Results 6,041-6,060 of 21,588 for speaker:Denis Naughten

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: The spend under subhead A3, ICT programmes, to the end of June was €3.9 million. The spend to the end of September was €6.7 million, of which €5.6 million related to the NBP. The €15 million that was allocated was for the national broadband plan. The variation is due, in the main, to the lower than anticipated expenditure levels on the NBP, which reflected the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: On Deputy Stanley's question, this is a competitive dialogue procurement process. If one was building a house, one would go for a standard tender, such as a four-bedroom, three-bedroom, two-bedroom, one-bedroom or five or six-bedroom house, and it is easy to set the specifications for that. However, Science Foundation Ireland, for example, holds a number of different competitions where it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: I will come back to Deputy Stanley with one comment. The EIB funding will be drawn down by the bidder rather than the State. In response to Deputy Eamon Ryan, as part of this competitive dialogue and procurement process, all of the bidders in this process would have had to prove at various stages during the procurement process that they had the capacity and financial resources to deliver...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: Granahan McCourt is the bidder in this process. It has nominated a number of key sub-contractors. That would have been part of the documentation it submitted on 18 September. They include Enet, Nokia, Actavo, the Kelly Group and KN Group. They are involved in the delivery of the broadband contract across the country.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: Enet has not pulled out.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: I am in a difficult position in that I am basing what I am saying on the information that has been presented to me. I am not directly involved in this procurement process. I am relaying the information I have received from the procurement team to the Deputy. The bidder, Granahan McCourt, issued a statement on 18 September outlining the people involved in this bid and their role. Any...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: RTÉ and TG4 are funded through a mix of commercial revenues obtained largely from advertising, Exchequer grant payments and licence fee revenues. Broadcasting licensing fee receipts are estimated to be €222 million in 2018. The broadcasting programme provides for €190.7 million in television licence fee receipts to RTÉ to enable the company to meet its statutory...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: On the TV licence, the payments to RTÉ as of June this year were €91.1 million, and are €2 million ahead of payments for the same period last year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: That was until the end of June.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: Yes, for the first six months.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: Traditionally, during the second half of the year more enforcement takes place. I presume there are plans for that. It would be done through An Post which is the contractor for its enforcement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: There are two strands to that. First, there is the broadcasting (amendment) Bill which has undergone pre-legislative scrutiny here and is now with the parliamentary draftsman. We hope to get a draft of that very soon. The second strand, which was on foot of this committee's report recommendations, is that a working group has been established on foot of a Government decision in July of this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: We can ask them to look at that as well. There is no difficulty about that and the terms of reference would allow for that to happen. It is grand talking about a notional mechanism to collect it but we want to see, in practical terms, what the most effective way is to collect the maximum amount of TV licence. The working group will report back to me by the end of March 2019, and I will...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: And RTÉ.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: Senator McDowell is right that €52 billion is there. It is part of what we are looking at, with regard to whether there is a far more effective way of collecting it, in terms of the broadcasting (amendment) Bill. We will bring forward primary legislation on this issue. The working group is specifically looking at how we could implement in practical terms some of these measures. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: In fairness, the Senator did make that point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: Once the representations are made to the inspector and not the local Deputy, I do not mind.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: I am happy to take questions if that speeds up the process.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: I believe that the figure to the end of June was over 600 pure EVs. I will get the Deputy the exact number, as I do not know it off the top of my head. It comprises of a combination of supports, including a €5,000 VRT relief and a €5,000 purchase grant. On top of this, every purchaser of a new EV or second-hand EV registered since 1 January of this year will be entitled to a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Denis Naughten: There are two cohorts of people. There are many people for whom an EV would be suitable. In terms of the roadshow, we are working with staff in car sales and showrooms encouraging people to test drive an EV. For many people who commute to Dublin or other major towns, and some rural and provincial towns, an electric vehicle would be suitable. For Deputy Dooley and I, an electric vehicle,...