Results 1,421-1,440 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Other Questions: Energy Prices (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I know we are in the Christmas season-----

Other Questions: Energy Prices (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: -----when some former colleagues of mine have a habit of standing on their head, but Deputy Broughan's forgetfulness is going too far.

Other Questions: Post Office Network (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: It is Government policy that An Post should remain a strong and viable company, as the Deputy would wish, in a position to provide a high-quality nationwide postal service and to maintain a nationwide customer-focused network of post offices in the community. Operational matters and the role of developing commercial strategies for the post office network are, of course, a matter for the...

Other Questions: Post Office Network (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The honest answer to that question is that I did not, but it sounds like an idea that is worth examining. In that case I did not do what the Deputy suggested, but I have made several suggestions because the post office network has a unique retail infrastructure. I understand there are still 1,144 offices of one kind or another nationwide, which is in itself immensely valuable. However,...

Other Questions: Post Office Network (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I do not know SUSI like Deputy Naughten knows SUSI.

Other Questions: Post Office Network (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I understand the initial difficulties were subsequently corrected. I will not be dragged into discussing particular services that An Post might provide, because there are constraints on me. However, as I stated to Deputy Naughten - and the management of An Post agrees - there appear to be possibilities with regard to the use of existing infrastructure, especially in cases in which, for...

Other Questions: Electricity Generation (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: As Deputy Durkan is aware, responsibility for national and international climate change policy is a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. However, the overarching objective of the Government's energy policy is to ensure secure and sustainable supplies of competitively priced energy to all consumers. Ireland is currently heavily reliant on imported...

Other Questions: Energy Prices (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: As stated by the Deputy, thus far, happily, the winter has been very mild. Let us hope it continues that way. As we enter the winter months I remain concerned about energy poverty and its impact on the most vulnerable in society. Energy poverty is a function of a person’s income, the thermal efficiency of his or her home and the price he or she pays for energy. As the Deputy will...

Other Questions: Energy Prices (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: As the Deputy knows, under the warmer homes segment of the better energy programme, the State bears the total cost of refurbishment of houses. The others are grant based incentive schemes in respect of houses in the private sector. We expect an additional 10,000 homes to be refurbished this year. This does not take into account the moneys being spent by my colleague, the Minister of State...

Other Questions: Energy Prices (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The pay-as-you-go meters have been a considerable success. Under the protocol we have put in place, there can be no disconnections where a pay-as-you-go meter has been installed or a payment plan entered into by the householder. This has worked exceptionally well. My Department is in discussions with the Department of Social Protection on the issue of house occupants resorting to the...

Other Questions: Energy Prices (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I recall from private discussions with my old friend Deputy Broughan when he was a socialist that he was always in favour of a property tax, the conservation of water and water charges.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Projects (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The 2009 EU Renewable Energy Directive outlined targets for member states for renewable energy penetration. The directive set Ireland a binding target where at least 16% of our energy requirements should come from renewable sources by 2020. In order to meet our overall 16% requirement, Ireland is committed to meeting 40% of electricity demand, 12% of heating and 10% of transport from...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Projects (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The Deputy is correct. The memorandum of understanding between myself and the UK Secretary of State for Energy, Mr. Edward Davey, was a statement of intent on an intergovernmental agreement, which we are required to do under the relevant European directive if we are to open up a traded sector between this country and Britain. It did not deal with the matter of a strike price because it...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Projects (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: If Deputy Colreavy worked at it, he could not get the wrong end of the stick more perfectly than he has done there. How in the name of heaven can we agree a strike price until we know exactly what it is that we are trading? There is no template for this and nothing has been done. Not one single turbine has been erected and no irrevocable commitments have been entered into. Nothing is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Bord Gáis Privatisation (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Deputy Moynihan is correct in that market conditions are affected by various developments, not least the shipping of cheaper coal into Europe by the US as a result of the revolution in prices therein arising from the exploitation of shale gas. This is just one of the factors affecting gas market conditions to which the Deputy referred. Deputy Colreavy raised a comparison with Eircom. We...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Energy Resources (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: We are getting more democratic every day.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Energy Resources (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: Yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Digital Strategy Implementation (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: The figures show that 23% of the population have never accessed the Internet. The programme to which I referred has trained some 83,000 people in basic digital literacy skills. In respect of the particular cohort to which the Deputy refers, especially those who may be living in remote locations, the whole point of the benefit programme is that it sponsors these programmes in partnership...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Bord Gáis Privatisation (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 4 together. In May of this year, a process was initiated to sell the Bord Gáis Energy business. This process was led by Bord Gáis Éireann and overseen by a government steering group which included officials from my Department, the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, and the NewERA unit of the NTMA. I am advised...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Bord Gáis Privatisation (4 Dec 2013)

Pat Rabbitte: It seems there is nothing I can do to make Deputy Colreavy happy.