Results 24,701-24,720 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Fuel Poverty (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I share the Deputy's concerns about the risks of fuel poverty in the current economic climate. The proposal over the period of the national recovery plan to double the price of carbon from €15 to €30 per tonne underlines the commitment to actions to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change. It was decided not to increase the carbon tax rate in 2011 because of other tax increases...

Fuel Poverty (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: That strategy will be presented within the coming weeks. It has been completed in my Department and we have to work within time lines with the Department of Social Protection and at Government level before publishing it. We will do that. I fully understand and accept what the Deputy is saying. In this very cold weather this issue is of critical importance, and I sympathise and have a...

Fuel Poverty (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: It is critical that we target people in receipt of fuel allowances because they are the ones in extreme poverty.

Fuel Poverty (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: It is right that the warmer homes scheme targets these people. Also, this scheme has been increased ten-fold since the coming into Office of the Green Party. I have outlined how further funding can be provided and, a more effective way of delivering it by using the ESB, Bord Gáis and other energy companies to continue that work. Keeping heat in is the best way to tackle fuel poverty....

Company Takeovers (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: With the agreement of the Government, ESB received my consent, and the consent of the Minister for Finance, to the acquisition of Northern Ireland Electricity, NIE, in July last. These consents were given after consideration by my Department and the Department of Finance of detailed legal and financial advice in relation to the proposal and its implications for the ESB Group, including...

Company Takeovers (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The position is as stated in my reply. This acquisition has been thoroughly examined by financial advisers for my Department, the Department of Finance and the company.

Company Takeovers (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: It makes sense because this is a regulated asset which provides a steady regular return. There is very low risk attached to it. It broadens the regulated asset base which provides the company with stability and does not push up gearings to the high levels, in regard to which the Deputy expressed concern. This makes business economic sense. The acquisition has been examined at length...

Company Takeovers (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, said the people felt that. I want to return to the key issue which relates to presenting economic growth for our country.

Company Takeovers (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: Fine Gael is saying we must show where the growth is and where the new jobs are.

Company Takeovers (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: One area from which growth and new jobs will come is the green e-economy through the development of new electric vehicles, smart metering and renewable generation, which will bring with it a whole range of different services. There are huge economic opportunities for Ireland in this area. We are getting good at it. This investment fits in within that context. Fine Gael cannot on the one...

Company Takeovers (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy is talking nonsense.

Company Takeovers (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: We do not know how the energy area can and will grow.

Energy Supply (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The increased level of disconnections of gas and electricity customers is a concern for the Government, the Commission for Energy Regulation, CER, and energy utilities. I emphasise the key message for all customers, which is to contact their suppliers to make arrangements before the situation gets to the point of disconnection. I am assured by all energy suppliers that they will continue to...

Energy Supply (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I have not heard details of that but I will come back to the Deputy-----

Energy Supply (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I have never heard of such an arrangement. I will check and come back to the Deputy straight away.

Energy Supply (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: Yes, I do not believe that it would be appropriate. I prefer to reply to the key issue of those in danger of disconnection because these are the people we have to care about. We have witnessed a change in the arrangements whereby the disconnection charge has been lowered but it is critical that under the new arrangements suppliers have to give clear written communications and refer to MABS...

Postal Services (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15, 19, 56, 248 and 257 together. The Government's core policy goal for the postal sector is to ensure that Irish customers, both business and residential, enjoy competitively priced, high quality postal services. The Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010, which transposes the third postal services directive, has been published and Second...

Postal Services (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with the Deputy that the circumstances have changed in the last two years. The reduction in mail volumes have accelerated far quicker than anyone could have expected. Rather than being a motivation for maintaining the status quo, it reinforces the need that we will have to do something different. We will have to operate our postal services system in a different way. If we try to...

Postal Services (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The Bill is going to Committee Stage in the Seanad tomorrow and I hope to bring into the Dáil as soon as we can after that, so that we can order our business to get it done before the end of the year. That is my intention. It is needed to meet the directive but also to give the workers in An Post and in the rest of this industry a sense of direction and new opportunities that I talked...

Postal Services (30 Nov 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I agree and the legislation seeks to maintain that universal service provision so that someone in Falcarragh is treated in the same way as someone in Dublin 4. The question of whether there should be State support for that depends on one's perspective. I believe that the national distribution network could be an asset in a new business model that would have to develop, rather than a cost or...