Tuesday, 6 Dec 2016

Alternative Energy Projects

Questions (67)

Catherine Martin

Question:

67. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he envisages a long-term future for the burning of biomass in electric power generation. [38624/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment

The Programme for Government contains a commitment to further decrease Ireland's dependence on imported fossil fuels through the use of indigenous renewable energy resources. This commitment builds on the 2015 Energy White Paper which recognised the long-term strategic importance of diversifying Ireland's energy generation portfolio. While Biomass will have a role to play in this regard, I am also aware that the use of biomass in the energy mix can lead to an increase in emissions particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Thus, measures will be needed to minimise the risk of exacerbating air quality issues through the use of appropriate technology standards and fuel quality.

The REFIT 3 (Renewable Energy Feed in Tariff) scheme, which closed at the end of 2015, was designed to incentivise the addition of 310 MW of renewable electricity from biomass technologies to the Irish electricity grid. Technologies included electricity from solid biomass and the co-firing of biomass in peat powered stations. A number of projects will receive support to 2030 under REFIT3 including some producing electricity from the combustion of biomass.

My Department is currently working on the development of a new renewable electricity support scheme (RESS). As part of this process, a range of renewable energy technologies are being assessed, including electricity from biomass. The first Technology Review public consultation on the new renewable support scheme was published in 2015 and following the completion of detailed economic analysis on the viability and cost effectiveness of supporting a range of renewable technologies a second public consultation will be published in early 2017. Details of the next public consultation will be advertised on the Department's website www.dccae.gov.ie.

While the future supports for biomass in the electricity sector will be decided in the context of the new support scheme, a 2015 Government-commissioned technical analysis considered biomass usage and concluded that Ireland’s limited biomass resource would be more efficiently deployed in the heating sector. In this context, biomass is expected to be supported as part of the new Renewable Heat Incentive which will be introduced in the second half of 2017.

Landfill Sites

Questions (68)

James Lawless

Question:

68. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his Department has a register of historical landfill sites around the country; and if he is satisfied that adequate regulation, governance and, if necessary, remediation is in place regarding same, particularly in situations in which a site may have been at operational peak at a time when environmental and waste management rules were less developed. [38625/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment

For the purposes of waste management planning, Ireland is divided into three regions: Connacht-Ulster; Eastern-Midlands and the Southern Region. Waste management plans for the three regions include an inventory of sites identified as previous disposal or recovery sites. Historic landfills are regarded as the landfills that were in operation in the period 1977 to 1997 and while they were not in breach of national legislation at the time, they are now considered as posing a possible risk to the environment and human health. Section 13 of the waste management plans sets out the approach to managing historic landfills in each region and Appendix F lists the sites in question at the level of individual local authority.

The Waste Management (Certification of Historic Unlicensed Waste Disposal and Recovery Activity) Regulations (S.I. No. 524 of 2008) provide for the certification of historic unlicensed waste disposal sites, registration of these facilities, the conduct of a risk assessment by local authorities and the determination of necessary remedial measures. Sites also require a certificate of authorisation from the EPA. Such a certificate determines the adequacy of the risk assessment and specifies any further necessary measures to ensure the protection of the environment.

To assist local authorities with risk assessment and to ensure a consistent approach, the EPA has developed a Code of Practice for Environmental Risk Assessment for Unregulated Waste Disposal Sites as well as an online tool for local authorities to record the detail of the risk assessments.

The Waste Management Planning Regions are now developing a work plan for the investigation, assessment and remediation of the landfills with priority attaching to the sites of highest risk. My Department is working with the Planning Regions to ensure that we maximise the number of high-risk historic landfills that can be progressed towards remediation in an appropriate timeframe. These are complicated projects so we must also ensure the projects are well-planned and well-executed, mindful of the environment and adjacent communities.

Telecommunications Infrastructure

Questions (69)

Brian Stanley

Question:

69. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the communication he has had with mobile phone companies and the British Government regarding cross-Border roaming charges post-Brexit. [38507/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment

In September, the European Commission published an ambitious proposal for the regulation of the European telecoms sector, which aims to incentivise and encourage increased investment in high speed broadband networks in particular. I have invited the Irish telecoms industry to provide their views on the proposed new framework, and taken that opportunity to also consult with industry on the issues of roaming and Brexit respectively.

