Results 4,901-4,920 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electric Vehicles (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 53 together. The Climate Action Plan sets out a range of actions to support the delivery of charging infrastructure. These actions include developing the charging network to stay sufficiently ahead of demand and ensuring our regulatory regime for buildings requires the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Home charging is...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Usage (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: Data centres are a key contributor to electricity demand growth in Ireland. While data centres have until recently accounted for less than 2% of Ireland’s total electricity demand, EirGrid, in their Generation Capacity Statement 2018-2027, project that demand from data centres could account for 31% of all demand by 2027. Data centres consume very large amounts of energy and have a...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electric Vehicles (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 42 and 52 together. Under the first call for applications from the Climate Action Fund, I approved funding of up to €10 million to support ESB eCars to develop a nationwide, state-of-the-art electric vehicle fast charging network. The project includes the installation of 90 high-power chargers each of which will be capable of charging two...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Adaptation Plans (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 43 and 46 together. I published the Government's Climate Action Plan on 17 June. The plan sets out, for the first time, how Ireland can reach its 2030 targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and also put Ireland on the right trajectory towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. We have a great window of opportunity to reverse this trend and secure a...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Recycling Policy (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: In the climate action plan we have committed to leading the way in reducing single use plastics are working at both national and EU level to tackle the problem. On 12 June 2019, the EU published its Directive on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment. The Directive aims to deal with the top ten single use plastic items that cause 70% of marine litter....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: In July 2016 the Government selected the gap funded model as the optimum ownership model for the NBP State intervention. The Government considered two ownership models, having narrowed the options from five models. While this decision was informed by a high level cost modelling on both options, the NBP procurement was always structured so that the final cost would be determined through the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadcasting Sector (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: In light of the recommendations in the Report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action & Environment on the Future Funding of Public Service Broadcasting, a Working Group was set up on foot of a Government decision last year to examine options for the reform of TV licence collection. I have recently received and am considering the report of the Working...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Climate Action Plan contains a commitment to open up opportunity for community participation in renewable generation as well as community gain commitments. A cornerstone of the new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) will be the provision of pathways for increased community ownership, participation in and benefit from renewable electricity projects. The scheme will deliver...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Proposed Legislation (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: In early March, I announced that Government would address harmful online content through the development of new legislation, an Online Safety & Media Regulation Bill, which will also transpose the revised Audio Visual Media Services Directive. I launched a public consultation on these proposals which has now concluded. This Bill will establish, for the first time, a clear expectation...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: Decisions regarding the sourcing biomass would be operational matters for the power plant operators, Bord na Móna or ESB. However, I have been advised that Bord na Móna’s BioEnergy division sources sustainable biomass used at the Edenderry power station and that up to 80% of the biomass used in the plant is from domestic sources. However, in the event that all three of the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Internet Safety (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: Children's access to online pornography is a matter of serious concern, even where that content is not illegal. As stated by the Taoiseach in the Dáil recently, it is a matter of concern to all of us that many young people learn about sex through pornography, particularly as such material is not an accurate representation of what is healthy or appropriate behaviour. Exposure to such...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Adaptation Plans (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 55 and 60 together. Ireland participates in UNFCCC negotiations in its capacity as a Party to the Convention, and also as a Member State of the European Union. Representatives of civil society, such as the organisation to which the Deputy refers, may attend meetings of the UNFCCC as observers to the negotiation process. While I have not engaged directly...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Policy (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Climate Action Plan identifies the long-term challenge for the agriculture sector to meet the national policy objective, set out in the 2014 National Policy Position on Climate Action and Low Carbon Development, of an approach to carbon neutrality which does not compromise our capacity for sustainable food production. The Plan notes that achieving this objective will involve...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Housing Issues (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: I welcome the publication of the Engineers Ireland review of housing and infrastructure in Ireland. While housing and housing standards are issues that fall under the remit of the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, a number of recommendations do have relevance for programmes and initiatives on which my department leads. Improving the energy efficiency of a home, in line...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Adaptation Plans (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 59 and 389 together. I published the Government's Climate Action Plan on 17 June. The plan sets out, for the first time, how Ireland can reach its 2030 targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and also put Ireland on the right trajectory towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Plan represents a significant step-up in ambition, with a target abatement...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: In accordance with the April 2017 Commitment Agreement signed between eir and my Department, my officials engage regularly with eir in relation to its ongoing rural fibre deployment of high speed broadband to 300,000 premises. According to Quarter 1 2019 figures verified by my Department, the company has passed 250,965 premises as part of this deployment. According to information provided by...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Wind Energy Generation (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: Ireland has some of the best offshore renewable energy resources in Europe at 900,000 square kilometres. Because of Ireland’s location at the Atlantic edge of the EU, it has more offshore energy potential than most other countries in Europe. There is enormous potential for Ireland to utilise these resources to generate carbon free renewable electricity. The Climate Action Plan launched...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Adaptation Plans (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: I published the Government's Climate Action Plan 2019 on 17 June. The plan sets out, for the first time, how Ireland can reach its 2030 targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and also puts Ireland on the right trajectory towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Plan has been strongly informed by the ground-breaking work of the Citizens Assembly and the work of the All Party...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: The purpose of the National Broadband Plan is to ensure that over 1.1 million of our citizens in rural Ireland have the same opportunity to participate in the digital society as citizens living in urban areas. The availability of ubiquitous high speed broadband will bring significant benefits in areas of enterprise, employment, e-Health, e-Education, smart farming, regional development and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Competition Law (4 Jul 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment has no function in this regard. Enforcement of Competition Law in the European Union is a matter for the European Commission in the first instance. At national level, where there is a suggestion that an entity is abusing a dominant position, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has responsibility for enforcement.