Results 1,441-1,460 of 25,681 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Postal Services (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Capita Business Support Services Ireland, trading as Eircode, assigns new Eircodes to building addresses using a valid postal address and verified geo-locations. All postal addresses and geo-locations are provided to Eircode from authoritative sources, namely An Post and Tailte Éireann (Formerly Ordnance Survey Ireland) through their subsidiary company An Post GeoDirectory. An Post...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Housing Schemes (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Domestic electricity micro-generation is supported by the Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS). Grants are available through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) for domestic installations of solar PV, up to a maximum of €1,800 in 2025. Since the introduction of the MSS domestic grant in February 2022, the SEAI have seen application levels rise sharply. In 2023,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Bord na Móna (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Bord na Móna is a commercial State body under the aegis of my Department and was established under the Turf Development Act 1998. Bord na Móna is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department and Minister. Any proposal to sell part of Bord na Móna’s business is subject to regulatory approval, including Ministerial consent and will be considered on...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Environmental Schemes (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Waste Management (Tyres and Waste Tyres) Regulations 2017 were introduced to ensure environmentally sound management of tyres placed on the Irish market throughout their lifecycle. Visible Environmental Management Costs, or vEMCs are recycling charges for certain categories of electrical and electronic products. Currently, the Regulations do not impose a vEMC on agricultural, truck,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Weather Events (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: On 24 January, Storm Éowyn caused widespread power outages, unprecedented damage, and in parts, left the electricity grid destroyed due to broken poles, lines and wires. The National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG) was convened on Wednesday 22 January in preparation for the storm. This was attended by all Government Departments and agencies. During the meeting the severity of the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Infrastructure (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: As part of the national response to Storm Éowyn, the Inter-Departmental Recovery Group was established. The Group, chaired by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, is coordinating actions to restore telecommunications and broadband to those experiencing outages. The Minister for Tourism, Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Properties (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is currently compiling the information sought and will revert directly to the Deputy in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Properties (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department is currently compiling the information sought and will revert directly to the Deputy in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Staff (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I can confirm to the Deputy that the number of WTE legal advisors employed by my Department in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025 is as set out in the tables below. 2023 Grade WTE Principal Solicitor 1.00 Advisory Counsel 4.00 Total 5.00 2024 Grade WTE Principal...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Conservation (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 164 and 166 together. A range of SEAI supports are in place to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills and emissions. These include grant supports for attic and cavity wall insulation. In recent years, demand across the SEAI residential...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Third Level Education (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Following the outcome of the independent “National Review of State Supports for PhD Researchers”, directed by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), the SEAI announced in 2023 that the eligible research stipend budget contribution for SEAI-funded PhD students was increasing from €18,500 to €25,000 per annum...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: State Bodies (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Under section 46 of the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983 I, as Minister, with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (MPENDR), approve any superannuation schemes submitted by An Post. The operation of the schemes is a matter between the management of An Post, staff representatives and the trustees of the schemes. In accordance with the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Artificial Intelligence (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department continues to take advice from the National Cyber Security Centre in respect of the security of artificial intelligence (AI), and are following their recommendations. All applications used within the Department are required to be in line with Departmental policies and procedures. No AI tools, licenses, subscriptions nor consultancy have been procured. Therefore, no Department...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electricity Grid (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity market is a matter for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) which is an independent regulator, accountable to a Committee of the Oireachtas and myself as Minister. The CRU was assigned responsibility for the regulation of the Irish electricity sector following the enactment of the Electricity Regulation Act, 1999 and subsequent...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Government has committed to deliver up to 5.7 TWh of indigenously produced biomethane by 2030. In response to this ambitious target, my Department, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, published the National Biomethane Strategy in May 2024. The Biomethane Strategy sets out a pathway to achieving Ireland’s biomethane production target; addresses the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Infrastructure (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Service outages on Electronic Communications Networks (ECN) and Services (ECS) are primarily caused by mechanical damage (due mainly to falling trees caused by the storm force winds) and interruption to the electricity power supply. Operators of Electronic Communications Networks and Services are obliged to report incidents to the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) under...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Infrastructure (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The telecommunications network is provided by private service providers, operating in a fully liberalised market regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) as independent Regulator. The estimated effect of Storm Éowyn on the national telecoms userbase was the largest in ComReg’s recording history. At its peak, over the weekend of the 25 and 26 of...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Coast Guard Service (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: My department is responsible for the Irish Coast Guard (IRCG) building programme, essentially aimed at ensuring Coast Guard stations along the coast are fit for purpose. The programme is managed through the Office of Public Works (OPW) from planning and design to build and ongoing maintenance, with legal assistance as necessary from the Chief State Solicitor's Office. The programme is funded...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Taxi Regulations (18 Feb 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry, including vehicle age limits for SPSVs, is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), under the provisions of the Consolidated Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016. I have no role in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV sector. In line with the Programme for Government...