Results 26,181-26,200 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Telecommunications Services. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The emergency task force which was convened recently did exactly that. It was related to the water issue, where there was a real crisis in terms of the loss of water due to people leaving taps running and so on. It was on that basis the emergency task force went to the mobile phone companies and asked if it was possible for it to use the communications technology in that way. There were...

Telecommunications Services. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with the Deputy. As I have said those engagements have already started with the mobile telephone companies. They will continue and will take into account the suggestion he has made. It is more applicable in areas where there are short timelines in terms of a flood warning or other such emergency. We will continue to progress the issue with the mobile telephone companies.

Natural Gas Market. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The regulation of charges in the natural gas market, including tariffs to final customers, is the statutory responsibility of the Commission for Energy Regulation, CER, under the Gas (Interim) Regulation Act 2002. The gas market has been fully opened up to competition since July 2007. Experience in other markets has shown that there is a time lag between full market opening and the emergence...

Natural Gas Market. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: My direction is that we achieve a competitive clean and secure energy supply and keep money in this country rather than have it go abroad as much as possible. In the gas area, the RTF applies for about 246 customers. These are some of the larger industrial customers, companies that are in a competitive challenge, exporting companies to the UK and others. For them it is important that the...

Natural Gas Market. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I do not know about Fine Gael's position but I believe competition helps to drive down prices and I have seen it work. Therefore, my general instinct, where possible, is to let competition work in the public interest. Ultimately it is for the CER to decide when to turn to such a competitive unregulated market. We are moving on that. We need also to move in the area of electricity, in the...

Electricity Generation. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The development of electricity micro-generation is a key priority as part of the overall objective to deliver a more distributed and sustainable generation and network system and to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions. In February 2009, I launched the Micro Generation Programme, which is being operated by ESB Customer Supply and supported by ESB Networks. The programme has the...

Electricity Generation. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: To answer directly, yes. We need much larger numbers and we need those 4,000 smart meters to be availed of as soon as possible. That is why I asked the Department to go back to the ESB and others to find out why the scheme is not going as quickly as we wanted. If necessary we will change the regulations to make it happen. While one should be careful, one does not want to create a static...

Electricity Generation. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: Deputy Stanton is correct. This issue concerns not only the ESB but a number of different supply companies. In fairness to the ESB, it came forward with its offer of 10 cent premium for the first 3,000 kilowatt hours. There is a variety of ways in which this can be done. One lesson we must learn from the success in other countries is that what is not needed is a stop-start approach. That...

Electricity Generation. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I intend to bring forward shortly a policy blueprint for the development of the renewable energy offshore resource encompassing ocean and wind energy. The national offshore renewable energy plan will take account of the significant impetus being given to offshore renewable energy at European level. Our work as part of the North Seas countries offshore initiative together with the...

Electricity Generation. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I am aware of the legislation to which the Deputy refers and I am of the view it will strongly inform the new planning system for the development of offshore renewable energy projects in respect of which we will be obliged to legislate. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has primary responsibility for the delivery of the new planning system to which I refer. I...

Electricity Generation. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I am glad Deputy McManus raised this issue. I am of the view that goodwill and co-ordination at a political level are important because a consensus does not exist in certain other quarters. In my opinion, the ESRI's report does not take account of the long-term opportunity that exists. That body did not consider this industry as an exporting one. It may have examined this matter on a...

Telecommunications Services. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The question of ensuring access to telecommunications infrastructure is a matter for ComReg as part of its function of regulating the telecommunications markets in accordance with the requirements of the EU regulatory framework for electronic communications. ComReg is independent in the exercise of its regulatory functions and is required by law to exercise its powers impartially and...

Telecommunications Services. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I have given a very clear policy direction to the effect that we want to move towards open access. Yesterday, Eircom and ComReg reached an agreement in respect of this matter. They were due in court today in respect of a ComReg decision to bring the cost of wholesale line rental down from €8.41 to 77 cent per month. This means the new rental price will be less than 10% of that which...

Telecommunications Services. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy did inquire about it.

Telecommunications Services. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy inquired about what ComReg is doing to deliver open access? That which I have outlined represents a massive change and is a major indicator in the context of delivery.

Telecommunications Services. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: I set the policy framework within which ComReg makes its decisions.

Telecommunications Services. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: The 90% plus reduction achieved yesterday in crucial rental charges in respect of hundreds of thousands of lines throughout the country is an example of how policy can work and how open access can be provided. That is an example of a policy working, bringing prices down and providing open access on the market, and it was achieved yesterday.

Telecommunications Services. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: At the forum we held on next generation broadband in Dublin Castle involving all sides in the debate, I gave a very clear consistent signal that we need to develop a co-operative model that is also still competitive. It needs to be co-operative in terms of providing open wholesale access. Crucially, that is now being delivered; it is starting to work and happen, in the MANs, which are being...

Telecommunications Services. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: -----in the schools broadband infrastructure, which we are providing, and in the one-stop shop that we are progressing. In the Seanad, as we speak, a series of measures are being taken-----

Telecommunications Services. (26 Jan 2010)

Eamon Ryan: Yes. Those measures will provide open access in a plethora of different ways to bring us back up to the very top of the league in broadband. That is happening. It happened yesterday in the courts and will happen in the Seanad tomorrow when we push the legislation through. I believe it will work; it is the right policy as against the alternative, which would have been a direct...