Written Answers Nos. 135-143
135. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the research that has been commissioned by his Department in relation to climate change mitigation and-or adaptation over the past year; and if he will supply a copy of the terms of reference for any such research. [3328/14]
View answerI can confirm that no research was commissioned by my Department in relation to climate change mitigation and/or adaptation in the past year.
136. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the work being done to develop climate change mitigation policy applicable to his Department, and the public participation opportunities incorporated in that work. [3336/14]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, there are, of course, linkages between the challenges of climate change and the protection of biodiversity and these are reflected, where appropriate, in various policies in my Department - for example in the Government's National Biodiversity Plan. Given the key role peatlands play in the carbon cycle, Ireland's extensive peatlands are important as carbon sinks and as a source of greenhouse gas emissions. These issues, and their implications relating to climate change policy, have been considered in the recently published draft National Peatlands Strategy, which is available to view, along with related documents, at http://www.npws.ie/peatlandsturf-cutting/nationalraisedbogsacmanagementplan/.
The draft Strategy has been developed with the advice of the Peatlands Council, which has representation from land-owner, turf-cutter and environmental groups among its membership. The draft Strategy has issued for consultation and views are invited from the public before 18 April 2014.
137. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta an bhfuil sé i gceist aige seirbhísí fóirdheonaithe bád farantóireachta a chur ar fáil go hÁrainn ó tharla go bhfuil sé ráite nach bhfuil aon chinnteacht ann go leanfar den tseirbhís atá ann ar feadh na bliana; cén fáth nach bhfuil a leithéid de chonradh ann; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [3391/14]
View answerMar is eol don Teachta, tháinig deireadh le conradh farantóireachta Árann ar 31 Eanáir 2013. Bhí mo Roinn tar éis léirithe spéise a lorg don chonradh ar chóras e-tenders agus seoladh cáipéisí tairisceana amach le dáta dúnta den 21 Nollaig 2012. Níor tháinig aon tairiscint ar ais chuig mo Roinn, is é sin le rá nár chuir aon chomhlacht nó aon ghnó isteach air. Bhí plé ina dhiaidh sin ag mo Roinn leis an bhfarantóir a bhí ag cur na seirbhíse ar fáil d'Árainn, féachaint an bhféadfaí an conradh a athnuachan ar na téarmaí céanna a bhí ann go dtí sin. Níor éirigh leis na cainteanna sin mar nach bhféadfadh mo Roinn glacadh le héileamh an fharantóra ardú ollmhór a cheadú san fhóirdheontas i gcás seirbhíse a bhí, de réir cosúlachta, brabúsach cheana féin.
Mar a thuigeann an Teachta, cuireadh in iúl ag an am go mbeadh sé ar chumas an fharantóra leanúint leis an tseirbhís chéanna gan chúnamh Stáit, mar go raibh inmharthanacht tráchtála ann, agus is mar sin atá an scéal ó shin. Tuigim go bhfuil éiginnteacht áirithe ann faoi láthair go leanfar leis an leibhéal céanna seirbhíse a bhí ann le bliain anuas. Faoi mar a chuir mé in iúl don Teachta nuair a pléadh an t-ábhar seo sa Teach ar 31 Eanáir 2013, tá mo Roinn go hiomlán oscailte tabhairt faoi aon chéimeanna réasúnta gur féidir léi a chabhródh leis an gceist seo a réiteach, faoi réir na rialacha soláthair poiblí agus na srianta airgeadais atá ann. Bhí cruinniú ag oifigigh mo Roinnse leis an bhfarantóir agus le hionadaithe an oileáin le déanaí agus pléadh féidearthachtaí éagsúla. Leanfar leis na hiarrachtaí seo amach anseo le cinntiú, feadh ár gcumais, go mbeidh seirbhís rialta farantóireachta ar fáil d'Árainn ar chostas réasúnta i gcaitheamh na bliana.
138. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the budget paid to the Arts Council for the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3421/14]
View answerThe following table sets out the information requested by the Deputy.
Arts Council Grant-in-aid 2009 -2013
|
Year |
Current €000 |
Capital €000 |
Total €000 |
|
2009 |
72,350 |
1,000 |
73,350 |
|
2010 |
68,650 |
500 |
69,150 |
|
2011 |
64,313 |
850 |
65,163 |
|
2012 |
63,141 |
141 |
63,241 |
|
2013 |
60,602 |
98 |
60,700 |
139. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide details of all consultancy firms engaged by his Department during 2013; if he will further provide details of all the relevant fees paid to these firms during this period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3206/14]
View answerMy Department's expenditure on consultancy services and value for money and policy reviews in 2013 was €1.325m. This represents a saving of €0.576m on the overall 2013 allocation. In procuring these specialised services, my Department always seeks to ensure value for money and the keeping of expenditure to the minimum necessary. Details of expenditure on consultancy services in 2013 are outlined in the following table. In the case of the three consultancy projects related to the Corrib gas project, the cost is recouped to the State by the Developers
Given the technical complexity of the sectors which my Department oversees and, in some instances regulates, there is a requirement to procure specialised services to address specific issues as they arise. The Department therefore also necessarily incurs expenditure on outsourced services as part of programme expenditure, an element of which is consultancy in nature. I will forward the figure for the consultancy element to the Deputy, when it is disaggregated from the larger programme spends.
