Results 28,181-28,200 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: Statistics on broadband penetration in Ireland are gathered centrally by ComReg and published in their quarterly reports which are available at www.comreg.ie. There is no breakdown available for individual towns. The latest OECD statistics show Ireland maintaining its strong growth in terms of per-capita subscriber growth over the year to end of December 2007. Ireland added 5.89 subscribers...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: The provision of telecommunications services, including broadband, is, in the first instance, a matter for the private sector. Broadband service providers operate in a fully liberalised market, regulated, where appropriate, by the independent Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. The role of the Government is to formulate regulatory and infrastructure policies to facilitate the...

Written Answers — Postal Services: Postal Services (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: While the Government is committed to securing the largest, most economically sustainable nationwide post office network possible, decisions made in regard to the retention of the optimum number of post offices are for the Board and management of An Post to make. I have no statutory function in regard to this matter.

Written Answers — Postal Services: Postal Services (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: I have no role in the matter of the discussions that have taken place between An Post, the postal unions and other interested parties in respect of the future of postal delivery services. This is an issue for the Board and management of An Post to decide on. In addition, the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), the postal regulator, has responsibility for monitoring quality of...

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: We have the third fastest growth in the OECD.

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: We have the fastest mobile growth.

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: I announced our strategy last week.

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: That does not mean we do nothing but talk our country down.

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: I am sharing time with the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. I very much welcome this debate, as it is an opportunity for us, the political leadership of the country, on all sides, to explain to the people what is happening, how we can get out of it and the solutions we can provide. Let us be absolutely honest and clear that we are facing into a real economic storm....

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: To take a broader perspective, what has occurred in the past decade is that there have been massive efficiencies in China and India which started to produce our goods for us at a fraction of the cost. This brought down inflation across the developed western world which, in turn, allowed central banks to lower interest rates, not just here but also in America, Britain and elsewhere. This led...

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: ——Florida, England, Spain and Ireland. That was a fundamental flaw in the international system. Let us be honest, we were all caught up in the property crisis; we opened our newspapers to see nothing but property advertisements.

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: One could not turn on the television without seeing a programme on how to buy an apartment in the eastern bloc. That is the reality. It was also tempting to provide housing. Every local authority was counselled to rezone as much land as possible and to build as many houses as it could. "Lend as much as we can" was the philosophy of the banks and on all sides of the House no one shouted "Stop".

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: In the energy sector there is a similar international crisis which has been a long time coming. We received warnings in the 1970s and 1980s, but did not heed them. China and India required steel, oil and other energy resources. Eventually the demand for basic commodities started to push inflation upwards which, in turn, triggered the financial crisis and there was no longer any cheap and...

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: We revelled in it. It was on the basis of cheap energy resources which are no longer available as we face a peak in global oil production. Those structural problems define the storm we are facing. This helps us to acknowledge and be aware of the reality in order that we can plot a course and start to deliver solutions. Let me outline a number of principles about the solutions we will...

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: ——namely, one of financial responsibility. It took us seven years until the late 1980s before we reached a consensus here and then we were much more able to deliver the solution that allowed the Irish economy to develop. We need the same consensus today. It worked back in the late 1980s and in the 1950s when we were faced with a similar crisis. Consensus reached then about the opening...

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: I attended a meeting yesterday of a leaders' forum on climate change at which all the main sections of our society, the trade unions, the religious groups, environmental groups, business leaders——

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: Yes, the Deputy's colleague, Deputy Seán Barrett, represented them at it. A crucial message was conveyed by Oisin Coughlan of Friends of the Earth when he put forward the proposition that we will only be able to tackle the climate change issue when there is consensus among all the social partners on it. He is absolutely right.

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: It is crucial to have such approach, if we are to meet the climate change targets——

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: ——which will offer us a solution on the energy side and on the enterprise side on a way ahead.

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Eamon Ryan: Crucially, we need to recognise that sustainability is social sustainability and not only environmental and economic sustainability. We will achieve consensus best when we bring all our society along with us and when we set our planning on the basis that it is not only pro-enterprise but includes the weakest in every section of our society on this new path that we have to take. I am...