Results 2,741-2,760 of 2,990 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Grant Payments (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Circular Economy Innovation Grant Scheme is a new scheme which aims to provide support to projects that can advance the Circular Economy in Ireland and/or raise awareness of the need to transition to a Circular Economy. As announced at the launch on Thursday, 15 April 2021, the Scheme is intended to provide support to social enterprises and voluntary and community...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Bodies (1 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. In the period between the completion of the strategic...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I propose to take Questions Nos. 92, 99 and 100 together. The introduction of a Waste Management (Circular Economy) Bill is a commitment under the "Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy", published in September 2020. My Department is currently finalising the draft Heads of the Bill, after which I intend to seek Government approval to publish the General Scheme.On the issue of CCTV, it...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in the over 544,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with 695 schools. Despite the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Flexible Work Practices (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Covid 19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of high speed, quality, reliable broadband to ensure that citizens across Ireland can participate in remote working, on-line schooling, shopping, critical video calls, both business related and social, and a range of other online activities. A combination of commercial investment and the State led intervention will ensure access to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 103 together. 85 and 91 together There are 36,615  premises in the Intervention Area in County Mayo  that will receive access to high speed broadband under the National Broadband Plan. I am advised that as of 27 May, 8,281  (22.6%) of these have been surveyed by National Broadband Ireland (NBI). Surveying is the first step...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Waste management facilities, such as those referred to by the Deputy, are subject to a range of regulatory controls under national legislation, including planning permission and the conditions attached to a licence issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the operation and management of such sites. Monitoring and enforcement of conditions imposed under planning permission is a...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Environmental Policy (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy outlines the measures Ireland is taking under the Single Use Plastics Directive (EU 2019/904) to substantially reduce the amount of single use plastic items we use and to sustainably manage the waste arising from those we do. The Directive will be transposed by the deadline of 3 July 2021 and from that date single use plastic cutlery, plates,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Cybersecurity Policy (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSC) has a broad remit across the cyber security of Government ICT and critical national infrastructure. The National Cyber Strategy 2019-2024 sets out the role of the NCSC to support Government Departments and other public bodies to improve the resilience and security of their IT systems to better protect services that our people rely upon, and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Environmental Policy (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, launched last September, sets out a clear roadmap for the introduction of a Deposit and Return Scheme (DRS) for plastic bottles and aluminium cans in the third quarter of 2022. This process began with the launch of a public consultation on the design of a DRS for Ireland in October last year.  It was encouraging to see the level of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Cybersecurity Policy (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Last year as, as part of the ongoing development of the NCSC, it was decided to create two new positions of Director and Chief Technology Officer on the NCSC senior management team. Following an open competition, the CTO role was filled early this year. An open competition was also held for Director of the NCSC. At the conclusion of the competition process, the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Local Authorities (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I recently announced the provision of an additional €5m in funding for litter prevention and clean up in 2021, as the country prepares for an outdoor summer due to the ongoing Covid situation. This additional funding will support inter alia:- the provision of quality litter picking materials such as litter pickers, gloves and bags; - immediate mapping of existing levels of on-street...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: My Department has engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representative organisations such as Family Carer’s Ireland, Age Action, the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, the Irish Wheelchair Association, Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland and public bodies such as the National Disability Authority, the HSE, the Department of Health and the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Cybersecurity Policy (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The National Cyber Security Centre has a broad remit in relation to the cyber security of Government ICT and critical national infrastructure. It acts as a central contact point in the event of a government or nation-wide cyber security incident affecting the State. The NCSC also coordinates and supports the response to significant incidents, with the lead role being taken by the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The National Broadband Plan will ensure that businesses and individual citizens throughout the entire country will have access to high speed broadband services through a combination of commercial investment and the State led intervention under the NBP. The High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie, shows the areas which will be included in the National Broadband...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Despite the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, National Broadband Ireland (NBI) has made steady progress on delivery of the new high speed fibre broadband network under the National Broadband Plan. I am advised by NBI that, as of 27 May 2021, over 220,000 premises across 26 counties have been surveyed. The first fibre to the home connections are successfully connected in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I propose to take Questions Nos. 126, 128, 187 and 199 together. The National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in the over 544,000 premises, including almost...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Cybersecurity Policy (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: An inter-Departmental Committee chaired by my Department oversees the implementation of the National Cyber Security Strategy 2019 - 2024. The Committee meets quarterly to review progress. Good progress is being made in delivering the 20 measures identified in the five-year strategy, with 6 measures completed by Q1 of this year. The majority of the other 14...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Infrastructure (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Question refers to a premises located in the AMBER area on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website . The AMBER area represents the area to be served by the network to be deployed under the NBP State led intervention.I appreciate people's frustration when they are living so close to a fibre network but cannot get a...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (1 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I refer to the reply to Question No [ PQ 27311/21] of 20th May 2021. The position remains unchanged.