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Tuesday, 13 Feb 2018

Written Answers Nos. 518-539

Farm Partnerships

Questions (518)

Martin Kenny

Question:

518. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of succession farm partnerships that have been announced since the scheme was established; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7493/18]

View answer

Written answers

Under the Succession Farm Partnership scheme, partnerships on the Department’s register may apply to join the succession farm partnership register.  To date, my Department has received and processed 28 applications from registered farm partnerships, for the register.

The purpose of this scheme is to encourage the generational change critical for the future of farming. By facilitating collaborative working in a way that assures the long term financial security of both the farmer and the successor, this scheme will increase operational efficiency on farm by supporting best practice in intergenerational transfer of the holding.

Partnerships on this register can benefit from a tax incentive of €5,000 for up to five years, during the Succession Agreement term, until the identified successor(s) reaches the age of 40.

The scheme is designed to encourage the successor to become invested in the enterprise as early as possible to be fully ready to take over when the time is right.

It is strongly advised that anybody considering entering into a succession farm partnership take independent legal and financial advice and allow adequate time to do this.

The Succession Farm Partnership scheme is part of the Government’s commitment to Rural Ireland.

Fish Quotas

Questions (519)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

519. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the salmon angling quota for a group (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6797/18]

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Written answers

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is the state agency responsible for the protection, management and conservation of Ireland's inland fisheries and sea angling resources.

  IFI manages salmon stocks on an individual river basis as each of Ireland’s 147 salmon rivers (including river sections and estuaries) has its own genetically unique stock of salmon. IFI is supported in its management role by scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and by Ireland’s independent Standing Scientific Committee (SSC), comprising scientists from a range of organisations. Scientific and management assessments of each of the distinct stocks, including the River Roughty, are carried out every year with IFI engaged in extensive stock monitoring which feeds into the scientific committee's annual reviews.

The SSC estimates the number of salmon likely to return to each river in the next fishing season based on estimates of salmon runs over the most recent five years.  Robust annual estimates are based on an average of the data over the most recent five years to ensure that a "good" or "bad" year in terms of salmon returns does not disproportionately impact assessments.

Each river has an individual conservation limit, which is essentially the number of salmon required to spawn to maintain a healthy population. If the estimate of returning salmon is sufficiently above this limit then salmon from that genetically unique river population may be harvested commercially or by rod and line.

The conservation limit for the Roughty is 1,539 salmon.  After the normal risk analysis was applied for the 2018 season, the Roughty is calculated to have a surplus of 116 salmon. This figure is not considered sufficient to support a harvest fishery via rod and line and/or commercial activity without compromising the conservation imperative

The estimate of expected returns to, and the estimated surplus available on, the Roughty  over the five year period 2014-2018 is set out in the following table.

Year

Conservation Limit

Expected Returns

Advised Surplus

2018

1539

1655

116

2017

1539

1656

117

2016

1539

1775

209

2015

1539

2005

236

2014

1539

2002

463

I would be happy to ask IFI to brief the Deputy further on the assessment process if he wishes.

Energy Efficiency

Questions (520)

Martin Kenny

Question:

520. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the cost of the dairy sector pilot project run by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland in collaboration with Teagasc conducted in 2017; the number of persons in receipt of payments from the scheme; his plans to sustain and expand the scheme; and the funding allocated for same in 2018. [6998/18]

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Written answers

SEAI developed the Dairy Sector pilot scheme in partnership with Teagasc and rolled it out during 2017 as a new pilot measure for the SME sector.  The scheme targeted the high electricity use associated with milking parlours – funding high efficiency pumps and variable speed drives (VSDs) that can dramatically reduce electricity consumption on dairy farms.  The VSD and vacuum pumps can reduce process electricity consumption by 60% which can result in savings of over 10% on total farm energy costs.  Payments amounting to €188,000 of grant support were made in 2017 to 47 successful grantees by SEAI from funding provided by my Department.

