Results 2,641-2,660 of 2,990 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Digital Hubs (15 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Following a strategic review, which concluded that the Digital Hub is no longer required to sustain the continued growth of Dublin's digital enterprise sector, the Government decided on 27 April that the Digital Hub Development Agency should be dissolved and its land and property assets transferred to the Land Development Agency. It is anticipated that the wind down will be completed by...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (15 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The premises referred to in the Question are located in the BLUE area on the NBP High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website at www.broadband.gov.ie. The BLUE area represents those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services. My Department defines high speed broadband as a connection...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Litter Pollution (15 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: A circular issued to local authorities on 5 May 2021 informing them of an additional €5 million to be provided in support of their anti-litter efforts in the context of the easing of Covid 19 restrictions and the consequent need to provide additional anti-litter facilities in support of a predominantly outdoor summer season. The circular set out the broad range of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Litter Pollution (15 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Anti-Dumping Initiative (ADI) was introduced by my Department in 2017 to encourage a collaborative approach between local authorities, communities and other state agencies in tackling the problem of illegal dumping. The ADI focuses on four key areas, prevention, abatement, education and enforcement and project proposals are assessed based on their potential impact in these...

Seanad: Public Service Pay Bill 2020: Second Stage (14 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Members for facilitating this Bill. This Bill is a key enabler for the new public service pay agreement, Building Momentum, and allows for a range of reforming pay matters, including implementation of aspects of Sláintecare. It continues the process of unwinding and repealing financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI, legislation. As such, it builds on changes...

Seanad: Public Service Pay Bill 2020: Second Stage (14 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: This is not an exercise in theatre. I am here to listen to everything Senators have to say, to consider it properly and to discuss it with officials in the Department before we move to Committee Stage. The contributions were-----

Seanad: Public Service Pay Bill 2020: Second Stage (14 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Thank you very much. I am not a person for speaking a long time. Many of the Senators' contributions were surprising and insightful. I definitely took something from them. I could not have predicted what they were going to say. I do not know if that is a failing on my part. It is great to see Senators Horkan and Ward again, who are former colleagues from Dún Laoghaire county council.

Seanad: Public Service Pay Bill 2020: Second Stage (14 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Of course. Senator Horkan raised the issue of pensions for councillors, which I did not expect to hear about and which is not covered by this Bill, a point Senator Horkan made. He also raised the case of secretarial assistants, who fall between two stools as they work in the public sector but are not public sector employees. Their pay was not cut by FEMPI, but it was already incredibly low...

Seanad: Public Service Pay Bill 2020: Second Stage (14 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Is the Senator saying we have not transposed it?

Seanad: Public Service Pay Bill 2020: Second Stage (14 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I will come back to the Senator on that. Senator Burke suggested ambassadors could be drawn from outside the public service. That is certainly an original suggestion and the names he provided were also interesting. Clearly, some countries have a hybrid model where either a civil service track is followed or someone is selected by government. I am not sure if that is under consideration...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Business of Select Committee. (9 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Good morning to the committee. I confirm that I am in Government Buildings.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Deputy Whitmore for her amendments and I understand her concern about the recent High Court judgment. It relates to the 2015 Act and not the 2021 Bill. The role of the Government throughout this climate Bill is central to its operation and entwined with the efforts to be made. Every ceiling, budget and plan are matters that the Government must approve. Regardless of whether...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The new Bill strengthens the obligations on Ministers and it is completely new legislation. I understand judges in looking at the 2015 Act found differences and we took that examination into account in drafting this Bill. We are confident the issue will not arise.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: This Bill focuses on emission reduction and a lot of things are contingent on climate action. Obviously there is a clear link between biodiversity and climate change and there is a clear link between biodiversity and the circular economy. However, that does not mean everything that is affected by climate change needs to be stuffed into this Bill or that there needs to be actions produced as...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Deputy Whitmore.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Deputies for their contributions. As I said to Deputy Bruton, I am certainly not dismissing requests out of hand at all. I am certainly willing to consider it on the next Stage and consider where the scope should lie. In response to Deputy Whitmore, climate change and biodiversity are deeply entwined and obviously very closely linked. If emissions are increased, biodiversity can...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I think it is in section 6, Part 12. The Deputy might bear with me. It is on page 12, line 12, if I have got the same numbering system as the Deputy. I will read it out: "‘carbon leakage’ means the transfer, due to climate policies, of production to other countries with less restrictive policies with regard to greenhouse gas emissions". The thing is that carbon leakage is...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Yes, the Deputy might bear with me for a second and I will find it. It is so that when the Government is developing a national adaptation framework it broadens out the matters the Government must have regard to, when compared with the 2015 Act.