Written Answers Nos. 454-469
454. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the percentage of the country that is currently covered by a broadband service; the counties that have the least broadband coverage in tabular form; the efforts that will be made to ensure all communities have access to broadband here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1170/14]
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. The combination of private investment and State interventions such as the National Broadband Scheme 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.
In the normal course of events, my Department does not maintain information on the exact coverage offered by the many operators who offer broadband services and, given the different technologies and different types of service offered by these operators, it would not be practical to attempt to say whether one county had more or less broadband than another. Accordingly it is not possible to provide the detailed information sought in the Deputy’s question. However, information relating to broadband services which are available in the Irish market 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. These developments have been facilitated through the implementation of measures in the National Broadband Plan, including the conclusion of ComReg's multiband spectrum auction, and the new regulatory regime for fixed line Next Generation Access and service bundles. Both of these measures are designed to incentivise the roll-out of services by operators.
In tandem with these developments, intensive work is underway 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 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 over the coming years, the results of which will inform the areas that need to be targeted in the State-led investment as envisaged in the National Broadband Plan.
The mapping exercise currently underway will identify and map current and planned broadband services, both basic and next generation access (NGA). The mapping data which has been submitted to my Department by operators is being assessed on a case-by-case basis, having regard to EU State Aid Guidelines, and engagement with participating operators is ongoing. When all of the information has been analysed, a clear picture should emerge of coverage throughout all of the country.
It is my intention to publish the map showing existing and planned NGA broadband coverage later this year, along with the Government’s proposals for a State-led intervention to roll out high speed broadband across the country.
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.
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.
455. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to concerns that the existing legislation regarding inland fisheries does not take into account the needs of modern fisheries management, including the control and management of invasive species, the implementation of necessary conservation measures such as bag limits, size limits, catch and release regulations and the ongoing requirement to control water pollution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1198/14]
View answer456. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to proposals to introduce a mandatory contribution for all inland angling clubs towards an angling development fund which would be used to promote angling conservation and development projects; if he supports this measure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1199/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 455 and 456 together.
The legislative code governing inland fisheries is contained in 13 separate Acts which date back to 1959 and there is a need at this stage for consolidation and modernisation of the code. My Department, working closely with Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), is finalising a wide-ranging and comprehensive review of the existing legislation with a view to introducing Heads of a new Inland Fisheries Bill as soon as possible.
This is an important issue and I have organised a number of public meetings to which the public and fisheries interests were invited. In addition, I arranged a briefing on these issues for members of the Oireachtas on 27 November last to update on the progress of the review and outline the issues under consideration.
Matters such as invasive species and conservation, which were not in play when the 1959 legislation was enacted, have already been considered as part of the development of the legislative proposals currently under consideration.
One of the issues that we have also sought to address as part of consultation is how funding could be mobilised for the development of the sector. There are a range of views on this issue and my consistent view is that a funding instrument will only work with broad support across the angling sector and equally must not be a source of division between representative associations.
In response to some inferences that a discussion document relating to the funding issue was a proposal to introduce a "rod licence", I have already made it absolutely clear that no such proposal was made by me or my Department, nor is it intended to introduce such a licence.
I have undertaken to have further stakeholder engagement and will not finalise any of the legislative proposals before this is concluded.
To this end, the main angling bodies met with officials from the Department and with officials and board members from IFI in late December. The angling bodies themselves have agreed to meet later this month to discuss issues they would like to see addressed in new legislation including funding opportunities.
Thereafter, I propose to host a representative workshop to facilitate the formulation of proposals to secure the future development of the resource.
The priority is to seek the broadest consensus possible. There is a unique opportunity for the angling community to work as a unified group to finally secure the long term viability of the resource into the future. I am keen to ensure that any proposal for the funding of the sector has the broadest possible buy-in from the angling community.
I am keenly aware that not all anglers are members of clubs or federations and would urge all Deputies to encourage such anglers in their areas to participate in the further round of consultative meetings.
457. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some television programmes made and broadcast by the public broadcasters are not currently available on their online player to Irish citizens currently outside the State, that are available online for citizens inside the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1219/14]
View answerRTE is an independent national public service broadcaster whose remit and obligations are set out in the Broadcasting Act 2009, and as such, I, as Minister have no role in it day-to-day operations, including in relation to issues concerning access to content on the RTE Player.
That said, my Department has been in contact with RTE regarding this issue and it has advised that the unavailability of content to international audiences is because RTE does not hold the rights to deliver this content outside of Ireland. At present, only 30% of the content on the Irish version of RTE Player is available to RTE's international audiences and this comprises in-house productions of news, current affairs, flagship entertainment shows, daytime programming and a time delayed transmission of the Sunday Game.
RTE is aware that this is an issue of concern to many of its viewers internationally and has been working to develop a possible solution to the issue that it hopes will address many of these concerns.
458. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when he envisages that the electricity system will be capable of utilising all of the electricity generated on a daily basis from renewable sources. [1263/14]
View answerCurrently there is over 2,100 MW of renewable electricity generation connected to the grid. This is made up of wind, hydro, bioenergy, renewable combined heat and power (CHP) and solar. On 17 December 2013 a record output for wind alone of 1,769 MW was achieved. This demonstrates the increasing capacity of the grid to utilise high amounts of electricity from renewable generation sources.
EirGrid operates the power system to ensure that the necessary reliability and security for consumers is maintained at all times.To ensure that required standards of reliability can be maintained on the power system, while accommodating increasing levels of renewable electricity in line with the requirement under EU Directive 2009/28 for priority dispatch of renewable generation, EirGrid is implementing the DS3 programme. This work currently facilitates an operational, instantaneous, real time limit of 50% of the system demand from wind generation at any given time. EirGrid is working on moving this limit to 75% in the coming years. This is a significant operational and design challenge. In increasing the amount of renewable energy used on the power system, the upgrade of the national grid through Grid25, and the introduction of smart grid technologies, are vital to ensure the future secure operation of the grid.
In 2012, 19.6% of Ireland electricity demand was met from renewable generation. Ireland is committed to achieving a yearly average of 40% of electricity from renewable sources in order to meet our EU target of 16% of all energy coming from renewable sources by 2020.
459. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide evidence that placing electricity pylons underground will add 3% per annum for 50 years to domestic electricity bills. [1270/14]
View answerDecisions regarding the construction of the electricity transmission infrastructure are operational matters for EirGrid. Apart from the tariff charged by BGE to its residential gas customers, the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) no longer regulates final retail prices in either electricity or gas. The CER does regulate the network component to be charged within retail electricity and gas prices.
I am advised by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) that it estimates that the additional cost of implementing an underground cable solution for the main Grid25 projects would increase the capital costs of the projects from €1.4 billion to €3.12 billion. I am further advised by the CER that this estimate is based on certain assumptions and the estimated increased costs are conservative and could be higher. The CER would be happy to provide the Deputy with a more detailed explanation of their calculations which, the CER believes, would add an additional 3%, per annum increase in customer tariffs over the coming 50 years. I would be happy to request the CER to provide the Deputy with the relevant material. Finally, I should mention that the CER have also highlighted that the increased costs giving rise to the estimated 3% increased are capital only and that higher operational costs would also be anticipated for any underground solution.
460. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if the proposed EirGrid Grid Link project is to be used exclusively for point to point transmission; if there will be any elements of a localised distribution network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1290/14]
View answer461. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide a list of all independent reports to determine the need for EirGrid's Grid Link proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1291/14]
View answer462. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if home owners will be compensated for any drop in value of their homes as a result of EirGrid's Grid Link project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1294/14]
View answer468. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he has had any contact with Coillte regarding the use of Coillte lands for the construction of pylons as part of the EirGrid project to upgrade the national grid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1384/14]
View answer475. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on reports that EirGrid is to carry out a survey with the view to having a powerline between this country and France in order to export electricity generated from wind; and his views that this would represent the best use of our renewable energy resources [1616/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 460 to 462, inclusive, 468 and 475 together.
While several of the issues raised in the Question are matters for EirGrid, and not ones in which I, as Minister, have a statutory role or function, I do wish to respond to the issues that fall within the ambit of my Department and Government policy in this area.
EirGrid’s Grid25 Programme is a Government endorsed strategy to develop the transmission network to ensure nationwide safe, secure and affordable electricity supply supporting economic growth, renewable and sustainable energy. It represents the most important investment in Ireland’s transmission system for several generations and will position our energy system for decades to come.
The Government's July 2012 Policy Statement on the Strategic Importance of Transmission and Other Energy Infrastructure underlined the urgent need for new energy infrastructure and its importance to individual consumers, but acknowledged that it will be necessary to have public confidence that relevant projects and programmes adhere to the highest international standards of safety, particularly with regard to health, environmental and visual impacts, and avail of optimal technologies.
Neither the Government nor I seek to direct the energy infrastructure developers to particular technologies, sites or routes as was made clear in the Government Policy Statement. That statement emphasises that these are matters for the developers and for the forward planning process through regional and local development plans and at project level through the development management process. Ultimately, it will fall to An Bord Pleanála to determine whether the views expressed have been adequately taken into account in the final project design.
The Grid25 consultation process is a key opportunity for public input as no decisions have been made regarding the final routes of these electricity lines. Following conclusion of the consultations on the €500m Grid Link project, I have had a productive meeting with the Board and senior management of EirGrid. Some 35,000 submissions from the public are now being sifted through in detail by EirGrid and I have asked the company to prepare an initial list of the main issues raised. I am satisfied that the value of the public consultation will be determined by the character of the response to the issues raised. I am committed to making a response to the public consultation in Dáil Éireann as soon as an initial report is available. I expect to be able to respond before the end of this month.
It is important to note that Grid25 is completely separate from the work underway on a possible Inter-Governmental Agreement with the UK on wind export. Grid25 was underway long before any proposals in this regard. Grid development is required to serve our own domestic energy needs, and it will be still required regardless of whether any agreement with the UK emerges.
