Results 381-400 of 2,867 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: Good morning everyone. I thank the Cathaoirleach for inviting me to appear before the select committee today to take Committee Stage of the Bill. The purpose of this Bill is to rearrange the corporate structure of Gas Networks Ireland. Gas Networks Ireland is currently a subsidiary company of Ervia, which was also the parent company for Irish Water. Irish Water has been moved out of...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I move amendment No. 1: In page 6, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following: "Saver for certain business activity 4. Notwithstanding the repeal of section 17 of the Gas (Amendment) Act 2000 by subsection (2) of section 3, Gas Networks Ireland may engage in a business activity in accordance with any approval given under the said section 17 in effect immediately before the...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I move amendment No. 3: In page 9, line 29, after “arrangement” to insert “(including any wayleave)” . Amendment No. 3 relates to section 12, which deals with the transfer of rights and liabilities and the continuation of leases, licenses and permissions granted by a dissolved body. While this section is a standard technical provision to transfer land and any...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Deputies Leddin and O'Rourke for tabling these amendments. As Deputy Leddin said, their aim is to broaden the functions of GNI to extend to new gases, such as biomethane and things beyond traditional natural gas, and give it a path to decarbonisation. It is also about preventing large energy users, including data centres, from directly connecting to the gas grid. I am interested to...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I will address Deputy Farrell's question. He asked whether we had a legal power to prevent connections to large energy users, or to data centres, directly from the gas network. I do not believe we do. However, my Department issued a policy statement disallowing direct connections by data centres to the gas network or, in other words, so-called islanded data centres. These are data centres...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I will go to Deputy O'Rourke first. I absolutely agree that decarbonisation is going to be a critical function for Gas Networks Ireland. It has a critical role to play because it is providing sometimes up to half of the country's electricity. It has historically been a fossil fuel company and now it is moving away from that. We are reducing our gas use in the future and we are moving...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I think what the Deputy is saying is that he feels that I have had sufficient time to give a formal response.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I am giving him a formal response. The formal response is no, I am not accepting these amendments. The reason I am not accepting these amendments is that it would be unwise to legislate for something at national level weeks before it was being agreed at European level. Legislating on the meaning of biomethane, hydrogen and decarbonisation strategies for gas companies, when that is being...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Deputy. I agree with what he is trying to do here. I want to see a clear and legal path towards decarbonisation for Gas Networks Ireland. It is worth examining and clarifying the powers of the CRU to direct gas connections and so on. However, this Bill is a simple transfer of functions from Ervia to Gas Networks Ireland. That is the scope of the Bill. We can discuss these...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: Taking these two amendments together, I remind the committee that Gas Networks Ireland is a relevant body under the climate Act and will continue to be. That should not be changed by this transfer of functions from Ervia to Gas Networks Ireland. As a relevant body, Gas Networks Ireland is required to perform its functions in a manner that is consistent with the most recently approved...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Deputy Leddin. We can look at that. It is a novel proposal that Gas Networks Ireland would be banned from advertising or promoting new gas connections. I will look at it and come back to the Deputy on it in January.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I move amendment No. 7: In page 13, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following: “(c) by the insertion of the following section after section 8A: “Conferring of functions in relation to telecommunications infrastructure on Board 8B.(1) Subject to subsection (2), the majority-shareholding Minister may by order confer on the Board the function to develop, maintain and...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: This amendment relates directly to the function and mandate of Gas Networks Ireland. While I thank the Deputy for submitting it, as mentioned previously this is a technical Bill that provides only for integration of Ervia into Gas Networks Ireland. It does not consider any new role or additional functions or mandate for Gas Networks Ireland. The implementation of the European directive on...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: This is a narrow piece of legislation. It carries out a particular function and transfers functions from one entity to another, which is the dissolution of Ervia and the transfer of powers from Ervia to Gas Networks Ireland. I do not think this Bill is the appropriate vehicle for these changes or amendments. The gas package includes regulations and a directive. The regulations will become...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I take that on board.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I agree that we should have a roadmap for the decarbonisation of gas and how we are going to implement the gas package. I am happy to come back in January and do that with the committee.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: These amendments cover matters such as safety standards for pipelines, the effect of gas infrastructure on the natural environment and the decarbonisation of the gas network. Again, we are looking at the path for Gas Networks Ireland to decarbonise in line with other sectors in the economy. It must be said again that this is a technical Bill providing for the transfer of functions from a...

Confidence in the Minister for Justice: Motion (5 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I was in the north inner city with the Minister, Deputy Foley, when this attack happened. My reaction and everybody's reaction were surely the same, one of absolute horror at the idea of children being stabbed on the street. Shortly afterwards, there was a horrible sense of imminence that there were people on the far right who would see this as an opportunity for advantage. They were...

Confidence in the Minister for Justice: Motion (5 Dec 2023)

Ossian Smyth: We need better regulation of social media using the new laws that we now have in place. We need to reassure people born outside Ireland that they are welcome here and they will not be subject to violent attacks. We need to prosecute the very small number of far-right people who organise these attacks. What we do not need is this shabby pantomime that Sinn Féin is putting on today.