The EU Roaming Regulations aim to abolish retail roaming charges within the EU by June 2017, subject to Fair Use Policy. In parallel with industry discussions, negotiations on both the EU Wholesale Roaming Regulation and the Implementing Act on Fair Use and Sustainability are ongoing at EU level. On Friday last, the Council of Ministers agreed a basis for negotiations with the European Parliament.

The Deputy will be aware of the Cabinet Committee set up to consider all potential contingency planning issues following the UK referendum, which is headed up by the Department of the Taoiseach. I am a member of this Cabinet Committee and officials from my Department are members of the inter-departmental group chaired by the Department of Taoiseach.

It is not yet possible to say what impact Brexit will have on cross border roaming charges. This will be largely dependent on the future relationship between the EU and UK. I can assure the Deputy however that I will continue to engage with the key stakeholders on this matter, to ensure that any progress made at EU level in reducing roaming charges applies also in any new relationship with the UK.

National Broadband Plan Implementation

Questions (70)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

70. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the progress made since he took office with regard to the roll-out of the national broadband plan; when it is expected the contract will be awarded; the number of houses and businesses it is expected will be connected through the plan in 2017; the budget allocated for the plan in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38308/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment

The National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed broadband services to every city, town, village and individual premises in Ireland. The Programme for Government commits to the delivery of the NBP as a matter of priority. This is being achieved through a combination of commercial investment by the telecommunications sector and a State intervention in those areas where commercial investment has not been fully demonstrated.

A key principle of the NBP is to support and stimulate commercial investment through policy and regulatory measures. Commercial investment since the publication of the NBP has considerably exceeded expectations. To date, the commercial telecommunications sector has invested over €2.5bn in upgrading and modernising networks which support the provision of high speed broadband and mobile telecoms services.

It is estimated that up to 70% of premises in Ireland will have access to commercial high speed broadband services provided by telecommunications operators, while the remaining 30% consisting of just over 750,00 premises will fall within the proposed State led intervention under the National Broadband Plan. Currently, approximately 1.4m premises in Ireland can get high speed broadband from commercial service providers.

The High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie shows the extent of the State Intervention area:

- The areas marked BLUE represent those areas where commercial telecommunications providers are either currently delivering or have previously indicated plans to deliver high speed broadband services.

- The areas marked AMBER on the High Speed Broadband Map represent the target areas for the State Intervention, which are the subject of the current procurement process. It is intended that premises within this area will have access to services of at least 30 megabits per second when the procurement process is completed and the network rolled out.

There are 1.6 m premises in the BLUE area of which approximately 1.4m premises in Ireland can now get high speed broadband. My Department is actively monitoring the deployment in the BLUE areas to ensure that all premises can get access to services. In this regard, direct feedback from consumers is important and if customers cannot access high speed broadband services, I would encourage them to contact my Department directly at broadband@dccae.gov.ie, quoting their address and Eircode and giving details of providers they have contacted with a view to obtaining services.

My Department is now in a formal procurement process to select a company or companies who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network within the State Intervention Area comprising over 750,000 premises, covering 100,000 km of road network and 96% of the land area of Ireland.

Intensive dialogue with bidders is continuing and the three bidders have indicated that they are proposing a predominantly fibre-to-the-home solution. Householders and businesses may get speeds not just of 30 megabits per second but potentially up to 1000 megabits per second with businesses potentially availing of symmetrical upload and download speeds.

Earlier this year, before I came into office, the Department announced that it would be June 2017 before contract(s) were awarded under the NBP. The bidders in the process have recently indicated that they may need more time to conclude the procurement process. The timing of each stage of the procurement continues to be dependent on a range of factors including the complexities that may be encountered by the procurement team and bidders, during the procurement process. Bidders need adequate time to prepare detailed proposals and their final formal bids. In addition, bidders need adequate time to get the relevant shareholder and funding approvals at key stages of the process. It is also important to ensure that risks in this multi-million euro procurement are carefully managed. I do not propose to comment any further on timelines at this juncture, given that discussions are on-going in the procurement process. I can assure the Deputy, however, that the procurement process is being intensively managed, to ensure an outcome that delivers a future-proofed network that serves homes and businesses across Ireland, for at least 25 years. The Government considers the NBP to be one of the most significant investments in rural Ireland for decades, and one which will transform society, akin to rural electrification in the last century.

