Results 901-920 of 2,990 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Climate Change Policy (28 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: The twin policy issues for agriculture are how we reduce emissions and sustain farming incomes at the same time. That is the challenge for our agricultural policy and where all our focus will be. The Deputy is right to say, and I am glad to hear him say, that farmers know there has to be change but that change has to be fair and it has to be explained. We should not do it without having...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Prices (28 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I am as eager as the Deputy to see these reductions passed on and that is why we are legislating for unfair profits. I have met the ESB and Bord Gáis and my Department continues to meet them. I am sure the Minister does as well, although I have not spoken to him on it. We will be legislating for this in the coming weeks. The amount of money that is expected to be raised is between...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (28 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I also am happy to see climate protestors on the street. The voices of young people are often lost and what we hear instead are the reactionary forces against any climate actions we try to bring in. To see people cheering and going out to prove they care is motivating. Finalised emissions data for 2022 are not yet available but recent reports have indicated that Ireland’s...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (28 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: It takes all parties to solve this problem. This is not a partisan issue and it will not work if one party takes it one way. It does not work if parties condemn or denounce one another. It works if we can constructively work together. I am not long in politics but the Deputy knows that I am committed to climate action and that it is all I have thought about for most of the last 20 years....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (28 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: The Deputy has every right to criticise me and to ask questions. That is part of our system, I welcome that and I am not being defensive but we need to work constructively together to solve these problems.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (28 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: What are we doing for climate action? We have four major areas: transport emissions; heating and building emissions; electricity emissions; and agriculture emissions. As the Deputy is aware, we are trying to revolutionise our transport system and we are trying to move people towards public transport. We are cutting public transport fares and we are spending €2 in public transport...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Infrastructure (28 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: The microgeneration support scheme sets out the overall framework to support the growth of microgeneration in Ireland. The scheme targets 380 MW of new microgeneration capacity by 2030. This amounts to 60,000 homes and 9,000 non-domestic installations, such as small farms, businesses, schools and community groups, generating over 300 GWh of renewable electricity per annum, with the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Prices (28 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I believe that the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications is representing his country at a meeting of European energy ministers. The war in Ukraine has resulted in an unprecedented rise in energy prices and is a major challenge for families and businesses throughout Ireland and across Europe. This huge increase in costs for consumers has caused real hardship for many...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Prices (28 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: My Department will bring before the Government proposals for a windfall tax to be approved by the Cabinet in the coming weeks. Primary legislation will be required to bring that through. The measure will impose taxes on unfair profits which were generated not just by people who own oil or gas reserves but anybody generating electricity from sources other than gas who unfairly profited from...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Bord na Móna (23 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: As Deputy Cowen knows, the midlands have historically been very important in Ireland's energy production. Bord na Móna was a large part of that, as was the ESB, and many people derived a living, an income and, later, a pension from Bord na Móna and the ESB. I know that is significant. The great efforts the Deputy went to secure just transition funding at the EU and national...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Bord na Móna (23 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I welcome the opportunity to outline the position on these matters on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan. The Minister apologises for not being available to attend in person. I should point out that Bord na Móna is a commercial State company. Operational matters such as land use are the responsibility of the board...

Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022: From the Seanad (22 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I think there was some confusion in the Dáil. The amendment was not accepted and then later on I said it was accepted and I think whatever I had said first was taken. We had to amend it in the Seanad to put it back to the way it was and back to the format it is in. I can understand why that would seem strange.

Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022: From the Seanad (22 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: Exactly. There were a number of references to public order in the Dáil that had to be corrected in the Seanad because they were not correctly amended when we were in the Dáil.

Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022: From the Seanad (22 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I am making this deletion because it was accepted in error. Section 25 of Part 3 which serves the same purpose by a high-risk vendor notice to specify the Minister considers it necessary to take the measures contained in the order to control risks to the security of electronic communications networks or electronic communications services which may affect national security and where the...

Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022: From the Seanad (22 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I will. I thank the Deputy for the question. This is an amendment that was proposed by Senator Higgins in the Seanad. It is one of a number of amendments I accepted. It strengthens the customer charter provisions in the Bill. It ensures each provider must measure its performance against the standards set out in its customer charter and then it must report to the Commission for...

Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022: From the Seanad (22 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I suggest the Bill has already been passed by this House.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Traveller Community (21 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I welcome the students from Mitchelstown. I am attending the House on behalf of the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I will read out the answer he provided for this but I will address those very specific questions Senator Flynn put in the follow-up. The Government is acutely aware of the impact the recent increases in global energy prices are having...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Traveller Community (21 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: There are 387 Traveller households affected by this issue. The amount of money transferred to the local authorities was €284,000 to be split between them. That is to cover not just the new three payments but also the original payment that families missed out on. The local authorities were told that they had to use the money and pay it directly to the Traveller families so it should...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Traveller Community (21 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: Yes, it is National Traveller MABS that is doing all the work.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (21 Feb 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Deputy. I will start with the carbon fund. There is a €2.905 million Estimate for 2023. This is for the purchase of carbon units to meet our targets for 2020. It is the final amount of money that we have to pay for not meeting our 2020 targets. To date, we have paid €117 million. It was expected that the final payment would be paid during 2022, but I believe...