Results 5,181-5,200 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Written Answers — Energy Conservation: Energy Conservation (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The Programme for Government provides a commitment to roll out a Pay-As-You-Save (PAYS) retrofit scheme after 2013. This is anticipated to replace the existing grant supports in this area, for which the 2011 capital allocation is €91.4m. To date under Better Energy: Homes, efficiency upgrades have been completed in 33,559 homes this year and over 96,000 homes since the programme commenced...

Written Answers — Energy Conservation: Energy Conservation (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: There are a number of significant programmes in place to improve Energy Efficiency for businesses and thereby help reduce energy costs. The National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) sets out 90 actions which are already underway, or will be taken in the period to 2020, to achieve the national energy efficiency target. The Government has set a target of 20% across all areas of the...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: All issues relating to the physical siting of telecommunication masts are a matter for my colleague the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, and the Local Authorities and are the subject of the relevant planning legislation. I have not issued advice in regard to such planning matters, although the question of planning for telecommunications infrastructure generally is...

Written Answers — Energy Resources: Energy Resources (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The Petroleum (Exploration and Extraction) Safety Act 2010 confers statutory responsibility for the safety of petroleum exploration and production on the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER). Petroleum is defined for this purpose to include both oil and gas. CER is currently developing the associated safety framework. The 2010 Act extends the CER's safety remit to all upstream, or...

Written Answers — Energy Resources: Energy Resources (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Earlier this year, my Department granted an onshore Licensing Option to Tamboran Resources PTY Ltd over parts of Cavan Leitrim and Sligo. The Licensing Option is for a two year period from March 2011 to end February 2013. This Licensing Option is designed to allow the company to assess the natural gas potential of the acreage, largely based on desktop studies of existing seismic and well...

Written Answers — Energy Resources: Energy Resources (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Frontier Exploration Licence 1/06 was awarded to Serica Energy (UK) Ltd in December 2006 for a period of 15 years. The licence is situated in the Slyne Basin off the west coast and is divided into four phases of three, two, five and five years. Each phase of the licence is subject to a work programme to be agreed with my Department. A commitment to drill an exploration well is required to...

Written Answers — Energy Resources: Energy Resources (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Petroleum was identified in the Hook Head prospect in 1971 by Marathon. While this resulted in the granting of a petroleum lease, it did not lead to a development and the lease was relinquished in 1992. The acreage has been subject to further exploration authorisations on a number of occasions since then, none of which has resulted in a commercial discovery being made. The current...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The Rural Broadband Scheme closed for applications on the 29th July last. Some 4975 applications were submitted by that date and these are now being processed to ensure they comply with the Scheme's eligibility criteria viz. that the applicant's premises is located in a rural area which is not already covered by the National Broadband Scheme and that the applicant can not obtain a service...

Written Answers — Exploration Licences: Exploration Licences (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The table hereunder set out the position in relation to the number of mineral prospecting licences and petroleum exploration licences granted in each of the past five years to date. Licenses Granted during period 2007 - 20011 Year Prospecting Licences(Minerals) Petroleum Exploration Licences 2007 143 4 2008 91 3 2009 66 1 2010 93 0 2011 (to 13/9/11) 56 0 Petroleum exploration is...

Written Answers — Energy Resources: Energy Resources (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Construction of the Corrib Gas Terminal at Bellanaboy is substantially completed, as are the subsea facilities at the Corrib Gas Field. The 83km offshore section of the Corrib gas pipeline has also been installed Following the granting of a number of statutory consents earlier this year for the construction of the onshore section of the pipeline along a revised route, work on this final...

Written Answers — Energy Prices: Energy Prices (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I have no statutory function in the setting of energy prices, whether in the regulated or non-regulated market. Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets is a matter for the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) which is an independent statutory body. Ireland's electricity and gas markets, both wholesale and retail, are characterised by vigorous competition...

Written Answers — Energy Resources: Energy Resources (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: No new economic deposits of non-petroleum minerals have been discovered in the past twelve months from either on or offshore mining exploration. There have, however, been some encouraging results detailed in recent media releases by a number of companies engaged in exploration but it is too early to determine whether these results will lead to identification of commercially viable deposits....

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: International comparisons of retail broadband services are conducted periodically. The ComReg statistical report for end 2010, for example, noted the latest OECD broadband data up to June 2010 ranked Ireland 13th of 19 EU states surveyed for fixed line broadband penetration per 100 inhabitants and 3rd of 18 EU states surveyed for wireless broadband penetration per 100 inhabitants. A wider...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The electronic communications market in Ireland has been fully liberalised since 1999 and, since then, has seen the steady growth and development of well-regulated competition in the provision of the full range of electronic communications products and services. Regulation of the provision of electronic communications services within the liberalised market is governed by the EU Regulatory...

Written Answers — Energy Resources: Energy Resources (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: There have been no new commercial discoveries of oil and gas, or discoveries of new economic deposits of non-petroleum minerals within the jurisdiction of the Irish State in the past twelve months.

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Under the NewERA proposals in the Programme for Government, there is a commitment to co-invest with the private sector and commercial Semi State sector to provide Next Generation Broadband customer access to every home and business in the State. The Next Generation Broadband Taskforce has an important role, in this regard. In June of this year I convened the Taskforce which I chair and...

Written Answers — Information and Communications Technology: Information and Communications Technology (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Cloud computing has the potential to revolutionise the IT investment model in Ireland and elsewhere. It allows companies to use the internet to efficiently access vast amounts of computing resources that would otherwise be beyond their reach. A recent report undertaken by A&L Goodbody and commissioned by Microsoft has suggested that Cloud Computing sales by Irish firms could be worth €9.5...

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The Report of the High level Group on Green Enterprise was launched in December 2009. The Report made 55 recommendations to develop the Green Economy in Ireland. The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mr. Richard Bruton TD, has responsibility for monitoring progress on the recommendations. However, I understand from his Department that 38 of the 55 recommendations (69%) of the High...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I have set out in the table the number of staff for each of the regulatory bodies under the aegis of my Department as at the end of Quarter 2 2011. Regulator Staff (Whole Time Equivalents) Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) 33 Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) 122 Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) 62 In relation to the budgets for these organisations, I can...

Alternative Energy Projects (14 Sep 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The application is with DG Competition of the European Commission for 18 months or longer and is in the final stages so I do not see how I can pull back. Certainly, I am more than willing to go into committee with Deputy Ó Cuív and other members to tease through this issue because there are questions that need to be examined with regard to this system. I am assured there is no basis for...