Tuesday, 3 Dec 2013

Written Answers Nos. 224-238

Appointments to State Boards

Questions (224)

Pat Deering

Question:

224. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the procedure that was followed for the selection of the new chairman of EirGrid. [51420/13]

Written answers

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

This Government has made changes in relation to appointments to State boards and bodies with new arrangements involving advertisement of vacancies for applications from suitably qualified candidates and, in accordance with the Government Decision of 12 April 2011, Expressions of Interest have been invited from persons wishing to be considered for appointment to vacancies on State boards under the aegis of my Department. This information has been used to inform decisions for appointments to State boards. Such invitations are designed to extend the range of suitable persons from which a Minister might make appointments - not to constrain that range. The Members of the Board of EirGrid, and the Chairperson of the Board, are appointed by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Such appointments are made under Statutory Instrument No. 445 of 2000. On 12 November, the Government agreed to appoint Mr. John O'Connor to chair the Board of EirGrid. Mr. O'Connor has been invited to attend before the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications on 3 December 2013, prior to his appointment's being formalised.

Departmental Bodies Board Remuneration

Questions (225)

Pat Deering

Question:

225. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the expenses paid to the board of EirGrid over the past five years in tabular form under the headings, fees, travel and subsistence collectively and on an individual basis. [51421/13]

Written answers

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Details of the expenses paid to members of the Board of EirGrid are a matter for the company and the Board. The Directors' Remuneration is published each year in the company's Annual Report which is available on the company's website: www.eirgrid.com.

Broadband Service Provision

Questions (226)

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

Question:

226. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his Department is planning to provide a better level of broadband here; if he will confirm the budget allocated for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51588/13]

Written answers

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Ireland’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 Government’s National Broadband Plan, which I published in August 2012, aims to radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland by ensuring that high speed broadband is available to all citizens and businesses. This will be achieved by providing a policy and regulatory framework that assists in accelerating and incentivising commercial investment, and a State-led investment for areas where it is not commercial for the market to invest.

Since the publication of the Plan, investments by the commercial sector are underway and in some instances have been accelerated in both fixed line and wireless high speed broadband services. ComReg has put in place a new regulatory regime for fixed line Next Generation Access and for service bundles, both of which are designed to incentivise the rollout of services by service providers. ComReg’s multiband spectrum auction, completed in 2012, is also enabling the rollout of advanced mobile broadband services.

In order to progress the State-led investment for areas where it is not commercial for the market to invest, a full procurement process must be designed and EU State Aids approval must be obtained. My Department is engaged in a comprehensive mapping exercise of the current and anticipated investment by the commercial sector to identify where the market is expected to deliver high speed broadband services over the coming years. The results of this mapping exercise will inform the areas that need to be targeted in the State-led investment as envisaged in the National Broadband Plan.

Intensive technical, financial and legal preparations, including stakeholder engagement, are ongoing. The procurement process for the approved intervention will be carried out in accordance with EU and Irish procurement rules and it is expected that it will be launched in 2014. The actual cost to the State will be determined by the structure and outcome of the procurement process, which will be designed to ensure value for money.

Through the implementation of the National Broadband Plan, I am committed to ensuring that all parts of Ireland have access to high speed broadband, with a view to ensuring that all citizens and businesses can participate fully in, and maximise the benefits of, a digitally enabled economy and society.

Electricity Transmission Network

Questions (227)

Thomas Pringle

Question:

227. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on the claim that EirGrid has not fully engaged with the public in relation to public consultations on its plan for the construction of electricity pylons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51717/13]

Written answers

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Development of the high voltage electricity grid as planned in the EirGrid Grid25 strategy is critical to Ireland's economic and social development. Ensuring secure reliable and safe supplies of electricity is critical to Ireland’s ability to attract inward investment and retain and create jobs.All projects in the Grid25 programme are undertaken in accordance with EirGrid’s Project Development and Consultation Roadmap. The Roadmap is a five stage approach to projects; all stages include opportunities for public consultation and feedback including the final stage which is subject to the full planning process of An Bord Pleanála. Currently the Grid Link project is at Stage 1 of the roadmap. Stage 1 is the information gathering stage and the Project Stage 1 Report was published by EirGrid on 3 September 2013. The report identifies a number of route corridor options for the new line, and will inform the public consultation process. EirGrid are encouraging interested parties to make submissions. On 25 November 2013, EirGrid announced its decision to extend the third phase of public consultation on the Grid Link Project until Tuesday, 7 January 2014, so that interested parties will have plenty of time to contribute to the consultation process and express their views in relation to the project.