|
Project |
Name of Firm |
Amount |
|
Cyber Security Exercise |
BH Consulting |
9,840 |
|
Programme of Research in Communications |
Economic and Social Research Institute |
150,000 |
|
Consultancy for interaction between 4G system and TV system |
Mr. Larry Staines |
2,211 |
|
Economic assessment off Exploration and Mining |
Indecon |
53,615 |
|
Economic Analysis of the Advertising Market in Ireland |
||
|
Renewable Energy Export Project - Planning Consultancy |
AECOM |
15,896 |
|
Renewable Energy Export Project - Planning Consultancy |
Doyle Kent Planning Partnership Ltd |
32,785 |
|
Renewable Energy Export Project - Planning Consultancy |
(AEGIS MEDIA IRL) Brindley Advertising Ltd. |
22,143 |
|
Audit of consumer held strategic oil stocks |
Byrne O'Cleirigh Ltd |
17,125 |
|
Review of the security of Ireland's access to commercial oil supplies |
Reidy Brophy Limited |
5,700 |
|
East West Interconnector Monitoring Panel |
Dr Harry Comber |
6,000 |
|
East West Interconnector Monitoring Panel |
Prof. Mark O'Malley |
6,000 |
|
East West Interconnector Monitoring Panel |
Kevin Gaughan |
5,000 |
|
Petroleum Engineering Advice |
David Fox Associates |
208,896 |
|
Corrib Consent Conditions Monitoring |
Corrib Consent Conditions Monitoring Committee expenses |
2,491 |
|
Petroleum Geophysics Advice |
Morgan Geophysics |
109,733 |
|
Technical Verification Audits - Corrib |
Keane Offshore Integrity Ltd |
156,948 |
|
Environmental Monitoring -Corrib |
Environ UK Ltd. |
201,991 |
|
Expert advice - environmental assessments |
Botanical Environmental Consultants |
29,486 |
|
Expert Advice on Offshore Drilling |
Selgovia Ltd |
5,419 |
|
Expert Advice on Offshore Drilling technologies |
Det Norske Veritas |
42,733 |
|
Financial Advisor to DCENR |
Price Waterhouse Coopers |
135,300 |
|
Head of Internal Audit Unit |
Ronan Tierney & Associates |
74,814* |
|
Internal Audit Services |
Capital Business Svs Ltd T/A Capita Consulting |
28,756 |
|
Audit Committee |
External Members of Audit Committee |
2,096 |
* Cost of consultancy shared with the Department of Health and Children.
140. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will investigate the poor quality of service and inadequate signal by the national broadband service provider company "3" in pockets of County Kerry (details supplied), especially in the area of Glenflesk, Killarney, Co. Kerry, which needs to be urgently addressed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3254/14]
View answerThe broadband service contracted under the National Broadband Scheme (NBS) is a basic, affordable, scalable product in keeping with EU State Aid clearance for the Scheme in September 2007. Under the terms of the contract which my Department has in place with Hutchison 3G Ireland Ltd (trading as "3"), the NBS mobile wireless service currently offers minimum download and upload speeds of 2.3Mbps and 1.4Mbps respectively, subject to a maximum contention ratio of 18:1. The NBS satellite service, which is utilised in a small number of cases for technical reasons associated with the location of the premises, offers minimum download and upload speeds of 3.6Mbps and 384 kbps respectively, subject to a maximum contention ratio of 48:1.
My Department has well-established monitoring arrangements in place to ensure that the NBS delivers the minimum specified service or better to all users. Throughout the contract period, network utilisation and performance data is submitted by "3" to my Department on a monthly basis. The NBS contract guarantees service levels and imposes a service credit regime on "3", with significant financial consequences in the event that minimum specification service levels are not met. The NBS contract also provides that where NBS customers do not receive the minimum guaranteed service, as set out in the terms and conditions of their contract, they are entitled to service rebates.
Should any NBS customer experience problems with the NBS service, they are advised to contact 3's customer care centre, 24 hours a day 7 days a week, by phone at 1913 (free of charge), via email to nbssupport@three.ie or by post to 3 Customer Services, Hutchison 3G Ireland Limited, PO Box 333, Dublin 2. My Department has a role where customers have fully utilised the established complaints process and consider that their complaint has not been resolved. My officials operate a dedicated NBS mailbox, which NBS customers can contact by email at nationalbroadbandscheme@dcenr.gov.ie, with any comments or complaints they may have about their NBS service. My Department will then liaise with "3" personnel at its Head Office in Dublin to remedy any service performance issues.
