Results 6,821-6,840 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Policy (16 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: Investment in the low carbon economy has the potential to create decent work and quality jobs to support local communities and workers in regions most strongly impacted by the on-going transformation to a decarbonised society. The Government’s National Mitigation Plan recognises that fully realising the economic opportunities in the low carbon economy is key to ensuring a just...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action Fund (16 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos 540 to 544, inclusive, together. The Climate Action Fund is one of four funds established under the National Development Plan 2018-2027 as part of Project Ireland 2040. The first call for applications, which was launched on 9 July, was open to applications from the public and private sector. This included non-commercial state bodies,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electricity Grid (16 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The management of connections to the electricity grid, including processes and connection charging rules, is a matter for EirGrid and ESB Networks under rules determined by the Commission for Regulation Utilities (CRU), which is an independent statutory body. I understand that the CRU has been reviewing the existing grid connection policies to ensure that they are...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Warmer Homes Scheme Eligibility (16 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Warmer Homes Scheme is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).  The Scheme delivers a range of energy efficiency measures free of charge to low income households vulnerable to energy poverty, who meet the defined eligibility criteria. In reference to the case raised by Deputy Collins, officials in my Department have been in contact with the SEAI and I...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Service Provision (16 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: In April 2017 my Department published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan. The Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode: - The AMBER areas...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (16 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: In 2017, my Department made available funding of €1 million to local authorities to deal with the clean-up of existing stockpiles of tyres illegally dumped across the countryside. This was done to support the introduction of a new compliance scheme for tyres and waste tyres from 1 October 2017. The new full compliance scheme to deal with Ireland's chronic waste tyres problem,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management Regulations (16 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The findings of the recent CCPC report must be studied with care and diligence to ensure that consumer well-being is protected and that our environmental goals are met. The CCPC Report recommends that existing national waste management policy, as set out in "A Resource Opportunity - Waste Management Policy in Ireland" would be reviewed. This review should take account of:...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Ministerial Meetings (16 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I have had no such meetings with the consortium named by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Metropolitan Area Networks Programme (16 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 552 and 559 together. The Review of pricing and access arrangements of the Metropolitan Area Networks has been finalised by Analysys Mason Consultants. My Department is engaging with the Management Services Entity (enet) in relation to implementation of the recommendations of the Review and the Review will be published shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation (16 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 553 to 555, inclusive, together. The main support for start-up companies seeking to grow their business comes though the Department of Enterprise, Business and Innovation and their agencies such as Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices. In terms of supports for energy there are several programmes funded from the Exchequer and administered by the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Service Provision (16 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The National Broadband Plan High Speed Broadband Map, available at www.broadband.gov.ie, shows that the premises referenced by the Deputy is in a BLUE area, where commercial operators are currently delivering or have indicated plans to deliver high speed broadband services. My Department defines high speed broadband as a service of at least 30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload. Where a...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Service Provision (16 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: In April 2017 my Department published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan. The Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode: - The AMBER areas...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Wind Energy Generation (16 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: Within the overall funding envelope of €164 million for energy in Budget 2019, the individual programme allocations are still be finalised and will be published in the Revised Estimates for Public Services in December. In terms of renewable energy there will be provision for a pilot micro generation scheme which was announced in July 2018 and which will run until...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Disposal Charges (16 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: My Department is continuing the work of developing a mechanism to provide a €75 support for persons with lifelong or long-term medical incontinence to help meet the average annual cost of disposing of medical incontinence products. This process has unfortunately taken longer than envisaged, due to a number of issues, not least data protection issues that have arisen since the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation Targets (16 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: My Department has the lead role in developing Ireland’s first National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), covering the period 2021-2030. The creation of a NECP is one of the key provisions of the proposed Governance of the Energy Union Regulation, part of the European Clean Energy Package published in November 2016. This is an overarching, consolidating regulation that will consolidate...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Incentives (16 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The high level design of the new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) was approved by Government in July 2018 and it is expected that the first renewable electricity auctions will take place under RESS in 2019. The RESS will be subject to the new rules on public support for projects in the field of energy, adopted by the European Commission in April 2014, which seek to promote a...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (11 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I assure Deputy Jack Chambers that we are providing a policy response all of the time. As I outlined, since 2016 we have delivered 1,800 extra resource teachers, 4,000 extra SNAs, 500 additional ASD units, and 30 additional National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, staff. We strengthened the inclusion service of the NCSE itself to support parents, teachers and students. We have...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects Status (11 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: While I understand the Deputies' concerns, the project brief is an important phase in any construction project. There is no way to avoid appointing a design team. A design will have to be drawn up and planning permission must be obtained, which has its own process to go through. The Department will have to be satisfied the design achieves the objectives. We do not want to have any...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (11 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputies for raising this important matter. It is an area in which huge investment has been made in my own time and, to be fair, in that of my predecessors. Since 2011, as Deputy Burton will know, we have increased spending on the support of children with special needs by 43%. It has risen consistently, therefore, even in the most difficult times, to €1.8 billion. It is...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects Status (11 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputies for raising the issue. I understand the concern. It has also been raised by Senator James Reilly. There is acute concern. The Deputies are right there was a visit by the Department to the school in February. That was followed up by a technical site visit in April. The agreement has been worked out on the exact scale of what is required, namely, an 18 primary...