the contract stops at some point, to prove, to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (14 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I assure the Senator that we are proactively engaging with the airlines. When I say "we", I mean that staff from the HSE have been out at the airports over the past weeks working with the carriers and discussing this with them. Every country has implemented this process in a slightly different way but the earlier the certificate is checked, the better. Aer Lingus is already running a test...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (20 Sep 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I regularly meet with Eir, NBI, the contractors who do the work and everybody in between to make sure that the project is still running. I have met with the new chief executive of Eir and I am convinced that he will continue to improve the roll-out of this system. Deputy Ó Murchú mentioned Eir make-ready which is the preparatory work that Eir does in the year before it hands over...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Cyber Security Centre Review: Discussion (22 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Deputy again. His first question is whether the Government accepts the recommendations of the report and the answer is we do. He further asks if we accept the recommendations for the additional staffing and the decision was made at Cabinet earlier this year to go beyond that level. I recommended a higher staffing complement and this was accepted. It will be a challenge to...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022)

Ossian Smyth: Our Revised Estimate for 2022 is for €39.6 million. I am looking at the same thing as the Deputy. Our 2021 Estimate was for €31.3 million. Am I missing something? There is an overall increase under subhead A1 of €8.3 million. Is the Deputy looking at something slightly different from me?

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Deputy Leddin. We can look at that. It is a novel proposal that Gas Networks Ireland would be banned from advertising or promoting new gas connections. I will look at it and come back to the Deputy on it in January.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Circular Economy: Discussion (30 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I am not considering it at present, but if Deputy O'Sullivan wants to make a proposal, I will look at it. Paper bags are biodegradable. If a paper bag is left in a bush or hedge it will return-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Circular Economy: Discussion (30 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I can certainly look at the Deputy's suggestions around there being no sound from the machine or that it does not have Braille markings on the outside. I can look at this. From talking to people who are blind, however, it is a challenge to use a supermarket in general.

National Broadband Plan: Statements (27 Jan 2022)

Ossian Smyth: The 2022 targets are under negotiation at the moment, although they are not targets exactly. The specific milestones and deliveries are set in the contract at the start so they are all there already. What we are negotiating now is what the projected actual delivery will be, given the delays experienced last year.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (1 Feb 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I propose to take Questions Nos. 210 to 214, inclusive, together. The National Broadband Plan (NBP) is a Government policy initiative that is being achieved through a combination of accelerated commercial investment by telecoms operators, and a State intervention. Information regarding the NBP is available on the Department’s website at www.broadband.gov.ie.  As a State...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Cost of Living Issues (1 Jun 2022)

Ossian Smyth: Providing electronic communication services, is a matter for the relevant service providers operating in a fully liberalised market, regulated by the Commission for Communication Regulation (ComReg), as independent Regulator. While as Minister, I do not have statutory authority to influence the prices set by the commercial companies concerned, I understand, that competition in...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 11 – Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 – Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 – State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - the Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 17 – Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 – National Shared Services Office (Revised)
Vote 19 -the Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
Vote 43 – Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Ossian Smyth: Any kind of Government administration or procurement system like that should absolutely be fair to the participants. It should be transparent and so on. I accept that. I am not aware that companies went all the way through the process, only to receive an email to say no at the end. If the Cathaoirleach wants me to follow that up with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability,...