Results 40,361-40,380 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney
- Telecommunications Services. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: I can see now why the Minister did not have a figure for the cost of the roll-out of MANs phase 2 or 3 because he has just told us that the MANs need to be reviewed. I agree with him but that is inconsistent with what we were told earlier, that MANs phase 2 will go ahead as planned. If Eircom splits into two companies, as it suggests, one of which would be a wholesale service provider and...
- Telecommunications Services. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: The MANs would be duplicating the Eircom infrastructure.
- Telecommunications Services. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: That will be a first.
- Alternative Energy Projects. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: I am glad to hear that and the information is welcome, though I hope the money does not come from capital set aside for broadband. The Minister said that we have set a target of 15% for 2010. Is it time to revise this target upwards? That figure was set in the Green Paper and confirmed in the White Paper on Energy for Ireland, which was put in place by the previous Government. We now...
- Alternative Energy Projects. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: I fear some of the Minister's Cabinet colleagues may see those targets as the limit of our ambition and that is the problem.
- Fishing Industry Development. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: I thank the Minister for his answer and would appreciate a hard copy because there is great confusion over this issue in the community concerned. The Minister will be very aware of the deep dissatisfaction among a relatively small number of salmon drift net fishermen at the compensation package put together for many of the people concerned. Some people were handsomely compensated but many...
- Fishing Industry Development. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: I do not dispute that.
- Fishing Industry Development. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: The problem in this instance is that one is dealing with a community infrastructure, through the Leader organisations, for example. The nature of drift net fishing, however, is that it involved individuals who are located right along the coast. It is not similar to other fishing sectors where there are large centres, such as Killybegs, Castletownbere and Dingle. Drift net fishermen were...
- Schools Refurbishment. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: I am pleased to see that the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is also dealing with education matters. On Monday night, in St. Angela's school in Cork, I attended one of the most aggressive and frustrated public meetings I have encountered in my nine years of public life. This school is not in my constituency but many of its pupils come from the...
- Schools Refurbishment. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: The Minister is sounding more like the Taoiseach every day.
- Schools Refurbishment. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: One never knows.
- Television Licence Fee. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: Question 1: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will grant RTE a licence increase; if so, the amount of same; if he will attach conditions to a licence increase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29139/07]
- Television Licence Fee. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: I want to raise two issues with the Minister. First, he might be surprised to hear me say this is a miserly increase for RTE this year considering that in 2002 the Minister stated that RTE will be able to seek annual increases up to the level of the consumer price index and that all future increases will be subject to the strict monitoring of performance against financial, management and...
- Television Licence Fee. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: They were the obligations the Minister set for RTE.
- Television Licence Fee. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: RTE is doing what it was asked to do and it is being punished.
- Telecommunications Services. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: Question 3: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the status of the second phase of the MANs roll-out; the way he envisages MANs operating with a broken up Eircom; if he has been promised extra money in budget 2008 to make up the shortfall caused by a recent supplementary estimate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29140/07]
- Telecommunications Services. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: In a one-word answer, how much is the second phase of MANs expected to cost? While the Minister is looking for the figure, I will make one or two other points in the form of questions. The Minister's record on broadband has not been covered in glory since he took charge. Since his previous Question Time, the Minister has effectively bailed out the Greener Homes scheme with â¬10 million he...
- Telecommunications Services. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: With all due respect, the Minister has had time to prepare for my question on whether the second phase of MANs will proceed and whether the 92 towns that were promised fibre optic cable and the associated benefits can expect the phase to be completed on time. The Minister does not have the cost figure.
- Telecommunications Services. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: It did.
- Telecommunications Services. (15 Nov 2007)
Simon Coveney: It is important that I have a final chance to contribute. Does the Minister expect the House to believe that, when a Department receives an allocation of â¬10 million from the Department of Finance with a broadband capital expenditure label, he can whip the money from that budget to bail out an entirely separate but worthwhile section of his Department that had overspent? Does he expect us...