EU policy is to encourage greater integration and interconnectivity between member states. EirGrid has the statutory responsibility in this regard. Enhanced security of supply, increased competitiveness, and the ability to integrate greater quantities of renewable generation resources are some of the potential benefits of further interconnection between the transmission grids of Ireland, Great Britain and mainland Europe. I understand from EirGrid that a number of studies are exploring different aspects of the feasibility of additional interconnection and these will feed into the decision of future interconnection investment.
I have had no discussion with Coillte regarding the use of their lands for any part of the Grid25 project.
I look forward to reporting back to the House on these matters before the end of this month.
465. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the current storage capacity within the electricity grid; and the targets that have been set to increase same in order to take full advantage of electricity generated from renewable sources. [1337/14]
View answerThere is no storage capacity within the electricity grid. Electricity cannot effectively be stored in the form of electricity; it has to be transformed into another form of energy, such as chemical or potential energy, before it can be stored.
There is energy storage external to the grid that can be utilised to generate electricity at times when the grid is under stress; in particular in Ireland we have the Turlough Hill pumped storage facility in County Wicklow, which has a capacity of 292 MW. With the upper reservoir full, there is an energy storage of 1,590 megawatt-hours which equates to more than 5 hours running of the station at full output. I also understand that one other pumped storage facility in the Munster area, with a capacity of 70 megawatts has a grid connection offer.
There are no national targets for storage, whether associated with renewable sources of electricity or not, in Ireland, or, indeed, in any other country. There are many ways for electricity grid operators to facilitate increased penetration of renewables including, inter alia, distributed storage technologies, increased interconnection, strengthening the grid, and “smart grid” technology.
Integrating distributed energy storage with the electricity grid is at an early stage of development and in this regard my Department is funding additional research into investigating the potential for energy storage to facilitate more renewable-generated electricity. The scope of work covers various kinds of energy storage, including batteries, further pumped hydro and large-scale compressed air storage. This work is again being carried out on an all-island basis, with funding also coming from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Northern Ireland) and the European Union’s INTERREG Programme. I look forward to the results of this work in about 18 months’ time.
466. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide, in tabular form and year on year, the occasions on which he has signed off on the awarding of added years to public sector workers between March 2011 and December 2013; the grade of the persons awarded the added years; and the number of added years awarded in each instance. [1356/14]
View answerThere were no cases between March 2011 and December 2013 where I signed off on the award of added years to public sector staff for pension purposes.
467. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide, in tabular form and year on year, the number of commercial and non-commercial State agency board positions under the aegis of his Department filled between March 2011 and December 2013; the number of these positions that were publicly advertised; and the number of female appointments. [1372/14]
View answerThis 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, I have, each year, on my Department's website, invited Expressions of Interest from persons wishing to be considered for appointment to vacancies on State Boards under the aegis of my Department and this information has been used to inform decisions for such appointments.
There have been 88 appointments made to State Boards under the aegis of my Department in the period March 2011 to 31 December 2013. The table below details all appointments to State Boards which have been filled since 9 March 2011 to 31 December 2013. My Department first advertised for expressions of interest in such appointments in June 2011.
Appointments made to State Boards under the aegis of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources from 9 March 2011 to 31 December 2013.
|
Body |
Number of Appointments made from 9 March 2011 to 31 December 2013 |
Number of Female Appointments made from 9 March 2011 to 31 December 2013 |
|
An Post |
2011 - 2 Appointments 2012 – 6 Appointments 2013 – 4 Appointments |
2 |
|
Bord na Móna |
2011 - 1 Appointment 2012 – 4 Appointments 2013 – 1 Appointment |
2 |
|
Bord Gáis Eireann |
2012 - 1 Appointment 2013 – 3 Appointments |
1 |
|
EirGrid |
2011 - 5 Appointments 2013 – 2 Appointments |
3 |
|
ESB |
2011 - 2 Appointments 2012 – 1 Appointment 2013 – 3 Appointments |
3 |
|
Irish National Petroleum Corporation (INPC) |
2011 – 2 Appointments 2012 - 2 Appointments 2013 – 1 Appointment |
1 |
|
National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) |
2011 – 1 Appointment 2013 – 4 Appointments |
1 |
|
TG4 |
2012 - 8 Appointments |
5 |
|
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) |
2011 – 2 Appointments 2012 - 7 Appointments 2013 – 3 Appointments |
4 |
|
Digital Hub Development Agency (DHDA) |
2012 – 4 Appointments 2013 – 4 Appointments |
2 |
|
Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) |
2012 - 11 Appointments |
3 |
|
Inland Fisheries Ireland |
2013 - 2 Appointments |
|
|
The Mining Board |
2011 – 1 Appointment 2012 – 1 Appointment |
469. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide, in tabular form and year on year, the number of JobBridge interns taken on in his Department in 2013. [1388/14]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table:
|
Year |
Number of JobBridge Interns taken on |
|
2013 |
11 |