Funding for SME programmes is being increased by my Department by €2.4m for 2018 bringing the total allocation to €3.4m. The purpose of this funding will be to support initiatives spanning the SME sector that have good learning or demonstrator effect or where good efficiency and emissions reductions potential exists.  How it will be allocated will be determined over the coming weeks in consultation with SEAI, having regard to learnings from the 2017 pilot projects, recent consultations and other relevant inputs.  At this point it is not possible to say whether, or to what extent, initiatives in the agricultural sector would be supported from this allocation.  Decisions on this will also need to have regard to supports available from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine.

There are a range of other supports for energy efficient and emissions reductions available through the SEAI which may be of interest to the agricultural sector.  These include energy management training for SMEs; free information and best practice guides on energy management and the EXEED (excellence in energy efficiency and design) scheme.  The SEAI also produces the “Triple E” Register of products approved as being energy efficient.  Coupled with the Accelerated Capital Allowance (ACA) scheme this allows businesses to identify and buy the most energy efficient equipment and write down the cost of such equipment in the year of purchase rather than over 8 years.  More detail of these supports can be found on the SEAI website at www.seai.ie

Telecommunications Infrastructure

Questions (521)

Willie Penrose

Question:

521. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on the impact a lack of broadband and mobile telephone signal has on farmers and agricultural contractors seeking to use technology such as GPS and other applications to implement smart farming; and his plans to address this. [7165/18]

View answer

Written answers

The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location.  The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland now have access to high speed broadband.  Within a year that number will rise to nearly 8 out of 10 premises and by 2020 9 out of 10 premises or 90% of premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection.

In April 2017 I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).

The Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode:

- The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP and are the subject of an ongoing procurement process.

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

- The LIGHT BLUE areas represent eir's commercial rural deployment plans to rollout high speed broadband to 300,000 premises by the end of this year as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with me in April.

Those employed in the agricultural sector live and work in areas which fall into all of these categories. Individuals can visit my Department’s High Speed Broadband map at www.broadband.gov.ie and enter their eircode to see which category their premises fall into. The negative impact a lack of high speed broadband is having on these agricultural communities will be relieved via a combination of commercial investment and a State led intervention under the National Broadband Plan

In April 2017, I signed a Commitment Agreement with eir in relation to its plans to provide High speed broadband to 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis. eir has committed to completing the rollout by the end of this year.  Information on eir's planned rural deployment is available at http://fibrerollout.ie/eircode-lookup/.  A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my Department’s website www.dccae.gov.ie.

My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. That procurement process is now at an advanced stage. When the procurement process reaches a satisfactory conclusion for Government, a contract will be awarded and the network rollout will commence.

In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.

Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen.  These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities.  The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure.  There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.

Inland Fisheries Stocks

Questions (522)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

522. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the extent to which the salmon fisheries sector continues to develop and compete; the extent to which stocks have improved or otherwise in the past number of years; the action planned on issues arising; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7457/18]

View answer

Written answers

Ireland manages salmon stocks on an individual river basis. This management is carried out by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), the State Agency with statutory responsibility for inland fisheries. The management policy is based on the fact that each of Ireland’s 147 salmon rivers, river sections, estuaries, etc., has its own genetically unique stock of salmon, which migrates to sea as juveniles and returns to the same river in adulthood to spawn and create the next generation of fish exclusive to that river.

IFI is supported in its management role by Ireland’s Standing Scientific Committee. IFI also draws on international advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

The Atlantic salmon is a protected species under the EU Habitats Directive with which Ireland’s current salmon management regime complies. In order to align fully with the Directive and the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) principles and in view of a sharp decline in salmon stocks, the Irish Government closed mixed stock fisheries in 2007 including coastal and offshore fishing for salmon. Harvest fisheries are now only allowed on individual river stocks which are shown to have a surplus and in estuaries where the stocks from individual rivers entering the estuary are each meeting their individual conservation limits.

A Salmon Hardship Scheme was introduced in 2007 under which fishermen active in the commercial salmon fishery could opt to permanently cease fishing. In excess of €25 million was allocated to the scheme to facilitate payments to fishermen, with a further €5 million provided for community development projects.  It is considered that river stocks would be in a far more perilous state if the closure of mixed stock fisheries had not been implemented.

