Results 7,101-7,120 of 21,588 for speaker:Denis Naughten

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Hazardous Waste Sites (15 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: The National Hazardous Waste Management Plan (NHWMP) 2014-2020 is prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in accordance with Section 26 of the Waste Management Act 1996 and sets out the priority actions that may be undertaken within the lifetime of the Plan in relation to: the prevention of hazardous waste; improved collection rates for certain categories of hazardous waste;...

Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: I am not aware of the publication of that report, but we will be taking note of it. As the Deputy knows, it is a policy objective of the Government to have a single electricity market on the island. That has been reiterated by both governments after the result of 23 June 2016.

Other Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: The SSE-Enet, Granahan McCourt and John Laing plc consortium is an expert group with in-depth international experience across the telecoms, engineering and infrastructure sectors in Ireland and across the globe. It was one of three bidders which successfully passed the pre-qualification stage of the national broadband plan. During the pre-qualification phase the Department evaluated the...

Other Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: Just as the Eir roll-out is happening in every county across the country at the same time, this project - the State intervention phase of the national broadband plan - will be rolled out across the country simultaneously. The broadband offices in each of the local authorities are working, through Minister Ring's Department, to designate the programme of build-out in each local authority....

Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: I hope I answer all of the questions, but Deputies can come back to me if I do not. It is my intention to publish the reports without delay. I have to bring them to the Cabinet. Once that has been done, it is my intention to publish them and I have already instructed my officials in that regard. I am anxious to have them placed in the public domain as quickly as possible to let...

Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: In response to Deputy Brendan Smith on inspectors' reports, we have commissioned a report on levels of compensation. I look forward to seeing the detail of it. As I said, it will be published with the other report. All of the Deputies have asked about access. I will be quite clear on the issue. The long-standing practice of infrastructure providers, including in the roll-out of...

Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: I understand their frustration. Communities, villages, schools and rural businesses in my constituency are equally frustrated and I understand and appreciate that. We are trying to provide them with a broadband service in the short term. There will be significant announcements in that regard in the coming months on foot of the release of the 3.6 GHz wireless spectrum. In addition, we have...

Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26, 31, 48, 68, 89 and 224 together. The North-South interconnector now has full planning permission in Ireland and Northern Ireland as proposed as an overhead line. On 21 December 2016, An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for the North-South interconnector in Ireland, which concluded a lengthy planning process, including an...

Other Questions: Rural Broadband Scheme (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: I know the issues involved because I am dealing with them on the ground. One of the Acting Chairman, Deputy Eugene Murphy's constituents, my mother, is at me continually and persistently in that respect. She is less than one mile from the existing fibre network and within a few yards of the local primary school. My own nieces are missing out on it. I am, therefore, very conscious of the...

Other Questions: Rural Broadband Scheme (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: On 30 August last I specifically raised this issue with the chief executive of eir, Mr. Richard Moat. We agreed that we would ask the broadband officer in each of the local authorities across the country to look at the anomalies where a cluster of houses has been left out. The example I gave earlier is within 1 km of the local school. Such examples were submitted by the broadband officers...

Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: The Government's national broadband plan, NBP, aims to ensure high-speed broadband access of a minimum of 30 Mbps, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for all premises, communities and towns in Ireland, regardless of location. For those in areas where commercial operators cannot or will not deliver a service, access will be delivered via a State-led intervention. A variety of measures will...

Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: I thank the Deputy. I agree with him; it is not a luxury. We need to see fibre broadband being rolled out across the country as quickly as possible and it is actually happening The eir fibre broadband roll-out will bring high-speed broadband at speeds of 1,000 Mbps to 4,898 premises in Kilkenny and 3,390 in Carlow. In less than two years, or less than 100 weeks, they will have access to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Incentives (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: The Deputy has raised a number of matters. People who have installed solar PV on domestic buildings and engaged in self-consumption after my announcement of 31 January would fall within the final parameters of the pilot scheme when the details of it are announced. This is termed "grandfathering". I am sympathetic to their position, but grandfathering would be subject to discussions with...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Incentives (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: I am very conscious of public awareness. We have a new behavioural economics unit established within the SEAI to look at how we communicate. For any colleagues here writing newsletters, there is a box outlining the different grants, which can put into their newsletters. We can make that available to them. We have done so in the past and will do so again. There is a substantial amount of...

Other Questions: Rural Broadband Scheme (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: I am anxious to get to Question No. 33, as is the Acting Chairman, so we can talk about the constituency of Roscommon-Galway. The overall objective of the Government's national broadband plan is to provide access to a high-speed, future-proofed broadband service to every premises in Ireland. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial and State investment and remains a key...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Incentives (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: I will go through the reply and I will then come back to the Deputy on some of the issues. On foot of the October 2017 stakeholder workshop, hosted on my instruction by my Department and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, along with further engagement with the microgeneration industry, I have asked the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland to conduct a short study to assess...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: First, the Dáil motion was not passed unanimously.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Broadband Plan Implementation (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: I made it crystal clear why it could not be passed unanimously. I pointed out that it would jeopardise the procurement process and, based on my best estimates, that it would delay it by six months. In his Sunday Independentarticle last Sunday, Adrian Weckler said it would delay it by between six and 12 months. I have given a commitment to the people and the Members of this House that I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Broadcasting Sector (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: RTÉ is dual funded through a proportion of television licence fee receipts and the commercial revenue it generates. TG4 is funded by way of a combination of direct Exchequer grant-in-aid, television licence fee receipts and commercial revenue. The broadcasting sector continues to face very serious commercial, structural and market challenges, including, in recent years, a substantial...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Broadcasting Sector (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: I am somewhat confused. The joint committee commenced pre-legislative scrutiny of the broadcasting (amendment) Bill on 11 July. It was attended by my Department officials, representatives from RTÉ, TG4 and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. A further hearing was held on 3 October with the platform operators, Virgin Media, Sky, Eir, Vodafone, and TV3 to discuss both the scheme of...