The Grid West project is at Stage 1 of the roadmap (the information gathering stage) and the Project Stage 1 Report was published by EirGrid on 7 October 2013. The report identifies a number of route corridor options for the new line, and will inform a public consultation between now and spring 2014.

The North South Interconnector project is entering Stage 3 of the roadmap and has already been the subject of extensive consultation. The objective of this stage is to confirm the preferred project solution. The preferred project solution report, which shows the route of the overhead line in detail, has been published.

The planning process affords further opportunity for citizens to raise views regarding these developments.

Metropolitan Area Networks Programme

Questions (228)

Patrick O'Donovan

Question:

228. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide details in tabular form of the different publicly provided metropolitan area networks in the country; the year of completion; the total cost of the MAN; the year that the MAN was lit; if that is the case, details of the volume of traffic on the MAN; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51729/13]

Written answers

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

A table of the Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) and their respective locations, the year of completion and year lit for each MAN is attached.The MANs Programme, which was eligible for co-funding of 40-50% under the European Regional Development Fund, has cost in the region of €176 million to date. Phase I of the MANs programme delivered optical fibre networks to twenty eight towns and cities around the country. The total capital cost of Phase I of the MANs programme was approximately €85 million (€76m of which was met by my Department and €9m of which was met by the local authorities).

Phase II of the MANs programme delivered a further sixty optical fibre networks serving sixty-six towns and cities. The total capital cost of Phase II of the MANs programme was approximately €91.5 million (€82.3m of which was met by my Department and €9.2m of which was met by the local authorities). It is not possible to give a breakdown of the cost of each MAN. However, details of the capital cost by region for each MANs project are set out in the table attached.

The Phase I and Phase II MANs are managed, operated and maintained by e|net, who make the networks available to the telecommunications sector on a wholesale basis. These operators include service providers who, in turn, provide mobile and fixed line broadband services for customers and businesses in these regions. e|net is a commercial organisation and information on traffic on the MANs is commercially sensitive. Of the 88 MANs, 83 are currently “lit”, that is, connected to backhaul and in use by one or more telecoms service providers. It is estimated that in excess of 600,000 individuals and business users are benefitting from the MANs infrastructure.

Bord Gáis Privatisation

Questions (229)

Lucinda Creighton

Question:

229. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the total number of staff within his Department or NewEra who have been working on the sale of Bord Gáis Energy; the total cost from his Department for any third party service that was engaged in the context or preparation of a sale of Bord Gáis Energy; if he will publish any third party reports advising on the sale of Bord Gáis Energy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51771/13]

Written answers

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

A total of four officials from my Department were involved in the Working Group and Steering Group overseeing the sale process for the Bord Gais Energy business. No additional resources, either internal or external were retained by the Department for the purpose of the process and officials undertook this work as part of their normal duties. My Department did not directly engage or incur any expenses in respect of third party services relating to the sale process as this was undertaken by the NewERA shareholding unit of the NTMA. The NTMA operates under the aegis of the Department of Finance and I have no statutory responsibility for this agency.

Inland Fisheries Ireland

Questions (230)

Ciara Conway

Question:

230. Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will examine correspondence (details supplied); if he will answer the questions raised including a rationale for the decision not to base the salmon population figure on survey evidence rather than logbook returns; the reason the tributaries mentioned are open to fishing while the River Bride continues to be closed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51782/13]

Written answers

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Deputy Pat Rabbitte)

Ireland manages salmon stocks generally on an individual river basis. Each river contains a genetically unique stock, which migrates to sea as juveniles and returns to the same river in adulthood to spawn. The conservation imperative means that exploitation of salmon of each river is only permitted where the independent Standing Scientific Committee (SSC) for salmon determine that the stock in that river is above its conservation limit. Based on the deliberations of the SSC as regards the status of each individual river stock, and in accordance with Section 69 (8) of the Inland Fisheries Act, 2010, I commenced the statutory 30 day public consultation process for the draft Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme Regulations 2013 for the 2014 season. This consultation process commenced on 8 November 2013 and will end on 7 December 2013. The draft regulations are open for public inspection and are accessible on my Department’s website. Objections to and observations on proposals within the draft regulations, including the matter referred to by the Deputy, may be submitted at any time during the consultation period to:-

Inland Fisheries Division,

Department of Communications Energy and Natural Resources,

Elm House,

Earlsvale Road,

Cavan

or by e-mail to [e-mail]

At the end of this consultation period I can assure that all observations and objections will be considered prior to finalisation of the draft regulations and I will arrange for a copy of the Statutory Instrument to be laid before both houses of the Oireachtas. As I am sure the Deputy will understand, it would be inappropriate for me to comment any further on an individual river or any individual submission until the statutory period for consultation has closed.

