Results 12,881-12,900 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Inland Fisheries (23 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is a National Body formed in July 2010 from an amalgamation of the former Central Fisheries Board and the 7 Regional Fisheries Boards. The establishment of IFI facilitates more efficient and effective management of the inland fisheries resource along with an improved national perspective in the formulation of inland fisheries policy which is more streamlined,...
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Inland Fisheries (23 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: The open season for salmon fishing in Ireland is set by regulation, on the advice of the Standing Scientific Committee, and generally closes on 30 September. I am advised by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) that in light of requests for extension of the season, it requested the Standing Scientific Committee (SSC) to devise criteria that could be used to extend the angling season. The...
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Inland Fisheries (23 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: Catchment-wide electric fishing (CWEF) is the semi-quantitative technique used to assess salmon fry (0+) abundance on rivers like the River Barrow which are closed to angling and do not have any other means to assess salmon status. The data collected using this standard approach is comparable with similar data from other rivers nationally. Sampling is generally undertaken at sites...
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Foreshore Licences (23 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: Standard Exploration Licence 2/11 which was granted last year is held by a consortium comprising Providence Resources Plc (operator) and PSE Seven Heads Ltd over an area of approximately 380 square kilometres in the Kish Bank Basin off the Dublin/Wicklow coast. The licence, which is a follow-on authorisation to Licensing Option 08/2, is for a six year period with an obligation to drill an...
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Hydraulic Fracturing (23 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: The terms of reference for this second and more extensive research are currently being drawn up. It is the intention of the Environmental Protection Agency, assisted by a steering committee comprising, amongst others, my Department, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, together with the Commission for Energy Regulation, to launch the research call later in 2012....
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Inland Fisheries (23 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is a National Body formed in July 2010 from an amalgamation of the former Central Fisheries Board and the 7 Regional Fisheries Boards. The establishment of IFI facilitates more efficient and effective management of the inland fisheries resource along with an improved national perspective in the formulation of inland fisheries policy which is more streamlined,...
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Inland Fisheries (23 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: The open season for salmon fishing in Ireland is set by regulation, on the advice of the Standing Scientific Committee, and generally closes on 30 September. I am advised by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) that in light of requests for extension of the season, it requested the Standing Scientific Committee (SSC) to devise criteria that could be used to extend the angling season. The...
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Inland Fisheries (23 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: Catchment-wide electric fishing (CWEF) is the semi-quantitative technique used to assess salmon fry (0+) abundance on rivers like the River Barrow which are closed to angling and do not have any other means to assess salmon status. The data collected using this standard approach is comparable with similar data from other rivers nationally. Sampling is generally undertaken at sites...
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Foreshore Licences (23 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: Standard Exploration Licence 2/11 which was granted last year is held by a consortium comprising Providence Resources Plc (operator) and PSE Seven Heads Ltd over an area of approximately 380 square kilometres in the Kish Bank Basin off the Dublin/Wicklow coast. The licence, which is a follow-on authorisation to Licensing Option 08/2, is for a six year period with an obligation to drill an...
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Hydraulic Fracturing (23 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: The terms of reference for this second and more extensive research are currently being drawn up. It is the intention of the Environmental Protection Agency, assisted by a steering committee comprising, amongst others, my Department, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, together with the Commission for Energy Regulation, to launch the research call later in 2012....
- Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (11 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: The Deputy referred to the Directorate-General for Energy process. Our process has commenced. Under the previous Fianna Fáil Government, a licensing option was issued, which started the clock in our process. That clock will run until November this year. Then the company in question, Tamboran Resources, must present its work programme and, by February next year, decide whether it will...
- Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (11 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: I have not been briefed on that aspect, but I thank the Deputy for bringing it to my attention. However, if an exploration licence was sought which involved fracking, there would have to be an environmental impact statement and full planning permission required, starting with the local authority and moving up to An Bord Pleanála. There is no question about this. The public will be...
- Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (11 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: Following a request from the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to conduct research into the environmental implications of hydraulic fracturing in May 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, published its preliminary high level research into the environmental aspects of shale gas extraction in the form of a small desk based study, which was carried out by the...
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Exploration Licences (11 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 33, 37 and 41 together. Standard Exploration Licence 2/11 was granted last year to a consortium comprising Providence Resources Plc and Star Energy Oil and Gas Ltd. The licence, which is a follow-on authorisation to Licensing Option 08/2, covers an area of approximately 380 square kilometres in the Kish Bank Basin off the Dublin/Wicklow coast. Star...
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Exploration Licences (11 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: Standard Exploration Licence 2/11 was granted last year to a consortium comprising Providence Resources Plc and Star Energy Oil and Gas Ltd. The licence, which is a follow-on authorisation to Licensing Option 08/2, covers an area of approximately 380 square kilometres in the Kish Bank Basin off the Dublin/Wicklow coast. The award of this exploration licence confers on the holder the...
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Resources (11 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28, 121 and 122 together. There have been no new commercial discoveries of oil or gas either onshore or offshore Ireland in the past five years. There have, however, been four discoveries in the Irish offshore during this time, namely the Hook Head and Barryroe oil discoveries in the Celtic sea, the Bandon oil discovery in the Slyne basin and the Schull gas...
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (11 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: While I have not been in contact with Members of the Legislative Assembly or officials in the Stormont Assembly, I can confirm that officials of my Department have had contacts with their counterparts in Northern Ireland in relation to the onshore exploration authorisations that are in place in the two jurisdictions. The primary purpose of these contacts has been to facilitate an exchange of...
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Fisheries Protection (11 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: I would draw the Deputy’s attention to the question I answered in this House last week, 2 October. The International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) advice is that the eel stock continued to decline in the period 2009 to 2011 and urgent action is needed. In 2011 ICES reiterated its previous advice that all anthropogenic mortality (e.g. recreational and commercial fishing,...
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Offshore Exploration (11 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: Standard Exploration Licence was granted last year over an area of approximately 380 square kilometres in the Kish Bank Basin off the Dublin/Wicklow coast. The licence is held by a consortium comprising Providence Resources Plc and PSE Seven Heads Limited. The award of this exploration licence confers on the holder the exclusive right to search for petroleum in the licensed area, but does...
- Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Hydraulic Fracturing Policy (11 Oct 2012)
Fergus O'Dowd: There is potential for Ireland to enjoy both economic and energy security benefits from its indigenous oil and gas resources. These benefits will only be realised through effective exploration. Ireland has a policy of actively encouraging investment by relevant companies in exploration for oil and gas, both offshore and onshore. Where exploration or production takes place, it is subject to...