Results 3,061-3,080 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Telecommunications Services (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The issue of net neutrality is currently being considered by the European Commission. The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) published its report on “Differentiation practices and related competition issues in the scope of net neutrality”, on 26th November, 2012. The essence of net neutrality and the issues underpinning the debate include how...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Exploration Licences (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Boliden Tara Mines Ltd currently operates under a number of State Mining Facilities (Leases and Licences), details of which may be found in the Six Monthly Report that I am required to lay before the Oireachtas under the Minerals Development Acts 1940 to 1999. Discussions are at an advanced stage between my Department and the company on future terms for renewal of the existing facilities...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Services (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Broadband connectivity, as an enabling infrastructure for economic and social development, is a critical element of future sustainable economic growth and a priority for Government. In terms of telecommunications policy, my Department plays a key role in providing a supportive legislative and regulatory environment within which competition can flourish and private sector investment can take...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Action Plan for Jobs (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The Action Plan for Jobs was launched by the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation on 13 February 2012. The plan, which contains over 270 actions in total, sets out to improve supports for job-creating businesses and remove barriers to employment-creation across the economy. While the Annual Report on the Action Plan has not yet been published by...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Alternative Energy Projects (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Support schemes for windfarms are funded through the Public Service Obligation (PSO) on all electricity consumers. The current scheme is known as REFIT (Renewable Energy Feed-in-Tariff) and the previous scheme was AER (Alternative Energy Requirement). The manner in which REFIT works is that it provides a guaranteed floor price for renewable generation exported to the electricity grid over a...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Services (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Broadband connectivity, as an enabling infrastructure for economic and social development, is a critical element of future sustainable economic growth and a priority for Government. In terms of telecommunications policy, my Department plays a key role in providing a supportive legislative and regulatory environment within which competition can flourish and private sector investment can take...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Oil and Gas Exploration (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: There have been four commercial natural gas discoveries since exploration began offshore Ireland in the early 1970s, namely the Kinsale, Ballycotton and Seven Heads (Kinsale area) producing gas fields off the coast of Cork and the Corrib gas field off the coast of Mayo. There have been no commercial discoveries of oil to date. The three Kinsale area gas fields are nearing depletion and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Electricity Transmission Network (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: EirGrid’s Grid25 is a strategy to develop the transmission networks to put in place safe, secure and affordable electricity supplies throughout Ireland supporting economic growth, renewable and sustainable energy. The Government endorses this major investment underway in the high voltage electricity transmission system. Grid25 is the most important investment in Ireland’s...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Ministerial Appointments (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: In December 2012, I announced the appointment of David Puttnam as Digital Champion for Ireland. The overarching objective of the role of Digital Champion is to promote more digital adoption. This is likely to entail working with and inspiring key stakeholders communicating the benefits and possibilities of digital more widely – so that people whether at home, in business or in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Agencies (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I wish to advise that following the Deputy’s previous Parliamentary Question No. 335 of 25 October 2011, I had requested the bodies under the aegis of my Department to provide the information sought in relation to details of Junior and Senior Counsel engaged over the period 2006-2011, directly to the Deputy. I have now requested the bodies under the aegis of my Department to respond...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Public Broadcasting Charge (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The Programme for Government commits to examining the role and collection of the TV licence fee in light of existing and projected convergence of technologies and to transforming the TV licence into a household based Public Broadcasting Charge to be applied to all eligible households and applicable businesses, regardless of the device used to access content or services. In line with this...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Television Licence Fee (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 609 and 610 together. The total revenue raised by way of the television licence fee and the number of prosecutions in each of the years 2010 and 2011 is set out in the table. In 2011, evasion was estimated to be over 15%. My Department is currently examining the 2012 figures with a view to providing a revised estimate of evasion. While this work has yet to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Mobile Telephony (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: In June 2009, following an approach by the EU Commission, the major producers of mobile phones, responsible for the production of 90% or so of mobile phones placed on the EU market, agreed in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to harmonise chargers for new data-enabled mobile phones. The MoU specifies that "all new mobile phone models and new chargers models on the market produced by the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Funding (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 612 and 614 together. The only non-statutory bodies, i.e. a body not established or operating under a parent statute, funded directly from my Department’s Vote during 2012 were the National Digital Research Centre and ‘The Wheel’, an umbrella group for voluntary bodies that was established as a once off project to assist older people...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Services (16 Jan 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The provision of electronic communications services is, in the first instance, a matter for private sector service providers operating in Ireland’s fully liberalised telecommunications market, regulated by the independent regulator, the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). Broadband services are provided by a number of private service providers over various platforms...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Warmer Homes Scheme Applications (20 Dec 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administers the Better Energy Warmer Homes programme. Better Energy: Warmer Homes provides assistance to upgrade privately owned homes built prior to 2006 with energy efficiency measures. Measures provided under the programme include attic insulation, wall insulation, lagging jackets, efficient lighting and energy advice. Queries in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Microgeneration Support Scheme (20 Dec 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: Electric Ireland has been offering a 9c/kwh feed in tariff, on a commercial basis, to domestic microgenerators since February 2009. No other electricity supply company has to date chosen to enter the market and to offer a microgeneration feed-in-tariff on a commercial basis, although the Commission for Energy Regulation invited them to do so. Previously, a joint ESB/Electric Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Better Energy Homes Scheme Inspections (20 Dec 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administers the Better Energy Programme. Better Energy: Homes provides financial assistance to private homeowners who wish to improve the energy performance of their homes. Fixed grants are provided towards the cost of a range of measures including attic insulation, wall insulation, heating systems upgrades, solar thermal panels and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Telecommunications Services (20 Dec 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 183 and 185 together. The authorisation of telecommunications service providers generally and the award of spectrum licences including the imposition and monitoring of associated quality and coverage requirements for the spectrum rights to provide mobile telephony services are statutory functions of the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) under...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Wind Energy Development (20 Dec 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The existing Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Wind Energy Development (published by the Department of Environment in 2006), state that in general, noise is unlikely to be a significant problem where the distance from the nearest turbine to any noise sensitive property is more than 500 metres. The Guidelines also advise planning authorities to seek evidence that the types of turbines...