Results 661-680 of 2,990 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: The Circular Economy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Ossian Smyth: For me, it illustrates that this approach is not going to work on a large scale. Even with a huge discount, people are not attracted. I think it needs to be something that is really broad. We can all recall the cultural shift when the plastic bags change happened. It discouraged people from utilising single-use bags because they had to pay for them every time. With this, the same thing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: The Circular Economy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I want to make sure that businesses like Molloys remain in business and that the small people, particularly the innovators and those who want to move forward, are helped out as far as possible.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: The Circular Economy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Deputy. His first question was about CIRCULÉIRE, which is up and running already, as the Deputy knows. It has approximately 50 members. Its turnover is €1.5 million per year. We are analysing its proposal and I expect that we will have a decision on it by the end of the year but then it will take some time to ramp up. CIRCULÉIRE wants to increase its...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: The Circular Economy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Ossian Smyth: The reason for it is that we should make coffee cheaper. A coffee cup costs up to 24 cent, even without any taxes on it, and the consumer pays for that. The Deputy knows that. He is smart enough to know that the cup is not really free.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: The Circular Economy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Ossian Smyth: Yes, absolutely. It is a huge cost. There is also a storage cost for businesses and a waste cost.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: The Circular Economy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I have spoken to cafe owners themselves and some of these cups are quite elaborate. They are printed-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: The Circular Economy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Ossian Smyth: Yes, and remember one needs a lid too. Part of the manufacturing process is to ensure people do not burn their hands so it is not just a single layer and so on. I am sure they are telling me the truth when they are telling me the prices they are paying. There is probably a range of prices but whatever it is, it is not zero and the consumer pays for it when he or she accepts one of those cups.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: The Circular Economy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I am getting to that. We have not implemented the levy yet. We had a public consultation on it and the results of that were published. There is clearly big public support for it. In order to collect the levy, I need to some entity to agree to be the collection agent for it. I have been persuaded by the Revenue Commissioners to change the approach I was taking to that but it is going to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: The Circular Economy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Ossian Smyth: On the question about the curriculum, it is a basic skill for people to be able to assemble flat-pack furniture, for example, and to be able to use a spanner. That is fair enough. I will mention it to the Department of Education the next time I ask how it is getting on with the solar panel project, for example. Bringing in more practical skills, including the basics of how to do things in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: The Circular Economy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Ossian Smyth: On single use plastics in supermarkets and the requirement for organic vegetable producers to wrap things in plastic, at the end of the day the Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 included a requirement to analyse and report on the use of plastics in supermarkets. That work is under way. There is a timeline for it in the Act. When it is ready I will be interested to see...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: The Circular Economy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Ossian Smyth: There are. The Deputy mentioned the health sector, for a start, in regard to aprons and so on. There is a tradition or culture in the health sector of treating medical waste very carefully, putting patient safety first and effectively incinerating everything. Until recently there was an incinerator in every Irish hospital with a chimney. Every type of waste went into the incinerator and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (3 Oct 2023)

Ossian Smyth: In December 2022, my Department published Ireland's Digital Connectivity Strategy which supports the ambition outlined in the National Digital Strategy and sets out a number of ambitious targets, including that:all Irish households and businesses will be covered by a Gigabit network no later than 2028all populated areas will be covered by 5G no later than 2030, anddigital connectivity will...

Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Referral to Select Committee (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Environment and Climate Action pursuant to Standing Orders 95(3)(a) and 181(1).

Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Deputies for their contributions. This Bill, as we know, is technical in nature and provides for the integration of Ervia into Gas Networks Ireland, GNI, so that it can become a single entity called Gas Networks Ireland. The Bill provides for amendments to the Gas Acts so as to facilitate integration and the transfer of functions, assets, rights, liabilities, staff and records from...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I compliment Deputy Ó Murchú on doggedly pursuing this issue on a number of occasions in the House and outside it. Progress is being made. Generally, schemes such as those at Carlinn Hall are localised, involving apartment complexes or residential housing estates. In the Government's plans for district heating, based on international best practice, we are focusing on larger-scale...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: A community heat system such as this provides heating and hot water for an entire development, typically an apartment block or an apartment complex. It means there is one component to be switched out so that all of those apartments can be decarbonised. The reality is that this is a great opportunity. It is much easier to switch out one large heating system than to go into 100 boilers where...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: The SEAI has a history of supporting community grant schemes. It has good outreach operations. It has been a successful and popular programme. It is more efficient than the administration involved in individual grant schemes. There is the administration of one large scheme. There is a large benefit for it. It contributes to a community getting switched over with buy-in from many people...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Environmental Policy (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: To ensure that Ireland's future economic development is on a sustainable footing we have taken a number of ambitious measures, including the adoption of the 2021 Climate Act, carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings. The ceilings and budgets underpin Ireland's ambitious commitments to tackle climate breakdown, while also increasing our energy security, and putting us in a strong...