Written Answers Nos. 243-251
243. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the exceptions that will be made to charity supported housing organisations with regards to paying water conservation grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24188/15]
View answerTo promote sustainable use of water and to enhance water conservation in households, the Department of Social Protection will administer, on behalf of my Department, a €100 water conservation grant for households (principal private dwellings) that complete a valid response to Irish Water’s customer registration process. It is proposed that the grant will be paid in one instalment to all eligible households beginning in September 2015 and on an annual basis thereafter. My Department is liaising with the Approved Housing Body sector to ensure that vulnerable persons residing in supported accommodation in the sector are facilitated in applying for and receiving the grant.
244. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide funding to finish the insulation of the remaining 183 homes in Ballymun in Dublin 11. [24201/15]
View answerI recently announced the provision of €20 million of funding to local authorities under the Energy Retrofitting Programme for the improvement of local authority houses to make them more energy efficient. Under the programme Dublin City Council has been allocated €1.3 million and it is a matter for the local authority to determine the works to be completed within this allocation.
245. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to reinstate the cut to the social regeneration fund in Ballymun in Dublin 11 for 2015 and future years, as the regeneration is not complete and this cut is having severe consequences to services in the area. [24202/15]
View answerWhile the physical regeneration element of Ballymun is largely completed, my Department is providing continued support to social regeneration programmes. Last year, funding of €2 million was provided by my Department to Dublin City Council in respect of these programmes. My Department is currently actively engaging with Dublin City Council in respect of the required funding for Ballymun Regeneration for 2015, following which the allocation in respect of the various requirements, including provision for the social regeneration programmes, will be determined.
246. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide details on the way a person (details supplied) in County Cork can best attain a broadband connection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23984/15]
View answerThe 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.
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 and includes the area of Moneycusker, County Cork. 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 by 2020. 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. Intensive design and planning work is underway in my Department to produce a detailed intervention strategy for the AMBER area. 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 3-5 years to fully complete – depending on the details of the bid or bids selected.
247. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the way a person (details supplied) in County Cork may attain a broadband connection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24018/15]
View answerThe National Broadband Plan is delivering high speed broadband to every home and business in Ireland regardless of its location. This is being achieved through a partnership between Government and commercial telecommunications companies.
Last November I published a national high speed coverage map for 2016. This map is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. The map shows Ireland with two colours, BLUE and AMBER. The areas marked BLUE represent those areas where commercial providers plan to deliver high speed broadband services by end 2016. The AMBER area on the map shows the target areas for the State intervention. All premises within the AMBER areas will be included in the State's intervention.
Based on information provided by commercial operators, 69% of Carrigadrohid will be covered by the commercial sector. The remaining 31% of Carrigadrohid will be part of the State intervention. Members of the public should consult the map to establish for themselves the precise location and status of their individual premises.
Intensive design and planning work is underway in my Department to produce a detailed intervention strategy for the AMBER area. 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 3 - 5 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.
The Commission for Communications Regulations (ComReg), which regulates the market, operates a website www.callcosts.ie which allows users to identify and compare marketed broadband services offered by competing services providers within any county. The website also includes contact details for the competing services providers which allows users to confirm whether any listed service is available at any particular location within a county. Other commercially operated websites provide similar services. Alternatively ComReg can be contacted at consumerline@comreg.ie or by phone at 01 804 9668 or 1890 229668 to request information.
248. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide a detailed overview of any cost-benefit analysis or long-term value for the money process undertaken by the Coillte-Electricity Supply Board consortium for its proposed wind farm development at Raheenleagh in County Wicklow; the results of any such process; the economic and commercial risks assumed; the level of renewable energy feed in tariff programme support and energy prices assumed over the lifetime of the proposed facility; the budgeted capital cost per megawatt; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24036/15]
View answerThis is an operational matter for the consortium involved and not a matter in which I, as Minister, have any function.
249. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources further to Parliamentary Question No. 1114 of 9 June 2015, if he will expand on the point made in his reply as to the potential role communities can play in aggregating demand for broadband services in their areas, which can lead to acceleration of the deployment and adoption of such services; the way he expects communities will aggregate demand if high speed broadband services are not available in certain communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24096/15]
View answerAs I outlined to the Deputy in my recent reply to him, my Department has been active in engaging with as many stakeholders as possible during the planning phase for the state intervention under the National Broadband Plan. This includes many community and voluntary groups as well as Local Authorities and various agencies tasked with promoting regional development. All have been very supportive of plans to bring high-speed broadband to rural communities. It is likely that the procurement process for the State intervention will seek to establish from prospective bidders specific demand stimulation measures. Communities can also play a role in encouraging adoption of technology and identifying areas where there is an aggregated demand that could facilitate early deployment of services.
250. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the Exchequer spending on broadband provision to homes and businesses by his Department in each year from 2011 to 2014 and in 2015 to date; the number of connections achieved each year; the broadband speeds achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24179/15]
View answerThe State only becomes involved in investing in the provision of broadband services in instances of clear market failure such as in the case of the National Broadband Scheme. Such interventions require EU clearance to ensure that the State’s investment does not adversely distort competition.
Under the former National Broadband Scheme (NBS), which expired in August 2014, some 58,000 premises availed of a basic broadband service from 3 Ireland. The minimum specifications of the NBS mobile wireless service improved over the duration on the contract and with effect from October 2012 offered 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 was utilised in a small number of cases for technical reasons associated with the location of the premises, offered minimum download and upload speeds of 3.6Mbps and 384 kbps respectively, subject to a maximum contention ratio of 48:1. The total payments to 3 Ireland under the National Broadband Scheme between 2011 and 2014 were €9.65m.
With the completion of the NBS, Ireland achieved the first of the milestones set down in the EU’s Digital Agenda for Europe i.e a basic broadband service to be available to all citizens by 2013. The focus is now on fast tracking the roll out of high speed services through the National Broadband Plan (NBP). The Government’s NBP intervention will ensure the availability of quality future proofed broadband services to all other parts of the country.
This Plan aims to ensure that high speed broadband will be available to all citizens and businesses. The Plan will deliver on targeted areas by leveraging investment from both private and public sectors.
In 2012, when the NBP was first published, industry had committed to providing next generation access connectivity to some 1 million addresses by 2015. This target has already been significantly exceeded. The draft Intervention Strategy will be published for public consultation next month and I hope to move to formal procurement 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 3-5 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. It aims to conclusively address current connectivity challenges
251. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on a matter regarding sufficient funding to deliver high speed broadband to a region (details supplied) by 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24216/15]
View answerThe Government recognises that access to high quality, high speed broadband is important for businesses and households throughout Ireland and is critically aware of the issues raised by IBEC in the Midwest and Kerry region and elsewhere in Ireland. 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 proposed State intervention under the National Broadband Plan (NBP) represents a potentially very significant capital investment project for the State and the Government is firmly committed to delivering this investment, as evidenced in the National Broadband Plan itself and in the Programme for Government, the Action Plan for Jobs and the Statement of Government Priorities.
The commercial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately €2.5 billion in network upgrades and enhanced services. 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 areas show the target areas for the State intervention. All premises within the AMBER areas will be included in the State's intervention. The map allows all members of the public, be they business or residential, to see whether their premises/home will have access to commercial high speed broadband services by end 2016 or whether they will be included in the Government's proposed intervention. It is anticipated that speeds of at least 30Mbps will be also delivered through the Government's intervention and the network will be designed to cater for future increased demand from consumers and business.
Eircom recently announced an investment that may address a further 300,000 premises with fibre-to-the-premises technology. 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 123,474 premises to date in the Mid West and Kerry region comprising Limerick, Clare, Tipperary and Kerry with a further 56,073 premises expected to be served over the next 18 months. The remaining 160,850 premises in the Mid West and Kerry Region are 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. 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 3-5 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. It aims to conclusively address current connectivity challenges in Ireland such as those identified by the IBEC Midwest and Kerry Regional Executive.