The number of public commercial licences available for sustainable harvesting of fisheries in 2018 is 105 while it is anticipated that some 18,000 recreational licences will issue.  Recreational angling now comprises close to 70% of total catches. Catch and release continues to be a feature of recreational angling with approximately 10,000 salmon released by anglers annually.

During migration from rivers to marine feeding grounds, salmon from both rivers in Ireland and rivers in other countries travel through Ireland’s coastal waters. These "mixed stocks" pose particular difficulties for management as they contain individual fish often from a wide range of rivers some of which are below sustainable reproductive capacity. Any deviation from current policy would be contrary to the international independent scientific advice as the “home river” of off-shore salmon cannot be identified and it is not possible to disaggregate the individuals or stock groups at sea.

The conservation imperative demands that current salmon stocks are not further eroded by mismanagement or inappropriate exploitation, whether via angling, commercial fisheries in rivers inland or through the operation of indiscriminate mixed stock fisheries at sea or in estuaries.

Ireland is committed to international agreements entered into at EU level and at NASCO and the prohibition of mixed stock fisheries is a key element of international best practice in salmon conservation and management.

Departmental Expenditure

Questions (523)

Dara Calleary

Question:

523. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount spent by his Department on photography, by photographer and-or agency, public relations or communications advice external to the media officers of his Department, by agency; the use of public relations or communications advice by an agency fully funded by his Department by agency and month, in tabular form since 1 January 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6743/18]

View answer

Written answers

My Department's remit includes complex policy areas, oversight of State regulation and service provision across key strategic services such as energy and public broadcasting, and regulation of sectors such as mining and hydrocarbon exploration. Given the technical complexity, economic significance and community interest in these areas, there is a requirement to disseminate information and to address specific issues as they arise. The Department therefore necessarily incurs some expenditure on public relations or communications advice from time to time.

In procuring these services, my Department always seeks to ensure value for money and keeping expenditure to the minimum necessary.

The selection and contracting of photography services for my Department is carried out as part of competitive procurement processes in line with Office of Government Procurement guidelines.

The information requested in the Question is outlined in the following tabular format*:

Company

2016

2017

 2018 (to date)

Purpose of Consultancy

Morrow Communications Ltd

41,546

36,962

916

Provision of services in relation to outreach in rural communities with respect to low flying geophysical survey and soil geochemical survey.

Danielle Coombs

n/a

65,608

 

Communications Officer in the GSI.

Mandy Johnson Communications

n/a

8,700

 

Provision of services in relation to Household Waste Awareness Campaign

Focus Advertising

n/a

15,585

 

Provisions of services in relation to Household Waste Awareness Campaign

Photography Costs in 2016

Photographer

-

-

Maxwell Photography

Post Office Network Group

 585

Maxwell photography

Launch of New EPA Guidelines

 717

Maxwell Photography

Digital Economy Report

 602

Maxwell Photography

Asthma Society

413

Maxwell Photography

Mobile Phone & Broadband Taskforce Launch .

361

Fennell Photography

 

Tellus Waterford block airborne data release, photocall Minister Kyne, Copper Coast Visitor Centre 29th July 2016; geochemistry file image photography, Waterford.

957

Mac Innes Photography 

Young Scientist

316

Mac Innes Photography

Staff photos for official websites

2,087

Total 2016

 

6038

Photography Costs in 2017

Photographer

-

-

Maxwell Photography

Intergovernmental Panel Climate Change (IPCC)  Event

120

Maxwell Photography

Forum on Food Waste

241

Maxwell Photography

Ladies Gaelic Football - Free to Air Finals

482

Maxwell Photography

National Broadband Launch

430

Andrew Fox Photography

Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce Forum

200

Marc O’ Sullivan Photography

Advanced Mobile Location Launch

553

Andrew Fox Photography

Local Authority Broadband Officers NBP Workshop to highlight the:

- Announcement of the eir 300k rural roll out Commitment Agreement

- Launch of the updated High Speed Broadband Map

450

Maxwell Photography

Photo shoot to highlight the NBP:

- Announcement of the eir 300k rural roll out Commitment Agreement

- Launch of the updated High Speed Broadband Map

499

Mac Innes Photography

Prints

51

Maxwell Photography

School Digital Champion Programme – Showcase Event 13th May 2017.

