Results 26,821-26,840 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: I move amendment No. 164: In page 173, line 3, to delete "defendant. Whether" and substitute "defendant, whether".

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: I move amendment No. 165: In page 173, lines 17 and 18, to delete "or order, as the case may be".

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: I move amendment No. 166: In page 174, line 3, after "ships" to insert "or other vessels".

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: It includes private vessels.

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Deputies opposite for facilitating the passage of this Bill, which has been a long time coming. Broadcasting is one of the most difficult areas to legislate. Its regulation is not easy. It is probably one of the most sensitive and important areas in political life. As we have seen in the detail of the Bill, issues often arise in broadcasting that are highly complex and highly...

RTE Funding. (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: I have met representatives of RTE on several occasions in the past 12 months. We have discussed a wide range of issues, including the current economic climate and the impact it is having on RTE's funding difficulties. RTE, as a dual-funded broadcaster, is heavily dependent on commercial revenue, of which advertising revenue is the primary component. RTE, like many other commercial...

RTE Funding. (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: I received the report in November 2007. I acted on it by sanctioning a television licence fee increase. The report mentioned that a five-year plan, including measures of performance, was set out after RTE's licence fee revenue increased significantly in 2002. The station had to reach certain hours of programming, for example. The report stated that although the plan had been successful in...

RTE Funding. (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: I also recognise that decision by RTE unions, which was not an easy one to take to provide savings. In that consideration process, the rate of pay across the organisation was a central issue, but I am not going to intervene and micro-manage its payment structures. Even with the efficiencies that we have introduced and the new ways of measuring that, it is clear that RTE in the current...

Consumer Protection. (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: In accordance with its current remit, Regtel is independent in its functions and oversight is exercised by the Regtel board. At present, premium rate services are regulated in accordance with contractual arrangements between Regtel and the service providers and by means of a code of practice to which all service providers are obliged to adhere. In addition, Regtel provides advice to...

Consumer Protection. (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with the Deputy that this is a serious issue. What drew my attention to it and to amending the law on this issue was the volume of complaints received. In 2007 to 2008 some 21,000 people sought to unsubscribe to services and more than 6,000 direct consumer complaints were made. If one receives that level of public complaint, there is a serious problem concerning an issue. Part of...

Consumer Protection. (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: A recent High Court challenge by Realm, a company with a non-compliant reputation, to a Regtel adjudication against the company resulted in an out-of-court settlement in which the company agreed to comply with Regtel's code of practice to refund consumers and to reimburse Regtel for expenses. It is our intention within the Bill to have the facility for customers to be refunded, but we need...

Electricity Metering. (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: The Bord Gáis customer is treated in exactly the same way as the ESB customer. The ESB makes the switch on the basis of a phone call. The software allows all the billing and other information to go to Bord Gáis.

Electricity Metering. (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: In respect of the Deputy's circumstances, I put that invitation to Members because I thought it was important for us to see how such systems work if we are to legislate and make decisions about the use of such metres.

Electricity Metering. (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: I will certainly examine it. I will respond to the Minister's case.

Written Answers — Energy Efficiency: Energy Efficiency (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: The Home Energy Saving (HES) Scheme, which opened for applications on 25 March, provides grant assistance for a range of energy efficiency applications. These include roof insulation, as well as specific internal and external wall insulation, and boilers and heating controls. Grant assistance is also provided for the assessment of energy upgrade requirements, through a Building Energy...

Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Question Nos. 12, 17, 46 and 48 together. Biofuels have a central role to play in the delivery of reductions in Greenhouse Gas emissions, as one of the few available and effective means of reducing emissions from transport. Ireland must meet a challenging 10% renewable energy in transport target by 2020, under the terms of the Renewable Energy Directive. In that context,...

Written Answers — Broadcasting Services: Broadcasting Services (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 21 and 49 together. The Broadcasting (Amendment) Act, 2007 provides for the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) to licence commercial DTT operators, as a matter of priority. The BCI is an independent body and I have no role in its licensing process. The 2007 Act also provides for RTÉ to establish a free to air national DTT service to replace the...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: In July 2008 I published a draft paper on Next Generation Broadband, which considered the challenges for the Government in positioning Ireland as a leading country in the provision of broadband infrastructure and in the development of new digital applications. There has been an extensive consultation process following the publication on the draft paper. This involved written submissions on...

Written Answers — Energy Regulation: Energy Regulation (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: The Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) reduced gas tariffs by 12% from May 1st, following completion of the review of regulated tariffs, which I requested in February last. The Commission's decision on gas tariffs reflects much lower gas costs than forecast, exchange rate developments, and increased sales during the particularly cold winter months. This CER pricing decision brought...

Written Answers — Television Licence Fee: Television Licence Fee (18 Jun 2009)

Eamon Ryan: In relation to the first part of the question, an amount of just over €224 million was collected in 2008 in respect of television licences revenue. This was made up of just over €168 million in respect of direct sales by An Post, €53.7 million paid by the Department of Social and Family Affairs for the issuing of 'Free Lifetime' television licences and an additional €1.9 million for...