Results 12,201-12,220 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Appointments (19 Nov 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: The Water Services Act 2013 provided for the establishment of Irish Water as a subsidiary of Bord Gáis Éireann, to be formed and registered under the Companies Act. Bord Gáis has put in place appropriate programme management arrangements to establish Irish Water, to prepare for the transfer of assets, liabilities and functions from local authorities from 1 January 2014,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Establishment (7 Nov 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: The establishment of Irish Water and its financial relationship with the local government sector will have a considerable impact on local authority financing from 2014. Work is also underway on the funding model for Irish Water’s operational costs, to ensure that Irish Water can fund the Service Level Agreements being put in place with local authorities for the delivery of water...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: The Minister will return shortly and will be in a position to respond.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: The Minister will return and I will only be in the Chamber briefly.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Funding (5 Nov 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: It is proposed that a portion of the financing of Irish water will be provided in the form of an equity investment. The arrangements under which the investment will be made have not been finalised.  However, it is not envisaged that it will be funded through Voted Expenditure or from the Local Government Fund.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Expenditure (5 Nov 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: I propose to take Questions Nos. 707 to 710, inclusive, together. The Water Services Act 2013 which provided for the establishment of Irish Water as a subsidiary of Bórd Gáis Éireann to be formed and registered under the Companies Act also provides for the normal governance arrangements for a commercial State body in relation to its financial sustainability. This includes...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Staff (5 Nov 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: I propose to take Questions Nos. 711 to 714, inclusive, together. The Water Services Act 2013 provided for the establishment of Irish Water as a subsidiary of Bord Gáis Éireann to be formed and registered under the Companies Act. In line with the , the determination of the remuneration of the senior management of commercial State bodies, with the exception of the Chief Executive,...

Other Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (24 Oct 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: The objective of the Environmental Protection Agency's research is to establish if shale gas exploration involving the use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, can be carried out in a manner that will not cause significant environmental pollution, to identify all possible environmental risks associated with fracking, to ascertain if these risks are manageable and to identify best practice...

Other Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (24 Oct 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: For the sake of absolute clarity, the EPA will study many different countries, as the Deputy knows, including two European countries, at least one in which there has been a ban on hydraulic fracturing. It will assimilate all the evidence available. There is no issue about establishing facts and this involves only facts, not hearsay or what one might see on a television programme. It is a...

Other Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (24 Oct 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: This process is completely open and transparent. It was open to anybody in this country to comment. The comments have been listened to. They have been taken on board. The study will be objective and scientific. There is another side to this debate. It is very clear that in America, for instance, the economy has been transformed by shale gas. The benefit to each individual taxpayer or...

Other Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (24 Oct 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: It has.

Other Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (24 Oct 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: We cannot have our debate here without energy or electricity. We cannot drive our cars without petrol or diesel. Let us stay in the real world. The real world from the Government perspective is that there is an independent study. It is independent of Government and everybody else, taking on board everybody in the country who had an opinion. That has all been put into the mix and out of...

Other Questions: Broadband Services Provision (24 Oct 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: What time are we continuing until?

Other Questions: Broadband Services Provision (24 Oct 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: We thought we were going.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Electricity Transmission Network (24 Oct 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: It was not allowed in any event.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (24 Oct 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: I assure the Deputy that I have met and will continue to meet any group or agency that wishes to discuss with me their concerns about fracking, regardless of whether they are from County Leitrim, Pennsylvania, Colorado or wherever. My door is open and my job is to listen and to learn. To be specific however, the proposed EPA study will include consideration of the regulatory approaches of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (24 Oct 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: Absolutely, yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (24 Oct 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: On the question of public consultation, I also might add that when the EPA advertised for public views, more than 1,000 submissions were received. Obviously many of them dealt with the environmental impacts to which the Deputy has referred but a considerable number of concerns were raised on the potential impact to human health, leading to the steering group agreeing it would add a health...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (24 Oct 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: That obviously would have to be a planning consideration.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (24 Oct 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: And mine.