Written Answers Nos. 525-546
525. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he agrees with the policy of publicly funded greyhound stadiums being managed in such a way that they can be closed for private functions and are not open to the public on these occasions. [15993/16]
View answerBord na gCon is a commercial State body, established in 1958 under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958, chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. Bord an gCon is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Accordingly, as the issue raised by the Deputy is an operational matter, it is therefore the responsibility of Bord na gCon.
526. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the appropriate grant aid and finance will be available to allow persons who have been approved for participation in the new afforestation scheme, which permits them to plant small areas of land for forestry purposes, will be made available to those who have had approval for same, as it appears that the provision of finance for the scheme is an issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16028/16]
View answerI wish to reassure the Deputy that there is sufficient finance available for the Afforestation Scheme targets for this year. Any person who has received technical approval to plant may seek financial approval using the Form 1(a) as stated in the scheme document for the 2014-2020 Forestry Programme.
527. Deputy Hildegarde Naughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will review the system of fines for breach of the nitrates directive (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16039/16]
View answerUnder the Terms and Conditions of Direct Payment Schemes, an applicant, as well as meeting the Scheme criteria, is required to comply with EU regulatory requirements relating to Cross Compliance.
Where my Department’s records indicate that in a given year the amount of nitrogen from livestock manure applied to land on the holding (including that deposited by animals), exceeds the limit of 170 kgs per hectare set down in the Nitrates Regulations, penalties will be applied.
Penalties are applied to the year in which the breach is determined and are deducted prior to the issuing of payments due under the Direct Payments Schemes.
Penalties will be multiplied by 3 for repeated breaches within 3 calendar years (reoccurrence/repetition). On a first repetition the current sanction is multiplied by 3. For second or further reoccurrences the previous percentage sanction is multiplied by 3, up to a limit of 15%. Repetition breaches after this will be considered as Intent and will lead to higher sanctions up to the loss of the current calendar year’s entire payment. It can also lead to the loss of any payment due in the following calendar year.
528. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to recruit for the position of agricultural technical officer; the number of new staff he will recruit; where he will base these staff; when they will be in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16083/16]
View answerTechnical Agricultural Officers carry out a variety of functions related to services and schemes administered by the Department including the operation of controls relating to animal health, public health, animal welfare and EU payment schemes.
The post of Technical Agricultural Officer was advertised by the Public Appointments Service on 14 April with a closing date of 5 May 2016. The assessment process, consisting of a variety of tests and interview, is scheduled for June and July. Upon completion of standard clearance procedures, the Department expects the process of appointing successful candidates to begin in September. Technical Agricultural Officers will be appointed to a variety of posts and locations throughout the country and the numbers appointed will be dependent on the business needs of my Department.
529. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when he will publish the 2016 to 2021 corporate plan of Inland Fisheries Ireland (details supplied); if he will examine the strategic method of linking traditional commercial fisheries of cultural importance in rural communities to commercial fisheries heritage tourism and education, taking ancient traditions, methods, vessels, knowledge and culture into account; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15885/16]
View answerSection 41(2)(c) of the Inland Fisheries Act 2010 provides that Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) shall prepare, adopt and submit a new Corporate Plan for the approval of the Minister every five years or within six months of the appointment of a new Minister.
The draft Corporate Plan 2016 – 2020 has been prepared by IFI and will be submitted for Ministerial approval in the coming weeks.
I am advised by IFI that all socio-economic factors are taken into consideration in the drafting of IFI's Corporate Plan. However, the primary focus of the inland fisheries management regime in Ireland is on conservation and protection of stocks. I am happy to arrange a detailed briefing with IFI for the Minister in relation to the local issues he has raised.
530. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the departmental spend on setting up Eircode; the original budget; the spend on ongoing maintenance costs since it was established; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15337/16]
View answerThe cost to date for establishing the National Postcode System (NPS) is €21.205m (VAT inclusive) and is broken down in the following table:
|
Contractual Costs |
Cost to Exchequer over life of the contract (VAT inclusive) |
Paid to end June 2016 (Vat inclusive) |
|
NPS Design |
€3.2m |
€3.2m |
|
PSB Database encoding |
€11.5m |
€11.5m |
|
NPS Launch and dissemination |
€3.77m |
€3.77m |
|
Ongoing maintenance and Service costs |
€14.75m |
€0 |
|
Subtotal |
€33.2m |
€18.47m |
|
Other Costs |
|
|
|
Specialist and Staffing Costs |
€4.8m |
€2.735m |
|
Total Cost |
€38m |
€21.205m |
There has been no spend to date in relation to on-going maintenance. The maximum annual amount that is allocated for the on-going maintenance of the NPS is €1.2m.
531. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if Eircode is compatible with global positioning system functionality; if not, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15338/16]
View answerEircode is compatible with Global Positioning System (GPS) functionality, as each Eircode provides a GPS location for each postal address. This allows Eircodes to be used with GPS enabled devices to accurately give directions and locate properties.
Contracts have been signed with satellite navigation companies and negotiations are ongoing with others. Google and Eircode are working together to bring Eircodes to Google Applications, including Google Maps shortly. TomTom have concluded their licence negotiations for Eircodes and are currently integrating the codes into their products.
532. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the reason his Department did not adopt the national postcodes project board's recommendation in its final report for the adoption of a hierarchical code but adopted a non-sequential system instead; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15339/16]
View answerIn 2006 the National Postcodes Project Board (NPPB) recommended that the optimum technical solution to be adopted for a national postcode was the 'Postal Sector Model'. This uses an 'ABC 123' structure to reference in the first instance the relevant Post Town, and secondly the 'Block Face' (a grouping of approximately 40 to 50 dwellings); it was, however, recognised at that time that there were advantages in introducing a postcode based on a unique identifier.
In 2010, 54 interested parties were consulted as part of an extensive consultation process on the introduction of postcodes. The consultation exercise concluded that for the postcode to be of real benefit it had to be unique to each address. Following consideration of the matter by Government in 2010, the Department proceeded to the first stage of procurement to launch a National Postcode System. The procurement documentation, having regard to the output from the stakeholder consultation process, envisaged that the postcode model would be capable of being refined into a location based code – in other words of identifying each individual property within a post town.
The reason for the adoption of the unique identifier approach was to resolve two addressing challenges:
- 35% of addresses are non-unique which means many properties, particularly in rural areas, share the same address; and
- in both urban and rural areas, the same property can have multiple forms of address.
A hierarchical based code is not the optimum solution for Ireland as it does not have the capacity to uniquely identify premises nor is it future proofed as it is not possible to assign a sequenced code to new builds (for example any infill development will break the sequence of the code in the event that a sequenced code were used).
533. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on a recent survey carried out by a company (details supplied) which found that 96% of companies in the logistics business do not use Eircode; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15340/16]
View answerI presume the Deputy is referring to the "CBRE Ireland Logistics & Supply Chain Confidence Index 2016" which includes a short analysis on the introduction and usage of Eircodes. In addition to the statistic referenced by the Deputy in his question, the report also notes that two thirds of the survey respondents said the introduction of the Eircode postcode system has been a positive development for the Irish Market, with 73% of shipping respondents and 64% of logistics & E-Commerce companies saying the introduction of Eircode has been a positive development.
Information available to my Department indicates that a significant number of commercial bodies have incorporated the Eircode into their online services, and this continues to grow. Since the launch, Capita, the Postcode Management Licence Holder (PMLH), has signed up a total of 28 Eircode Value Added Re-sellers who provide a broad spectrum of Eircode specialist services to businesses including, location based applications for logistics/deliveries sector, address validation, database cleansing, address look ups and a range of spatial analytic applications. These 28 VARs have signed licences with 399 End User organisations who are using Eircodes in their businesses. The industries using Eircode data include Retail, Logistics/Delivery, Financial Services, Insurance, Utilities and Public Sector bodies. Most of the Eircode licenced End Users are using the data for address verification and deliveries, as well as for risk assessment in Insurance and Financial Services.
The integration of Eircodes into the relevant business systems of individual firms is linked to their systems development lifecycle which can, in some cases, lead to a time lag before Eircodes are used by the business in their day-to-day operations and in their service offerings. The timing of the integration process is a matter for individual businesses to take.
I am satisfied that once Eircodes are used in Google applications and Sat Navs, their usage will increase.
534. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if the Loc8 code was considered for use with the Eircode autoaddress application in the introduction of two additional postcodes to be used with the application; if not, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15341/16]
View answer537. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if there is a role for other postcode applications alongside Eircode; and the basis upon which he decides to promote any such technology via his Department's website and Twitter account. [15347/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 534 and 537 together.
Since the Eircode launch, Capita, the Postcode Contractor, has signed up a total of 28 Eircode Value Added Re-sellers who provide a broad spectrum of Eircode specialist services to business including, location based applications for logistics/deliveries sector, address validation, database cleansing, address look ups and a range of spatial analytic applications.
I understand that one of the Value Added Re-sellers recently launched a free-to-use Eircode app for use on Apple and Android devices. This App is a useful way to find Eircodes, share precise address locations and get directions using the Eircodes.
The development of apps and products by Value Added Re-sellers is a matter for the individual company.
Information in relation to new or innovative Eircode related services is placed on my Department's website in order to increase awareness and promote usage of Eircodes amongst the public.
535. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to consider introducing an opt-in provision for customers in the national smart metering programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15342/16]
View answerThe National Smart Metering Programme is managed by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER). Under the EU’s Third Energy Package, “where roll-out of smart meters is assessed positively, at least 80% of consumers shall be equipped with intelligent metering systems by 2020.”
Across Europe, the appraisal of smart metering has varied. In Ireland, a cost benefit analysis (CBA) is being developed by the CER. The CBA results (due in Q1 2017) will be the key determinant in the scale, scope and timing of the roll-out.
It should be noted that many existing electricity meters will require replacement in the coming years as they reach an end-of-life situation. Their replacement with smart meters represents a welcome modernisation of our metering infrastructure.
536. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if the introduction of time-of-use tariffs will result in consumer buy-in to the national smart metering programme, given international experience where this has been tried; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15343/16]
View answerThe National Smart Metering Programme is managed by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER). Under the EU’s Third Energy Package, “where roll-out of smart meters is assessed positively, at least 80% of consumers shall be equipped with intelligent metering systems by 2020.”
Across Europe, the appraisal of smart metering has varied. In Ireland, a cost benefit analysis (CBA) is being developed by the CER. The CBA results (due in Q1 2017) will be the key determinant in the scale, scope and timing of the roll-out. In simple terms, it will develop an approach to smart meter roll-out to consumers. It should be noted that many existing electricity meters will require replacement in the coming years.
Time of use (ToU) tariffs offer a different price for electricity at different times of the day. This is similar to the current day/night meters but with the potential for more than two charging periods in each day allowing people to manage their electricity cost by changing when they use electricity.
Following a public consultation, the CER issued a decision on ToU tariffs. Energy suppliers will be required to offer ToU tariffs to customers within 12 months of receiving a smart meter. It will be the customers choice whether to opt-in to use the ToU tariff or remain on their existing tariff.
Over time, as consumers become informed regarding the potential savings that they can make, ToU tariffs are likely to become the norm. The CER intends to monitor developments in the market with a view to phasing out flat-rate tariffs in the future. However, no date has been decided for such a phase-out.
The CER plans to launch a comprehensive public awareness campaign in the run up to smart meter rollout and educating the public about the benefits of ToU tariffs will form a substantial part of that campaign.
538. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he has analysed the potential reputational damage for Ireland as a green tourism and agrifood country, given the introduction of hydraulic fracturing. [15349/16]
View answerIn coming to a view whether the use of this technology could be permitted in Ireland, it was considered necessary in the first instance to establish if it could be carried out in a manner that would not negatively impact on the environment and human health. A research programme has been put in place which is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with oversight from a broad based Steering Committee that includes my Department. The terms of reference for the research programme had regard to public consultation and relevant issues raised in the public consultation have been included in the scope of the research programme.
The Steering Committee took the view at the beginning of 2016 that it was an appropriate time to reflect on the overall timeline for the delivery of the research. The Steering Committee has agreed a revised scope of work to combine all of the work carried out to date into a meaningful synthesis report, which will be published once concluded. It is anticipated that this report will be published by year end.
No application to engage in Unconventional Gas Exploration and Extraction has been received in the Department, nor would any such application, if submitted, be considered until the research programme has concluded and there has been time to consider the findings of the synthesis report. Any policy decision will be taken in the context of the objective of achieving a low carbon energy system by 2050.
539. Deputy Michael D'Arcy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the status of the renewable energy feed in tariff pricing for solar power; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15379/16]
View answerThe White Paper on Energy Policy includes a commitment to introduce a new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) designed to encourage the development of Ireland’s abundant, diverse and indigenous renewable energy resources. The Programme for Government also commits to facilitating the development of solar energy projects.
In July 2015, the Department launched the first public consultation regarding the introduction of a proposed Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) in Ireland. In-depth economic analysis is now underway to inform the actual cost of a new scheme and, while no decision has been taken on the precise renewable technologies to be supported, the cost and technical viability of solar photovoltaic (PV) - both roof-top and utility-scale - is being examined as part of the assessment process.
Once the detailed economic analysis is complete, there will be an additional public consultation phase on the design of the new scheme. The details of this will be advertised on the Department’s website www.dcenr.gov.ie.
The introduction of any new scheme - including the overall costs and technologies to be support - will be subject to Government approval and State aid clearance from the European Commission.
The Deputy may be also interested to know that the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland provides supports for the use of solar thermal heating technology to both large industry and SMEs. Households can also avail of grant support for investment in renewable energy installations, including solar thermal, under the Better Energy Homes Scheme.
540. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the amount his Department spent on purchasing copies of the Public Sector Times magazine in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15412/16]
View answerThe magazine referred to in the Question is distributed to my Department free of charge.
541. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the amount spent on daily newspapers in 2015; if this is an appropriate expenditure given the available and far cheaper online alternatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15428/16]
View answerMy Department buys a limited number of newspapers and in 2015 spent a total of €7,291.05 on such purchases. Staff in my Department also utilise online news resources which reduces the requirement for paper editions and the associated costs.
542. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of staff working in his human resources section. [15444/16]
View answer544. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the changes in the numbers employed in his human resources section following the introduction of PeoplePoint. [15476/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 542 and 544 together.
Following the introduction of PeoplePoint shared service, the number of staff employed in the Human Resources Division of my Department has reduced from 12.5 to 7.3 full time equivalents.
543. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of staff who work exclusively on constituency matters for him. [15460/16]
View answerThere are two (2) staff members working exclusively on constituency matters in my Department.
545. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding broadband; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15491/16]
View answerThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed services to every city, town, village and individual premises in Ireland. The Programme for a Partnership Government commits to the delivery of the NBP as a matter of priority. This is being achieved through private investment by commercial telecommunications companies and through a State intervention in areas where commercial investment is not forthcoming.
The High Speed Broadband Map 2020, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie shows the extent of the State Intervention area, which is the subject of procurement. The areas marked BLUE represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services. The Department continues to monitor the commercial deployment plans in the BLUE area where commercial operators have committed to providing services, to ensure that those services are delivered. The areas marked AMBER on the High Speed Broadband Map represent the target areas for the State Intervention and includes the townland of Carrig Island, as well as Ballylongford in the townland of Aghanagran Middle, County Kerry. Members of the public can view whether their premises are in the BLUE or AMBER area by accessing the High Speed Broadband Map and entering their Eircode. The map provides information on a county by county basis with a breakdown of coverage across the townlands in every county including County Kerry.
Over 750,000 premises are the focus of the procurement process, which formally commenced in December 2015 with the publication of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire ( 'PQQ') and Project Information Memorandum. Five responses were received from prospective bidders to this stage of the competitive procurement process by the deadline of 31 March 2016.
The second stage in the procurement process will be a formal invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD) to short-listed bidders, following the assessment of responses to the PQQ stage. I expect that my Department will move to this stage in the next month. The third stage of the procurement process involves the issue of final tender documentation which follows the dialogue process. Following the submission of final tenders by bidders, a winning bidder(s) will be selected for the contract(s) which will comprise one or two lots as set out in the NBP Intervention Strategy. The Department will then enter into formal contract negotiations with the winning bidder(s). It is expected that contract(s) will be awarded by June 2017.
In preparation for the procurement stage of the process my Department investigated how different technical solutions could be used to deliver high speed broadband. In line with EU State Aid rules, the process must be "technology neutral" and it is not therefore possible to specify what technology should be used to build the network. As part of the procurement process bidders will be asked to propose solutions which meet the NBP service requirements. It is recognised however, that a significant fibre build will be required, regardless of what technology is used to provide services to individual premises. Once the successful bidder or bidders is chosen the technology to be deployed will be made clear.
As part of the competitive process, the Department will engage with winning bidder(s) on the best rollout strategy, in order to target areas of particularly poor service, business needs and / or high demand. This will need to be balanced with the most efficient network rollout plan. A prioritisation programme will be put in place in this regard, in consultation with the Minister for Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts and the Gaeltacht. Once contract(s) are in place, I expect to publish a detailed rollout plan for the network.
The Programme for a Partnership Government commits also to measures to assist in the rollout of the network once a contract is awarded. In this regard, Minister Humphreys will lead on the establishment of county or regional broadband taskforces, working with Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Offices, LEADER Groups and other relevant agencies to help accelerate the broadband network build in rural Ireland, once contract(s) have been awarded.
546. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will request the Commission for Energy Regulation to engage with the Registered Electrical Contractors of Ireland on the necessity of making public and professional installers aware of the need for induction hobs and ovens, which have a higher electrical load, to have separate circuits, or other modifications to wiring, to cope with the potentially massive electrical load at full-power; and if it will commit to reviewing and improving the standards for installation to a much higher degree for safety reasons. [15579/16]
View answerResponsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets, including safety, is a statutory function of the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), which is an independent Regulator.
The CER was assigned responsibility for regulation of the Irish electricity sector following the enactment of the Electricity Regulation Act, 1999 and subsequent amending legislation, specifically the Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2006. Section 4 of the 2006 Act provided CER with responsibility for the regulation of the activities of electrical contractors with regard to safety, and amended the 1999 Act accordingly. Section 4 provides that: "It shall be a function of the Commission to regulate the activities of electrical contractors with regard to safety". All associated activities, including the publication of criteria relating to electrical safety supervision, and the safety standards to be achieved and maintained by electrical contractors, are solely a matter for the Commission.
I have asked the Commission to communicate directly with the Deputy.
