Results 3,321-3,340 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: State Agencies (13 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I would like to advise the Deputy that expenditure by State Agencies on communication, public relations, consultancy, advertising and human resources is an operational matter for the bodies in question.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Environmental Schemes (13 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I draw the Deputy’s attention to my response to his question in the House on 3 October 2012, which he references. I informed the House that Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) had advised that options in respect of Reendonegan Lake are being reviewed. This will involve discussions with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), amongst others, as the lake was previously an inlet of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: State Bodies (13 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The matter referred to by the Deputy in respect of Caragh & District Turbary Association is a day to day operational matter for Bord na Móna and not one in which I have a statutory function. However, I have asked the Board to communicate directly to the Deputy on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Alternative Energy Projects (13 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The 2009 Renewable Energy Directive (Directive 2009/28/EC) provides mechanisms whereby renewable electricity can be traded between countries so that renewable power produced in one country may be counted towards the legally binding renewable target in another. This can be done through a number of mechanisms including statistical transfer and joint projects. I have met on several occasions...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (13 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The terms of reference for the second and more detailed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) research are currently being drawn up by a steering group, which includes representatives from the EPA, Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, Department of Environment, Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Commission for Energy Regulation, An Bord Pleanála...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Public Sector Reform (13 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: My Department is fully committed to the consultation principles of the Public Service Agreement and encourages staff at all levels to be involved in the delivery of the Department’s Action Plan under the Agreement. The Department also established a number of working groups to oversee implementation of certain elements of the Department’s Action Plan which included staff from...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Warmer Homes Scheme Applications (8 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: Better Energy: Warmer Homes delivers a range of energy efficiency measures to households that are vulnerable to energy poverty. The scheme is managed by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and delivered through a combination of SEAI appointed Community Based Organisations (CBOs), augmented by a panel of private contractors in order to ensure national coverage. I am informed...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadcasting Services (8 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The governance of inter State broadcasts in the European Union is conducted under the terms of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (or AVMSD for short), which is the latest iteration of a long standing series of such Directives, all of which are premised on the country of origin principle. The Directive also sets down a series of restrictions that apply to television broadcasts across...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Better Energy Homes Scheme (8 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The Better Energy Homes scheme is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and provides financial assistance for improving energy performance of older homes, built anytime before 2006. The scheme enables homeowners to save money, while improving comfort and reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Fixed grants are provided towards the cost of a range of measures...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadcasting Services (8 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 230 and 231 together. According to ComReg, “Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q2 2012”, approximately 1.311 million of those Irish homes with television had some form of subscription television service, equating to approximately 82% of the market. In turn, approximately 12.6% of these households rely solely on the Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Expenditure (8 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: Expenditure allocations for 2013 for all Departments, including my own, are a matter for the 2013 Budget. As the Deputy may be aware, Budget 2012 indicated multi-annual cash ceilings for all Departments of which €415m gross, €330m current and €85m capital, was indicated for 2013 for my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Bodies (8 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I can inform the Deputy that there are eleven Non Commercial Bodies, including Regulators, under the aegis of my Department and details of these, including the establishment date, the numbers employed and the 2012 Exchequer provision for each, are set out in tabular form as follows: The date on which the body was created Number of employees of the body as at end Q3 2012 2012 Exchequer...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Schemes (7 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The Mineral Oil Tax Relief (MOTR) schemes, which were introduced in 2005 and 2006 and ran until 2010, and the Biofuel Obligation Scheme were measures introduced to incentivise the use of biofuels in Ireland. The Biofuel Obligation Scheme was introduced in July 2010 to underpin delivery of the mandatory EU target of 10% renewable energy in transport by 2020. The obligation currently...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: EU Directives (7 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: Under Regulation 25 of S.I. No. 60 of 2005, which transposed Article 3(6) of the Electricity Directive (2003/54/EC), the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) is required to ensure that all electricity suppliers provide reliable information on bills and promotional materials sent to customers regarding the contribution of each energy source to the overall fuel mix of the supplier concerned....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Mobile Telephony (7 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: Following the Council decision referred to in the question, “EU Regulation 531/2012 of 13 June 2012 on roaming on public mobile communications networks” was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on the 30 June last and became directly applicable to mobile roaming services providers on the following day. The purpose of the Regulation is to provide increased...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Services (7 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The Government’s National Broadband Plan, which I published recently, aims to radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland by ensuring that high speed services of at least 30Mbps are available to all of our citizens and businesses, well in advance of the EU’s target date of 2020, and that significantly higher speeds are available to as many homes and businesses as...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Mobile Telephony (7 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: Inadvertent roaming within the EU is governed by “EU Regulation 531/2012 of 13 June 2012 on roaming on public mobile communications networks”. This is the third in a series of EU Regulations to increase the level of consumer protection for mobile phone users when using roaming services. The current Regulation, (EU) 531/2012, was published in the Official Journal of the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Conservation (6 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 619 and 626 together. The current National Energy Efficiency Action Plan was published in May 2009, and outlined the framework for delivering Ireland’s energy efficiency targets, including a 33% reduction in public sector energy consumption by 2020. The second Action Plan, which I will be publishing shortly, provides a progress report on delivery of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Conservation (6 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The Better Energy Communities Pilot 2012 was launched in July 2012 with a goal of stimulating, supporting and testing innovative approaches to delivering energy performance improvements at a community level. It was specifically seeking to test innovative and pioneering partnerships for delivery by building on existing community groups/networks within the Community rather than targeting...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Inland Fisheries (6 Nov 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I am advised that the oyster fishery and other fisheries and aquaculture activities in Lough Swilly, are currently the subject of an appropriate assessment (AA) under Article 6.3 of the EU Habitats Directive. This assessment, which, in common with a range of assessments nationally, is being undertaken by the Marine Institute (MI), and will identify the impacts of the fishery on the...