Tuesday, 16 Jun 2015

Broadband Service Provision

Questions (135)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

135. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if the Government is committed to providing fibre broadband to every household in County Donegal; if not, the reason for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23132/15]

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Written answers

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

The National Broadband Plan aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided. The commercial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately €2.5 billion in network upgrades and enhanced services with approximately 1.6 million of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland expected to have access to commercial high speed broadband services over the next two years. These very significant investments represent a step-change in the quality of broadband services available.

Last November I published a national high speed coverage map for 2016. This map is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. The areas marked BLUE represent those areas that will have access to commercial high speed broadband services by end 2016.

The AMBER area shows the target areas for the State intervention. All premises within the AMBER areas will be included in the State's intervention. Eircom recently announced an investment that may address a further 300,000 premises with fibre-to-the-premises technology including locations in Donegal. My Department will be rigorously examining the assurances from eircom in relation to these new plans, which is a requirement for all operators, and will review how this impacts the proposed intervention area.

More generally I can confirm that next generation broadband services have been rolled out to 21,238 premises to date in Co Donegal with a further 27,276 expected to be served over the next 18 months. The remaining 52,004 premises in Co Donegal will be covered by commercial investment or be the target for the proposed State intervention under the National Broadband Plan.

Intensive design and planning work is underway in my Department to produce a detailed intervention strategy for the AMBER area. In order to comply with EU State Aid Guidelines we must not favour one technology over another. Therefore, in accordance with EU State Aid guidelines, the procurement process for the State led intervention will be technology neutral.

Following a public consultation process on the draft Intervention Strategy this summer, I hope to move to formal procurement phase towards the end of this year in order to select a preferred bidder or bidders.

I expect the physical build of the network to begin in late 2016, and it will take between three and five years to fully complete – depending on the details of the bid or bids selected.

This complex and ambitious project is a key priority for Government and aims to conclusively address current broadband connectivity issues in mainly rural parts of the country.

Inland Fisheries

Questions (136)

Michael Moynihan

Question:

136. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the timeline for the inland fisheries (modernisation and consolidation) Bill; his views regarding the revoked eel fishing licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22975/15]

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Written answers

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

The current principal statute governing inland fisheries is the Inland Fisheries Act 1959. It is “of its time” and also itself a consolidation of legislation dating back to the 1800s. While the Government is committed to modernising and updating this code, it must address a range of complex issues including improving access to fisheries, aquatic alien invasive species (plants and animals), overhauling fishery offences and bringing the penalties in line with the Fines Act, 2010, updating and modernising the current water-keeper system and clarification of ownership of fisheries. Considerable effort has been directed to this task, and I particularly want to recognise the effort and commitment of the various Angling Federations in advancing a unified submission to my Department. An undertaking was given by my predecessor not to advance legislative provisions as regards Inland Fisheries until the angling stakeholders (the various Angling Federations) had an opportunity to meet and consider what cohesive contribution they could make in respect of to the proposed Bill. The Federations have recently finalised their views in the form of a submission and I intend to meet with them very shortly in advance of an extensive public consultation process which will involve all stakeholders.

As regards the situation with eel fisheries, I am advised that the latest advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) in 2014 states that “The status of eel remains critical and ICES advises that all anthropogenic mortality (e.g. recreational and commercial fishing, hydropower, pumping stations, and pollution) affecting production and escapement of silver eels should be reduced to – or kept as close to – zero as possible. The annual recruitment to Europe has increased over the last 3 years from 5% to 12% of historic levels, however, recruitment is still well below the reference levels of 1960-1979, there is no change in the status of the eel as being "critically endangered”, and the overall requirement and objective remains to provide, with high probability, a long-term 40% escapement to the sea of the biomass of silver eel, relative to pristine conditions (i.e. if the stock had been completely free of man-made influences including commercial fishing).

