Results 81-100 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (3 Feb 2016)

Alex White: The Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided. The commercial telecommunications sector is currently...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Renewable Energy Generation (3 Feb 2016)

Alex White: My Department launched two public consultations in 2015 on the development of a new renewable heat incentive (RHI) and a renewable electricity support scheme (RESS). The initial phase of the consultation closed on 18 September 2015 and was designed to review the technology options that may be supported by the new incentive schemes. There will be two additional public consultation phases in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Energy Schemes (2 Feb 2016)

Alex White: The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) provides technical assistance and support to public sector bodies and schools to help them to meet the challenging target set for the public sector of improving energy efficiency by 33% by 2020. The public sector is currently half way to this target. Assistance for public sector bodies is available under the SEAI's Public Sector Programme,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (2 Feb 2016)

Alex White: I propose to take Questions Nos. 563 and 564 together. The Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Legislative Programme (2 Feb 2016)

Alex White: I published the Energy White Paper - Ireland’s Transition to a Low Carbon Energy Future 2015-2030 - in December 2015. The White Paper sets out the high-level framework for energy policy out to 2030. It includes over 90 actions which will be implemented with delivery timelines provided for key actions. My Department will lead on the implementation of the White Paper in conjunction with...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (2 Feb 2016)

Alex White: The Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided. The commercial telecommunications sector is currently...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Broadband Service Provision (2 Feb 2016)

Alex White: The Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided. The commercial telecommunications sector is currently...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Appointments to State Boards Data (2 Feb 2016)

Alex White: There have been 179 appointments to State Boards under the aegis of my Department in the period 7 March 2011 to date. 36 of these were from among individuals who submitted Expressions of Interest or who applied under the revised arrangements set out in the Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards which were published in November 2014. It should be noted that some 48% of the appointments...

Seanad: Energy Bill 2016: Second Stage (28 Jan 2016)

Alex White: I am pleased to have the opportunity to present this Bill for consideration by Seanad Éireann. Before I proceed to outline the detail of it, section by section, I would like to spend a little time in explaining its significant elements, namely, providing the Commission for Energy Regulation, CER, with powers to impose administrative sanctions, the renaming of the CER and providing for a...

Seanad: Energy Bill 2016: Second Stage (28 Jan 2016)

Alex White: I thank the Senators for their contributions and particularly for their constructive input into the debate and I welcome the general support that I have heard for the Bill. I look forward to early consideration of the Bill on Committee Stage. I wish to correct what I believe is a genuine misapprehension on the part of Senator Daly regarding the Bill. It is not about transposing an EU...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Funding (28 Jan 2016)

Alex White: Total capital expenditure by my Department was €486m in the period 2011 to end 2015. This expenditure is not broken down by county. The most significant component of my Department's capital expenditure is in respect of the Better Energy Homes and Better Energy Warmer Homes schemes which are administered on behalf of my Department by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Renewable Energy Generation Targets (28 Jan 2016)

Alex White: I propose to take Questions Nos. 357 and 358 together. While the precise cost of any shortfall in Ireland's target of 16% has yet to be established, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has estimated that the cost to Ireland may be in the range of €100 million to €150 million for each percentage point Ireland falls short of the overall 16% renewable energy target....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Gas Networks Ireland (28 Jan 2016)

Alex White: The development and expansion of the natural gas network is a commercial matter for Gas Networks Ireland (GNI), the successor of Gaslink, which is mandated under Section 8 of the Gas Act 1976, as amended, to develop and maintain a national system for the supply of natural gas that is both economical and efficient. The Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) is statutorily responsible for...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Telecommunications Services Provision (28 Jan 2016)

Alex White: UPC Ireland has been rebranded as Virgin Media Ireland. This does not constitute a takeover as, throughout the process, the ultimate owner of the service has continued to be Liberty Global. Concurrent with this rebranding, the MMDS (Multipoint Microwave Distribution Systems) service now operated by Virgin Media, which was introduced in Ireland in the early 1990s to provide multi-channel...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: National Broadband Plan Implementation (28 Jan 2016)

Alex White: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table. The information contained in the table is derived from the data provided by commercial operators to my Department in the course of the National Broadband Plan mapping exercise. This exercise was conducted by the Department in the period from July 2013 - December 2015. The target areas identified for State intervention...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Consultancy Contracts Data (28 Jan 2016)

Alex White: My Department administers a very diverse, complex and technical brief across critical and strategic sectors of the Irish economy. While it has a total complement of around 250 full time equivalent staff of whom a number are technical personnel, the technical, commercial, legal complexity and evolving nature of sectors with which the Department deals requires access to external professional...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Public Inquiries (28 Jan 2016)

Alex White: There have been no Tribunals of Inquiry, Commissions of Inquiry or Investigations established by my Department since this Government came to office on 9thMarch 2011 to date.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Ministerial Allowances (28 Jan 2016)

Alex White: Details on expenses claimed by me, my predecessor Pat Rabbitte, T.D and by the previous Minister of State at my Department, Fergus O’Dowd T.D. for each of the years from 2011 to date is set out in the table below. Payments made are in accordance with the relevant Department of Public Expenditure and Reform rules and guidelines. Minister of State Joe McHugh has responsibilities within...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Expenditure (28 Jan 2016)

Alex White: The amount spent on media clipping and media monitoring services by my Department for each of the years from 2011 to 2015 is set out in the table below. Year Amount 2011 €49,911 2012 €24,084 2013 €29,622 2014 €26,331 2015 €27,719 Total €157,667

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Departmental Staff Retirements (27 Jan 2016)

Alex White: I can confirm that for each of the last four years, there were no cases taken against my Department by civil servants in relation to being retired at age 65. Nor were there any formal objections received to retirement on age grounds.