Written Answers Nos. 130-139
130. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the current rating of quality speed and standard of broadband here when compared with other EU jurisdictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5026/13]
View answerThe most recently published statistical report published by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), for the period July-September 2012, reports that 75% of broadband customers in Ireland have contracted for marketed broadband services in a range between 2-10 Mbps and a further 21% have contracted at speeds exceeding 10 Mbps. EU Commission statistics, published on its digital scoreboard website, which compare marketed broadband speeds across the EU 27 ranks Ireland at 84% access in a range between 2-10 Mbps compared to the EU average of 87% in this range. In the case of speeds at or exceeding 10 Mbps, the EU Commission reports 29% availability over fixed lines in Ireland compared to an EU average of 48%.
It can be noted however that the EU Commission reports are based on 2011 data. The more recent ComReg report notes an overall trend of customers contracting at higher speeds. The proportion of customers contracting at or below 2 Mbps fell from 7% - to 5% of all subscriptions between Q3 2011 and Q3 2012. I welcome this trend towards higher speeds which is consistent with the commitment set in the National Broadband Plan, which I published on the 30th August last year, to ensure 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.
131. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which he has identified the existence of particular black spots throughout the country in relation to the availability of broadband services; when he expects such issues to be addressed in full with particular reference to meeting the needs of the business, domestic and commercial sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5027/13]
View answerConsiderable progress has been made in recent years in both the coverage and speeds of national broadband infrastructure, with a multiplicity of commercial operators, providing services over a diverse range of technology platforms. The Government has also undertaken a number of initiatives to bring broadband to those parts of the country where commercial operators have been unable to offer services. The combination of private investment and State interventions means that Ireland has met the EU Commission’s Digital Agenda for Europe target of having a basic broadband service available to all areas by 2013.
The Government, through the National Broadband Plan, which I published on 30 August last year, has recognised that the key imperative now is to ensure high speed broadband availability to all. The Plan commits to high speed broadband availability across the country 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. Ireland is now therefore moving to a new phase of public and private sector investment in broadband in Ireland which will see significantly improved speeds delivered across the country.
During the preparation of Ireland’s 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 commercial sector is already making these investments in high speed services, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas. The Government is also committed in the Plan to investing in areas where high speed services are not commercially viable and will not be provided by the market.
My Department is making preparations to commence a formal national mapping exercise to identify where the market is expected to succeed and fail in the delivery of high speed broadband over the coming years. This will inform the level of Government interaction that may be required and the areas that need to be targeted for a State-led investment. Through the implementation of the National Broadband Plan, we are committed to increasing the availability of next generation speeds significantly, with a view to ensuring that all citizens and business can participate fully in a digitally enabled society.
132. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the degree to which the use and production of biodiesel, bioethanol or other energy continues to develop in accordance with targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5028/13]
View answerThe 2009 Renewable Energy Directive set a binding target on all Member States to achieve at least 10% renewable energy in transport by 2020. The increased deployment of Electric Vehicles will help in this regard but the primary means of meeting this target will be by the increasing use of biofuels. The Biofuel Obligation Scheme was introduced in July 2010 and works by obligating large road transport fuel suppliers to bring a certain amount of biofuels to the market. This has seen increased amounts of biofuels such as biodiesel and bioethanol being deployed in Ireland. From the start of this year, I have increased the obligation on fuel suppliers to include at least 6% by volume biofuels in their overall annual disposal of road transport fuels from the previous obligation rate of 4%. The recent increase in the obligation rate along with future increases will see the biofuel market grow to an estimated 500 million litres by 2020. This will continue to create further opportunities for the indigenous biofuel industry.
133. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will give a commitment that no licences for on-shore unconventional shale gas exploration will be granted at least until the new Environmental Protection Agency report on the Environmental Impacts of Unconventional Gas Exploration and Extraction is completed and considered. [5059/13]
View answerThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced the terms of reference for the more extensive second stage of its research into the use of hydraulic fracturing, the final results of which are expected in early 2015. As I have confirmed to the House on a number of previous occasions, no decision will be made on any proposal for the use of hydraulic fracturing in exploration drilling in Ireland until there has been time to consider the outcome of this further EPA research.
134. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide funding to Kerry County Council for group sewerage schemes in the county in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4837/13]
View answerResponsibility for the administration of the Rural Water Programme, which includes group sewerage schemes, has been devolved to local authorities since 1997. Last month I announced an increase in the grant for group sewerage schemes to €6,500 per house or 75% of the cost of the scheme, whichever is the lesser. The previous rate of grant available was €2,031.58 per house or 75% of the cost, whichever was the lesser. I propose, in the first instance, to carry out a number of pilot schemes based on the increased grant level. My Department asked local authorities to include in their requests for funding under the 2013 Rural Water Programme proposals for group sewerage schemes which might be viable based on the increased grant. The selection of the pilot schemes and related funding arrangements will be completed as soon as possible after examination of the proposals recently received from local authorities.
135. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide in tabular form the number of organisations or agencies under the aegis of his Department that have vacancies on their board; the length of time any such vacancies have been unfilled; the number of vacancies that have been advertised; the number of applications to fill such vacancies that have been received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4858/13]
View answerThe information requested is as follows:
|
Agency |
Number of Vacancies |
Date Vacancy Arose |
Number of Vacancies Advertised |
Number of Applications Received to date |
|
An Bord Pleanála |
2* |
30 June 2010 and 1 January 2012 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Housing Finance Agency |
1** |
1 March 2012 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Housing Sustainable Communities Agency |
3 |
1 August 2012 |
All |
Process being handled by Public Appointments S ervice. Applications close on 8 February 2013. |
|
Private Residential Tenancies Board |
2 |
31 December 2012 |
All |
22 |
|
Radiological Protection Institute Ireland |
1 |
19 September 2012 |
Position will remain vacant due to impending merger with Environmental Protection Agency |
- |
|
Western Development Commission |
1 |
7 September 2012 |
It is not proposed to fill this vacancy at present. |
- |
|
Pobal*** |
1 |
3 December 2012 |
A notice was placed on the Department’s website on 3 August 2012 seeking expressions of interest from people interested in filling vacancies, as they arise, on the Board of Pobal. |
34 |
*Two temporary Board members were recently appointed to deal with a backlog of cases. There are no plans to appoint any permanent Board members at present.
** A recruitment process for the post of Chief Executive Officer is currently underway and that position when filled is an automatic appointment to the Board.
*** Pobal is a not-for-profit private company limited by guarantee with charitable status which manages programmes on behalf of the Irish Government and the EU.
A number of different statutory processes are involved in appointments to State boards. In some cases statutory selection procedures must be followed or nominations must be sought from independent nominating panels before appointments are made by the Government or by the Minister. In a number of situations, only some appointments to the body concerned are made by the Minister, or appointments are made with the consent of another Minister.
136. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will clarify if estates may be subjects of developers' bonds and simultaneously not be classified on the list of unfinished estates for the purpose of the household charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4897/13]
View answer137. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will clarify if estates may be classified on the list of unfinished estates for the purposes of the household charge and simultaneously remain subjects of developers' bonds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4898/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 136 and 137 together.
As part of the process of preparing the National Housing Development Survey 2011, published by my Department in October 2011, local authorities provided details of all unfinished housing developments in their areas. Unfinished housing developments were divided into four categories as follows:
- Category one, where the development is still being actively completed by the developer, or where no serious public safety issues exist;
- Category two, where a receiver has been appointed;
- Category three, where a receiver has not been appointed and the developer is still in place but effectively inactive; and,
- Category four, where the development has been effectively abandoned and is posing serious problems for residents.
The provision of a security (including bonds and cash deposits) to ensure the satisfactory completion of developments is a separate matter and will remain as a condition of relevant planning permissions.
138. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to firefighters' concerns regarding a possible reduction in firefighter numbers by 20% (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4932/13]
View answer140. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the proposal to reduce firefighter numbers on appliances by 20% as outlined in the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management's Keeping Communities Safe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4935/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 140 together.
My Department’s National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management has developed a policy document, Keeping Communities Safe (KCS), which is intended to set the future direction of fire services in Ireland. It sets out a system of national processes and standards for fire service delivery in Ireland based on a risk management approach to fire safety. The national standards that are proposed in KCS are in keeping with international good practice and are crucial to a consistent approach across fire services in Ireland. The standards in question are based on an ‘area risk categorisation’ system which will be applied across the country by all fire services. This will result in fire station areas being risk graded across five bands from very high to very low. The fire service response in terms of numbers of fire appliances and fire crews in an area is then related to this risk categorisation. Pre-determined attendances (PDAs) indicate the number of appliances that will be mobilised initially in response to calls for assistance to particular categories of incident.
Fires in dwellings (other than chimney fires) are categorised as primary fires and two fire engines will be the normal initial response to primary fires (pre-determined attendance). This may be varied by the incident commander in light of available information. The first appliance mobilised to an incident would have a normal crew complement of 5 personnel, to include a designated Incident Commander, with 4 personnel on the second or subsequent appliances mobilised from the same station. I understand that a small number of stations within Dublin currently respond to an incident with 6 personnel in the first appliance . Therefore, the 20% reduction mentioned in the Question s refers to the impact of the proposal on a limited number of stations within Dublin Fire Brigade.
In accordance with KCS, the primary responsibility will be on local service management to conduct a risk categorisation process for its functional area. However, there is specific provision in KCS that in situations where fire services consider it appropriate to put in place arrangements different to the norms set out above such proposals and the supporting case may be included in the fire service’s discussions with an External Validation Group. This will ensure, as far as possible, that appropriate risk categorisation is applied and any vulnerabilities are addressed. The draft KCS document is available on my Department’s web site at www.environ.ie, and I intend to publish it as national policy in the near future.
139. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the housing options available to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4933/13]
View answerIt is open to any person or household to apply to a housing authority for an assessment of their housing need. It is a matter solely for the housing authority concerned to determine whether an applicant for social housing support is eligible for and in need of that support. The authority must make its determination in accordance with the provisions of section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, and regulations made under that section, primarily the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, having regard to the particular circumstances of the case. As Minister I am precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any particular case with which a housing authority is or may be concerned.