A public consultation process on Ireland's eel Management Plan is currently underway as part of the 2015 review and stakeholders have the opportunity to make written submissions up to the closing date of 17 June. To assist the consultation process a number of documents have been made publically available: the activity report of the statutorily independent Standing Scientific Committee on Eels; IFI’s three year monitoring report 2012 to 2014; and Ireland’s Eel Regulation Report to the EU 2015. The documents are intended to stimulate an exchange of views within the public consultation for the 2015 review during which it is expected that a range of issues will be raised and considered.

I intend to make the full details of the outputs of the public consultation available when this process concludes. Similar reviews are being carried out across EU Member States as the eel stock has radically declined throughout Europe.

Crime Data

Questions (137)

Niall Collins

Question:

137. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Taoiseach when statistics for crime and justice will be published for quarter 3, 2014 onward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23006/15]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach

The CSO will resume publication of recorded crime statistics by the end of June 2015. Data for Q3 2014, Q4 2014 and Q1 2015 will be published.

These results will be accompanied by an analysis of the quality of the data source used for statistical purposes and, by extension, the quality of the recorded crime statistics.

Commissions of Investigation

Questions (138)

Lucinda Creighton

Question:

138. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Taoiseach the funding structure of the investigation into the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation liquidation. [23037/15]

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Written answers

The Taoiseach

The Commission of Investigation into certain transactions conducted by the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation will be funded through my Department's Vote in line with normal practice.

Commissions of Inquiry

Questions (139, 140, 141, 142)

Micheál Martin

Question:

139. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he envisages sections of the Commission of Inquiry chaired by Judge Fennelly being published before the whole report is completed; when same will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22556/15]

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Micheál Martin

Question:

140. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he or his Department have received any information or update on any section of the commission of inquiry chaired by Mr. Justice Fennelly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22555/15]

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Micheál Martin

Question:

141. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach when the Commission of Investigation conducted by Mr. Justice Fennelly will publish its next interim report; when the commission will publish its full report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23017/15]

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Micheál Martin

Question:

142. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the number of staff currently working with the commission of investigation conducted by Mr. Justice Fennelly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23018/15]

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Written answers

The Taoiseach

I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 to 142, inclusive, together.

In addition to the sole member, Judge Fennelly, the Commission of Investigation has four staff, comprising a Solicitor, a Legal Executive, a Head of Administration and a Messenger/Driver. A number of Legal Counsel also work for the Commission on a per diem basis as required.

As I informed the Dail previously, most recently on 9 June 2015 in response to parliamentary questions, under its terms of reference the Fennelly Commission was due to issue its final report by the end of 2014, subject to section 6 (6) of the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004, which provides for an extension at the Commission's request.

In July 2014, Judge Fennelly advised me that it would not be possible to complete the full investigation by the end of last year but that it may be possible for him to submit an earlier interim report on items (n) and (o) of its terms of reference, if so requested by me.

In response, I formally requested that Judge Fennelly would submit that interim report, if he believed it to be feasible and appropriate, and I informed the Dáil of that request.

In November 2014, Judge Fennelly submitted a detailed progress report to me and formally requested an extension of the timeframe for his full investigation until the end of 2015. I agreed to the extension of the overall timeframe.

It is solely a matter for the Commission to complete its final and interim reports, in accordance with the procedures set down in the Act. Under section 34, the Commission is required to circulate a draft interim or final report “to any person who is identified in, or identifiable from, the draft report” but under section 37, it is an offence to disclose the contents of a draft report or to divulge that a draft has been sent to a person.

When the Commission's interim and final reports are received they will be published in accordance with the law.

Departmental Staff Career Breaks

Questions (143)

Barry Cowen

Question:

143. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Taoiseach if he will provide in tabular form the number of staff in his Department currently on a sabbatical or on a career break broken down by zero to six months, six to 12 months, one to two years, two to three years, four to five years and five years or more; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23411/15]

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Written answers

The Taoiseach

There are 10 staff from my Department currently on career break. The information sought is set out in the following table.