Results 261-280 of 1,036,922 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Máiría Cahill OR speaker:Michael D'Arcy OR speaker:Heather Humphreys OR speaker:Eamon Ryan) in 'Committee meetings'

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I think we should look at it, and I would not rule out that option of aggregating a number of different projects. It tends to be estate-specific and site-specific so how exactly you might do that might be slightly difficult. However, I would not rule that out. I agree with the Deputy. This is not anything like the scale of the national broadband plan. It tends to be very specific...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: It is built into the contract and in a sense, success here benefits everyone. It is successful in the volume of connections and the increase of revenue to NBI and, obviously, the householders themselves. It also reduces the overall cost of the programme. My understanding is that the level of connections has actually exceeded what was expected. I understand the question the Deputy asked...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: No. The contract is quite sophisticated in reducing the subsidy by the State in instances where there is greater uptake and success in roll-out.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: With regard to more detail on the project, a request for tender was published on 26 April of this year, with a tender deadline of 12 June last. A number of compliance submissions were received so the evaluation committee is due to meet shortly. We expect the contract to be in place in early September, and by December of this year, we will see the implementation of the project plan by...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Yes. It is on track, and the tendering process seems to be going very well.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The national broadband plan was originally scheduled to be completed by January 2027. We were delayed by Covid-19 in 2021 and could not get contractors in. The project was delayed but we are now back on track for that finishing date. Going back to what I said earlier, we are looking at whether we can get further budget provision to deliver earlier. That is on track; in fact, it is...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: That is exactly the case. It is a system-wide message. There is a subtle difference there. With regard to quantum computing and the risk for cybersecurity, I suppose this is part of counter cyber risk work, working with our European colleagues, to ensure we have the most advanced quantum computing assisting us in protecting the networks. It can also be used as a way of attacking by...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: It is similar to fixed fibre or broadband connectivity. First and foremost, it is a matter of having a big and competitive market with a number of mobile operators, and we have had that. On the European analysis that shows how we compare to other European countries, one can never be fully satisfied and as the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach said, there are always going to be black spots where...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The Cathaoirleach Gníomhach is right. If we think back ten or 15 years, there was contentious public debate and planning applications were being reviewed and restricted. It was a subject of real controversy. That has reduced somewhat. Even four or five years ago with the start of this term in office and the establishment of this Department, there was real concern that the roll-out of...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: We would have to be careful about applying that to every house. I was involved at the start in the design and implementation of the eircode system. One of the biggest challenges then was with the Data Protection Commissioner, who was Billy Hawkes at the time. He was concerned about each individual house having a readily identifiable address, as it were, for general data protection...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with the Acting Chair. We have be careful. This will only be used in cases of real significant and imminent threat to human life. It will not be used for other kinds of issues, it will be exclusively for a risk to life, property or the environment. The Acting Chair is also right in that there have been those instances. My understanding was they were more on social media, on...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: That is a real issue, and the control systems within the social media companies themselves in terms of their ability to take down that material is also a real issue. That, however, is separate, and in the realm of Coimisiún na Meán and the Data Protection Commission as against ours. We look at the network and telecommunication system rather than the social media sects.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: My understanding was that shipping operated using GPS, which has the benefit of a universal capability. There are a number of connections between the offshore Noble and the digital sphere. There are two examples. First, the building of an interconnector with France will allow us to run a fibre-optic cable. Currently, we do not have a fibre-optic cable connection with the continent. We...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: What the Acting Chair has mentioned is not insignificant. If there is a recording of a delivery, that is akin in a way to a registered letter. Registered letters were always significantly more expensive than an ordinary stamp. An Post has a real challenge. The revenue from the mail business continues to fall significantly each year. That has been counterbalanced by an increase in parcel...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: That is not a curveball at all. We can forget Switzerland and instead talk about the west coast of County Clare. There was a working example of this in the past around Loop Head. It might have been ten or 15-years ago, where An Post also doubled its service by taking some passengers. I still firmly believe that has real potential. I would argue even more so now, and the Acting Chair will...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: I thank the Deputy.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Alan Kelly: -----is that we get a co-ordinated campaign under way, involving all the leading sporting organisations in this country, to highlight that the narrative around cocaine use is not okay and needs to be challenged.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: I thank the Deputy. The time is up.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Alan Kelly: Will the Government lead on this proposal with these organisations?

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. He is absolutely right that cocaine use is not okay. The Minister of State, Deputy Colm Burke, has responsibility for this area and I will raise the issue with him. We did increase the funding for the drug and alcohol task forces in last year's budget.