Results 8,641-8,660 of 21,588 for speaker:Denis Naughten

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: I will deal with postcodes first. I will group the questions together, because that is probably the easiest way to proceed. Deputy Dooley asked about the percentage of people who know their postcode. I do not have those figures available to me. Anecdotally from my own experience, and I am sure every member of the committee would find the same, people in rural areas in particular are now...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: The targets and the contract are published on the Department's website. It is there for everybody to see exactly what Eir has signed up to. It will be reporting quarterly to us and we will be publishing those figures. Taking Deputy Stanley’s example we are not selling land but putting infrastructure into it. It is more like we are draining the land. If we put a drain through the...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: Every Member of the House got a copy of them last week.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: Sub-heading 5 is on the information society and e-inclusion. It covers items such as the trading online voucher scheme which has €3 million allocated. It was disappointingly under-spent last year. I know that some members of this committee have been very active in going out to businesses and encouraging them to trade online and I encourage other members of the committee and Members...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: We are willing to look at any suggestions that helps to maximise the use of this scheme. Last year's target was to issue 3,000 vouchers by the end of 2016. We are at 2,930. Off the top of my head, the average spend on it is roughly €1,400. This has a huge impact. It increases sales by an average of one fifth, it increases employment by one third and two thirds of those businesses...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: No, it is a 50% grant.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: Yes, 50%.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: Our target for last year was that by the end of 2016 we have 3,000 vouchers issued, and we were 70 short of that. The actual amount of cash that is drawn down is in and around €1,400. The actual cost of putting a website up and putting back office sales software in place is not coming anywhere near €5,000. It is more like €2,800. We have decided to include marketing...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: It was to be sent out last year but I will make sure that it is sent out again.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: The purpose of programme B is to promote the broadcasting sector by ensuring high quality output by State broadcasting companies and promoting a strong, high 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. Broadcast licensing fee receipts are estimated to be...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: The simple answer to that is that there has been a fall in advertising.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: On wages and salaries, RTE has reduced its operating cost by 30%, staff cost by 25% and staff numbers by 21%. That is 500 people between 2008 and 2013. Since December 2015 pay restoration has begun at the broadcaster, beginning with the lowest paid workers. Individual contracts are a matter for the company itself and not a matter that I, as Minister for Communication, Climate Action and...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: The focus of programme C is the delivery of key elements of the Government's energy policy. The programme provides €9.4 million to cover the operational cost of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and over €90 million in capital funding for the sustainable energy research programmes. The €72.5 million provided for the better energy grant programmes, operated by...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: Is Deputy Stanley speaking about older houses with solid walls or cavity walls?

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: There should not at this stage be houses with cavity walls that have not been insulated. Most or all of those houses should have been insulated at this stage. If not, we need to know about them. These houses were the easiest to retrofit and that work should now be completed. A number of community organisations have operated a rolling scheme over the past number of years to deal with those...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: There are plenty of areas in Roscommon and east Galway as well. Under the pilot scheme, we will be spending approximately €20,000 on those homes in terms of retrofitting, insulation and the installation of a renewable source of heating. In regard to the warmer homes scheme, we are also considering the use of a renewable source of heating for houses eligible under that scheme. This...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: Before I answer, I note in relation to international organisations that I have spoken to a number of members here about my disappointment at COP22 in Marrakesh at the lack of parliamentary representation from Ireland. When the next COP takes place in Bonn later this year, I would like to see representation from the committee in attendance. It would be very useful for members to have the...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: The purpose of programme F is to promote the protection of the natural environment, the health and well-being of citizens and the transition to a resource efficient sector of the economy in support of ecologically sustainable development, growth and job creation. The environment and waste management programme includes an allocation of €17.7 million towards staffing costs and...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: I am lucky that I, too, can think parochially. As the Deputy is aware, the site in question was taken over by Kildare County Council and preparations are well progressed for its remediation in the coming years. Applications for the necessary permissions are expected to be lodged this year. Significant funding from the Vote has been expended on the site to date. Subject to procurement...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised) (11 Apr 2017)

Denis Naughten: Appropriations-in-aid are income receipts to the Department, other than from the Exchequer. The vast majority - €222 million of a total of €338 million - represent the pass-through of television licence funds from An Post which are then paid out by the Department to RTE, TG4 and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. The balance is made up of income to Inland Fisheries...