Results 1,401-1,420 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Services Provision (10 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Ireland’s telecommunications market has been fully liberalised since 1999 in accordance with the requirements of binding EU Directives. The market has since developed into a well-regulated market, supporting a multiplicity of commercial operators, providing services over a diverse range of technology platforms. Details of broadband services available in each County can be found on...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Irish Language Issues (10 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: On foot of the Government’s response to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s Five Year Review of Public Service Broadcasting earlier this year, the Board of TG4 was requested, with the assistance of my Department and the Authority, to review its 5-year Strategic Plan on the basis of present revenue allocations. As the Deputy will appreciate, the Board continually strives to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Charities Regulation (10 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The funding of Irish Charities is not a direct function of my Department. However there are a number of bodies that engage in research or support social and community initiatives in areas such as e-inclusion which have qualified for charitable tax exemption under Section 207, Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 and such organisations have provided services or carried out research work for my...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Conservation (5 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) is the overarching policy framework for energy efficiency in Ireland. Reducing energy consumption remains the most cost-effective means of reducing Green House Gases and one of the primary means of achieving Ireland’s climate change objectives. The NEEAP acts to underpin and extend the energy-related actions contained within the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: National Parks and Wildlife Service Investigations (5 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The Corrib Partners submitted Environmental Impact Statements in support of their applications to construct the Corrib Gas Field Development. The Deputy will appreciate that the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is a statutory consultee under this process and has therefore been consulted on a number of occasions by my Department with respect to potential environmental impacts of the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Reports (5 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I am pleased to confirm that my Department's Annual Report for 2012 is published and is available on the websites of both the Houses of the Oireachtas and my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Consultancy Contracts Expenditure (5 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The planning, development and routing of 400 kV transmission line infrastructure, including any necessary consultancy services, are matters for EirGrid and not matters in which I, as Minister, have a statutory function.In 2008 my Department commissioned an independent study on Comparative Merits of Overhead Electricity Transmission Lines versus Underground Cables. The analysis was undertaken...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Electricity Transmission Network (5 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 142 and 145 together. I welcomed the decision made by EirGrid last week to extend the deadline for the consultation process on the GridLink project to 7 January 2014. The period between now and the close of the extended deadline will, no doubt, be useful in providing EirGrid with an opportunity to reflect further on the valid concerns raised in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Services Provision (5 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Ireland's telecommunications market has been fully liberalised since 1999 in accordance with the requirements of binding EU Directives. The provision of mobile telecommunications services networks within the competitive market is subject to a requirement to secure a wireless telegraphy licence to access the required radio spectrum. The award of such licenses, the imposition of terms and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Bord Gáis Privatisation (5 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: In May of this year, a process was initiated to sell the Bord Gáis Energy business. This process was led by Bord Gáís Éireann and overseen by a Government Steering Group which included officials from my Department, the Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform and Finance and the NewERA unit of the NTMA.I am advised that the process was conducted in a professional, open...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Expenditure (5 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: No additional resources, either internal or external were retained by my Department for the purpose of the Bord Gáis Energy sale process. My Department did not directly engage or incur any expenses in respect of third party services relating to the process as this was undertaken by the NewERA unit of the NTMA. The NTMA is under the aegis of the Minister for Finance. The final details on...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Electricity Transmission Network (5 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The dispatch of wind generation is carried out within the regulatory framework for market and grid operational requirements. Under Statutory Instrument No. 445 of 2000 Eirgrid, the Transmission System Operator (TSO), is obliged to operate and ensure the maintenance and development of a safe, secure, reliable, economical and efficient electricity transmission system. As the TSO, EirGrid is...

Electricity Infrastructure: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I am amazed every day to learn what responsibilities I do not have.

Electricity Infrastructure: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: She is wrong.

Electricity Infrastructure: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Her entire proposition that this is being built for export is wrong. It has nothing at all to do with that.

Other Questions: Broadcasting Sector Regulation (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I do not disagree with the Deputy. There are inherent pitfalls, but I wonder if it is all that novel. This also happened in the era of the telephone and has gone on in the era of texting. It is remarkable when some interviewees are followed by showers of congratulatory and laudatory text messages praising them to the sky. I am sure it is purely accidental. It is a question of editorial...

Other Questions: Broadcasting Sector Regulation (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: It is a matter of editorial control. I appreciate that the media, for example, have a tendency to recognise qualities in politicians who, for example, leave their party that they never recognised while they were in the party. RTE implemented new guidelines after the presidential election and these guidelines are invoked. The BAI's code of practice was also published after the presidential...

Other Questions: Electricity Generation (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Work on wave and tidal energy is essentially still at research stage. The expert advice is to the effect that we look to have a propitious resource, but it is still not commercial. To answer the Deputy's question, these energy options will not be integrated early into the system, but, nonetheless, we are maintaining our investment and partnerships in continuing to test the research in that...

Other Questions: Electricity Generation (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Unfortunately, as price takers, we have little influence over the situation where we are importing 100% of our oil needs and 96% of our gas needs. Earlier Deputy Broughan tried to place responsibility for rising gas prices on me. I have responsibilities for many things, but I am not responsible for the global price of gas which reached an all-time high earlier this year. Deputy Durkan is...

Other Questions: Broadcasting Sector Regulation (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland is the statutory independent body responsible for regulation of the broadcasting sector which includes oversight of compliance of all broadcast content, including user generated content broadcast on television and radio. In line with its responsibilities in this area, the BAI already has in place a number of codes, including the code of fairness,...