Results 5,261-5,280 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Written Answers — Energy Regulation: Energy Regulation (21 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I have no statutory function in the setting of electricity and gas 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. Prices in the electricity retail market are now fully deregulated. Price setting by electricity...

Written Answers — Energy Prices: Energy Prices (21 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I have no statutory function in the setting of electricity and gas 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. Prices in the electricity retail market are now fully deregulated. Price setting by electricity...

Written Answers — Mobile Telephony: Mobile Telephony (21 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The regulation of the wholesale mobile voice call termination market is a matter for the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). I am anxious to ensure that mobile termination rates (MTRs) charged by Irish service providers are in line with those charged elsewhere in Europe and that Irish citizens and businesses benefit from the lowest call costs possible. Following regulatory...

Written Answers — Television Licence Fees: Television Licence Fees (21 Jul 2011)

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 broadcasting technologies and to transform the TV licence into a household based Public Broadcasting Charge to be applied to all households and applicable businesses, regardless of the device they use to access content. This commitment does not...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (21 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I wish to advise the Deputy that no direct funding has been provided to the Irish Business and Employers Confederation by my Department in any year since its formation in June 2007. The issue of any funding provided by bodies under the aegis of my Department, is a matter for the individual bodies in question and I have no responsibility in this regard.

Written Answers — Semi-State Bodies: Semi-State Bodies (21 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: My colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, T.D. recently announced the terms of a Government Decision for the introduction of pay ceilings for higher posts across the public service and for CEO posts in Commercial State Companies. In addition, the Government signalled its intention to seek voluntary waivers of 15% of salary from current incumbents whose...

Written Answers — Utility Charges: Utility Charges (21 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I have no statutory function in the setting of energy prices, whether in the regulated or non-regulated market. Price setting by Bord Gáis, ESB Electric Ireland and Airtricity in the electricity market is a commercial matter for the companies. Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets is a matter for the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), which is an...

Written Answers — Sports Facilities: Sports Facilities (21 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The operation of watersports leisure centres is not a matter for this Department.

Written Answers — Telephone Hacking: Telephone Hacking (21 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Regulation of the telecommunications sector is a matter for the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) which is independent in the exercise of its functions. The information requested by the Deputy, based on information supplied to me by ComReg, is set out in the following table: Year Number of hacking complaints received Number of cases deemed valid hacking Complaints by...

Written Answers — Missing Persons: Missing Persons (21 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: The 116 number range is reserved for services of social value. The revised telecoms package transposed by my Department in July 2011 obliges Member States to promote and encourage the provision of specific numbers in the 116 number range and ensure that citizens are adequately informed of the existence and use of such services. It also requires Member States not only to reserve the 116000...

Written Answers — Departmental Equipment: Departmental Equipment (21 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: My Department has seventy-nine physical computer servers, providing live, development and test environments for internal services. The number of physical servers will continue to reduce as virtual server technologies are used to provide multiple services from a single physical server. The amount of storage on each of these servers varies between 33 Gigabytes and 1.2 Terabytes, depending on...

Written Answers — Telephone Hacking: Telephone Hacking (21 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I have no proposals at present to introduce the legislative measures referred to by the Deputy. The unauthorised access of personal information is, in the first instance, a matter for An Garda Síochána and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, which has responsibility for the protection of personal information. I understand that the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner is...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (21 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I fully support the commitment in relation to gender balance in the composition of State Board appointments. I wish to inform the Deputy, that following the Government Decision regarding new procedures for Appointments to State Boards, I have publically sought Expressions of Interest for appointments for vacancies which arise in bodies under the aegis of my Department in 2011. Under the new...

Written Answers — Post Office Network: Post Office Network (21 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: Matters relating to An Post's post office network, including the retention of mail sorting services at individual post offices, are an operational matter for the Board and management of An Post and one in which I have no statutory role.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (21 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I can inform the Deputy that 2 bodies have been established under the remit of my Department since its formation in June 2007. The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland was established under the Broadcasting Act 2009 and replaced both the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland and the Broadcasting Complaints Commission. The new inland fisheries authority, Inland Fisheries Ireland, was established...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (21 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: As my Department was established in its present form in 2007, the identification of records prior to January 2007 cannot be facilitated without undue commitment of staff resources and administrative cost. However, if the Deputy has a question in relation to a specific item I will make appropriate enquiries. In the time available, it has not been possible to prepare a complete schedule of the...

Written Answers — State Agencies: State Agencies (21 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: I wish to inform the Deputy that the payment of fees to the Chairpersons and Directors of State Bodies under the aegis of my Department are in compliance with the guidelines issued by the Minister of Finance, which provides for a number of levels of payment depending on matters such as the complexity, scale and extent of the functions of individual bodies. The maximum rate of Board Fee...

Written Answers — Telephone Hacking: Telephone Hacking (20 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: 1I wish to advise the Deputy that the security arrangements to which he is referring are not the responsibility of my Department and therefore I am unable to provide any information on this matter. With regard to the general question of telephone hacking, it is my view that this is a matter, in the first instance, for An Garda Síochána. I am also aware that the Office of the Data...

Written Answers — Telephone Hacking: Telephone Hacking (20 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: 2057I am not aware of any current investigations or complaints in relation to the issue referred to by the Deputy. Such investigations would be a matter, in the first instance, for An Garda Síochána and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, which has responsibility for the protection of personal information. I understand that the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner is...

Written Answers — Ministerial Responsibilities: Ministerial Responsibilities (20 Jul 2011)

Pat Rabbitte: 1As Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources I have taken responsibility for attendance at Ministerial Council meetings and have attended the Extraordinary EU Energy Council in Brussels on Monday 21 March, Telecoms Council in Brussels on Friday 27 May, the North South Ministerial Council, in Farmleigh House on Friday 10 June, the British Irish Council in London on Monday 20...