Results 14,981-15,000 of 16,478 for speaker:Tommy Broughan

Telecommunications Services. (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: I warmly welcome today's announcement by Eircom that it is enabling 100 more exchanges. However, that still leaves over 600 exchanges in rural Ireland with no chance of getting broadband. The Minister has referred to the wireless option, which we all know is very expensive. Is the Department talking directly to the new owners of Eircom, the Babcock and Brown team of Mr. Rex Comb and Mr....

Telecommunications Services. (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: Deputy Morgan asked a question about costs and, according to the figures I have in front of me, among EU and European countries only Luxembourg, Denmark and Iceland are more expensive for broadband than Ireland. Broadband is very expensive, less than 10% of the population has access to it and it is still a bit of a disaster ——

Telecommunications Services. (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: This is something that will probably haunt the Minister through the general election campaign when people reflect on it.

Telecommunications Services. (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: Is the Minister indicating the Government will enable those exchanges?

Telecommunications Services. (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: I was speaking in per capita terms.

Telecommunications Services. (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: My figure is based per capita.

Fuel Prices. (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: Question 2: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if, in the context of the 34% price hike in gas prices and the near 20% increase in electricity prices, he will introduce legislation to establish a consumer panel within CER to ensure consumer needs are adequately taken into account by the regulator in energy pricing policy, and as recommended in the recent...

Fuel Prices. (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: I will speak about the impact on businesses and ordinary people. Is it not a fact that the savage gas and electricity price rises are having a devastating impact on business? Of the agencies that represent business, ISME claims that energy price rises in the past five years have been the No. 1 enemy of SMEs, the Irish Exporters Association warns that the large increase in energy costs must...

Fuel Prices. (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: I will refer to two companies, one in my constituency and one in the Minister's. The last thing people in my constituency wanted to hear yesterday was the devastating news about Cadbury, the famous chocolate company. There will be 450 job losses in Coolock. Those workers are receiving dismal reports about their futures as we speak.

Fuel Prices. (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: I am asking the Minister to comment on the impact of energy costs on Cadbury.

Fuel Prices. (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: To be fair, I also want to ask the Minister about Wellman International Limited in Kells, County Meath. Its chief executive, Mr. R. G. Budden, warns that the increasing electricity costs foreseen for 2007 could force his company and its 300 workers into liquidation.

Fuel Prices. (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: Mr. Budden states that the company's electricity costs are 70% or 80% higher than previously.

Fuel Prices. (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: Regarding ordinary people, I met an older constituent recently. He told me that when he was a young boy in the tenements in Dublin, he needed overcoats on his bed each night due to the freezing cold. He asked me whether we are again facing an era of——

Fuel Prices. (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: ——putting on overcoats because we cannot afford heating. The Minister is responsible.

Fuel Prices. (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: Would the Minister be prepared to introduce a statutory——

Telecommunications Services. (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: Question 5: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources when he will bring forward legislation to ensure that the telecommunications sector is effectively regulated in view of the ongoing Smart Telecom debacle and the recent disconnection of over 45,000 Smart Telecom customers from their telephone and broadband services; if he will adopt ComReg's suggestion of...

Requests to move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 31 (19 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: I wish to seek the Adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to raise a matter of national importance, namely, the urgent need for the Government to outline what further action it intends to take to ensure the continued future of Aer Lingus as an independent airline and to block the proposed takeover by Ryanair, especially having regard to the consequences of such a move for the...

Air Services. (18 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: I thank the Minister for coming to the House for this debate. I have a file of e-mails, and have received many telephone calls, from Aer Lingus workers detailing their real distress and grave anxiety at the prospect of a predatory and hostile takeover by Ryanair. They repeat the unanswerable point about which the Minister was warned a few months ago and failed to take on board. The...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (18 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: Question 143: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will report on the National Pensions Reserve Fund. [33103/06]

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (18 Oct 2006)

Tommy Broughan: Question 169: To ask the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the fact that contrary to the report from the Decentralisation Implementation Group in the week ending 7 October 2006, the Central Applications Facility data compiled in June showed that applications for decentralised positions have slowed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33091/06]