Results 4,041-4,060 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Order of Business (25 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: Where were you for the past 14 years?

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: Deputy Martin has read more documents in opposition than he ever did in government.

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (24 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The roll out of 4G networks is subject to the development of the necessary equipment standards and specifications, which is ongoing at this time. For example, testing and trials are currently underway for Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-Advanced) which is one of the technologies expected to be able to meet international requirements for 4G. No State or network operator has yet rolled out...

Written Answers — European Council Meetings: European Council Meetings (24 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: The policies of Transport, Telecommunications and Energy are dealt with under one Council formation – Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (TTE). Councils are normally held in spring (February/March), June, October and December. There are usually four meetings of Transport Ministers (March, June, October and December), three meetings of Energy Ministers (spring, June and...

Written Answers — Peatland Resources: Peatland Resources (24 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I am not aware of any statute which defines turf as an agricultural product. The Turf Development Acts, 1946 to 1998 provide for the statutory role and functions of Bord na Móna plc. Section 17(1)(b) of the 1946 Turf Development Act 1946 assigns to Bord na Móna the function of fostering the production and use of turf and turf products. Given the finite nature of the turf resources...

Written Answers — Petroleum and Gas Exploration: Petroleum and Gas Exploration (24 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 468 and 471 together. The Petroleum and Other Minerals Development Act 1960 provides that the property in all petroleum shall vest in the State. The Act also provides for a compensation mechanism for persons who immediately before the passing of that Act were entitled to an estate in minerals that included petroleum. The compensation provisions in the Act,...

Written Answers — Petroleum and Gas Exploration: Petroleum and Gas Exploration (24 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 469 and 470 together. The agreement between the Minister for Industry and Commerce and Ambassador Irish Oil Ltd was made over half a century ago and gave the company an exploration licence for 20 years from 29th March 1960. The area licensed to the company was the whole onshore area of the Republic of Ireland and any seas under Irish jurisdiction. The...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: Since its formation in June 2007, my Department has re-employed two former members of staff. These were a Principal Geologist and a Petroleum Exploration Specialist. The Department has occasionally used, on a very limited basis, the expertise of civil servants who have retired from other Departments.

Written Answers — Ministerial Meetings: Ministerial Meetings (24 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I have had no meetings in my tenure as Minister with the company in question. As recent media reports indicate the company referred to has expressed interests in the telecommunications market in Ireland, I have checked with senior officials in the Telecommunications Section of my Department and they have no record or recollection of any meeting with the company.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: No staff members who retired from my Department under the early retirement scheme or otherwise are currently re-employed in my Department.

Written Answers — Electricity Generation: Electricity Generation (24 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: In 2009, ESB, on a commercial basis, introduced a microgeneration support scheme for domestic customers meeting certain conditions. This support scheme was made up of two payments – a 9 cent payment per kilowatt exported from ESB Customer Supply (now Electric Ireland) and a 10 cent payment per kilowatt exported from ESB Networks. This amounted to a total of 19 cent that a domestic...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (24 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: As the Deputy will be aware, a Government Decision was made at the end of May last year to draft a new Consumer and Competition Bill. Part of that decision involved giving effect in legislation to the recommendations of the Report of the Advisory Group on Media Mergers, and to transfer responsibility for public interest considerations from the Minister of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (24 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I wish to advise the Deputy that any internship scheme, which is in place for young graduates in State Agencies under the aegis of my Department, is an operational matter for the individual agency in the first instance and I have no function in this regard. I am asking the Agencies concerned to respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (24 Apr 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 administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and delivered nationally through a range of Community Based Organisations (CBOs), augmented by a panel of private contractors. 2012 marks a shift in emphasis on the Better Energy:...

Written Answers — Fisheries Protection: Fisheries Protection (19 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I can advise the Deputy that the fish counter in the River Maine, which had a total cost of €93,000 including equipment purchase, installation and rehabilitation of landscape, has provided considerable data on the movement of salmonids since it was commissioned in late 2009. The data provided has assisted Inland Fisheries Ireland in its management of this valuable wild fishery in the last...

Written Answers — Inland Fisheries: Inland Fisheries (19 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: I can inform the Deputy that Ireland's salmon rivers are managed by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) on an individual basis, with the available surpluses (if any) of salmon calculated annually. The annual surplus of salmon available on the River Maine is divided between the commercial and recreational anglers. The following table is for the Deputy's information, outlining the surpluses since...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (19 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: Ireland's telecommunications market has been liberalised since 1999 and since then has developed into a well-regulated market, supporting a multiplicity of commercial operators, providing services over a diverse range of technology platforms. Details of broadband services available on a county-by-county basis can be found on the Commission for Communications Regulation's (ComReg) website at...

Written Answers — Post Office Network: Post Office Network (19 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: Matters relating to the post office network, including post office closures, are an operational matter for the management and Board of An Post and one in which I have no statutory function.

Written Answers — Broadcasting Services: Broadcasting Services (19 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: Issues relating to television coverage in specific areas of the country are an operational matter for RTÉ. The Broadcasting Act 2009 provides for RTÉ to rollout a digital TV network to the same extent as the analogue TV network. RTÉ has informed my Department that the current analogue TV network covers 98% of the population and that its new digital TV network called Saorview will also...

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2012)

Pat Rabbitte: Fianna Fáil was the party that could not switch off the tap.