Results 2,101-2,120 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Does the Chairman wish me to deal with these matters now?

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: First, in response to the Chairman's own question, the €185,724,000 really is what it claims to be, namely, an estimate. If one looks at the 2012 Estimate, it is the same Estimate. However, the Chairman's point is that it is more than the outturn for 2012. The reason for that is the outturn was somewhat less than the Estimate for reasons of evasion, non-collection, the recession or...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: It may be so. In any event, the outturn of €179 million fell short of what was the Estimate. While the 2013 Estimates include a figure of €185,724,000, as Zhou Enlai replied when asked about the impact of the French Revolution, it is too early to say yet where that figure will end up. However the Chairman is correct, in that there is a significant evasion problem that could...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The answer to that is "Yes" and "No". Yes, more money will be there but the Chairman already has heard from Deputy Moynihan that others are contending for a share of the revenue. For example, the independent production sector makes an increasingly valuable contribution these days in respect of creativity, innovation and that kind of thing. The Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, that is,...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Will the Deputy pose his question again? I am finding it quite difficult to locate the figures to which he refers.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: What is the Deputy's point?

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: If the Deputy looks at the total figure - this applies to communications as well as across the Department - he will see that the level of staffing is below the ceiling we were permitted. There are a variety of reasons for this, such as people taking retirement, etc. The position in this regard will be corrected as the year progresses because as Deputy Colreavy noted, we certainly do not...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I thank the Vice Chairman. I apologise for the unavoidable absence of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Fergus O'Dowd. I agree that perhaps the best way for us to proceed is by way of questions and answers. There are some very large policy issues hanging or dependent on some of the subhead items which I am sure colleagues will want to take the opportunity to query. The gross...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Will the Deputy repeat that?

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Which subhead?

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I am with the Deputy.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Deputy Moynihan is correct. When one sees the various subheads of the Vote one appreciates the expanse and variation in the area encompassed by the Department. In his questions he put particular emphasis on the importance of broadband, the progress that will be made by the end of the year and the financial issues that will arise from that. This relates in part to Deputy Harrington's...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Electricity Generation (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 180 and 186 together. Electric Ireland has been offering a 9c/kwh feed in tariff, on a commercial basis, to domestic microgenerators since February 2009. No other electricity supply company has to date chosen to enter the domestic market and to offer a microgeneration feed-in-tariff on a commercial basis, although the Commission for Energy Regulation...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Services Provision (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The Government’s National Broadband Plan, which I published in August last, aims to radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland by ensuring that high speed services of 30Mbps are available to all of our citizens and businesses, in advance of the EU’s target date of 2020, and that significantly higher speeds are available to as many homes and businesses as possible. The...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Resources (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 182 and 184 together. It is a condition of EU and International Energy Agency (IEA) membership that all Member States maintain certain levels of strategic oil reserves to maintain security of oil supply. The National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) is responsible for maintaining Ireland’s 90 days of strategic oil stocks for use in the event of an oil...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Mobile Telephony (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: A proposal to register all customers of mobile phone services was considered previously by my Department which identified many complex legal, technical, data protection and practical issues to be considered. It was concluded at the time that the proposal would not solve the illegal and inappropriate use of mobile phones and was not practical. There are no current proposals to compel mobile...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Resources (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: At the end of December 2008, the National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) held 46% of their stockholding obligation as physical stocks on the island of Ireland, 38% as physical stocks abroad and 16% as stock tickets. By the end of April 2013, the situation has dramatically improved and the split is now 74% as physical stocks on the island of Ireland and 26% as physical stocks in other EU Member...

Report on Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration: Statements (Resumed) (9 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I thank my colleagues across the House who have contributed to the debate tonight and on 14 May. In particular I thank the former Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications, Natural Resources and Agriculture, Deputy Andrew Doyle. The report has generated a healthy and robust debate on Ireland's offshore oil and gas exploration experience and potential. The Government has...

Report on Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration: Statements (Resumed) (9 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: It is the only bit of credit I got on this issue.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Warmer Homes Scheme Eligibility (9 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administers the Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme on behalf of my Department. The scheme delivers a range of energy efficiency measures to households that are vulnerable to energy poverty. The scheme is delivered through a combination of SEAI appointed Community Based Organisations (CBOs), augmented by a panel of private contractors in...