Written Answers Nos. 248-257
249. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding dumping of waste from a road upgrade (details supplied) in County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35113/14]
View answerThe primary responsibility for the management of any waste, including costs for removal or disposal, lies with the holder of the waste, i.e. the natural or legal person in possession of the waste, or the producer of the waste. The Waste Management Act 1996 (as amended) imposes a general duty of care on holders of waste, under which a person may not hold, transport, recover or dispose of waste in a manner that causes, or is likely to cause, environmental pollution.
Penalties for serious dumping offences provided for under the Waste Management Acts are substantial. Persons who are found to be responsible for, or involved in, the unauthorised disposal of waste are liable to a maximum fine of €3,000 on summary conviction and/or imprisonment for up to 12 months, and to a maximum fine of €15 million on conviction on indictment and/or imprisonment for up to 10 years.
Enforcement actions against illegal waste activity are a matter for the local authorities and the Office of Environmental Enforcement (OEE) within the Environmental Protection Agency. Under section 60(3) of the Waste Management Act 1996, as Minister, I am precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to the performance by the Environmental Protection Agency or a local authority, in particular circumstances, of a statutory function vested in it, including enforcement functions.
250. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if it is the practice of his Department to employ an archivist to examine records and archives once records are deemed appropriate for archiving to determine the quality of the records, the importance, the estimated care and attention needed to preserve the records and so on; if not, whether he will consider this option to best capture the most valuable records before they potentially deteriorate in storage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35394/14]
View answer251. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the total cost of his Department and those under the aegis for the storage of records and archives that are ultimately intended to be forwarded to the National Archives in time; if he will provide this cost for 2012 and 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35417/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 250 and 251 together.
My Department does not employ a qualified archivist to examine records for referral to the National Archives. However, my Department is in the process of providing appropriate training to staff who will undertake archival functions.
In addition, my Department has an agreement with a commercial company for the storage of Departmental records, the costs of which are borne by the Office of Public Works. File delivery and retrieval costs to and from storage are paid for by my Department and amounted to €6,038 and €4,989 for 2012 and 2013, respectively.
Bodies under the aegis of my Department are responsible for the management of their own file storage and National Archive obligations and information in respect of their activities in this area is not available in my Department.
252. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views that a catch and release system is still in place on the River Boyne; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35052/14]
View answerI am advised by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) that the stocks, genetically unique to each of Ireland's more than 140 salmon rivers, including the Boyne, are assessed annually by the Independent Standing Scientific Committee for Salmon (SSCS) which includes Scientists from IFI, the Marine Institute, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, ESB, Loughs Agency and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) Northern Ireland. The SSCS annual assessments are carried out with reference to the established Conservation Limit (CL) for each individual river. The Salmon Conservation Limit (CL) in any river is the number of spawning salmon required to maintain a sustainable population and is used to indicate the number of salmon in a river system above which a harvestable surplus can be considered.
The assessments reference the most recent 5 years of available data and is considered by IFI in formulating its management advice as to whether each individual river may be open, open to catch and release angling or closed to all exploitation for the coming year. The SSCS advice for the River Boyne for 2014 is that the river is below its CL and is therefore closed to all harvesting in line with the conservation imperative.
I am further advised that IFI also use Catchment Wide Electro Fishing as an index of juvenile salmon abundance and on the basis of the results obtained from this index the River Boyne has been open to angling on a catch and release basis over recent years.
Additionally, as the Deputy will know, the Boyne is quite a large and wide river and in that regard the SSCS, in the interests of completeness, apply a raising factor to the counter numbers recorded at Blackcastle Weir to take account of the fact that a proportion of salmon pass over the weir without passing through the fish counters in place at the side of the weir. The SSCS are currently reviewing the raising factor which is applied annually and the outcome of this review will be an important component in considering whether the River Boyne salmon stock can sustain a harvest fishery for salmon in 2015 and future years.
253. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will formulate a map of Kerry showing the speeds and types of broadband currently available and the service providers involved; if the planned and promised improvements and their anticipated availability dates would be included on a map of the county; his views that in relation to broadband roll-out, we are only as good as our slowest connection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34955/14]
View answerThe provision of telecommunications services, including broadband services, is a matter in the first instance for private sector service providers operating in a liberalised market, regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). Details of commercial services available in each county can be found on a number of websites, including the websites of individual operators.
On the matter of broadband roll-out, the Government’s Statement of Priorities for the period 2014 to 2016 reaffirms our commitment to delivering a State-led broadband intervention in rural areas. Through the National Broadband Plan (NBP) the Government aims to ensure that high speed broadband is available to all citizens and businesses. This is being achieved through measures designed to accelerate commercial investment and the development of a State-led intervention for non-commercial areas.
Under EU State Aid Guidelines Member States cannot intervene where commercial investors have plans to roll out services. A comprehensive mapping exercise is underway in my Department to identify those areas that require a State intervention. An initial list of areas has already identified and includes 59 areas in County Kerry.
I expect to publish the maps for public consultation later this year, which will include details of the areas requiring State intervention. This follows from a recent Call for Inputs public consultation on certain technical aspects of the proposed intervention strategy.
A final public consultation on a proposed comprehensive intervention strategy will be launched in mid-2015.
EU State Aid clearance will be required for the proposed State intervention. My Department will be working closely with the European Commission on this important aspect of the programme.
Finally, a detailed procurement process will have to be undertaken in order to select a potential preferred bidder(s) prior to commencing the roll out of high speed broadband services.
