Results 8,601-8,620 of 21,588 for speaker:Denis Naughten

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Better Energy Communities Programme (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administers the Better Energy Communities (BEC) scheme on behalf of my Department. Neither I or my Department have any function in relation to evaluating or selecting individual grant applications to this scheme. The BEC scheme is application led. Each year, SEAI publishes the guidelines for the scheme which covers what the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Mobile Telephony Services (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: The provision of telecommunications services, including mobile phone services, is a matter for the service providers concerned which operate in a fully liberalised market regulated by the independent Regulator of the telecommunications sector, the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). I am, however, critically aware of the frustration currently being experienced across...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1269 to 1271, inclusive, together. The National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed broadband services to every city, town, village and individual premises in Ireland. The Programme for Government commits to the delivery of the NBP as a matter of priority.  This is being achieved through a combination of commercial investment by the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Illegal Dumping (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: I thank the Deputy for bringing to my attention the latest in a long line of incidents of tyres being dumped around our countryside. It is precisely this type of incident that confirms my resolve to introduce new structures for the tyre sector that will address the lack of regulation in the tyre market and reduce the stockpiles of waste tyres that could have a detrimental effect on the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Trading Online Voucher Scheme (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1276 to 1278, inclusive, together. My Department’s Trading Online Voucher Scheme, administered by the national network of 31 Local Enterprise Offices, offers a financial incentive of up to €2,500 along with training, mentoring and networking support, to help small and micro enterprises to trade online.  Over 3,300 vouchers have...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Recycling Policy (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: Repak is the approved producer responsibility compliance scheme for packaging in Ireland and is tasked with meeting recovery and recycling targets established under the EU Packaging Directive (94/62/EC). The most recent Waste Packaging Statistics for Ireland published by the EPA in May 2016 show that Ireland has met and exceeded the overall packaging waste recovery rate and the recycling rate...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Better Energy Homes Scheme (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: The Better Energy Warmer Homes (BEWH) Scheme is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on behalf of my Department. The scheme delivers a range of energy efficiency measures to low income households vulnerable to energy poverty, who meet the defined eligibility criteria. The scheme is delivered through a combination of SEAI appointed Community Based...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: The table below shows the number of premises covered and to be covered by the National Broadband Plan.  The NBP is made up of commercial investment and a State Intervention. The information contained in the table is derived from the data provided by commercial operators to my Department in the course of the National Broadband Plan mapping...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1286, 1288 and 1289 together. The National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed broadband services to every city, town, village and individual premises in Ireland. The Programme for Government commits to the delivery of the NBP as a matter of priority.  This is being achieved through a combination of commercial investment by the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Post Office Network (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: It is Government policy that An Post remains a strong, viable company in a position to provide a high quality, nationwide postal service and that it maintains a nationwide customer-focused network of post offices in the community As Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, I have responsibility for the postal sector, including the governance of An Post, to ensure the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Media Mergers (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: Following approval by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, notification of the proposed merger referenced in the question was received by me as Minister on 21 November 2016. I had 30 working days from the notification deadline of 24 November 2016 to conduct an initial, or Phase 1, assessment of the case on media plurality grounds. This examination was guided by the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Biofuel Availability (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1291 and 1294 together. The 2009 Renewable Energy Directive requires that biofuels must meet strict sustainability criteria to qualify for support and to be counted towards renewable energy targets. Under these criteria all biofuels, including biodiesel produced from palm oil, may not be made from raw materials originating from tropical forests or recently...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Motor Fuels (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: The trend of dieselisation of road transport is a concern to me, and to Governments all around Europe, as road transport, and diesel in particular, is a significant source of harmful emissions. Emissions from transport, including particulate emissions, can have a detrimental impact on both environmental ecosystems and human health.  Inhalation of Particulate Matter (PM) can increase...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Motor Fuels (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: Vehicle emissions are a key source of negative health impacts from a range of air pollutants including nitrogen oxides (NOx) , particulate matter (PM), black carbon and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particularly in urban areas. Though petrol and diesel road vehicles have met progressively tighter EU emission limits, known as Euro standards, since the early 1990s, increases in road...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Bituminous Fuel Ban (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: The ban on the marketing, sale and distribution of bituminous coal, or ‘the smoky coal ban’ as it is commonly known, was first introduced in Dublin in 1990, and subsequently extended to our major cities. Following a public consultation process, it was further extended in 2012, and now applies in 26 urban areas nationwide. The ban has proved very effective in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed broadband services to every city, town, village and individual premises in Ireland. The Programme for Government commits to the delivery of the NBP as a matter of priority.  This is being achieved through a combination of commercial investment by the telecommunications sector and a State intervention in those areas where...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: National Mitigation Plan (2 May 2017)

Denis Naughten: I refer to the reply to Question No. 300 of 6 April 2017. Under the Paris Agreement, the EU has committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels, and negotiations on how this should translate into efforts by individual Member States are ongoing. The Deputy is referring to a proposal made by Germany regarding the mandatory inclusion of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Better Energy Homes Scheme Administration (13 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: The Better Energy Programme which is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on behalf of my Department consists of the Better Energy Homes Scheme, Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme and Better Energy Communities Scheme. The Better Energy Warmer Homes (BEWH) Scheme delivers a range of energy efficiency measures to low income households vulnerable to energy...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Efficiency (13 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: I propose to take Questions Nos. 321 to 323, inclusive, and 325 together. Ireland has a national target to improve energy efficiency by 20% by 2020. This means that we are committed to making energy savings of 31,950 gigawatt hours (GWh) by 2020. Our progress to date has seen a 12% improvement resulting from investment under the Capital Plan across the residential (which...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Renewable Energy Projects (13 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: The introduction of a Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is a commitment in the White Paper on Energy and the 2016 Programme for Government and will be the primary support mechanism in the heating sector designed to meet Ireland’s renewable energy obligations. The aim of the RHI is to build on the progress already made in the renewable heating sector and to help reach...