Results 9,661-9,680 of 11,242 for speaker:Noel Dempsey

Natural Gas Grid. (30 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: I have answered the points raised by Deputy Ring regarding planning and consents. The Department was not any more open to Shell than any other company. Deputy Kenny asked whether the Department is in dispute with the High Court. To my knowledge, it is not and I am not going to get into a position where I am in dispute with the High Court. Deputy Kenny's question is probably answered by my...

Natural Gas Grid. (30 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: The issue of odorizing the gas is one I will raise with Shell. I know from the point of view——

Natural Gas Grid. (30 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: I am attempting to answer the questions as best I can, in the order in which they were posed. Regarding the suggestion made by Deputy Flynn, I will raise that with Shell and officials. I am not sure if something can be done about that during the process of giving future consents. I am not sure if it is covered in that.

Natural Gas Grid. (30 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: It is very difficult. In relation to the review of QRA, version F——

Natural Gas Grid. (30 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: The second assessment of QRA, version F, is in the Department and in response to Deputy Broughan, I will publish it within the next few days. The concern of all Deputies in raising this matter is to try to resolve the current difficulties. I have a particular role regarding the consents and in essence, I am a regulator in this area, so I am precluded in terms of how I might intervene in the...

Natural Gas Grid. (30 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: ——I will suggest an independent person of good standing who might be willing to undertake the job.

Natural Gas Grid. (30 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: I am giving the Council for the West the opportunity of trying to resolve it.

Natural Gas Grid. (30 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: I thank Deputies for tabling their questions and providing me with the opportunity to address the matter in the House. I am deeply concerned by the recent turn of events. It is a matter of great regret to me as well as to the Deputies that five persons have been committed to prison by the High Court. I share the Deputies' wish to see the matter resolved as quickly as possible. Deputies will...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (29 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 211 and 212 together. The provision of telecommunications, including broadband, is a matter in the first instance for the private sector companies operating in a fully liberalised market regulated by the independent Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. The latest data on total broadband subscribers in Ireland is provided by the Commission for...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (29 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: The provision of telecommunications, including broadband, is a matter in the first instance for the private sector companies operating in a fully liberalised market regulated by the independent Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. My Department's regional broadband programme is addressing the infrastructure deficit, in co-operation with the local and regional authorities, by...

Written Answers — EU Regulations: EU Regulations (29 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: The question refers to the High Court decision of 6 March 2002 and Supreme Court decision of 16 July 2003, and while the name of the case was not included in the question it would appear that the Deputy is referring to the decision in the case of Vincent Browne v. the Attorney General. The Supreme Court in this case decided that an EC regulation could only be transposed by regulations under a...

Written Answers — Offshore Exploration: Offshore Exploration (29 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: Consent to construct and commission a pipeline was given on 15 April 2002 by my predecessor under section 40 of the Gas Act 1976, as amended, to Enterprise Energy Ireland Limited, EEIL, subject to a number of conditions, including the condition to obtain consent to install and commission the pipeline in accordance with the requirements of the Department's rules and procedures manual for...

Written Answers — Post Office Network: Post Office Network (29 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: The primary responsibility for the development of the post office network rests with An Post. The automation of the network was completed in 1997 and it has only been in exceptional circumstances — such as an existing automated office closing and its equipment being transferred to a suitable neighbouring location which transacts significant volumes of welfare business — that further...

Written Answers — Postal Services: Postal Services (29 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: The market for traditional postal and post office services is changing and meeting customer needs has become more important than ever. Competition can be expected to increase into the future, from the privately owned express sector, from the large European public operators now looking for international business and from electronic communications technologies such as e-mail and text messaging....

Written Answers — Postal Services: Postal Services (29 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: I have asked the Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg, to appoint project managers to support the postcode project. As a next step I will appoint a national postcode project board, comprising representatives of Departments together with public and private sector organisations, to assist the project managers with their work. It is hoped to present a proposal describing in...

Written Answers — Postal Services: Postal Services (29 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: To examine the introduction of a postcode system in Ireland, I established a working group comprising people with experience of the postal sector, together with a representative from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which is the lead Department for the Irish spatial data infrastructure initiative to examine the issue of the introduction of a postcode system in...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (28 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: The Government's decentralisation programme involves the relocation of 378 posts in the Department's headquarters to Cavan. The latest information from the Public Appointments Service, PAS, is that so far 176 expressions of interest have been received for these posts. The physical relocation of staff and business functions is dependent on the provision of the requisite accommodation in the...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (28 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: My Department spent €51.66 on modelling services in connection with a photo-call for the purpose of promoting broadband communications technology which took place on 31 July 2003.

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (28 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 338 and 339 together. The EC biofuels directive sets indicative targets of 2% market penetration for biofuels by end 2005. The targets in the directive are not mandatory. The directive required all member states to provide a report to the Commission last year and central to this report was the identification of a national target for market penetration of...

Written Answers — Broadcasting Legislation: Broadcasting Legislation (28 Jun 2005)

Noel Dempsey: I have no plans to introduce proposals to amend the existing legislative provisions, which prohibit political advertising on radio and television services. The ban on political advertising is contained in a short provision that also bans religious advertising along with advertising related to an industrial dispute. In 2003 my predecessor conducted a review of the ban on religious advertising...