Results 5,101-5,120 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: This is a plan to address our climate challenge. Separate work is being done on biodiversity. There are elements here where the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the Minister, Deputy Madigan's Department, has made significant contributions directly connected to improving the carbon sequestration of wetlands or so on. This document does not purport to be everything that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: Which commission?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: That is its comment on that national energy and climate plan submitted last December. It is not its comment on-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: -----on the document we only published on Monday. We have not had a response to it. The Deputy raised the issue of community engagement by those who develop wind farms and are not proposing to sell energy under the RES. There will be new planning guidelines for the development of any such facilities and they will apply in such cases.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: I hope I can put some of those concerns to rest. I see the process as iterative. If Oireachtas recommendations need to be developed, we will work with the committee to develop them where they can be shown to be cost-effective in a transition. It is important we choose to make the changes in the correct order, as we have taken great care to do. The only reason we were able to bring every...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: Yes, it is but it will be in five-year slices and Departments will know what tonnage they must abate in each period. Where it is identified that we are falling short and a cost falls on the Exchequer, the cost of purchasing credits will not appear in my budget but in the relevant line budget. Where the shortfall came from will be more visible to Deputy Sherlock and others who are looking at...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: It is a mistake to pretend that there is an obligation to buy an electric tractor, stop burning turf or cut herd size. There are no such obligations in this plan. Those who are shocked or frightened should be reassured by that. Equally, however, we have to recognise that we are starting on a journey of change on which Ireland and the people whom the Deputy represents are extremely exposed....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: I did not say that. I said there was no obligation to stop burning turf. Of course, carbon pricing-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: It is not a question of penalising them. People who are burning coal, turf or oil are creating environmental damage for which everyone in the globe must pay. By saying a price will be put on the damage that is done, we are following a long-established principle. People would understand this if the carbon being emitted was visible as a huge plume of smoke and we could see it. Let us...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: I will be quick. I can see the point Deputy Martin Kenny is making about perverse hedge cutting. I will have to pass that on to people who are better equipped to address it. There will certainly be new sectors. Enterprise Ireland is tried and tested in helping start-up companies. It supports high-potential start-up companies and commercialisation of technology emerging from our...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan: Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (19 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: It has to grow to scale. Enterprise Ireland companies have grown to scale. They start as high potential start-ups. Enterprise Ireland puts in its own capital and attracts venture capital. There is a very good model for developing technologies, for which I have been responsible, and I do not see anything better in any of the countries to which I go. Where a state decides to do it, it...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: I was not aware of this gap to which the Deputy refers. I will follow up and revert to him.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Television Licence Fee (18 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: The principle objects of RTÉ are set out under Section 114 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 and the allocation of public funding in respect of television licence fee is established under Section 123 of the Act. In addition to oversight by my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, RTÉ is subject to regulation by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. RTÉ...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: EU Directives (18 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: The Climate Action Plan, published on Monday this week, includes the following renewable energy actions: - Move to 70% renewable electricity by 2030; - Establish a new Micro-generation Scheme, allowing homeowners to generate their own electricity and sell what they don't use back to the national grid, and support increased community participation in renewable generation; - Bring 950,000...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Postal Codes (18 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: Eircodes are assigned to new property addresses using a valid postal address and verified geo-locations. An Post collects information on new and existing buildings, as well as changes to existing addresses and Ordnance Survey Ireland provides the geo-locations for these buildings. An Post GeoDirectory issues a new release of the GeoDirectory database file on a quarterly basis to Capita...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Service Provision (18 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 533 to 535, inclusive, together. All three premises referenced by the Deputy are in the AMBER area on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map, which is available on my Department's website at . The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP. This intervention is the subject of the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Properties (18 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 536 and 537 together. My Department did not purchase any buildings or land in the last five years. Two properties were leased in the period concerned, detail of which are contained in the following table. Address Size Rent per annum Duration of lease Athlone Rd. Roscommon 780 m2 €25,000 ex VAT 3 years from March 2017 UCD, Belfield Dublin 4 126...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Mobile Telephony Services (18 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: Providing telecommunications services, including mobile phone services, is a matter for the relevant service providers operating in a fully liberalised market regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), as independent Regulator. I do not have statutory authority to require commercial companies to roll out services and make specific investments in particular locations....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Petroleum and Gas Exploration (18 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: Effective regulation of petroleum activities requires oversight of work programmes proposed by applicants for, and holders of, petroleum authorisations. In that context my officials regularly meet with applicants and authorisation holders to invigilate proposed and existing work programmes, particularly from a technical and financial perspective, thus facilitating informed decision making....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Cross-Border Co-operation (18 Jun 2019)

Richard Bruton: There has not been an opportunity to meet ministerial colleagues in Northern Ireland, in light of the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly. There is ongoing engagement by my officials with their Northern Ireland counterparts on a range of issues. For instance, the administrations in Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK have co-operated on energy policy matters, including the...