Results 1,241-1,260 of 2,438 for speaker:Caít Keane

Seanad: Parental Leave Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: The EU regulations the Minister and the Minister for Justice and Equality introduced will give parents a right to request a change in working hours for a set period on return from parental leave. Employers are not required to grant it but under the EU regulation they must consider it. This is an advance. It is important that we support parents of young children in the difficult balancing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: I compliment Mr. Coghlan on his detailed and informative submission outlining the history, present and future. Many questions have been asked. Recommendation No. 3 is on flexibility between target periods and carry-back. The UK Act caps carrying forward between budgetary periods at 1%. I have not heard this proposal at the committee previously. Recommendation No. 5 was not to call the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: On recruitment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: Was it on its recruitment process?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: I thank Professor Bates for his presentation. Does he have other recommendations on climate change that may not have been dealt with by the IPCC? Does he see Ireland as a special case in the overall European context because of its agriculture sector? In science, what may be regarded as controversial today might be new science tomorrow. We must be open to examining every aspect in this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: I have one small question regarding the Aarhus Convention, which Ireland signed this year. I refer to a case taken by a Dublin engineer or something similar. In the context of the consultation on renewable energy and the target of 20% by 2020, how does Mr. Nix perceive the aforementioned case? Will it affect what we are doing here and, if so, how? It was not a ruling against Ireland but...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: -----would be a pity to let his brain go without asking him.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: Most of the expertise in this subject rests with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government which deals with climate science and climate change. If that expertise were to be sent over to the Department of the Taoiseach there would be a duplication of work. How would we get over that without setting up another Department?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: In the case of when it is out of line and not in the case of co-ordination.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: I welcome An Taisce here today. It is an organisation which is ahead of the posse. We are all talking about carbon neutrality now but during the 20 years I was on a county council An Taisce had its eyes open and sent in different recommendations, particularly on planning. Mr. Nix said that the way the Bill is framed we could end up with no scientist on the advisory body. What element of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: It is not so much about how much it will cost, but about how much of a reduction there is in the targets.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: You would never know.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: I thank Mr. Stevenson for taking the trouble to visit us today. When we were deciding whether to bring him here, we felt it was easier to hear it from the horse's mouth than to try to reinvent the wheel all over again. Climate is a global phenomenon. It does not change right throughout the globe. I suppose what we do here is as important as what is done everywhere. There is an argument...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: I was delighted to hear Mr. Harte mention anaerobic digestion. When we did a comparison in this regard with Northern Ireland we found we were not even at the races.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: I thank the delegation for the presentation. I will not dwell on targets, as we have had much discussion about them, but in the submission the target is an 80% to 95% reduction on 1990 levels by 2050. Is that a realistic objective? The delegation obviously believes it to be if it has made the recommendation. Nevertheless, we have a large agricultural sector. The delegates have argued...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: My question is about carbon from bogs and the amount it releases, which supersedes industry and commerce. When one takes that into consideration, is Ms Murray saying it should be offset against our target or is she saying we should ensure conservation of the bogs, or both?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: In regard to bio-fuels, Ms Murray said palm oil, soybean oil and rape seed oil are more damaging than conventional oil. Miscanthus grass is the up and coming thing but it was not mentioned. I would like to hear her views on miscanthus grass, anaerobic digestion and on the environmental impact and all of the different technologies in use there for implementation of those two.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: Mixed forestry is recommended rather than an expansion of the type of forestry we have had until now, including sitka spruce. Has an analysis been done on planting - upsetting the bog and gas being released - versus how long it takes for the forestry to mature and provide benefits? Does it balance out? How long does it take?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: Negative news always receives the most coverage in the media and so protestors outside a renewable energy conference and so on always receive more coverage than does the conference. What would the witnesses do to educate the mass public? In other words, in terms of investment in renewable energy, how do they bring people along with them?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Heads of Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2013: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2013)

Caít Keane: Most of the questions I wanted to ask have been answered. A major issue with regard to sustainable development and renewable and sustainable energy is certainty in the market. Mr. Walker is against the UK model. The UK position on the single 2030 target emissions reduction will help reassure investors the Government understands the need for certainty and flexibility if they are to invest...