Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 October 2013
65. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of bills his Department has published since March 2011; the number of regulatory impact assessments that his Department has published since March 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43811/13]
View answerSince March 2011 there have been three Bills initiated by me and brought through the legislative process to completion. The first was the Access to Central Treasury Funds (Commission for Energy Regulation) Bill 2011, which comprised two sections. While no Regulatory Impact Analyses (RIA) was completed specifically for this Bill, a full RIA was undertaken with respect to the provisions of the related Petroleum (Exploration and Extraction) Safety Act, 2010. That Act is concerned with the carrying out of certain functions by the Commission for Energy Regulation, in respect of which borrowings from the Central Treasury Funds are necessary. The 2011 Bill itself was enacted on 23 November 2011 as the Access to Central Treasury Funds (Commission for Energy Regulation) Act 2011.
The second was the Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011. A RIA for the Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011 was published with the Bill on the 27 September 2011. The Bill, Explanatory Memoranda and RIA were made available on my Department’s website and also on the Oireachtas website. The Bill itself was enacted on the 25 February 2012 as the Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2012.
The third was the Electricity Regulation (Carbon Revenue Levy)(Amendment) Bill 2012. This was emergency legislation on foot of a Supreme Court Decision and therefore was exempt from RIA requirements. The Bill itself was enacted on 25 May 2012 as the Electricity Regulation (Carbon Revenue Levy)(Amendment) Act 2012. In addition to the above, the Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Act 2011, while not initiated by me, was enacted on 2 August 2011.
A further Bill, the Gas Regulation Bill 2013 was published on 25 July 2013 and is currently before the Houses of the Oireachtas. A RIA on the Gas Regulation Bill 2013, setting out the policy context and rationale for the implementation of full ownership unbundling, including for the sale of Bord Gáis Energy, was prepared. Some of the material contained in the RIA was considered to be commercially sensitive in light of the ongoing transaction process. Therefore, it is not intended to publish the RIA at this stage.
There are a number of other Bills currently in preparation in my Department which will be brought through the Houses of the Oireachtas in due course. My Department undertakes RIA in accordance with the procedures set out in the RIA Guidelines published by the Department of the Taoiseach.
