Results 19,781-19,800 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Second Stage (17 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Cathaoirleach and congratulate him on his own elevation. I do not think I have seen him since he was appointed to his new role. I wish him the best of luck with it. The overall purpose of the Bill is to amend the National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, Act 2007 to provide for the establishment of the climate action fund on a statutory basis, extend the purposes for which the NORA...

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Second Stage (17 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I very much appreciate the contributions by all the Senators. I will try to reflect on some of the questions, answer them if I can and comment on some of the contributions. I will start with Senator Fitzpatrick who was right in stating that a key in this transition is the health benefits that accrue from the decarbonisation. In terms of the analysis that has been done, for example, in...

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Second Stage (17 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: A €10 million mistake.

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Second Stage (17 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: We all make mistakes.

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I can see the motivation for the amendment but I do not propose to accept it. The agency in its operations has a specific, relatively limited role. It is about energy security and it has always been about the provision of 90 days' stock of oil. To be honest, the meetings and international obligations in that regard are relatively precise and do not go into the wider energy policy areas....

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I am happy to give the Senator that commitment. I have a clear understanding of this not only for environmental reasons but also from the point of view of the State's strategic interests as a leader in decarbonisation and the switch to an alternative, community-orientated, sustainable, renewable, local energy supply system. I commit absolutely to keeping abreast of whatever is happening in...

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: What Senator Ward said about the consolidation of Bills is true in so many different ways. We may have to come back to this legislation in five or ten years as we move out of the fossil fuel era into an alternative where energy storage and security would be completely different. It may involve batteries, hydrogen or interconnection. We do not know that yet but in the interim, under...

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I am happy to give that assurance if I can. I cannot see any circumstances where grant funding, in particular, would be available from the European Union or another outside body for a specific project and that it would be refused, particularly if it was recommended by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, but I will read the note I have for why we cannot accept...

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: It certainly will not. I would raise the issue very publicly if that was the case. I cannot see why we would-----

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Senator. I cannot accept the amendment but I can give her the assurances that amendment No. 8 does that. It is envisaged that it will assist us in engaging with these issues. The first work to be done on a just transition will involve spending money on bog rehabilitation to create new jobs and alternative employment for workers who leave companies like Bord na Móna.I also...

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: This amendment amends section 15 on page 13. The amendment is being undertaken following discussions between my Department and the Office of the Attorney General. It was determined that an amendment to section 15 of the Bill by way of Committee Stage amendment would be appropriate in order to clarify the basis on which the Minister may support climate action projects. The aim of the...

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I do not propose to accept the amendment. The purpose of the Bill is to establish the climate action fund and provide for the use of surplus NORA levies to be paid to the fund to pay for climate action projects. There may be another mechanism to achieve the Senator's objectives. The programme for Government contains a commitment in respect of the establishment of a tax commission which, in...

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I do not propose to accept the amendment relating to palm oil being excluded as a biofuel for the purposes of the Act as it is outside the scope of the Bill. However, I do share the Senator's concerns regarding the use of palm oil as a feedstock in the production of biofuels. The risk in terms of the production of biofuels is that feedstock will be grown on cropland previously used to grow...

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I absolutely commit that the implementation of the directive here does include the issue of the double counting of cooking oil. I was aware of the scandal that has emerged in this regard and certainly we will look to address this at the same time as we implement the other conditions in the directive.

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Members of the Seanad for their support on this. The timing required is unfortunate. I very much appreciate the help given in order that we can avail of the timing to get it commenced on 1 August. I thank everyone for their help in that regard.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Football Association of Ireland (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: We are all concerned and looking to support the grassroots and the future development of Irish soccer. The way that has to be done is for the MOU to be agreed in full. That will require the FAI to convene an EGM this month to implement rule changes to provide for an increase to six independent directors on its board and it will require those members of the FAI council with more than ten...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Football Association of Ireland (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I thank Deputy MacSharry for raising this important matter. The Deputy will recall that since the scale of the governance of financial mismanagement within the FAI became clear over the past year, the FAI has been in a financial crisis the likes of which has never been faced by an Irish sporting body. On 30 January, the then Government took the decision to ensure the survival of the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Tourism Promotion (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I am responding to the Deputies on this matter because the formal transfer of tourism functions to my colleague the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Catherine Martin, has yet to be completed. Shannon Heritage is part of the Shannon Group, which operates in the aviation and tourism sectors. In addition to the dramatic fall-off in passengers at Shannon Airport, the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Tourism Promotion (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Deputies. They are right. Not only does the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Catherine Martin, have an interest in this, I and the Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, are very aware that the Shannon Group as a whole is in real difficulty, along with the rest of the aviation and tourism sector. I will commit to examining the proposal from the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Tourism Promotion (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I am.