Results 7,981-8,000 of 21,588 for speaker:Denis Naughten

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017: Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (27 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: I cannot give the Deputy an answer but will give him a guesstimate in a second. I cannot give him an answer because it is in the filing cabinets that were delivered to the Department yesterday. The Department has to provide the solutions in terms of how the final connection is made. Why I have said that the scheme will be predominantly fibre is as follows. The only way to future-proof...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017: Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (27 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: No.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017: Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (27 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: Yes, and I stand by that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017: Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (27 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: No. As many as 300,000 rural homes get pure fibre at the moment. There are 842,000 homes in total and, if one does the maths, it is predominantly but it is not just that. At this time, 900,000 premises across provincial towns and rural Ireland get pure fibre outside their doors. My estimate is conservative. As I have always done up to now, I have used conservative estimates because I do...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017: Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (27 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: The purpose of programme B is to promote the broadcasting sector by ensuring high-quality output by the State broadcasting companies and promoting a strong quality private broadcasting sector. RTE 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...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017: Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (27 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: All of the issues raised by Deputy Dooley have been looked at in the context of the Estimates process. It would be helpful if he could mention that to the Minister for Finance in his travels through the corridor. On the reform of public sector broadcasting, we all accept that, in the long term, the licence fee structure is not going to work. It is an old system with old technology for a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017: Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (27 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: I assume Deputy Stanley will support the President's candidacy if he stands for election again.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017: Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (27 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: Deputy Eamon Ryan said it all for me. I do not dispute anything he has said. Despite what some people have said, I think it was important that the committee was involved in this. I refer not only to the input of the committee but also to its role as a forum for all the interest groups in this area. Although the forum could have met behind closed doors to meet all the interest groups, the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017: Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (27 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: If we move to a universal-type charge, I would expect to see these costs decreasing rather than increasing. There would be absolutely no justification for an increase. I would also expect the charge to cover a far broader spectrum in order to deal with the issues raised by Senator McDowell. Members are right when they refer to the new realities that now exist. We are bringing high-speed...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017: Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (27 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: That is the problem. We have been looking at all of those. This is a complex aspect of the matter. We are trying to put public service content on a sustainable long-term footing, regardless of the medium that is used. That is my objective in this regard.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Ministerial Responsibilities (27 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: There is one Minister of State attached to my Department.  I have assigned designated powers to Minister of State, Seán Kyne T.D. under Statutory  Instrument No. 314 of 2017, Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) Order 2017. The designated functions in question relate to: - the Natural Resources area including Mineral...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan Implementation (26 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) will 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 so that to date approximately 1.5m or 65% of the 2.3m premises in Ireland can get high speed broadband and this footprint is...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Postal Services Provision (26 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: I propose to take Questions Nos. 445 and 448 together. As Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, I am responsible for the postal sector, including the governance of An Post to ensure that the company is fully compliant with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State bodies and the governance functions included in the statutory framework underpinning...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Projects (26 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: As I set out in answer to Parliamentary Question No. 1034 of 13 July 2017, it is a matter for planning authorities, taking account of Government policy, and national and EU legislation, to assess the likely impacts of proposed developments on the environment. The 2015 National Peatlands Strategy, published by my colleague the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Mitigation Plan (26 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: The 2009 Effort Sharing Decision 406/2009/EC established binding annual greenhouse gas emission targets for EU Member States for the period 2013 - 2020. For the year 2020 itself, the target set for Ireland is that emissions should be 20% below their level in 2005. This will be Ireland’s contribution to the overall EU objective to reduce its emissions by the order of 20% by 2020...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan Implementation (26 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: There has been significant progress in relation to broadband rollout so that today, approximately 1.5m or 65% of premises in Ireland can get high speed broadband of a minimum of 30 Megabits per second. The National Broadband Plan has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector, which is continuing to expand this footprint. On 4 April 2017, I signed a commitment...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation (26 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: The Renewable Electricity Feed-in Tariff (REFIT) schemes are the principal means of supporting renewable electricity generators for electricity exported to the grid. Renewable technologies supported under the REFIT schemes include Onshore Wind, Hydro, Biomass Landfill Gas, Biomass Combustion, Biomass CHP and Anaerobic Digestion CHP. This is paid for through the Public Service Obligation...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Incentives (26 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: Current financial supports for renewable electricity projects in Ireland are provided via the Renewable Electricity Feed-In-Tariff (REFIT) schemes, which support renewable electricity generated and exported into the national grid. Renewable technologies supported under the REFIT schemes include Onshore Wind, Hydro, Biomass Landfill Gas, Biomass Combustion, Biomass CHP and Anaerobic Digestion...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan Implementation (26 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: In April I 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. The Map is searchable by eircode. eir signed a agreement with me in April last committing  to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Disposal Charges (26 Sep 2017)

Denis Naughten: My role as Minister is to provide a comprehensive legislative and waste policy framework through which the relevant regulatory bodies, such as the local authorities and the Environmental Protection Agency, operate. The waste collection system is subject to a number of regulatory controls, including the Waste Management Act, 1996 as amended and the Waste Management (Collection Permit)...