Results 4,461-4,480 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte
- Written Answers — Salmon Management: Salmon Management (26 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: The Barrow is one of 141 rivers assessed nationally each year to determine whether they can be a) opened for salmon fishing, b) opened to salmon fishing on a catch and release basis, or c) closed to salmon fishing. These assessments show that it is substantially below its salmon conservation limit and stocks are being allowed to rebuild naturally in accordance with best international...
- Written Answers — Television Licence Fee: Television Licence Fee (26 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: The Programme for Government commits to examining the role and collection of the TV licence fee in light of existing and projected convergence of technologies and to transforming the TV licence into a household based Public Broadcasting Charge to be applied to all eligible households and applicable businesses, regardless of the device used to access content. In line with this commitment, my...
- Leaders' Questions (26 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: The Deputy is on both sides of the argument.
- Written Answers — Energy Conservation: Energy Conservation (25 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: In line with the Government's Affordable Energy Strategy, a number of alternative approaches to the delivery of Better Energy: Warmer Homes will be actively progressed in 2012, including enhancing arrangements for working with voluntary housing associations and mixed-ownership estates to ensure that those most at risk of extreme energy poverty are prioritised. Under the Affordable Energy...
- Written Answers — Television Licence Fee: Television Licence Fee (25 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134 to 137, inclusive, and 139 together. The total amount of revenue raised by the TV Licence in 2011 was â¬217.77m. The total amount of revenue raised by the TV Licence to date in 2012 is unavailable until month end. The 2011 Census estimated the number of occupied households to be circa 1.7 million. A minority of these have to date made statutory...
- Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (25 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: In 2011, RTà received a Grant-In-Aid arising from licence fee receipts that amounted to â¬182.4m.
- Written Answers — Television Licence Fee: Television Licence Fee (25 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: As the Deputy may be aware, the current TV licence system is such that, except for certain classes of social welfare recipients, if you own a television set in Ireland you are liable to pay a television licence. An Post is currently responsible for the collection of television licence fees and for identifying those persons who have unlicensed televisions sets. The Programme for Government...
- Written Answers — Exploration Licences: Exploration Licences (25 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: The Petroleum (Exploration and Extraction) Safety Act, 2010 makes provision for the safety of petroleum exploration and extraction (upstream) activities and associated infrastructure to be regulated by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER). It provides that the regulation of upstream safety will be achieved through the establishment and implementation of a new risk assessment based...
- Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (25 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: I assume that the Deputy is referring to the after sales service offered by 3 Ireland insofar as the National Broadband Scheme (NBS) is concerned. My Department entered into a contract with 3, a Hutchison Whampoa company, for the delivery of the NBS in late December 2008, following the conclusion of a competitive dialogue procurement process. The objective of the NBS is to deliver broadband...
- Seanad: North-South Interconnector (25 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: I would like to stress the strategic imperative for this economy and our citizens of cost effective investment in electricity networks. The Government is committed to ensuring that the investment plans of EirGrid and ESB Networks are delivered across the country. The significant level of grid investment required over the next decade is critical for safe and secure electricity supply. It...
- Seanad: Tourism Promotion (25 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: I am pleased to have this opportunity to respond to the important matter raised by Senator Conway on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Finance. VAT is charged on the supply of goods and services. The rate applying is subject to the requirements of EU VAT law, with which Irish VAT law must comply. The EU VAT directive governs VAT law and the rates applicable to various goods and...
- Seanad: Tourism Promotion (25 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: I will be glad to raise the Senator's questions with the Minister for Finance. The usual argument applies. A good case can be made to extend the 9% VAT rate. That is not possible in these circumstances for the reasons I explained - that is, it is not included in annex III of the VAT directive. The specific point made by Senator Conway about the 15% to 23% range is something about which I...
- Telecommunications Services (25 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to place on the record of the House some remarks in respect of this matter. I am also glad to take the opportunity to outline some of the initiatives undertaken to improve the quality of telecommunications infrastructure in regional and rural areas. As Deputy McHugh will be aware, the electronic communications market in this country is fully...
- Telecommunications Services (25 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: I accept Deputy McHugh's point that a methodology that relies solely on population does leave rural areas in some difficulty. The way things have developed in recent times means that there is fierce competition between the private sector companies for the urban consumer, but some of the same companies are not very interested in the less populous areas to which Deputy McHugh makes reference....
- Post Office Network (25 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: The Government's core policy goal for the postal sector is to ensure Irish customers, whether business or residential, enjoy competitively priced, high-quality postal services. The Government is committed to a strong and viable An Post and supports its maintenance of the maximum number of economically viable post offices. The Government also appreciates the importance of the rural post...
- Post Office Network (25 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: I accept what Deputies Coffey and Conway have stated on the social role and responsibility of An Post. We spent a good deal of time during the debate on the Bill discussing this very issue. The difficulty is that An Post is also a commercial State company and it must be viable; this is its mandate. It is this balance between the commercial mandate and the social responsibility that is...
- Written Answers — Fisheries Protection: Fisheries Protection (24 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: I can advise the Deputy that based on assessments the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) on the Bandon River is 933 for the 2012 season more than twice the TAC for 2011. The TAC is apportioned between the recreational and commercial sectors by the District Director of Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) following consultation with, and advice from, the Fisheries District Committees. It is fair to say...
- Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (24 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 412 to 415, inclusive, together. The 2012 Exchequer allocation for the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is â¬100.336 million, which includes a carryover provision of â¬15 million and represents a reduction of â¬29.283 million on SEAI's 2011 allocation. The administrative allocation for the SEAI in 2012 is â¬8.265 million, which represents a...
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (24 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: The terms and conditions of employment and retirement of eircom employees, including pension arrangements, are a matter for the board and management of eircom. While I have no function in this matter, I understand that the superannuation scheme provides for dispute resolution including a mechanism for final appeal to the Minster for Public Expenditure and Reform for eircom employees who...
- Written Answers — Television Licence Fee: Television Licence Fee (24 Jan 2012)
Pat Rabbitte: The distribution of television licence fee receipts is governed by the provisions of Section 123 of the Broadcasting Act 2009, as amended by Part 4 of the Communications Regulations Act 2011. In effect, the majority of licence fee revenue is paid to RTÃ, TG4 and an amount equal to 7% of net licence fee receipts is available to all broadcasters to apply for through the Broadcasting Funding...