During the Department's extensive stakeholder consultations in 2015, telecommunications service providers indicated a 3-5 year timeline to roll out a network of the scale envisaged under the NBP. As part of the competitive process, the Department will engage with winning bidder(s) on the best roll-out 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 roll-out plan. A prioritisation programme will be put in place in this regard, in consultation with the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. A detailed roll-out plan for the network will be published once contract(s) are in place.

The Programme for Government also commits to measures to assist in the roll-out of the network once a contract is awarded. In this regard, Minister Humphreys is leading on the establishment of two regional action groups, working with Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Offices and other relevant agencies to help accelerate the broadband network build in rural Ireland, once a contract(s) has been awarded.

In a further positive initiative, last July, I established a Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce with my colleague Minister Humphreys to address immediate issues in relation to the quality of mobile phone and broadband coverage. I expect to publish the report of the Taskforce in the coming weeks.

I recently signed Regulations allowing ComReg to proceed in early 2017 to allocate spectrum in the 3.6GHz radio spectrum band. This will provide an 86% increase in total spectrum available for mobile and fixed wireless services. I have also secured €8m for RTE which will allow it to free up the 700MHz spectrum band, to provide enhanced mobile services.

In the meantime, my Department continues to liaise closely with industry and relevant other Departments and agencies to assist in the removal of barriers to assist in commercial deployment of telecommunications networks.

These investments will further improve the coverage and quality of broadband and mobile voice and data services throughout the country.

While the Government’s Capital Investment Plan includes an initial provision of €275m for the NBP up to 2021, the level of exchequer funding required for the NBP will only be known after bidders provide their estimates of cost and subsidy requirements.

Broadcasting Authority of Ireland

Questions (71)

Mick Barry

Question:

71. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his Department has received the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland's annual report for 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38590/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment

The 2015 Annual Report and Accounts for the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland have been received by my Department and have been noted by Government. They were laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 10 November 2016. A second version which corrected a minor error in the Report was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 23 November 2016.

National Broadband Plan Data

Questions (72)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

72. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when his Department first announced plans to introduce the awaited national broadband plan; the dates on which various Ministers held press conferences to publicise it; the expected commencement and completion dates given by Ministers at each of these press conferences; the current projected commencement date and completion date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38341/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment

The Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP), which was published in August 2012 by the then Minister, outlined Government’s commitment to deliver high speed broadband availability across the country and reflects Government and European objectives to deliver high speed broadband services to all citizens. Specifically it committed to a State intervention in those areas where commercial investment has not been fully demonstrated.

Since the publication of the Plan, there have been updates provided in respect of progress. In April 2014, the Government decided that it needed to scale up the ambition of the plan. This was a consequence of the mapping process, which had been underway since 2013, and which demonstrated that there was a significant fibre-deficit across Ireland which would require a major network build to address. It also recognised new State Aid Guidelines published in 2013, a significant ramp-up in demand for data services nationally and internationally, and accelerated industry investment following regulatory and policy decisions, which included legislation to allow ESB to enter the telecoms market.

Facilitating commercial investment continues to be a critical element of the Plan and industry is now delivering to approximately 1.4m premises across Ireland, which represents an increase of at least 400,000 more homes and businesses than had originally been anticipated. Telecoms operators are also rolling out fibre-to-the-home services in Ireland - a technology which was not envisaged on any scale in 2012. At least two operators have announced ambitious fibre-to-the-home roll-out plans, one of which involves the use of the ESB network, which was facilitated by legislation introduced by my Department as part of the broader NBP policy.

Following the Government's decision to scale up the ambition of the plan, significant additional resources were brought to bear on the project. Since then, my predecessor and I have held media briefings to flag key milestones in the development of the Plan. These include:

- November 2014 - the publication of the High Speed Broadband Map and launch of a public consultation.

