Skip to main content
Normal View

Wednesday, 26 Feb 2014

Written Answers Nos. 140-149

Air Quality

Questions (140)

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

Question:

140. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if air ambient is affected by the wind turbines that operate in the midlands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9821/14]

View answer

Written answers

Ambient air quality is not a matter in which I, as Minister, have a statutory role of function. I understand that the Environmental Protection Agency manages a national ambient air quality monitoring network as the Competent Authority in Ireland for EU Air Quality legislation.

Questions Nos. 141 and 142 answered with Question No. 139.

Post Office Network

Questions (143)

Pat Deering

Question:

143. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when his plan for the future of post offices will be published. [9846/14]

View answer

Written answers

The importance of maintaining a network of post offices around the country is recognised in the Programme for Government. It is Government policy that An Post remains a strong and viable company, in a position to provide a high quality, nationwide postal service and maintain a nationwide customer focused network of post offices in the community.

That said, the Deputy should be aware that operational matters and the role of developing commercial strategies for the post office network are a matter for the Board and management of An Post and not one in which I have a statutory function. As shareholder, however, I have a strong concern in relation to the ongoing commercial position of the Company and I regularly liaise with the Company in this regard.

It is for that reason that I am very pleased that the decline in post office numbers has been arrested. Figures in the Grant Thornton report show that, although there were 197 closures between 2006 and 2010, from the end of 2010 to date 17 closures have occurred.

The reports undertaken by the Irish Postmasters' Union and the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications on the future of the post office network are a comprehensive collection of thoughts, issues and opportunities concerning the post office network and set out many options for exploration in relation to the future development by An Post of the post office network.

An Post has undertaken a programme of capital investment particularly in the computerisation of the post office network including the automation of all post offices. As a result, the post office network stands well positioned to become the front office provider of choice for Government and the financial services sector for both electronic transactions as well as the more traditional over the counter transactions. Any such developments would, of course, need to be subject to public procurement requirements as appropriate.

On the 25th February, I welcomed the fact that the Government has agreed to my proposal for a whole-of-government consideration, encompassing central and local government and the wider public service, of the nature and extent of services that can be provided to the public using the post office network as a front office of government. This whole-of-government analysis will be undertaken in the first instance by the Cabinet committee on social policy with a view to a report to Government by that committee. This will afford an opportunity for a holistic review of the range of services which could be provided by the post office network and could perhaps yield synergies among the different agencies.

Consultancy Contracts Expenditure

Questions (144)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

144. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will indicate, in tabular form, the total expenditure by his Department on external consultancy advice services, including legal services, in 2011, 2012 and 2013; if this spend is in line with the overall value for money objective of his remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10009/14]

View answer

Written answers

My Department’s expenditure on consultancy advice services, including legal services, for the years 2011 to 2013 is set out in tabular format as follows. In procuring these specialised services, my Department always seeks to ensure value for money and the keeping of expenditure to the minimum necessary.

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, which is included in the data in the table.

Year

Cost

2011

2,881,095.68

2012

2,509,282.93

2013

2,019,898.61

Appointments to State Boards

Questions (145)

Seán Fleming

Question:

145. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he is satisfied with the number of women currently serving on State boards under his remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10020/14]

View answer

Written answers

This Government adopted a significant innovation in 2011 to widen access by all persons to be considered for appointment to State Boards by providing that expressions of interest be sought publicly from all those that might be interested in serving on such Boards.

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. My Department first advertised for expressions of interest in such appointments in June 2011.

Notwithstanding this significant innovation, the level of expressions of interest from women has been less than half that of men. Of the 31 applications made in 2011 on foot of the invitation to submit expressions of interest, 10 were from women and 21 from men. In 2012 the total number of applicants was 37 of which 8 were from women and 29 from men. In the current call for expressions of interest, the total number of applicants to date is 104 of which 33 are from women and 71 from men.

There have been 28 women appointed to State Boards under the aegis of my Department in the period March 2011 to 31 January 2014.

Semi-State Bodies

Questions (146)

Seán Fleming

Question:

146. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of employee share ownership plans in operation in the commercial semi-State sector under the remit of his Department; his views on whether they offer good value to the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10045/14]

View answer

Written answers

There are three Commercial Semi State companies under the aegis of my Department which have employee share ownership plans (ESOPs) in operation, namely Bord na Mona (BnaM), Bord Gáis Éireann (BGE) and the ESB.

The (ESOPs) in all three companies were established in return for specific, substantial, verifiable changes to be delivered by employees which give value to the company and the shareholder, in line with Government policy on (ESOPs) in commercial State Companies.

In relation to Bord na Mona, the ESOP continues to hold 5% of the Company’s shares on behalf of the 2,102 participants.

The Bord Gáis Éireann ESOP was developed in 2005 in the context of a wider programme to achieve significant organisation efficiencies and savings of €32.7 million in BGÉ over the five year period from 2005 – 2009. 3.27% of the capital stock of Bord Gáis was transferred to the ESOP. BGÉ is currently undergoing a major transformation programme. The fundamental changes to the BGÉ business, corporate structure and statutory remit will result in what will be a fundamentally different business to the original BGÉ group in which the ESOP was established. In order to facilitate the necessary restructuring of BGE required by these ongoing changes, it has been decided to wind up the BGÉ ESOP.

The ESB ESOP was established in 2001 to acquire and hold a 5% stake in ESB on behalf of over 10,000 employees and former employees of ESB. It was a feature of the Cost and Competitiveness Review agreed between the Government and ESB management and ESB Group of Unions in 1996.

EU Solidarity Fund

Questions (147, 148, 156)

Seán Kyne

Question:

147. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if, arising from the negative impact the recent adverse weather has had on farming and farmland, his views on making an application to the EU solidarity fund using the regional criteria, given that the recent severe storms affected the west and south west disproportionately; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9939/14]

View answer

Seán Kyne

Question:

148. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if, arising from the operation by his Department of the humanitarian assistance scheme, he has given consideration to making an application to the EU solidarity fund, which provides assistance following natural disasters such as flooding and storm damage, using the regional criteria in view of the fact that the recent severe storms affected the west and south west disproportionately; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9940/14]

View answer

Seán Kyne

Question:

156. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on making an application to the EU solidarity fund using the regional criteria in view of the fact that the recent severe storms affected the west and south west disproportionately; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9936/14]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 147, 148 and 156, together.

I refer to the reply to Question No. 155 of 20 February 2014, which sets out the position in regard to the EU Solidarity Fund. The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme is administered by the Department of Social Protection.

Water and Sewerage Schemes Status

Questions (149)

Mattie McGrath

Question:

149. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when the contract will be signed to enable work to begin on the Fethard-Burcourt water treatment works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9746/14]

View answer

Written answers

I refer to reply to Question No. 106 of 4 February 2014. The position is unchanged.

Top
Share