Results 19,801-19,820 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: This is only one piece in the jigsaw of changes we will have to make. We will have to ring-fence funds. We have to ring-fence the funds from carbon taxation for social welfare increases to protect people from fuel poverty, to improve people's homes and to establish new farming initiatives that support farmers. We will have to do a range of work on communications on how we get this as a...

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I have a long answer but I will be brief. Perhaps I will put it aside.

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I have one point to make to Deputy Naughten, if I can. This fund is not paid for by the oil companies. They collect it. It is paid for by the motorists. That is one thing to be absolutely clear, honest and accurate about. If I can refer it to Deputy Mattie McGrath, who asked me whether I was listening, the key question he asked was why could we not have used the money already raised. To...

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: What this fund is designed to do as well as big projects, such as the Bord na Móna projects I mentioned earlier, is to help small communities be part of the process and the transformation. It will be a small help maybe in those cases but every bit helps in terms of everyone being part of it. If we do this, we can get to what Deputy Fitzmaurice said, which is public support for a range...

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I fully agree with Deputy Naughten that energy efficiency has to come first. However, I must say this to him - he is aware of this - the expertise in that area does not reside within NORA, whose specific task under international law is in how one purchases and stores oil products. The agency does not have the expertise for energy efficiency. The expertise for that resides within the...

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I reassure the Deputy that there is no additional levy. No additional burden is being put on anyone. What is involved is taking money that has already been collected, and will be collected, and redistributing it. The Deputy might ask where it is going. It is going to go to Kerry. It is going to go to Mayo. It is going to go to Donegal.

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: In truth-----

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: In recent months I was at an event down in Kerry. There was a whole slew of new businesses coming forward which see investment opportunities in this area, in particular for counties such as Kerry. As I stated earlier, we will find energy solutions in areas where we have land, and it is also in areas close to the sea where we can tap into that energy. The wealth generated by the renewable...

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: They may well be but I will account for Green Party policy in this area. We absolutely have to work hand in hand with those farmers, who are important custodians of the land. We must also pay them properly. The land use plan will not involve going down to the level of individual farmers and telling them to do this, that or the other because, to be honest, they are best placed to know how...

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I might answer the last question first. That would require European agreement. Planes can move from any one jurisdiction to another. I support the inclusion of aviation fuel within the likes of the NORA levy. I would go beyond that. I think the taxation of aviation fuel is a critical issue, which I believe will be addressed by the European Union. It would have been addressed but the...

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I will address each question in turn. First, with regard to Deputy Naughten, there is money in a bank. That cannot be touched. Under the Bill, the existing revenues will be provided for the ongoing operation of the National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, in subsequent years in its core business in terms of oil stocks and that cannot be touched. We only get money for climate action when this...

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: The money is only available when the Bill is enacted and the sooner we enact the Bill, the sooner that money becomes available to us. It will not be drawn down for another year or six months - whatever time it takes us to draw the funds - but that money will not be there if we do not enact the Bill and we will lose that €10 million. If we do not enact it this week, we lose €10...

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: If I can finish the point, because I have five Deputies to answer-----

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I am not misleading the House. I have five Deputies answer. Maybe I was not clear to Deputies Whitmore and Naughten. I was not saying "No" to all the amendments, in the sense that specifically, there is sense behind amendment No. 11 and Deputy Whitmore's amendment No. 16. I see merit in what has been suggested there. What I intend to do is to come back in the drafting of the climate...

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: Does Deputy Whitmore not come in first? Do I respond now?

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I think it might be appropriate and I can then answer both Deputies.

National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I am sorry if I was changing the order there in a sense. I apologise because I was unable to be in the Chamber for the Second Stage debate last night. It clashed with a Cabinet meeting that I had to attend. I was liaising with the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, and I gather it was a good debate. I hope we can continue that today. There is a critical timeline with this debate. The...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Just Transition Fund (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: The progressive reduction in the use of fossil fuels for power generation will be essential component to meeting the Programme for Government commitment to an average 7% per annum reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions from 2021 to 2030. The 2019 Climate Action Plan has already committed to ending the burning of coal at Moneypoint by 2025 at the latest and to the replacement of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Bord na Móna (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: The Government is committed to supporting Bord na Móna to deliver an extensive multi-annual programme of rehabilitation of the company’s land bank. My Department and Bord na Móna are progressing the necessary measures, including funding, to facilitate the advanced rehabilitation of 33,000 hectares of Bord na Móna bog previously harvested for peat used in electricity...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Heritage Sites (16 Jul 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I can confirm to the Deputy that management at Shannon Group, the parent Company for Shannon Heritage have been in contact with my Department in relation to the opening arrangements of its various sites, arising from the impacts of Covid-19. However, as the Deputy may be aware the management of Shannon heritage sites, including their opening arrangements, is an operational matter for Shannon...