Results 541-560 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (3 Nov 2015)

Alex White: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) is a Government initiative which aims to deliver high speed broadband to every citizen and business in Ireland. This is being achieved through a combination of accelerated commercial investment by telecoms operators, and a proposed State intervention to provide high speed broadband to those parts of the country where the commercial sector will not invest....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Bioenergy Strategy (3 Nov 2015)

Alex White: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1133 and 1134 together. The 2009 EU Renewable Energy Directive sets Ireland a legally binding target of meeting 16% of our energy requirements from renewable sources by 2020. Ireland is committed to achieving this target through meeting 40% of electricity demand, 12% of heat and 10% of transport from renewable sources of energy. In 2014, 8.6% of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Postal Codes (3 Nov 2015)

Alex White: Eircodes are an essential piece of the national postal infrastructure, which was successfully rolled out in July 2015 with the assistance of An Post, amongst others. An Post, as universal service provider, was engaged in the design phase of the national postcode project and the Eircodes are fully integrated with An Post mails sortation systems. An Post were also heavily involved in the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Postal Codes (3 Nov 2015)

Alex White: Eircode, the National Postcode System for Ireland was launched on 13 July 2015. The Eircode system is a vital piece of national infrastructure and before its introduction Ireland was the only country within the OECD that did not have a National Postcode System. A successful national information campaign was completed over the summer to inform the public about Eircodes and promote their usage....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Postal Codes (3 Nov 2015)

Alex White: The cost of the contract with Capita who were awarded a ten year licence to develop and maintain the postcode system is €27m. Taking consultancy costs, staffing costs and VAT the total cost of the project is estimated to be €38m over its lifetime. The total cost of the project covers design of the eircode, encoding public sector databases, accessing the GeoDirectory database,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Telecommunications Services Provision (3 Nov 2015)

Alex White: Section 45 of the Communications Regulation Act 2002, as amended, among other things, prohibits telecommunications services providers from imposing charges on customers for services not provided. In addition, there are more detailed consumer protection measures set out in the European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Universal Service and Users’ Rights)...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (3 Nov 2015)

Alex White: I am unaware of any such reports being submitted to me or my Department.Local Authorities can play a significant role in terms of promoting and facilitating broadband investment across all of the various technology platforms. Consequently, my officials have liaised very closely with local authorities in order to keep them fully informed in relation to the development of the strategy for...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Speeds (3 Nov 2015)

Alex White: The National Broadband Plan aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided.The commercial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (3 Nov 2015)

Alex White: The Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided.On 29 September the Government approved an allocation...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Mobile Telephony (3 Nov 2015)

Alex White: I welcome the recent agreement of the European Parliament and the Council of an EU Regulation, which among other things, provides for the abolition of retail roaming charges within the EU from June 2017. This will make a strong statement to EU citizens about a single and unified EU where barriers to trade and travel are minimised. As an interim measure, the Regulation will further reduce...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Staff Career Breaks (3 Nov 2015)

Alex White: The arrangements that apply in relation to career breaks in the Civil Service are outlined in current Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Circular 4/2013 - Career Break Scheme in the Civil Service. Any employees in my Department who have taken a career break or returned to work following a career break have done so in line with the relevant guidelines set out in this Circular. A...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: North-South Interconnector (22 Oct 2015)

Alex White: The 400kV North-South interconnection project which is part of EirGrid's Grid25 plan to upgrade the national transmission system between now and 2025 is a critical and strategically urgent transmission reinforcement. It will remove restrictions limiting cross-Border power flows between Ireland and Northern Ireland, which will enhance cross-Border support in the event of a shortage of...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: North-South Interconnector (22 Oct 2015)

Alex White: The position is that the project is at planning stage and before An Bord Pleanála. As the Senator is aware, the project has a long history. From as far back as 2007, there have been a number of processes involving and providing for consultation. When my predecessor, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, held this ministerial portfolio, he set up an expert panel to advise and to report to him and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Public Service Obligation Levy Payments (22 Oct 2015)

Alex White: The Public Service Obligation (PSO) levy, which has been in place since 2001, is determined by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) and is charged to all electricity customers. It is the overall support mechanism of the Irish Government and consists of various support schemes to contribute to national policy objectives related to generating plants covering renewable energy, indigenous...

Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Network (21 Oct 2015)

Alex White: I welcome the opportunity to clarify for the Deputy the position regarding post offices in the Cabra area of Dublin 7. The operation of the post office network, including the opening or closing of post offices, is a day-to-day operational matter for the board and management of An Post and not one in which I have a function. I had inquiries made with An Post and I have been informed that the...

Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Network (21 Oct 2015)

Alex White: I do not have the detailed figures in front of me, but from memory the figures the Deputy quoted sound correct. We can clarify the specifics and confirm that for the Dáil record at some point, if the Deputy would like me to do so. I listened carefully to the points he raised and, as I mentioned, the closure or opening of post offices is a matter for An Post and not the Minister. I...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Freedom of Information Requests (21 Oct 2015)

Alex White: My Department has received 125 FOI requests to date in 2015, of which 59 have been answered within the statutory deadline. Of the remainder, 22 recent requests are still open, 25 were answered later than the 4 week period, 2 were transferred to other FOI bodies, 11 were withdrawn and 6 were closed following failures of requestors to respond to correspondence from the Department.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Renewable Energy Incentives (20 Oct 2015)

Alex White: On 31 July last, I launched a consultation on the proposed Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). While the initial phase of the consultation closed on 18 September 2015, there will be two further opportunities to contribute at key stages in the design of the scheme. The RHI scheme, once designed, will require State Aid approval from the European Commission and further Government approval. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Post Office Network (20 Oct 2015)

Alex White: The Post Office Network Business Development Group, whose remit is to examine the potential from existing and new Government and commercial business that could be transacted through the post office network, presented its initial report to me in May 2015. In summary, the initial report outlined that the future of the post office network would be best secured by seeking out opportunities in the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Postal Services (20 Oct 2015)

Alex White: The post office network plays an important role in serving the needs of business and domestic customers alike. However, the postal sector is undergoing systemic change, with migration towards electronic communications resulting in significant core mail volume decline year-on-year. In recognition of the changing commercial environment I established the Post Office Network Business...