- June 2015 - the publication of the draft Intervention Strategy along with 7 expert reports which are supporting the delivery of the procurement.

- December 2015 - the publication of the updated High Speed Broadband Map and formal launch of the procurement process, with the publication of a detailed Project Information Memorandum and Project Information Notice in the Official Journal of the EU.

- July 2016 - the decision by Government in relation to the ownership model for the network to be built and the shortlisting of three companies to be brought forward as bidders in the procurement process.

- July 2016- the establishment of a Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to consider immediate measures to address telecommunications deficits in rural Ireland.

I am sure that the Deputy will agree that regular progress reports on the development of the plan, at the key milestone stages outlined, is important in order to inform the public of progress.

The Department is now in a formal procurement process to select a company or companies who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network to over 750,000 premises in Ireland, covering 100,000 km of road network and 96% of the land area of Ireland.

Earlier this year, before I came into office, the Department announced that it would be June 2017 before contract(s) were awarded under the NBP. The bidders in the process have recently indicated that they may need more time to conclude the procurement process. The timing of each stage of the procurement continues to be dependent on a range of factors including the complexities that may be encountered by the procurement team, and bidders, during the procurement process. Bidders need adequate time to prepare detailed proposals and their final formal bids and get the relevant shareholder and funding approvals at key stages of the process. It is also important to ensure that risks in this multi-million euro procurement are carefully managed. I do not propose to comment any further at this juncture, given that discussions are ongoing in the procurement process. I can assure the Deputy however, that the procurement process is being intensively managed, to ensure an outcome that delivers a future-proofed network that serves homes and businesses across Ireland, for at least 25 years. The Government considers the NBP to be one of the most significant investments in rural Ireland for decades, and one which will transform society, akin to rural electrification in the last century.

During the Department's extensive stakeholder consultations in 2015, telecommunications service providers indicated that it could take 3-5 years to roll out a network of the scale envisaged under the NBP. It is however open to bidder(s) to suggest more aggressive timescales as part of their bids. As part of the competitive process, the Department will engage with winning bidder(s) on the best roll-out 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 roll-out plan. A prioritisation programme will be put in place in this regard, in consultation with the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. A detailed roll-out plan for the network will be published once contract(s) are in place.

The Programme for Government also commits to measures to assist in the roll-out of the network once a contract is awarded. In this regard, Minister Humphreys is leading on the establishment of two regional action groups, working with Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Offices and other relevant agencies to help accelerate the broadband network build in rural Ireland, once a contract(s) has been awarded.

In a further positive initiative, last July, I established a Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce with my colleague Minister Humphreys to address immediate issues in relation to the quality of mobile phone and broadband coverage. I expect to publish the report of the Taskforce in the coming weeks.

I recently signed Regulations allowing ComReg to proceed in early 2017 to allocate spectrum in the 3.6GHz radio spectrum band. This will provide an 86% increase in total spectrum available for mobile and fixed wireless services. I have also secured €8m for RTE which will allow it to free up the 700MHz spectrum band, to provide enhanced mobile services.

In the meantime, my Department continues to liaise closely with industry and relevant other Departments and agencies to assist in the removal of barriers to assist in commercial deployment of telecommunications networks.

These investments will further improve the coverage and quality of broadband and mobile voice and data services throughout the country.

National Broadband Plan Implementation

Questions (73)

Brian Stanley

Question:

73. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the timeframe for awarding the contract for the national broadband plan. [38508/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment

The National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed broadband services to every city, town, village and individual premises in Ireland. The Programme for Government commits to the delivery of the NBP as a matter of priority. This is being achieved through a combination of commercial investment by the telecommunications sector and a State intervention in those areas where commercial investment has not been fully demonstrated.

A key principle of the NBP is to support and stimulate commercial investment through policy and regulatory measures. Commercial investment since the publication of the NBP has considerably exceeded expectations. To date, the commercial telecommunications sector has invested over €2.5 bn in upgrading and modernising networks which support the provision of high speed broadband and mobile telecoms services.