Results 81-100 of 2,694 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Legislative Measures (20 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: The Government charges a levy of 22c on single-use lightweight plastic bags. The levy was introduced in 2002 as a means of reducing the consumption of such plastic bags by influencing consumer behaviour. It has proven enormously successful, reducing the use of these bags from a peak of more than 132 million in 2006 to just over 8 million during 2022 (the last full year for which figures are...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Infrastructure (20 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: In December 2022, my Department published Ireland's Digital Connectivity Strategy which supports the ambition outlined in the National Digital Strategy and sets out a number of ambitious targets, including that: all Irish households and businesses will be covered by a Gigabit network no later than 2028 all populated areas will be covered by 5G no later than 2030, and digital connectivity...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Recycling Policy (20 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: More than half a million coffee cups are sent to landfill or incineration every day in Ireland. An environmental levy on single-use cups (coffee cup levy) will incentivise people to choose re-usable cups and reduce single-use waste. A detailed consultation report, along with copies of all submissions received, were published in late 2023 on the Department’s gov.ie website. ...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Recycling Policy (20 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: All retailers who sell products which come under the scope of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) are required to participate in the scheme by registering with Re-turn, the DRS operator and, unless exempt, to charge customers a deposit for every in-scope product sold, provide a take-back facility and to refund the deposit to consumers who return empty containers. The rules of the scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Infrastructure (20 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: In December 2022, my Department published Ireland's Digital Connectivity Strategy which supports the ambition outlined in the National Digital Strategy and sets out a number of ambitious targets, including that: all Irish households and businesses will be covered by a Gigabit network no later than 2028 all populated areas will be covered by 5G no later than 2030, and digital connectivity...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Recycling Policy (7 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: 12 o’clock In the case of people having their bottles and cans delivered to their homes, Re-Turn is engaging with the national Meals on Wheels network to find a way to return bottles and cans to people so they can get their money back. Regarding the accessibility of the machines, they should not be set at a height above 1.2 m to ensure people in wheelchairs can reach them....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Recycling Policy (7 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I propose to take Questions Nos. 91 and 93 together. The deposit return scheme was set up in such a way with the regulations published requiring that the scheme be accessible for all, so it is a legal requirement that participants in the scheme make sure their return point operations are accessible to everybody in the community. With that in mind, a set of suppliers was approved by...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Recycling Policy (7 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: As regards the number of cans and bottles that have been brought back, it is 1.8 million plastic bottles and 2 million cans. That is double what it was a few days ago, which shows the rate of increase. The Deputy asked how it works for people who are already putting bottles and cans into the recycle bin in their kitchen and the objective of the whole plan. The problem is that although...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Illegal Dumping (7 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: While the primary responsibility for management and enforcement responses to illegal dumping, including any decision to deploy CCTV and other technologies, lies with local authorities, my Department continues to provide extensive policy, financial and legislative support to the local authority sector to support its efforts. Almost €18 million has been provided to local authorities...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Illegal Dumping (7 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I absolutely agree with the Deputy. I feel angry and ashamed when I see rubbish that has been dumped, often commercially for profit. We cannot reach those people through awareness campaigns. They know they are doing the wrong thing. The only way we can reach them is through gathering evidence that is admissible in court to obtain prosecution. We could not do that in the past because the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Illegal Dumping (7 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: As the Deputy is aware, a licence from the national waste collection permit office in County Offaly is required in order to collect waste. If the terms of that licence are breached, steps can be taken. I will find out whether a vehicle can be seized and revert to the Deputy with that information. In the case of Castlegar, I urge people in the area to ask the local authority to put in CCTV-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Illegal Dumping (7 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: -----to catch those carrying out illegal dumping. In the case of commercial dumping, there are stronger powers for local authorities, in that they can use drones and bodycams. Many of those involved in this activity are dangerous criminals and it is difficult for local authority staff to approach them directly or gather the evidence. The dumping may be going on behind high fences. That is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Recycling Policy (7 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: Formal monitoring and reporting arrangements are in place to ensure that regular reports, both financial and performance, are received from Re-Turn, the scheme operator for Ireland's Deposit Return Scheme, DRS. DRS is a national infrastructure project which operates primarily on a return-to-retail model. Under the DRS regulations, retailers are required to charge customers a deposit for...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Recycling Policy (7 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: Those are all very reasonable questions. We are in the changeover period for this scheme. The changeover period is four months long. The reason there is a changeover period is so that the old stock on the shelves of the supermarkets can be sold off and at the same time the new stock which has the logos and the new bar codes is coming in. We could not change over overnight because that...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Telecommunications Infrastructure (7 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: As telecoms technologies advance and evolve at pace, there is a need for guidelines and regulations to be regularly updated to reflect this. This is of particular importance in relation to innovative technologies like 5G, which requires infrastructure that is vastly different to what preceding technologies required and consequent different legislative treatment in some cases. The Digital...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Infrastructure (7 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: In December 2022, my Department published Ireland's Digital Connectivity Strategy which supports the ambition outlined in the National Digital Strategy and sets out a number of ambitious targets, including that: all Irish households and businesses, including schools, will be covered by a gigabit network no later than 2028 all populated areas will be covered by 5G no later than 2030, and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (5 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: In December 2022, my Department published Ireland's Digital Connectivity Strategy which supports the ambition outlined in the National Digital Strategy and sets out a number of ambitious targets, including that:all Irish households and businesses will be covered by a Gigabit network no later than 2028all populated areas will be covered by 5G no later than 2030, anddigital connectivity will be...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Recycling Policy (5 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: A national Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) has been introduced to encourage more people to recycle plastic bottles and cans and to deliver on our ambitious EU targets for the recycling of those products. Under the DRS Regulations, retailers are required to charge consumers a deposit for every drink sold, to take-back empty containers (unless displaying a take-back exemption) and to refund the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Recycling Policy (5 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy (WAPCE) includes several measures to tackle packaging waste, a number of which have already been delivered, including the ending of self-compliance for packaging producers, the introduction of deposit and return scheme, and the introduction of eco-modulation and net necessary cost in Extended Producer Responsibility scheme producer fees. Since...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Broadband Infrastructure (5 Mar 2024)

Ossian Smyth: In December 2022, my Department published Ireland's Digital Connectivity Strategy which supports the ambition outlined in the National Digital Strategy and sets out a number of ambitious targets, including that:all Irish households and businesses will be covered by a Gigabit network no later than 2028all populated areas will be covered by 5G no later than 2030, anddigital connectivity will be...