Written Answers Nos. 162-170
162. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will expedite an application for a fishing licence to fish on the River Maine in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30916/13]
View answerThe annual allocation of public licences for commercial draft nets is governed by the provisions of the relevant Control of Fishing for Salmon Order. The issuing of licences is administered by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) and the decision on licence allocations were made in advance of the season which commenced on 12 May. Any person over the age of 18 is entitled to apply for a public draft net licence unless they have previously availed of the Salmon Hardship Scheme. The process identifies a number of categories of applicant depending on, inter alia, the applicant’s previous fishing history.
In the area in question there were a total of 20 applications for just 14 licences. In the interests of fairness fishermen who most recently held a licence are prioritised. All the previous licence holders from 2012 applied again in 2013 and consequently all available licences were allocated and there were none available for the 6 other applicants, one of whom is the person the subject of the question, who has not held a draft net licence in the past 6 years.
163. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will consider making County Sligo a destination of the natural gas pipeline by way of an extension of the current pipeline running through County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30963/13]
View answerThe development and expansion of the natural gas network within the State is in the first instance a commercial matter for Gaslink - a subsidiary of Bord Gáis Éireann (BGE) - which is mandated under Section 8 of the Gas Act 1976, as amended, to develop and maintain a system for the supply of natural gas that is both economical and efficient.
The Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) is the statutory, independent body, charged with the assessment and licensing of prospective operators seeking to develop and operate a gas distribution system within the State. I have no direct statutory function in relation to connections to the gas network.
In 2006, the CER approved a new network connections policy which enabled reassessment of the feasibility of connecting certain towns to the gas network. This policy was updated in 2011. In order for any town to be connected to the gas network, certain economic criteria need to be satisfied as a prerequisite.
The policy allows for the appraisal of a town either on its own or as part of a regional group of towns. The policy framework provides that, over a certain period, the costs of connecting a town, or group of towns, to the network are recouped through the actual economic consumption of gas and the associated tariffs. Otherwise, uneconomic projects will increase costs for all energy consumers.
Having regard to the CER policy on new towns connections, Bord Gáis Networks, and more recently Gaslink, have carried out a comprehensive review of towns not connected to the national gas network. In April 2010, Gaslink published its ‘New Towns Analysis Phase 3’ report. The study included a review of the feasibility of connecting 11 towns in the West and North West region, including Sligo town. However, the Gaslink report found that none of the towns qualified for connection on economic grounds.
Nevertheless, Gaslink continues to review towns which did not qualify for connection under the Study and other towns on an ongoing basis. The key factor which would qualify a town or group of towns in any future review would be a significant increase in demand for natural gas, probably resulting from the addition of a new large industrial or commercial facility.
164. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans for investment in broadband infrastructure in the Dundalk gateway region in view of the fact that the region is below the Gateway average for household broadband take up. [30970/13]
View answerIreland’s telecommunications market has been fully liberalised since 1999 in accordance with the requirements of binding EU Directives. The market has since developed into a well-regulated market, supporting a multiplicity of commercial operators, providing services over a diverse range of technology platforms. Details of broadband services available in each County can be found on ComReg’s website at www.callcosts.ie.
The State can only intervene to ensure access to broadband services in areas where the competitive market has failed to deliver such services, as in the case of the National Broadband Scheme (NBS) and the Rural Broadband Scheme. 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.
With basic broadband services widely available across Ireland, the focus is now on accelerating the roll out of high speed services. The Government’s National Broadband Plan, which I published in August last, aims to radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland by ensuring that high speed services of 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.
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. Since the publication of the Plan, investments by the commercial sector are under way in both fixed line and mobile high speed broadband services, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas.
In tandem with these commercial developments, intensive work is under way in my Department to progress a State-led investment to secure the countrywide introduction of next generation broadband access.
In order to progress the State-led investment, a full procurement process must be designed and EU State Aids approval must be obtained. A comprehensive mapping exercise of the current and anticipated investment by the commercial sector is being undertaken to identify where the market is expected to succeed and fail in the delivery of high speed broadband services over the coming years.
The results of this mapping exercise will inform the level of Government intervention that may be required and the areas that need to be targeted in the State-led investment so as to deliver on the targets for high speed broadband contained in the National Broadband Plan.
Intensive technical, financial and legal preparations including stakeholder engagement will be ongoing throughout 2013 with a view to the launch of a procurement process in 2014.
Implementation of the National Broadband Plan will be complemented by the National Digital Strategy. The first phase of the National Digital Strategy, which I intend to launch in early July, will target specific segments of society, aiming to improve digital adoption and to realise the economic and social benefits that digital technologies can bring.
The Government remains firmly committed to ensuring that citizens, businesses and all parts of society are motivated, empowered and have the requisite connectivity to interact effectively in a digital environment.
165. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide a breakdown of the administration costs in the natural resources section of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31092/13]
View answer166. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide a breakdown of the administration costs in the communications section of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31093/13]
View answer167. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide a breakdown of the administration costs in the broadcasting section of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31094/13]
View answer168. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide a breakdown of the administration costs in the energy section of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31095/13]
View answer169. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide a breakdown of the administration costs in the fisheries section of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31096/13]
View answer170. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will outline what other services refers to in his Department's spending; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31097/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 165 to 170, inclusive, together.
The 2013 Administration provisions are allocated across the programme areas of my Department based on a number of factors including outturn from previous years, staff numbers, equipment purchases and, in 2013, anticipated level of involvement in EU Presidency activities. These allocations represent a best estimate of administration expenses at the outset of the year, but may vary as the year unfolds. A breakdown of administration costs allocated across the five programme areas of my Department is provided in the following table.
The Revised Estimates Volume 2013 provides for ‘A.7 Other Services’ under Communications Programme Expenditure. Other Services refers to capital contingency allocation and also current expenditure for Commissions and Enquires which may arise during the course of the year.
Administration – Pay (figures in €000)
|
Subhead |
Communications |
Broadcasting |
Energy |
Natural Resources |
Inland Fisheries |
|
(i) Salaries, Wages & Allowances |
3,992 |
881 |
4,273 |
5,696 |
907 |
|
(ix) EU Presidency |
100 |
0 |
100 |
0 |
0 |
Administration – Non Pay (figures in €000)
|
Subhead |
Communications |
Broadcasting |
Energy |
Natural Resources |
Inland Fisheries |
|
(ii) Travel & Subsistence |
110 |
29 |
238 |
176 |
28 |
|
(iii) Training and Development & Incidental Expenses |
468 |
55 |
86 |
376 |
74 |
|
(iv) Postal & Telecommunications Services |
191 |
40 |
107 |
174 |
17 |
|
(v) Office Equipment & External IT Services |
1,025 |
184 |
719 |
1,018 |
155 |
|
(vi) Office Premises Expenses |
242 |
43 |
170 |
240 |
36 |
|
(vii) Consultancy Services and Value For Money & Policy Reviews |
628 |
112 |
441 |
625 |
95 |
|
(viii) Equipment, Stores and Maintenance |
0 |
0 |
0 |
117 |
0 |
|
(ix) EU Presidency |
400 |
0 |
400 |
0 |
0 |