Media Mergers

Questions (231)

Seán Kyne

Question:

231. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will report on the progress of media ownership legislation which will promote diversity and prevent monopolies; and if he has had discussions with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation on this matter. [51961/13]

Written answers

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

As the Deputy will be aware, at present my primary function with regard to media is directly related to my remit in the broadcasting sector. The responsibility for control of mergers and acquisitions, including those relating to the media in the State, lies with my colleague, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation as provided for in the Competition Act 2002. The Government decided in 2011 to draft a new Consumer and Competition Bill; part of that Decision involved giving effect in legislation to the recommendations of the Report of the Advisory Group on Media Mergers, and to transfer responsibility for public interest considerations from the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. Primary responsibility for promulgating the Bill required to give effect to this Decision rests with the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. However, my Department has been heavily engaged with the drafting of this legislation in recent months in tandem with the Department Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, and I gather that a final Bill will be ready for publication shortly. The critical role of the media in our democracy, and the potentially harmful effects of an over concentration of media ownership, means that this issue is a vitally important one. The Government remains committed to implementing a set of robust measures that allow for a transparent and objective assessment of the public good in media mergers cases, and to do so as quickly as possible.

Electromagnetic Fields Studies

Questions (232)

Michelle Mulherin

Question:

232. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide assurances regarding fears among the public about the health risks to humans on account of high power electricity lines and pylons and particularly 400 kV lines being constructed nationwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51699/13]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

The issue of the potential health effects of electromagnetic fields was the subject of an Expert Group Report commissioned by the Government and published in March 2007. This Report, entitled Health Effects of Electromagnetic Fields and which is available for download on my Department’s website (www.environ.ie), examined a wide range of issues in relation to the potential health effects of electromagnetic fields, including those produced from electricity pylons. The Expert Group reported that the majority scientific opinion was that no adverse short- or long-term effects have been demonstrated from exposure to electromagnetic fields at levels below the limits recommended by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

With regard to Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) fields of non-ionising radiation emitted by electricity power lines, the Report concluded that there is limited scientific evidence of adverse health effects. The Expert Group recommended that precautionary measures be used, where appropriate, and that Ireland continue to adopt and enforce the international guidelines developed by the ICNIRP and endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Union, which we continue to do.

A substantial volume of research on this issue is being carried out internationally by regulatory bodies with responsibilities for monitoring the health effects of electromagnetic fields. The findings of this research are being monitored by the WHO’s EMF Project; it is expected that a report will issue in 2014.

My Department will continue to monitor this and other scientific evidence as it is made available, and will consider any policy implications in this context.

Waste Management

Questions (233)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

233. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the facilities available to families in a situation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51902/13]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

An inter-departmental working group was established under A Resource Opportunity - Waste Management Policy in Ireland, which I published in July 2012, to report to Government with options to minimise the impact of waste charges on low income households. The Working Group, which comprises representatives of my Department and the Departments of Social Protection; Public Expenditure and Reform; Finance; and the Tánaiste's Office, submitted its second report to Government on 23 July, 2013. Government considered the report and the range of complex issues involved and has asked the group to prepare a further report for submission in 2014. 

I also published a consultation paper on the Regulation of Household Waste Collection on 28 November 2013, inviting submissions on issues related to household waste collection.  A copy of the consultation paper is available to download from www.environ.ie and submissions are requested by 31 January 2014. I anticipate that this consultation exercise will serve as an important input to the third report of the inter-departmental working group to the Government.

Non-Principal Private Residence Charge Collection

Questions (234)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

234. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will confirm that the non-principal private residence charge will be abolished from 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51977/13]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009 broadened the revenue base of local authorities by introducing a charge on non-principal private residences. The self-assessed charge is set at €200 per annum and liability for it falls, in the main, on owners of rental, holiday and vacant properties.

Since its introduction in 2009, the Charge has been an important source of revenue for local authorities and has funded the provision of vital local services. Approximately 358,000 properties have been registered for the Non-Principal Private Residence Charge, which has raised in excess of €392 m to date over its five years of operation.

This year will be the final year of the operation of the Non-Principal Private Residence Charge.

Property Taxation Application

Questions (235)

Robert Dowds

Question:

235. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if local authorities are obliged to charge their tenants for the property tax due for the house in which they reside, in view of the fact that the local authority has to pay the Revenue Commissioners the property tax due on each of the houses which it owns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51300/13]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

In accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, housing authorities are responsible for determining the rents of their dwellings, subject to complying with broad principles laid down by my Department, notably that the rent payable should be related to income and that low-income households should pay a lower proportion of income in rent.

