Results 7,141-7,160 of 21,588 for speaker:Denis Naughten

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan Implementation (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location.  The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland now have access to high speed broadband.  By the end of this year that number...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Alternative Energy Projects (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: My Department's Draft Bioenergy Plan establishes the broader context for the development of Ireland’s bioenergy sector. It recognises that meeting the demand for biomass from indigenous sources could deliver significant economic and employment benefits and contains measures to stimulate and support the supply of Irish biomass. In the short-term, international supply chains will be...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation Targets (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: My Department is developing a new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) which is being designed to assist Ireland in meeting its renewable energy contribution to EU-wide targets out to 2030. The design of the new scheme has included an extensive independent economic appraisal which compared the cost of supporting a range of commercial renewable technologies including Solar PV...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Landfill Sites (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: Issues pertaining to planning legislation, including the legislation which regulates Strategic Infrastructure Development applications, are matters for my colleague the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government. The Waste Management Act 1996 and the Waste Management (Licensing) Regulations 2004 govern the process under which waste licences are applied...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Trading Online Voucher Scheme (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: I propose to take Questions Nos. 42 and 81 together. My Department's Trading Online Voucher Scheme is designed to support micro businesses (10 or less employees, less than €2 million turnover) to develop their trading online capability. The scheme pairs training with financial support of up to €2,500 (subject to matched funding), to help small businesses to grow and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: I am fully cognisant of the urgent, global challenge of climate change and its effects, particularly those experienced in the developing world. The scale and complexity of this challenge demands a coordinated approach at both national and international levels. Ireland is committed to concerted multilateral action to tackle climate change through the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Telecommunications Infrastructure (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: I propose to take Questions Nos. 45, 49 and 66 together. Providing telecommunications services, including mobile phone services, is a matter for the relevant service providers operating in a fully liberalised market regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), as independent Regulator. I do not have statutory authority to require commercial companies to rollout...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: My Department is developing a new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) which is being designed to assist Ireland in meeting its renewable energy contribution to EU-wide targets out to 2030. The design of the new scheme has included an extensive independent economic appraisal. This appraisal compared the cost of supporting a range of commercial renewable technologies, at...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Development Plan (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: I propose to take Questions Nos. 47 and 60 together. My Department has worked closely with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in framing the National Development Plan, and will oversee a significant programme of capital investment during the 10 year period of the Plan.    Climate mitigation and adaptation are cross-cutting priorities for Government and for me....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan Administration (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location.The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. Today 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband.  By the end of this year that number...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation Targets (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: The EU Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC set Ireland a legally binding target of meeting 16% of our energy demand 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, with the latter transport target also being legally binding. While good progress...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Mitigation Plan Implementation (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: I published Ireland’s first National Mitigation Plan in July 2017 which sets out the measures proposed by the key sectors concerned for enabling a low carbon transition. Ireland’s first statutory National Adaptation Framework was approved by Government in December 2017 and was published and laid before the Oireachtas on 19 January 2018, in line with Section 6(5) of the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Prices (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: Responsibility for the regulation of the gas or electricity markets is a matter for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU). One of its  statutory functions is to carry out market monitoring to ensure that competition continues to develop and that customers benefit from competition. Two reports published by the regulator last year concluded that Irish energy markets...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan Implementation (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: The procurement process for the National Broadband Plan State Intervention Area has been a very robust process with strong risk management throughout, with all scenarios and eventualities having been considered. This process is entering its final stages, with the remaining bidding consortium having reaffirmed its commitment to the successful conclusion of that process.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: The Single Electricity Market (SEM) is the wholesale electricity market for Ireland and Northern Ireland and it has operated successfully on this island since 2007. It has delivered an efficient, cost reflective, competitive market, while assuring security of supply and integrating significant volumes of renewable electricity into the generation mix. As a result of the common EU policy of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: My Department is developing a new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) which is being designed to assist Ireland in meeting its renewable energy contribution to EU-wide targets out to 2030. The design of the new scheme has included an extensive independent economic appraisal. This appraisal compared the cost of supporting a range of commercial renewable technologies, at...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management Regulations (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: Article 18 of the EU Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste states the following: “Member States shall not impede the placing on the market of their territory of packaging which satisfies the provisions of this Directive”. Coffee cups and a range of other single use packaging fall under the definition of packaging for the purposes of this Directive. In this space, where...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Development Plan (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: As set out in successive planning documents, such as the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan and National Mitigation Plan, both published in 2017, increasing the level and depth of energy efficiency upgrades to homes remains at the centre of policy in this area. This is reflected in the level of funding for these supports, which I have increased to €84m for 2018.  ...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Efficiency (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: The Warmth and Wellbeing scheme is a joint policy initiative between my Department and the Department of Health under the Healthy Ireland framework, which aims to measure the health and wellbeing impacts of improving the energy efficiency of a person’s home. ​I have allocated €20m to the pilot scheme under the Government’s Strategy to Combat Energy Poverty for the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (14 Feb 2018)

Denis Naughten: Having regard to the range of areas such as forestry, agriculture, waste, research funding and business development that have a role in the development of bioenergy, there are a wide range of Government Departments, agencies and State bodies that are critical enablers for the development of the sector.  The draft Bioenergy Plan sets out the policy areas that must be coordinated to...