Results 2,881-2,900 of 6,809 for speaker:Darren O'Rourke
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: Has an impact assessment been carried out? Are there concerns within the sector, either here or elsewhere, and has there been feedback on it from the IDA in particular? Have concerns been raised by candidate companies or is it in line with what they are seeing or experiencing elsewhere?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: What about planned data centres?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: Will those potential projects be assessed by the new environmental impact standards?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: Take, for example, the case of a new social media company that is entering the Irish market. As part of that, a data centre might be provided. I can think of some that are in the Irish market. Can I take it that is not something that would happen ordinarily or would be subject to this assessment?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: I will pick up on a couple of points. This is a fair conversation about data centres. I do not think all data centres are equal. The business models of individual companies are different. Not all of them are working in the space of remote working and cloud technology. It is important to recognise that we have an increasing number of islanded data centres that are seeking connection to...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: That is fine. This committee has spent an age engaging with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, in respect of the number of data centres that are on the grid, and that are expected to be on the grid, but are not covered by that policy statement. That is significant, even before we consider the policy framework that will impact future connections. It is a challenge for the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: I have a couple of quick follow-up questions in respect of a number of areas of responsibility within the Minister's Department. I have not heard mention of alumina, which is an enormous source of emissions within the industrial and commercial sectors. Is there a plan in the Department for emissions reductions in that respect? Fluorinated gases, F-gases, are also significant in the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: It was F-gases.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: The Minister might look again at the issue of F-gases because while the EPA might be responsible for the accounting, the bodies generating it are industry and, as I understand it, semiconductor manufacturers. The Minister might revisit this matter.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: That is no problem. My final question is on advertising standards and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC. My colleague, Senator Boylan, has raised successfully the issue of greenwashing. We must be increasingly aware of this in the time ahead. There have been incidents. Members, particularly Senator Boylan, have raised issues through complaints. The Advertising...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: What about the CCPC?
- Written Answers — Department of Health: Disabilities Assessments (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: 235. To ask the Minister for Health if consideration has been given to allowing parents and carers use the National Treatment Purchase Fund to access private assessments and services, given the ongoing challenges in children's disability services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9164/23]
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2022: Minister for Transport (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: I thank the Minister for attending the meeting on pre-legislative scrutiny today and for bringing things to this point. There is still some way for the legislation to go. The Minister made a personal commitment when we dealt with the last legislation to address the issue of the quorum of the MCIB and he was aware the committee had wider concerns that needed to be addressed. He committed to...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2022: Minister for Transport (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: How does the Minister see it proceeding? The committee is also on a timeline In the context of pre-legislative scrutiny, and the clerk has us well informed on it. We will get it done. When does the Minister think we will see a Bill? Will it be a priority for the Minister to bring it before the Houses? When might we expect to see the unit up and running? Has it been budgeted for at this...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2022: Minister for Transport (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: There can be unforeseen hurdles. We know the way the wheels turn. I would like an assurance, and I believe I have it, from the Minister that when we get through the legislative process, we will not have to wait for another budgetary round. If we do, we will lose a year. This can move smoothly through the processes and come into being .
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2022: Minister for Transport (22 Feb 2023)
Darren O'Rourke: I thank the Minister.
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023) Darren O'Rourke: I thank the Chair. I am not sure I understand the Chairman's request to confine questions to one subhead. We might move more quickly if we stick to programmes. On the carbon fund, I note the allocation of €2.9 million. The Minister of State says this is the last allocation for our commitment to our 2020 targets. Could he outline our estimated international obligation, if any?...
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023) Darren O'Rourke: Very good. It is a 2030 target from here on out.
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023) Darren O'Rourke: Do we have a significant increase in funding for the residential and community retrofit programme? Could the Minister of State speak to that under this programme? I support the comments that have been made on the output indicators. In this programme they are a little more satisfactory, in my opinion. Regarding the indicators on page 132, we do not have the 2022 figures for context and...
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023) Darren O'Rourke: No, it was more that there will be energy credits coming in next month.