Written Answers Nos. 428-441
428. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will clarify the proposed cuts to the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra; his plans to ensure this important public service is protected and supported and does not suffer regressive cuts; the timeframe for the review announced by RTÉ into the two orchestras; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51625/17]
View answerRTÉ is an independent national public service broadcaster established under the Broadcasting Act 2009. Section 114(1) of the Act sets out the objects of RTÉ, including the objective 'to establish and maintain orchestras, choirs and other cultural performing groups'. Section 98 of the Act establishes the independence of RTÉ in pursuance of its objects. I do not have a statutory function in this matter.
429. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will report on the position in his Department's strategy statement to focus on the implementation of Ireland's climate change commitments. [50385/17]
View answerHigh Level Objective 5 of my Department's Statement of Strategy 2016-2019 sets out that my Department will 'enable the State, within EU and global frameworks, to pursue and achieve transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable economy, underpinned by a secure and competitive energy supply, in the period to 2050’. This High Level Objective identifies a number of outcomes for both climate and energy policy objectives under my Department’s remit.
Implementation on Ireland’s climate change commitments can be measured against Ireland’s emissions reduction targets under the EU Effort Sharing Decision, the implementation of domestic policy commitments arising from the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 and in the context of related commitments set out in the Programme for Partnership Government.
The 2009 Effort Sharing Decision 406/2009/EC established binding annual greenhouse gas emissions targets for EU Member States for the period 2013 to 2020. For the year 2020 itself, the target set for Ireland is that emissions should be 20% below their level in 2005. This will be Ireland’s contribution to the overall EU objective to reduce its emissions by the order of 20% by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. Ireland’s target is jointly the most demanding 2020 reduction target allocated to EU Member States under this Decision, which is shared only with Denmark and Luxembourg.
The latest Environmental Protection Agency report on greenhouse gas emissions, published on 27 November, indicates that Ireland complied with its annual limits in the period 2013-2016. However, projections indicate that Ireland is expected to exceed its annual limits from 2017 onwards and that emissions could be between 4% and 6% below 2005 levels by 2020. The projected shortfall to our targets in 2020 reflects both the constrained investment capacity over the past decade due to the economic crisis, and the extremely challenging nature of the target itself. In fact, it is now accepted that Ireland’s 2020 target was not consistent with what would be achievable on an EU wide cost-effective basis.
In order to comply with Ireland’s 2020 targets, Ireland will need to avail of a number of flexibilities. These include the carry-over of surplus allowances from earlier in the period as well as the use of credits already purchased through the Kyoto Protocol Flexibility Mechanisms and carried forward from 2008-2012 which can be offset against the deficit. If this does not fully address any potential deficit, further allowances could be purchased if necessary. The final cost of purchasing additional allowances will depend both on the quantum and price of allowances to be purchased at the time.
Ireland's first statutory National Mitigation Plan, which I published in July of this year, provides a framework to guide investment decisions by Government in domestic measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Plan sets out what Ireland is currently doing, and is planning to do, to further the national transition objective as set out in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act, 2015. This Plan sets out over 70 individual measures and 106 related actions to reduce emissions in four key sectors (Electricity Generation; the Built Environment; Transport; and Agriculture, Forestry and Land Use). Although this first Plan will not provide a complete roadmap to achieve the national transition objective to 2050, it begins the process of development of medium- to long-term options to ensure that Ireland is well positioned to take the necessary actions in the next and future decades.
I am also currently finalising Ireland’s first National Adaptation Framework. The Framework will provide a clear strategy for Government Departments and the Local Government sector to prepare and implement adaptation plans and strategies within their own areas. Individual Ministers will be required to develop sectorial adaptation plans for areas under their remit and local authorities will be required to develop local authority climate change adaptation strategies.
The 2015 Act also requires that I lay before that Houses of the Oireachtas an Annual Transition Statement, no later than 10 December each year, setting out progress on the implementation of mitigation and adaption policy measures adopted by Government, details on emissions inventories and projections, and a report on compliance with Ireland’s obligations under EU law and relevant international agreements. The Annual Transition Statement also includes reports by relevant Ministers in the Seanad and Dáil.
431. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the approximate cost to Bord na Móna for the closure of the Littleton plant in County Tipperary excluding redundancy payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51791/17]
View answer432. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the projected cost to Bord na Móna specifically for the winding down and decommissioning of the physical plant and machinery at the Littleton, County Tipperary, plant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51792/17]
View answer433. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of persons who will be employed and the length of time they will have been employed for at the Bord na Móna plant in Littleton, County Tipperary, after the formal closure of the plant to render the plant fully unproductive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51793/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 431 to 433, inclusive, together.
Bord na Móna is a commercial State company operating under the Turf Development Acts 1946 to 1998. The matters raised by the Deputy are operational in nature and not one in which I, as Minister, have any function. Nonetheless, I have requested the Company to respond to the Deputy directly on the matters raised.
434. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of freedom of information requests received by his Department to date in 2017; the number which were fully or partially granted; and the number of such requests that were refused. [51847/17]
View answer435. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of freedom of information requests received by his Department to date in 2017; the number of which the period of consideration was completed within four weeks of the receipt of the request; and the number of which the period of consideration was extended by up to four weeks in view of the fact that the necessary resources to complete the request within the original timeframe were not available, in tabular form. [51864/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 434 and 435 together.
