Written Answers Nos. 29-40
29. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the steps being taken to ensure that communities outside the reach of the 4G network will have access to high speed broadband; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53119/12]
View answerComReg’s recently held auction awarded spectrum rights in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz and 1800MHz for the period 2013 to 2030. ComReg’s Information Notice, available on the ComReg website www.comreg.ie, sets out the population coverage obligations that apply to these licences. In this regard it requires that all licence holders must attain and maintain a minimum coverage of 70% of the population within 3 years.
The Government accepts that the widespread availability of high speed broadband is a key requirement in delivering future economic and social development. With basic broadband services now widely available across Ireland, the challenge is to accelerate the roll out of high speed services.
The National Broadband Plan aims to radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland by ensuring that high speed services of at least 30Mbps are available to all of our citizens and businesses, well in advance of the EU’s target date of 2020, and that significantly higher speeds are available to as many homes and businesses as possible. This plan follows on from the publication of the report of the Next Generation Broadband Taskforce and a period of public consultation. Full details of these reports can be found on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Communications/Communications+Policy/Next+Generation+Broadband/
The National Broadband Plan commits to high speed broadband availability across the country – specifically:
- 70Mbps – 100Mbps will be available from the commercial market operators to more than half of the population by 2015;
- At least 40Mbps, and in many cases faster speeds, to at least a further 20% (and potentially as much as 35%) of the population during the lifetime of the Government; and
- A minimum of 30Mbps for every remaining home and business in the country, also during the lifetime of the Government.
It is intended that the private sector will be the key driver of investment with potential State intervention only where the market is unlikely to invest.
The plan contains actions for: investment, demand stimulation, infrastructure barrier removal, spectrum policy, potential contribution of State entities, and policy and regulation. This approach seeks to achieve a step-change in the level of services available throughout the country, by accelerating private sector investment through a range of actions by public stakeholders, and particularly with regard to rural areas where the State expects to co-invest with the private sector in areas where the commercial case for infrastructure investment does not exist.
During the preparation of the National Broadband Plan, the commercial market operators indicated that they expect to provide 70Mbps to 100Mbps services to 50% of the population by 2015. The areas to be provided with those services will be determined by the commercial market operators.
One of the first steps in delivering on the 30Mbps and 40Mbps commitments will be the completion of a formal national mapping exercise to determine the exact position in relation to commercial service providers’ existing and planned broadband services throughout the country. Preparatory work has commenced within my Department to expedite this mapping exercise.
The mapping exercise will identify the areas of the country where there is market failure in the provision of high speed broadband services. It will also identify where the market is expected to succeed and fail in the delivery of high speed broadband over the coming years. This process is expected to take at least a number of months to complete and will identify the precise areas of the country which will require State intervention to ensure that the Government’s commitment that a minimum of 30Mbps be available throughout the country, is realised.
31. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the reason the ESB is planning to lay a fibre optic cable between Ireland and Wales; his view on whether such a project is necessary or appropriate for the ESB; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53249/12]
View answerThis is an operational matter for the ESB, which is a commercial State company and I have no role or function in this regard.
33. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the implications for Irish Water of any sale or part sale of Bord Gáis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53272/12]
View answerThe Government has decided to dispose of Bord Gáis Éireann’s Energy business as part of the State Assets disposal programme. The Government has also reiterated its commitment to retaining the gas networks as well as the two gas interconnectors in State ownership as national strategic infrastructure, critical for the delivery of secure, sustainable and competitive energy supplies. BGÉ is a strong and dynamic State company. The success of Bord Gáis Energy demonstrates BGÉ’s capacity to develop new and efficient businesses for the benefit of Irish consumers as well as the State as shareholder.
The decision to establish Irish Water within the BGÉ Group reflects the Government’s confidence in BGÉ. BGÉ’s experience in the key areas of raising finance, operating and investing in critical network infrastructure and delivering excellent customer service, will be effectively deployed in the successful establishment and operation of Irish Water.
My colleague, the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, has advised that the implementation strategy for Irish Water is being advanced by his Department, in collaboration with BGÉ, all relevant Departments, including my Department, as well as the local authorities, and with the advice of NewERA.
In parallel, significant progress has been made in implementing the asset disposal programme, in line with our commitments under the EU/ECB/IMF Funding Programme. Tender processes for the appointment of advisors to oversee the sale of Bord Gáis Energy are significantly advanced.
NewERA is the agency with responsibility for oversight of the sale transaction on behalf of the Government. My Department is also progressing priority actions to address necessary legislative, regulatory, and financial issues with a view to commencing the disposal process in 2013.