The current arrangements for determining local authority rents will be substantially replaced on the coming into force of section 31 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, which predates, and does not refer to, the Local Property Tax legislation. Following the enactment of the Housing (Amendment) Act 2013 in July, I am arranging to make regulations under section 31 re-affirming the principle that rents should be related to household income and composition, and reflecting the requirement that housing authorities should set rent levels that take account, as far as practicable, of the cost of providing works and services to, and managing and maintaining, their rented accommodation. I intend to ask the Housing Agency to provide the relevant guidance to housing authorities to assist them in making their rent schemes to ensure that they comply with the Regulations.

Pyrite Remediation Programme Implementation

Questions (236)

Dara Calleary

Question:

236. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason the pyrite remediation scheme is isolated to dwellings in the five local authority areas of Fingal, Dublin city, Meath, Kildare and Offaly; the options that are available to persons affected by pyrite problems in other counties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51315/13]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

In September 2011, I established an independent panel to consider options for a resolution of the problem of pyrite in the sub-floor hardcore material which had manifested itself in dwellings in a small number of local authority areas. The Panel undertook a desktop study, in conjunction with stakeholder consultation, to establish certain facts in relation to the potential exposure to pyrite problems. The information was gathered from a number of sources including local authorities, structural guarantee providers, representatives of homeowners, private builders, construction professionals and public representatives and was cross referenced to verify, as far as practicable, its validity.

Seventy four estates were identified to the Pyrite Panel as possibly having pyrite in the sub-floor hardcore of the dwellings therein. All of these estates are located in the five local authority areas of Dublin City, Fingal, Kildare, Meath and Offaly. I understand that the Pyrite Panel was not made aware of any instances of pyrite in hardcore material occurring outside of those five local authority areas at the time of the report’s compilation.

The Pyrite Panel’s report provides the framework for the proposed remediation scheme and the eligibility criteria for the scheme will be reflective of the conclusions and recommendations of the report. The scheme will only apply where a dwelling is affected by significant damage due to pyritic heave and where this is established in accordance with the relevant Irish Standard 398-1:2013 Reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material-Part 1: Testing and categorisation protocol, published by the National Standards Authority of Ireland. In addition, applicants under the scheme will need to demonstrate that they have no other viable options to seek redress.

In general, building defects are matters for resolution between the contracting parties, the homeowner, the builder, the supplier and/or their respective insurers and in the event that the parties cannot reach a settlement by negotiation the option of seeking redress in the Courts is available.

Shared Ownership Scheme

Questions (237)

Brian Stanley

Question:

237. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will confirm the person who has responsibility for implementing the clawbacks for apartments bought under the affordable housing scheme in the Dublin docklands area; in the event that his Department has responsibility, if he will consider the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 2; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51335/13]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

Since the introduction of affordable housing schemes in 1999 qualifying applicants were enabled to become home owners through purchase of designated affordable units, including through the shared ownership scheme. This involved the purchaser entering into a shared ownership lease with the local authority on a property at a significant discount from market value. In these cases, as with all affordable housing sales, a clawback was introduced to prevent short-term profit taking on the resale of the house to the detriment of the objectives of the schemes.

While it is not appropriate for me to comment on individual cases, I fully recognise that affordable home owners are in many cases impacted by the downturn in the same way as other home owners, for example in consequence of unemployment and possible negative equity. In such cases borrowers should actively engage with their lenders, whether a commercial financial institution or a local authority, to seek to avail of one of the options available to provide sustainable solutions to distressed mortgages. In this regard the mortgage arrears resolution process already in place in respect of commercial mortgages is now being implemented across all local authorities. In cases of acute mortgage distress homeowners also have the option of seeking to avail of the legal process now also in place to deal with personal insolvency.

Household Charge Collection

Questions (238)

Terence Flanagan

Question:

238. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the action that has been taken to date against persons who did not pay the household charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51346/13]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 provided the legislative basis for the Household Charge. Under the Act, an owner of a residential property on the liability date is liable to pay the Household Charge, unless otherwise exempted or entitled to claim a waiver. The Charge has operated on a self-assessment basis with an owner of a residential property determining liability and paying the Charge.

Local authorities, assisted by the Local Government Management Agency on a shared services/agency basis, administered the Household Charge system , including enforcement activity against non-compliant owners. Household Charge operational matters are a matter for the relevant local authority or for the Agency.

The Local Property Tax legislation provides that Household Charge liabilities which were unpaid on 1 July 2013 be treated as a €200 Local Property Tax liability in addition to this year’s Local Property Tax liability. As such, outstanding Household Charge liabilities on 1 July 2013 became Local Property Tax liabilities.