529

Donal Maloney Photography

Field operations photographs for new website and outreach.

9,400

 

Total 2017

 

12,955

*The information set out in the above table does not include information in relation to the use of photography services for the period prior to July 2016 for those areas formerly the responsibility of the then Department of Environment, Community and Local Government which transferred to my Department in July 2016.

The information requested regarding those agencies which are funded by my Department is an operational matter for each of those agencies. I will request the relevant bodies to reply directly to the Deputy with the information requested in respect of their organisation.

National Broadband Plan Implementation

Questions (524)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

524. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the way in which the works carried out by a company (details supplied) to date in the context of the national broadband plan will be completed and-or remedied; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6860/18]

View answer

Written answers

The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location.  The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. Today 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland have access to a high speed broadband service.  Within a year that number will rise to nearly 8 out of 10 premises and by 2020, 9 out of 10 premises or 90% of premises. This goal will be achieved by a combination of commercial investment and a State led intervention.

Part of that commercial investment is a commitment by eir to rollout high speed broadband to 300,000 premises in rural Ireland by the end of this year. In April 2017, I signed a Commitment Agreement with eir in relation to this rural deployment. Information on eir's rural deployment is available at http://fibrerollout.ie/eircode-lookup/. A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my Department’s website www.dccae.gov.ie.

Although deployment figures for Q4 2017 have not yet been verified by my Department’s teams, I understand eir has passed a total of 121,000 premises to date.

Although eir recently withdrew their tender from the ongoing procurement process for the National Broadband Plan State led intervention, eir has reconfirmed its commitment to the ongoing rural deployment as well as its ongoing investment in broadband nationally and I welcome this.

Appointments to State Boards Data

Questions (525)

Fiona O'Loughlin

Question:

525. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the State boards under the remit of his Department; the number of persons on each of those boards; the number of those persons who are male and female, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6948/18]

View answer

Written answers

The following table sets out the composition of the State boards under the remit of my Department, including the gender balance and vacancies on each Board, as at 31 January 2018.  The detail of all the State Boards vacancies is available at www.stateboards.ie.

State Board

Number of persons on board

Number that are male

Number that are female

Vacancies

An Post

 

15

9

5

1

Bord na Móna

 

12

10

2

-

ESB

 

12

8

4

-

Inland Fisheries Ireland

 

10

6

 

3

1

Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)

12

6

 

5

1

EirGrid

 

10

6

4

-

RTE

12

5

 

6

1

TG4

 

12

6

6

-

DHDA*

 

14

5

 

4

5

National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA)

 

6

5

1

-

Irish National Petroleum Corporation (INPC)

 

3

3

0

-

Loughs Agency

 

12

8

3

1

Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI)

 

9

4

4

1

BAI Compliance Committee

 

8

3

5

-

BAI Contracts Awards Committee

 

8

4

4

-

Mining Board

 

3

3

0

-

EPA Advisory Committee

 

12

5

7

-

*It is not proposed to fill all of the vacancies outstanding on the DHDA Board given the proposals to merge DHDA with DCC.

Broadband Service Provision

Questions (526)

Eugene Murphy

Question:

526. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will report on the withdrawal of broadband services from north-east County Roscommon which was funded by a private operator; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6952/18]

View answer

Written answers

The upgrade, installation or routing of infrastructure is a matter for the relevant commercial operator. My Department cannot intervene in the day to day operations of a commercial company and has no ability to compel a commercial operator to deliver services. The Deputy will appreciate therefore that I do not have a basis to intercede in the matters raised.

The areas of North-east Roscommon referred to by the Deputy, which were clarified following a query from an official in my Department, are coded as AMBER on my Department’s High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie and searchable by eircode/address. They therefore fall to be covered as part of the State Intervention under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).

My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. When the procurement process reaches a satisfactory conclusion for Government, a contract will be awarded and the network rollout will commence. Delivering high speed broadband to citizens across Ireland remains a firm commitment of mine and this Government.

In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.

Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen.  These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities.  The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure.  There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.

National Broadband Plan Implementation

Questions (527)

Eugene Murphy

Question:

527. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if broadband will be installed in an area (details supplied) in County Roscommon. [6953/18]

View answer

Written answers

The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location.  The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. Today 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband.  Within a year that number will rise to nearly 8 out of 10 premises and by 2020, 9 out of 10 premises or 90% of premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection.

In April 2017 I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie.  This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).

The Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode:

- The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP and are the subject of an ongoing procurement process.

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

- The LIGHT BLUE areas represent eir's commercial rural deployment plans to rollout high speed broadband to 300,000 premises by the end of this year as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with me in April 2017.

There are 29 premises in Newtown (Whitehall). 12 (41%) of these premises fall within the AMBER area and will be covered under the State led Intervention, while 17 (59%) of these premises are LIGHT BLUE and fall to be covered by eir's planned rural deployment. Individuals can check which category their premises falls into by going to my Department’s website www.broadband.gov.ie and entering their eircode into the High Speed Broadband Map.

In April 2017, I signed a Commitment Agreement with eir in relation to its plans to provide High speed broadband to 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis. eir has committed to completing the rollout by the end of this year.  Information on eir's planned rural deployment is available at http://fibrerollout.ie/eircode-lookup/. A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my Department’s website www.dccae.gov.ie.

Quarterly updates on eir's rural deployment are published on this website. Although deployment figures for Q4 2017 have not yet been verified by my Department’s teams, I understand eir has passed a total of 121,000 premises of the identified 300,000 premises to date.

My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. One company, eir, publicly withdrew from the procurement process on 30 January, citing "commercial, regulatory and governance issues". While this is regrettable, it is a commercial decision for eir to make.  The specialist NBP procurement team will continue to engage intensively with all relevant stakeholders, including the enet/sse consortium, to ensure the earliest possible achievement of the Government’s objective of providing reliable high quality, high speed broadband to all premises in Ireland. When the procurement process reaches a satisfactory conclusion for Government, a contract will be awarded and the network rollout will commence.

Delivering high speed broadband to citizens across Ireland remains a firm commitment of mine and this Government.

In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.

Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen.  These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities.  The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure.  There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.

National Broadband Plan Implementation

Questions (528)

Eugene Murphy

Question:

528. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when broadband service will be available under the national broadband scheme at a person's (details supplied) home. [6954/18]

View answer

Written answers

The premises referred to by the Deputy is in a LIGHT BLUE area on my Department’s High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie and searchable by address/eircode. It will be brought a high speed broadband service through eir's commercial plan to provide high speed broadband to 300,000 premises, predominantly in rural areas, by the end of this year.

eir's plan is subject to a binding Commitment Agreement, signed with me in April 2017.  eir has committed to completing the rollout by the end of 2018.  Information on eir's planned rural deployment is available at http://fibrerollout.ie/eircode-lookup/.  A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my Department’s website www.dccae.gov.ie.

Quarterly updates on eir's rural deployment are published on this website. Although deployment figures for Q4 2017 have not yet been verified by my Department’s teams, I understand eir has passed a total of 121,000 premises of the identified 300,000 to date.

Prior to the completion of eir’s rollout in this area, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.

Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen.  These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities.  The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure.  There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.

National Broadband Plan Implementation

Questions (529)

Eugene Murphy

Question:

529. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to provide a better quality broadband service to the area of Strokestown, County Roscommon. [6955/18]

View answer

Written answers

The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location.   The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. Today close to 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland now have access to high speed broadband.  Within a year that number will rise to nearly 8 out of 10 premises and by 2020 9 out of 10 premises or 90% of premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection.

In April 2017 I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie.  This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).

In April 2017, I also signed a Commitment Agreement with eir in relation to its plans to provide high speed broadband to 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis. eir has committed to completing the rollout by the end of this year.  Information on eir's planned rural deployment is available at http://fibrerollout.ie/eircode-lookup/. A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my Department’s website www.dccae.gov.ie.