This complex and ambitious project is a key priority for Government and for my Department. It aims to conclusively address current connectivity challenges in a sustainable and meaningful way. Our goal is to ensure that quality broadband services are available to all citizens regardless of where they are located.
254. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on concerns surrounding the discontinuation of the national broadband scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34956/14]
View answerThe provision of telecommunications services, including broadband services, is a matter in the first instance for private sector service providers operating in a liberalised market, regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). Developments in the broadband market over recent years means that there is now a choice of commercial operators offering broadband services over a diverse range of technology platforms throughout much of rural Ireland, including the area previously covered by the National Broadband Scheme. Details of commercial services available in each county can be found on a number of websites, including the websites of individual operators.
The State can only intervene to ensure access to broadband services in areas where the competitive market has failed to deliver such services, as in the case of the National Broadband Scheme (NBS). Following a competitive tendering process, my Department entered into a contract in 2008 with Hutchison 3G Ireland Ltd (“3”) for the delivery of the NBS. The Scheme offered a basic and affordable broadband service to fixed residences and businesses located within certain designated rural areas where the extent of broadband coverage by commercial operators, at the time the Scheme was launched in 2008, was deemed to be inadequate. EU State Aid approval was granted for a scheme of limited duration and, following a 68 month operational period, the Scheme expired on 25th August 2014.
“3” have confirmed that, following the expiry of the Scheme, they will continue to provide coverage throughout NBS areas on a commercial basis offering consumers the same choice of broadband plans and tariffs as those offered to consumers outside of the NBS areas. Furthermore, they have also informed my Department of their plans to extend 4G coverage across all of the NBS Coverage Areas within the next 3 years.
My Department has published a full set of Frequently Asked Questions regarding the expiry of the Scheme on the Departmental website and maintains a dedicated mailbox nationalbroadbandscheme@dcenr.gov.ie where my officials can respond to any concerns regarding the expiry of the Scheme.
The Government’s Statement of Priorities for the period 2014 to 2016 reaffirms our commitment to delivering a State-led broadband intervention in rural areas. Through the implementation of the Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP) we aim to radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland, ensuring that high speed broadband is available to all citizens and businesses. This is being achieved through measures designed to accelerate commercial investment and the development of a State-led intervention for non-commercial areas.
Since publication of the Plan, investments by the commercial sector have accelerated. Commercial operators have invested, or are committing to invest approximately €2.5 billion in upgrading telecommunications networks and services.
While the accelerated commercial investment is welcome, it is largely focused on cities and larger towns. The intervention strategy envisaged by Government recognises that quality broadband is a priority service for a 21st Century society. Central to the strategy therefore will be a major infrastructure build, which is likely to be primarily fibre-based. This will be designed to ensure that high quality broadband services are available in all parts of Ireland where commercial investment will not be forthcoming.
Under EU State Aid Guidelines Member States cannot intervene where commercial investors have plans to roll out services. A comprehensive mapping exercise is underway in my Department to identify those areas that require a State intervention.
As part of the mapping process, a stakeholder consultation was launched in June with a deadline of this month for receipt of submissions. I expect to publish the maps for public consultation later this year. The maps will show the areas requiring State intervention. A further public consultation on the proposed intervention strategy will be launched in mid-2015.
Finally, a detailed procurement process will have to be undertaken in order to select a potential preferred bidder(s) prior to commencing the roll out of high speed broadband services.
This complex and ambitious project is a key priority for Government and for my Department. It aims to conclusively address current connectivity challenges in a sustainable and meaningful way. Our goal is to ensure that quality broadband services are available to all citizens regardless of where they are located.
255. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to assist the Shannon liquefied natural gas project progressing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34968/14]
View answerSince 2002, the regulation of the gas market has been the responsibility of the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), which is independent in the performance of its functions. I have no direct statutory function in relation to liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, including specific projects such as the Shannon LNG project.
I and my Government colleagues have consistently been supportive of the proposal by Shannon LNG to construct a LNG terminal near Ballylongford, Co. Kerry. The LNG facility would provide additional security of supply to Ireland in that it would bring diversity to Ireland's supply sources and would bring connectivity for the first time to the global LNG market. The prospect of such a facility is therefore a potentially positive step for the island of Ireland.
The timing of an investment decision by Shannon LNG is a commercial decision for the company.
256. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if it is the practice of his Department to employ an archivist to examine records and archives once records are deemed appropriate for archiving to determine the quality of the records, the importance, the estimated care and attention needed to preserve the records and so on; if not if he will consider this option in order to best capture the most valuable records before they potentially deteriorate in storage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35391/14]
View answer257. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the total cost of his Department and those under the aegis for the storage of records and archives that are ultimately intended to be forwarded to the National Archives in time; if he will provide this cost for 2012 and 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35413/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 256 and 257 together.
Storage of all current files and records is an integral part of the fabric and facilities of the buildings occupied by the Department. These buildings and facilities are provided via the Office of Public Works.
In that regard, storage is one of the many elements of the facilities within the buildings which support the day to day functioning of the Department and as such it is not possible to disaggregate costs from all of the other elements. It is also not possible to disaggregate the costs of those records that are ultimately bound for the National Archives and which are currently part of the existing storage array.
In addition, off-site storage of non-current files and records is organised and paid for under contract centrally via OPW. My Department does not incur costs for this storage. A small proportion of these stored records will inevitably be forwarded to the National Archives in due course (when they exceed thirty years in existence) if they satisfy the criteria for qualification as a National Archive as determined by the National Archives of Ireland.
My Department does not have an archivist employed and there are no plans to engage the services of an archivist at this time.
