Results 3,361-3,380 of 4,646 for speaker:Seán Canney

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Inland Fisheries Ireland (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: The Office of Public Works (OPW) is the statutory body responsible for Drainage Maintenance and Flood Risk Management in the State while Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is the statutory body responsible for the protection and conservation of the inland fisheries resource. IFI and OPW signed a shared service agreement in July 2018 which will see continued collaboration over the five year...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Exploration Licences Applications (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: In the period 4 June 2007 to 23 January 2011, eight exploration licences were granted and eight wells were drilled offshore Ireland. Minister Bruton will shortly publish an All of Government Climate Plan, which will set out policies that will cut our reliance on fossil fuels in electricity, transport, the built environment and other sectors. As part of this Plan, we will be taking actions...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Exploration Licences Approvals (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: The details of CNOOC Petroleum Europe Limited's application to undertake drilling of the exploratory Iolar Well on Frontier Exploration Licence 3/18 in the Porcupine Basin, including the reasons for the decision to grant the application, are published on my Department's website. The decision to grant the application is in accord with the Energy White Paper,Ireland’s Transition to a Low...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Inland Fisheries Ireland (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: There were 22 enhancement projects approved by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in the 2017 round of funding under the National Strategy for Angling Development. As the deputy will appreciate, due to the conservation imperative, there is often a narrow annual window of opportunity to undertake instream works and projects are likely to be delivered over a 2-3 year timeframe. Six of these...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Exploration Industry Data (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: Section 57 of the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development Act, 1960 requires the Minister to lay before the Houses of the Oireachtas every six months a report detailing all exploration activities including petroleum exploration authorisations granted during the period of the report. The last such report laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas was in respect of the six-month period ending 31...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Voluntary Sector Funding (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: My Department's community and voluntary supports and programmes unit provides a cohesive framework of support for the community and voluntary sector. €3.5 million is being provided in 2019 under this programme to support 21 Volunteer Centres, eight Volunteering Information Services in areas not served by a full Volunteer Centres and a number of volunteer-supporting organisations. ...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Financial Implications of the Petroleum and Other Minerals (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Discussion (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: I thank the committee for the invitation to appear here today. I will cover the policy implications of the People Before Profit Petroleum and Other Minerals (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018, the steps the Government is taking following on from the recent all-party climate report and the declaration of a climate emergency. I will then remark on the financial implications of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Financial Implications of the Petroleum and Other Minerals (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Discussion (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: I will try to respond as best I can and, as always, honestly. First, I do not know who is lobbying who, but I have not been lobbied, and I want to put that on the record.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Financial Implications of the Petroleum and Other Minerals (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Discussion (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: The Deputy mentioned lobbying. I wanted to get it on the record that I have not been lobbied. With regard to the issuing of a licence, the Deputy said a further licence cannot be issued if such and such does not happen. The licence which I sanctioned two weeks ago was based on the fact there was no reason not to give that licence. The applicant met all of the environmental, financial...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Financial Implications of the Petroleum and Other Minerals (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Discussion (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: I followed up on my previous notifications that there were financial implications and I notified the Ceann Comhairle in writing. He, not I, made the adjudication that a money message was required. We have to be very clear when talking about the future, in particular about the next ten, 15 or 20 years. Up to 2050 and beyond, we will have a requirement for fossil fuels. We cannot just say...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Financial Implications of the Petroleum and Other Minerals (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Discussion (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: The Deputy mentioned the licensing regime. This is structured in a way where if the company meet its obligations, there is a legal expectation that it will be allowed to proceed. That is what we said about the licence we issued two weeks ago. On issue of costs, the ceann comhairle has looked at the 12 applications for petroleum exploration authorisations involving the award of eight...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Financial Implications of the Petroleum and Other Minerals (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Discussion (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: When a company makes an application for a licence to do an exploration or a drill, it has to fulfil certain obligations within our jurisdiction. It has to provide the impact statements, the appropriate assessments and the financial guarantees. If having done all of that, and it is adjudicated on, although not by me but by an independent authority, I, or any Minister, would have no reason to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Financial Implications of the Petroleum and Other Minerals (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Discussion (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: If we want to work towards that - I will be very honest here - this Bill proposed by the Deputy, as a stand-alone Bill, will do nothing to change our carbon emissions. We need to stand together and ensure we bring forward measures to meet our targets in a managed, strategic way, while at the same time that we do not leave people without light, heat or jobs. We have to balance it in a way...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Financial Implications of the Petroleum and Other Minerals (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Discussion (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: To answer that question in the simplest way possible, in 20 years' time, we may be extracting gas out of which we take carbon before we use it. Those technologies is being looked at currently. I cannot speak of the advancements we will have in technologies in 20 years' time, but my and the Government's actions are to try to ensure that we meet the targets for 2030 and 2050 based on a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Financial Implications of the Petroleum and Other Minerals (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Discussion (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: We have to consider how it would be if the Bill as it stands was to be enacted. What are we doing with the carbon emissions targets that we need to set? What would the Bill do in that regard? Europe, including Norway, accounts for 1% of our oil reserves and 3% of natural gas. The Middle East and Russia hold over 70% of proven gas reserves. Where would we be if there was to be a crisis?...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Financial Implications of the Petroleum and Other Minerals (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Discussion (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: To answer the previous question, if the committee wishes to invite legal experts to appear before it to discuss the process, I have no problem with that. The drill licence for the bore hole is for an area 232 km, not 700 km, offshore.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Financial Implications of the Petroleum and Other Minerals (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Discussion (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: It is 232 km offshore. The Deputy referred to the lateness of the money message and the cost implications. I took up my role on 16 October. On 26 November I expressed my concerns to the committee about the costs associated with the Bill. I am not aware of any outstanding application for consent to conduct seismic surveys. While some site survey applications are outstanding, there is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Financial Implications of the Petroleum and Other Minerals (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Discussion (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: We will be able to control how it is extracted. Would the Deputy prefer that or would he prefer fracked or shale gas? Furthermore, it is the closest point to us in transporting gas. There is infrastructure that could be used to bring it ashore for refining. We would be in control, whereas in Russia, Canada or anywhere else, we do not have any control over how they do their business. We...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Financial Implications of the Petroleum and Other Minerals (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Discussion (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: For one, the cost of transporting the fuel to the country would be lower.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Financial Implications of the Petroleum and Other Minerals (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Discussion (11 Jun 2019)

Seán Canney: It would depend on where it was found.