The NBS customer referred to in the Question has not been in contact with my officials. However, I understand from "3" that the customer contacted its customer care centre regarding service performance issues earlier this month. "3" have informed my officials that, following a review of the customer's service, arrangements are being made for a site visit by its engineering staff to his premises to conduct an investigation into the reported issues. My Department liaises very closely with "3" to ensure that any issues relating to service performance, which are brought to its attention, are addressed as quickly as possible. While my Department has previously dealt with a small number of individual complaints from NBS customers in County Kerry, there is no evidence to suggest widespread poor quality performance in the area.
141. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if local community radio stations like Dundalk FM will be considered for funding under the proposed public service broadcasting charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3257/14]
View answerI refer to the reply to Question No. 446 of 15 January 2014. The position is unchanged.
142. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the work being done to develop climate change mitigation policy applicable to his Department, and the public participation opportunities incorporated in that work. [3337/14]
View answerWhile primary responsibility for Climate Change mitigation policy rests with the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, the achievement of climate change objectives requires contributions from a range of sectors including energy. Increasing Ireland's levels of renewable energy and energy efficiency is critical for reducing our heavy dependence on imported fossil fuels and thereby improving the sustainability of our energy supply. Ireland's target of meeting 16% of our energy requirements from renewable sources, as mandated under the Renewables Directive (2009/28/EC), is a significant contribution in the context of the current Energy and Climate Framework objectives.
The period between 2020 and 2030 is the next critical phase in the evolution of both EU climate and energy policy and the European Commission has just published on 22 January 2014, a Communication setting out its ambition for a 2030 Energy and Climate Framework. As Minister with responsibility for energy policy, I welcome the inclusion of a target for renewables, which I, along with Ministers from seven other Member States specifically called for this. I look forward to examining the Commission's proposals for 2030 in more detail and to working closely with all relevant Departments on this important cross cutting issue to ensure a fully coordinated approach is taken. Not only is the renewable energy sector of key importance for how emissions targets in the context of Climate Change policy are met, it also provides a real, and sustainable, economic opportunity for Ireland, both in terms of a secure, indigenous, source of energy and as a clean energy export.
Regarding 2050 policy, I published a scoping report in November 2013 on a low carbon roadmap for the electricity generation sector that will feed into the national roadmap envisaged under the Government's forthcoming Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill. The public consultation on this scoping report has just concluded. A total of fourteen responses were received and I intend to publish these on my Department's website shortly. In addition, I intend to publish the third iteration of the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) later this year. Reducing energy consumption through efficiency remains the most cost-effective means of reducing greenhouse gases and one of the primary means of achieving Ireland's climate change objectives. My Department intends to publish an energy policy green paper later this year which will involve a full public consultation process.
The Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) operates a number of programmes and projects which aim to provide data or planning toolkits to support policy and interventions by a range of public bodies and agencies in relation to climate change mitigation. The INFOMAR seabed mapping programme is a joint venture between the GSI and the Marine Institute. The near shore mapping acquired has contributed to improved coastal flood modelling taking into account the effects of climate change including sea level rise. Work is also under way in conjunction with the British Geological Survey to complete a feasibility study on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) in the Irish Sea basins. CCS technologies may assist in reducing Irish CO2 emissions in the medium term. GSI is also conducting a shallow geothermal project, providing best practice guidelines with a view to supporting industry and homeowners in this emerging renewable energy sector.
143. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the role Bord Gáis and his Department had in the formation and spend of moneys by Irish Water; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3431/14]
View answerThe Department of Environment, Community and Local Government has the role of driving the overall water sector reform process which includes developing the policy and legislation and ensuring delivery of the Government's water sector reform implementation strategy, which was published in December 2012. The establishment of Irish Water is an integral component of this strategy and involves major organisational change, an entirely new funding structure governed by economic regulation, the introduction of domestic water charges based on usage and the roll-out of a national domestic metering programme.
The role of Bord Gáis Éireann (BGE) was key to bringing the necessary skills and competencies to the project, allowing the utility to be established within an ambitious timeline at lower cost and at least risk, by leveraging from their knowledge, systems and skills and matching this with skills within the water sector. BGE had initial responsibility for certain key deliverables under the Government water sector reform implementation strategy, pending the enactment of the Water Services Acts, which, inter alia, provided for BGE to establish Irish Water as a subsidiary company.
My Department continues to engage with officials of the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government and with BGE on matters which are relevant to the overarching corporate governance responsibility for BGE and my role as shareholder of BGE. The Water Services Acts 2013, together with Irish Water's Memorandum and Articles of Association, provide the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources with a consenting role for certain matters relating to Irish Water. In this regard I have consented to approvals granted by the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government on key matters including Irish Water borrowings from the NPRF (National Pensions Reserve Fund) and capital expenditure on the water metering project.
My Department does not have a role in assessing the establishment costs for Irish Water, which I understand are subject to examination by the Commission for Energy Regulation as an integral element of the independent economic regulation of Irish Water. The key focus of my Department, working with the NewERA shareholder executive unit of the NTMA and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, has been to ensure that BGE is well positioned to play its critical role in maintaining the security of Irish energy supplies, while also facilitating delivery of important Programme for Government commitments including the sale of Bord Gáis Energy and the establishment of Irish Water.
