Results 8,261-8,280 of 21,588 for speaker:Denis Naughten

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: We clearly have challenges in meeting our transport targets, partly because we have a very large rural population. That is why the roll-out of the national broadband plan is so critical in this. It will reduce the need for people to travel to work. They can work from home or work closer to their own home. It is one innovative step we can take to reduce our overall emissions. Biofuels...

Other Questions: National Mitigation Plan (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: A number will be taken together. Questions Nos. 58, 68, 69 and 77 will be taken together.

Other Questions: National Mitigation Plan (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: I propose to take Questions Nos. 58, 68, 69 and 77 together. Does that give me eight minutes?

Other Questions: National Mitigation Plan (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: The objective of Ireland's first statutory national mitigation plan is to set out what Ireland is doing, and is planning to do, to further the national transition objective as set out in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015. The national mitigation plan has been prepared having regard to the provisions set out in the 2015 Act in close collaboration with all relevant...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: I thank Deputy Dooley. He is great for the one-liners. The reality is that, to date, 40% of the total number of electric vehicles purchased in Ireland have been purchased in 2017. We will hit our target by the end of the year if progress continues along the lines that we have seen to date.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: I did not interrupt Deputy Dooley. He mentioned the issue of Norway. He forgot to mention that Norway is reviewing the incentives because of the costs involved. Yes, significant incentives were put-----

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: -----in place in Norway. If we had the resources and oil reserves that Norway has we could put those types of resources in place. There was an interesting report in our national newspapers recently which said that by 2022 it will make financial sense for most drivers to drive an electric vehicle. We need to encourage people to move away from conventional vehicles. I myself drive a hybrid...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: As Deputy Dooley knows, it was his own Government that set notional targets in the first place-----

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: -----and then did not put the infrastructure in place to follow through on them.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: That is why these targets have been revised downwards. I am dealing with the situation that is in front of me currently. The advice that is available to myself and the public is that electric vehicles will make financial sense for the vast majority of drivers in this country within the next four years. The reality is that diesel vehicles have very little value at trade-in now because...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: Yes, we need to provide leadership. That is what we need to do and the best way to do that is to make these vehicles available to people, to allow people to test drive them and see how easy it is to drive them, and to lead by example.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: I thank Deputy Barry. As I have indicated in my previous response to these questions, the release of the latest projections of greenhouse gas emissions by the Environmental Protection Agency on 13 April 2017 clearly indicated the enormous challenge facing Ireland to reduce its emissions. The projections indicate that emissions from those sectors of the economy not covered by the EU...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Post Office Network (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: I thank Deputy Broughan for his question, although maybe not his comments. As he said, if no one is willing to come forward and take on the business in towns like Howth, a fundamental question needs to be asked: how do we modernise the offering so that people will want to take it on. What hope have we of keeping sub-post offices in rural Ireland open if people are not prepared to take on a...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Post Office Network (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: I will take up Deputy Broughan's final point. Deputy Dooley was critical of me earlier, but with the roll-out of fibre across rural Ireland, 97% of post offices will have access to high speed broadband within the next 77 weeks. That piece of infrastructure needs to be fully utilised for the benefit of communities, older people and people who do not have access to the Internet at the moment....

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: The number of battery electric vehicles, BEVs, and plugin hybrid electric vehicles, PHEVs, in the national fleet is estimated to be 2,970, with 2,300 new EVs bought and registered in Ireland and 670 EVs imported into the State. Since 2015, there has been a steady growth in EVs, with 2017 to date seeing a 25% increase in EV registrations to 529. Of these, 151 are PHEVs while the remaining...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Post Office Network (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: I propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 57 together.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Post Office Network (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: As Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, I have responsibility 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 An Post. Operational matters and the role of developing...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Post Office Network (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: I too am concerned about An Post. I visited the mail centre in Athlone where I spoke to staff.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Post Office Network (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: Like Deputy Stanley, I am a local Deputy. Given that the Athlone centre was the only facility McKinsey did not visit, it was appropriate that I visit. The facility has a spare building which could easily cater for additional volume. Unlike some people, I take the view that the universal service obligation is critical infrastructure. In November and December 2016, when the House...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Post Office Network (27 Jun 2017)

Denis Naughten: I understand the Deputy's frustration.