Results 81-100 of 510 for long speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Postcode Implementation (24 Oct 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: ...the current situation whereby more than 30% of all domestic addresses are not unique. It will mean that even individual apartments and offices in large developments will each have an individual code as long as they use their own specific post-boxes. The introduction of Postcodes will give rise to significant economic and social benefits. These benefits include:- Enabling organisations...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Wind Energy Generation (24 Oct 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: ...need for developers to engage with local communities in an effective and timely manner. The views of local communities must be at the heart of the transition to renewable energy. Industry can go a long way towards achieving public acceptance by addressing and mitigating human, environmental and landscape impacts and delivering the best possible engineering solutions. It is also important...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Electricity Transmission Network (22 Oct 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Development of the high voltage electricity grid as planned in EirGrid's GRID25 strategy is critical to our long-term economic recovery. Energy policy has a pivotal role to play in creating the conditions for an economic recovery and for the job creation we need. We all require access to an affordable and dependable energy supply and the businesses that sell goods and services and provide...

Seanad: Gas Regulation Bill 2013: Second Stage (17 Oct 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I am pleased to commence the debate in this House on the Gas Regulation Bill 2013 and thank the Leader and the House for the early scheduling of this legislation. This is not a long Bill. However, the proposals contained in it are both important and significant. It will implement the Government decision of February 2012 on the sale of State assets by ensuring the retention of the strategic...

Gas Regulation Bill 2013: Report Stage (9 Oct 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I thank the Deputies for acknowledging that the amendment, hopefully, goes a long way to meet their arguments. To ensure there is accountability to the House, I assure Deputy Moynihan, who laid the original amendment, that the report will go to both Houses.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Renewable Energy Generation Targets (2 Oct 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The development of renewable energy is at the heart of this Government's energy policy. A long term perspective is key to achieving this objective. To this end, my Department’s Strategy for Renewable Energy, published in May 2012, sets out key strategic goals for the various renewable energy sectors in the period to 2020. This strategy complements and builds on the momentum that has...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Gas Regulation Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 Oct 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: ...is not a decision for the Chairman or for me but is the advice from the Bills Office that the Deputy's amendments run exactly counter to the purpose of the Bill. In such circumstances - I spent a long time on that side of the room with Deputy Naughten and he will bear this out - the alternative is to oppose the section because, for the reasons the Chairman has read out, the amendment is...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Fisheries Protection (24 Sep 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: ...ESB; - ensuring upstream migration of juvenile eel at barriers; and - improvement of water quality. I can advise that the overall requirement and objective is to provide, with high probability, a long-term 40% escapement to the sea of the biomass of silver eel, relative to pristine conditions (i.e. if the stock had been completely free of man-made influences including commercial...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Digital Television Service Provision (18 Sep 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: ...risk of roll-back of coverage from current higher levels. While the four Liberalised Use Licences of the Mobile Network Operators commenced on 1 February 2013, the timing and extent of ‘4G’ (Long Term Evolution (LTE)) network rollout is, with the exception of the above coverage obligation, a matter for the operators themselves. I understand however that some operators have...

Other Questions: Energy Security (17 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: ..., forecast that the adequacy situation in this country is positive for the next ten years. Indeed there is a considerable generation surplus forecast for the Irish electricity system. In terms of long term plans for energy security, Ireland’s approach is to diversify fuels and supply sources. The use of indigenous gas and access to gas and liquefied natural gas storage will...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Wind Energy Guidelines (17 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: ...There are a number of policy measures in place designed to incentivise the development necessary to meet Ireland's renewable energy obligations. These policy measures, which take into account the long term nature of energy investments, are underpinned by an appropriate regulatory regime. The primary support mechanisms for renewable electricity are the Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Fisheries Protection (17 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: ...Sea (ICES) indicated that the European Eel stock is at an all-time historic low and continues to decline. The returning juvenile eels are at between 1-10% of the levels pre-1980. The eel has a long life cycle - 18 years on average - and the legacy of poor recruitment still has to work through the system and the generations with further declines likely in the medium term. Consequently...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Programme for Government Implementation (16 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: ...being made on the commitments in the Programme for Government, was published. I have outlined in tabular format below the commitments in the Programme for Government which relate to my Department along with the current status on each. The timeline for delivery of the commitments is over the lifetime of the Government. Commitments under the Programme for Government Status Secure...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Revised) (10 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: ...to have recourse - on a daily basis - to individuals who possess skills in the areas to which I refer. The services of such individuals, who are relatively few in Ireland, are immensely expensive. As long as there are in the Department people who are capable of assessing the data to which these consultants have access, that is fine. If, however, we were to employ people possessing the...

Report on Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration: Statements (Resumed) (9 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: ...to write off costs against tax, thus reducing the tax take from the headline rates of 25% to 40%. It is estimated that €3 billion has been spent in exploring the Irish offshore to date. A significant portion of such expenditure is no longer available for write-off against future taxes as the companies who incurred the expenditure have surrendered their licences and are no longer...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Post Office Network (9 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: ...financial position and cost containment is part of its strategy to operate in a financially sustainable manner. I fully support all measures taken by the Company to place it on a sustainable long term financial footing. This includes the identification of new business opportunities which can make a commercial return as well as necessary cost containment.

Seanad: Promoting a Sustainable Future for the Post Office Network: Statements (4 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: ...cynical. I would like to see An Post adapting, modernising and innovating, as Senator Tony Mulcahy argued, to ensure it can compete with the best. We passed a postal Bill in this House not too long ago which made it plain that we were functioning in a deregulated environment. If we look at the rate at which e-commerce is growing in Ireland - it was worth €3.7 billion last year,...

Seanad: Promoting a Sustainable Future for the Post Office Network: Statements (4 Jul 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: ...make significant savings in switching customers to online channels and many are aggressively doing so. An Post has responded to these changes and, to be fair to the company, the network has come a long way in the past ten years. The investment in computerisation has broadened the range of services which can be offered to customers and increased the number of organisations which are...

Topical Issue Debate: Sale of Strategic Energy Assets (13 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: ...regard. I assure Deputies Harrington and Stanton and other colleagues from the region that we were dealing with the future of Whitegate before any announcement was made by its current owner on its long-term plans. Studies, both completed and under way, have been undertaken in Europe on the scale of refining capacity in the EU at the moment and on how essential or otherwise it is that...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Television Licence Fee Collection (13 Jun 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: ...to have a television licence and the penalties for not having a valid licence. Currently, only one class of licence and one level of licence fee exist and this covers any number of devices so long as they are all in the same property (residential or commercial). There is no separate, commercial television licence system in operation.As the Deputy will be aware, An Post administers the...