The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table.
FOI Requests 1 January 2017 to 30 November 2017
|
Number of Requests Received |
Granted/Part Granted |
Refused |
No. Completed Within 4 week period |
No. For Which Extensions were sought (due to necessary resources not being available) |
|
190 |
85 |
46 |
89 |
0 |
The provisions in the FOI Act 2014 for an extension of the time limit for issuing a decision do not include a provision to request an extension of time due to necessary resources not being available.
436. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on the disincentive to reducing energy consumption caused by the existence of standing charges and levies (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51970/17]
View answer437. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will take action to reduce the regressive nature of standing charges in energy bills in view of the fact that these charges have a greater impact for those on lower incomes than higher incomes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51971/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 436 and 437 together.
Electricity and gas retail markets in Ireland are commercial, liberalised, and competitive and operate within national and European regulatory regimes. Retail electricity prices have been fully deregulated since April 2011, with price setting a commercial and operational matter for suppliers. The position of successive Governments has been that competitive energy markets result in greater choice for consumers and businesses, in terms of suppliers, products and prices.
Non-variable components in household electricity bills are a part of energy bills across Europe and are necessary to address the fixed costs of energy systems, including infrastructure, maintenance and repair, and systems services that ensure the reliability of these systems.
The Public Service Obligation (PSO) Levy is a charge on all electricity customers without exception, and is determined by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU). The levy consists of a set of support schemes designed to facilitate national electricity policy objectives for renewables, indigenous fuels and security of supply.
VAT and other taxation matters are the responsibility of the Minister for Finance.
In general terms, suppliers describe the standing charge as a combination of fixed charges associated with the upkeep of the network necessary to bring supply to the home, together with other network services such as meter reading, issuing and processing customer bills, and other related supplier costs. These costs have to be met irrespective of the amount of electricity used and regardless of whether the property is occupied or not.
Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets is solely a matter for the independent regulator, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), which was assigned responsibility for the regulation of the Irish electricity market following the enactment of the Electricity Regulation Act, 1999 and subsequent legislation. As part of its statutory functions, the CRU carries out regular market monitoring focused on costs and prices and has the responsibility to ensure that energy customers continue to benefit from competition. In relation to market monitoring, the CRU published two reports this year; in February, “A Review of Competition in the Electricity and Gas Retail Markets: A Consumer Focused Assessment”, and, in October, “An Energy Supply Costs Information Paper”, which explain in detail the costs suppliers include in bills. CRU indicates that it intends to continue to closely monitor trends in prices and margins.
The CRU also determines network companies’ charges every five years on the basis of regulatory scrutiny of network costs.
CRU is an independent statutory body and solely accountable to a committee of the Oireachtas for the performance of its functions, including in relation to market monitoring.
438. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to a proposal by a company (details supplied) that is a wholly owned subsidiary of a group to sell units at Childers Road Enterprise Centre, County Limerick; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that some of the sitting tenants' businesses will be adversely affected to the point they may have to close down with a considerable loss of jobs as they are dependent on the location; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51425/17]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, Shannon Group plc operates to a commercial mandate and has statutory responsibility to, inter alia, manage and develop its assets and exploit commercial opportunities associated with its land and property and that of its subsidiaries, including its wholly owned subsidiary, Shannon Commercial Properties Ltd. I have therefore forwarded this Question to Shannon Group for direct reply. If the Deputy does not receive a reply within 10 working days, please advise my private office.
A referred reply was forwarded to the Deputy under Standing Order 42A.
439. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if there is a legal restriction on Fingal County Council introducing a parking enforcement clamping service in its administrative area similar to that which is in place in Dublin city; if not, the legal process by which the council can introduce clamping; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51626/17]
View answerSection 101(B) of the Road Traffic Act 1961 (as amended) provides the legal vires to a local authority to authorise a person or a class of persons to fix immobilisation devices to vehicles within its functional area. A decision whether or not to introduce such vehicle immobilisation, as part of the parking enforcement measures in its functional area, is a matter for each local authority.
440. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the resources his Department has devoted to the removal of abandoned boats around the coast; the powers local authorities have to force owners to remove such boats; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51968/17]
View answer454. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the resources his Department has devoted to the removal of abandoned boats around the coast; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51967/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 440 and 454 together.
No resources in this Department are assigned for the purpose of the removal of wrecks.
The relevant legislation under my remit which applies to wrecks is the Merchant Shipping (Salvage and Wreck) Act, 1993 and in particular ss. 51-52. In sum these set out the duty of the owner to remove or make safe obstructive wrecks and the powers of the appropriate authority to issue instructions in this regard, and if they are not complied with, to take the wreck in hand themselves. The owners of the wrecks are responsible for any costs arising from the authority’s actions.
The appropriate authority may be a harbour authority, a local authority or the Commissioners of Irish Lights.
The deputy may also wish to refer to earlier questions on these matters: 29818/15, 37396/15, 45550/15 & 51370/17.
441. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the funding provided by his Department to each member of a group (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51445/17]
View answerMy Department does not provide funding to any of the groups mentioned.