The Departments, NewERA and BGÉ are fully cognisant of the need to ensure that the work on the sale of Bord Gáis Energy and the establishment of the Water utility are progressed concurrently and to schedule. The Government will be briefed on a regular basis in relation to progress on both fronts.
I am confident that BGÉ will rise to the challenge to sustain its oversight and operation of the strategic State owned gas infrastructure as well as working with the Government on the successful sale of Bord Gáis Energy and the establishment of Irish Water to schedule.
34. Deputy John Browne asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the progress made to date with regard to the implementation of Warmer Homes: A Strategy for Affordable Energy in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53245/12]
View answerThe Affordable Energy Strategy was developed by the Inter-Departmental/Agency Group on Affordable Energy (IDGAE) and published in November 2011 as part of the Department’s commitment in the Programme for Government to help mitigate energy poverty.
The Affordable Energy Strategy provides a framework for building upon the many measures already in place to protect households at risk from the effects of energy poverty, which include the thermal efficiency-based measures delivered through the Better Energy: Warmer Homes programme.
This programme is a key element of the Affordable Energy Strategy. The energy efficiency measures, which it funds, are targeted at low income families and will make a lasting impact on energy poverty in the case of individuals benefiting under the scheme. Exchequer funding of €23.646 million has been allocated to this programme in 2012, including for an area-based pilot. The scheme has addressed 87,789 energy poor homes since 2000. By the end of 2012, the scheme will have delivered energy saving measures to 94,289 homes in energy poverty.
There are forty-eight actions identified in the strategy that are being implemented over the lifetime of the report (3 years), including five priority measures: a commitment to review the National Fuel Scheme in the context of examining the feasibility of aligning income supports with the energy efficiency and income of the home, the phased introduction of minimal thermal efficiency standards for rental accommodation, ensuring greater access to energy efficiency measures, reforming the eligibility criteria for energy efficiency schemes and the introduction of an area based approach.
Work is ongoing by the IDGAE on the implementation of all the actions contained in the strategy, including the introduction of an area-based approach in 2012, reform of eligibility criteria and continued work on improving access to energy efficiency measures through better targeting of at-risk households. The Fuel Allowance was reviewed by the Department of Social Protection as part of the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure in 2011 and in the context of the preparations for Budget 2013. A dedicated review arising from the Warmer Homes Energy Affordability Strategy has not yet commenced.
35. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will consider approaching Eircom regarding the longer term utilisation of their building at the Ramparts, Dundalk, County Louth, to help create employment there as a call centre or other related use. [53118/12]
View answerEircom is a private company operating in a liberalised market. Decisions in relation to the future utilisation of its buildings, is a matter for Eircom and is not a matter in which I have any role.
36. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of television licence holders who have yet to make the digital switchover to Saorview; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53342/12]
View answer38. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if all television licence holders are able to receive Saorview; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53343/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 36 and 38 together.
In November, research by Nielsen’s estimated that 55 thousand households were yet to make the change to digital TV. My Department will continue to monitor this situation. I am assured, however, based on the number of calls received by the helpline being operated by my Department, that the actual figures are much less than that at this stage. In this regard, call numbers have continued to drop since 24th October week on week and last week there were 44 calls. The helpline will operate until the end of December to provide assistance and advice to those who have not yet switched to digital TV. In regard to SAORVIEW, as with the analogue terrestrial TV network that it replaces, the new national digital terrestrial TV service operated by RTÉ and which provides access to the national Irish TV channels on a non-subscription basis i.e. free to air covers 98% of the population. 100% coverage is not possible on a terrestrial network.
RTÉ has also rolled out a satellite TV service – called SAORSAT which is available to 100% of the population and provides access to the Irish public service TV channels on a non-subscription basis i.e. free to air. It is worth noting that TV licence holders in Ireland are not required to use SAORVIEW and that the Irish TV channels are also available on subscription TV service such as UPC, (over cable or MMDS) or Sky, (over satellite). According to the latest figures from Neilsen, Sky has circa 49% share of the TV market in Ireland whilst UPC has approximately 25%.
37. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in view of impending budget cuts, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the energy bill for the public sector is estimated at €500 million per year; if his further attention has been drawn to the potential shown by existing Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and Office of Public Works led projects to save at least 20% or €100 million per year of this bill within two years, if targeted energy efficiency programmes were implemented across the whole sector instead of continuing with the present voluntary and piecemeal initiatives; his plans to ensure that all Government Departments implement such programmes urgently in order to make these cuts that do not hurt; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51426/12]
View answerThe National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) sets out 90 actions that Government is either already taking or will take in the period to 2020 to achieve the national energy efficiency targets of 20% across the economy and 33% in the public sector. The savings identified in the Action Plan represent approximately €1.6 billion in avoided energy costs for the economy in 2020. The second Action Plan was approved by Government recently and will be published shortly. The Plan provides a progress report on delivery of the national energy efficiency objectives and shows that Ireland is on track to deliver the 20% energy savings target by 2020. It will also set out a range of energy saving actions in the public sector, which will be prioritised between now and 2020.
The public sector is estimated to spend more than €500 million per annum on energy. Achieving the 33% savings target for the public sector would save at least €150 million each year in expenditure. This Government remains firmly committed to meeting this target. In order to underpin delivery of the national energy savings target, my Department and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is working together to establish a comprehensive monitoring and reporting system whereby all energy usage in the Public Sector will be accounted for and progress will be systematically recorded. I recently wrote to the head of each of the public bodies, reminding them of their obligation to report annually their energy usage to the SEAI. Enclosed with each letter was the SEAI report: ‘Energy Use in the Public Sector’, which outlines savings achieved to date across the public sector to end-2010 amount to 650 GWh.
This year the SEAI has targeted the top 135 public bodies, which account for over 95% of public sector energy consumption. These organisations will submit detailed energy and activity data to the SEAI. From this data, detailed progress scorecards will be produced for each organisation. From 2013 on, an SEAI online energy data system will facilitate all public bodies and schools to report detailed energy data and allow the SEAI to prepare detailed scorecards for all public bodies.
Since 2009, my Department through the SEAI has supported over 140 public sector retrofit projects. This year the Better Energy Workplaces 2012 Fund has offered support to 145 projects – 44 of which are in the public sector. This scheme has developed public sector and market competence and capacity for Pay-As-You-Save (PAYS) type models. I recently approved the formation of an action group and work is underway to develop and deliver in 2013, a national framework for energy performance contracting, which will stimulate mass scale retrofitting projects across the public sector. This has been complemented by the Government decision to require all public sector bodies to go out to the market for energy services if their energy spend is more than €500,000 per year. The energy performance contracting framework will allow public bodies to implement projects whilst, most importantly, not relying on additional public expenditure to do so, thus not impacting on their capital budgets whilst also reducing their operating costs.
The recently adopted Energy Efficiency Directive will translate elements of the European Efficiency Plan into binding measures on Member States, including an annual rate of renovation for central Government buildings of 3%; an inventory of central Government buildings with a total useful floor area over certain thresholds; and an obligation on public bodies to procure products, services and buildings with high energy efficient performance. The 3% renovation target for central Government buildings represents a challenge for the Office of Public Works (OPW), however, the energy savings will greatly outweigh the costs of renovation. My Department will work closely with the OPW over the coming months to prepare a plan for the realisation of this target.
As outlined above, considerable progress with accompanying savings is being made in energy efficiency in the public sector. The Deputy can be assured of my strong commitment to realising the goals we have set for energy efficiency in the public sector.
40. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will agree that with regard to the 4G spectrum licences which run until 2030, much shorter licence periods would better suit Ireland's best interests. [53326/12]
View answerThe management of the radio spectrum is a statutory function of the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) under the Communications Regulation Act, 2002 as amended.
Regulation 9(6) of the European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Authorisation) Regulations 2011 requires that rights of use of radio frequencies be in force for such period as ComReg considers appropriate having, inter alia, taken due account of the need to allow for an appropriate period for investment amortisation. In that regard, ComReg’s decision to grant liberalised use licences for an overall length of approximately 17.5 years reflected, amongst other things:
- the need for regulatory certainty and efficient infrastructure investment provided by a duration that is compatible with the investment requirements of licensees; and
- the importance of striking an appropriate balance between offering assurances to licensees to assist with their business plans, while also not potentially tying up spectrum for unduly long periods, which would stifle the potential for other interested parties to obtain access to this spectrum in the future.
- ComReg therefore considered its proposed duration to be appropriate in the circumstances as it would strike an appropriate balance between the need to provide operators with the opportunity to earn a reasonable return on their investment and the need to ensure efficient spectrum management and use (such as the flexibility to re-allocate the spectrum for other uses should the need arise).
ComReg also notes its choice of duration is consistent with the durations for liberalised rights of use in the 800, 900, 1800 MHz and/or 2.1 GHz bands offered in other EU Member States. For example, Germany and Portugal decided upon 15 year licences, Austria for 16 years, and Italy for 18 years and Spain for 19 years.