Quarterly updates on eir's rural deployment are published on this website. Although deployment figures for Q4 2017 have not yet been verified by my Department’s teams, I understand eir has passed a total of 121,000 of the identified 300,000 eircodes to date.

The High Speed Broadband Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode:

- The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP and are the subject of an ongoing procurement process. 

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

- The LIGHT BLUE areas represent eir's commercial rural deployment plans to rollout high speed broadband to 300,000 premises by the end of this year as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with me in April.

Premises in the Strokestown area fall into each of these categories. Individuals can check the position in relation to their premises by using the above link to the High Speed Broadband Map and entering their eircode.

My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. One company, eir, publicly withdrew from the procurement process on 30 January.  While this is regrettable, it is a commercial decision for eir to make.  The specialist NBP procurement team will continue to engage intensively with all relevant stakeholders, including the enet/sse consortium, to ensure the earliest possible achievement of the Government’s objective of providing reliable high quality, high speed broadband to all premises in Ireland. When the procurement process reaches a satisfactory conclusion for Government, a contract will be awarded and the network rollout will commence.

Delivering high speed broadband to citizens across Ireland remains a firm commitment of mine and this Government.

In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.

Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen.  These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities.  The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure.  There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.

National Broadband Plan Administration

Questions (530)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

530. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of an agreement with a company (details supplied) in which 300,000 premises in rural areas were removed from the national broadband plan; if the company's infrastructure is still available to other competitors in the area and to those that win the national broadband plan tender; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6973/18]

View answer

Written answers

The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location.  The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. Today 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband.  By the end of this year that number will rise to nearly 8 out of 10 premises and by 2020, 9 out of 10 premises or 90% of premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection. This goal will be achieved by a combination of commercial investment and a State led intervention.

Part of that commercial investment is a commitment by eir to rollout high speed broadband to 300,000 premises in rural Ireland by the end of this year. In April 2017, I signed a Commitment Agreement with eir in relation to this rural deployment. Information on eir's rural deployment is available at http://fibrerollout.ie/eircode-lookup/. A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my Department’s website www.dccae.gov.ie.

Although deployment figures for Q4 2017 have not yet been verified by my Department’s teams, I understand eir has passed a total of 121,000 premises to date.

While eir recently withdrew their tender from the ongoing procurement process for the National Broadband Plan State led intervention, eir has reconfirmed its commitment to the ongoing rural deployment as well as its ongoing investment in broadband nationally and I welcome this.

The eir 300k network is an open access wholesale network that is subject to regulation by ComReg and, accordingly, is open to other operators.

National Broadband Plan Implementation

Questions (531)

Seán Crowe

Question:

531. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to introduce a consistent broadband service to persons (details supplied) in Dublin 24. [6988/18]

View answer

Written answers

All premises within the area of Allagour are in the AMBER area on my Department’s High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie.  They are therefore included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).

My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. The process is at an advanced stage.  When the procurement process reaches a satisfactory conclusion for Government, a contract will be awarded and the network rollout will commence.

Delivering high speed broadband to citizens across Ireland remains a firm commitment of mine and this Government.

In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.

Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen.  These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities.  The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure.  There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.

Fisheries Protection

Questions (532)

Robert Troy

Question:

532. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the planned compensation scheme for eel fishermen; the timeframe for the implementation of this scheme; and the monetary compensation available. [7000/18]

View answer

Written answers

I recognise fully the difficulty faced by eel fishermen.  However, there is no property right attaching to public eel licences and, consequently, the issue of compensation does not arise.  Notwithstanding this, criteria for a potential support measure for former licensed eel fishermen are being examined.

Ireland’s Eel Management Plan (EMP), including the closure of commercial fishing, was originally approved by the European Commission under EU Regulation 1100/2007.  In that regard, consultation and discussion with the European Commission is required before the terms and conditions for, or the prospective number of participants in, any potential support measure can be elaborated on.  My Officials have opened discussions with the European Commission in this regard.

It is also likely that consultation with the Revenue Commissioners will be required.

National Broadband Plan Implementation

Questions (533, 535)

Robert Troy

Question:

533. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the roll-out of broadband in an area (details supplied) in County Westmeath; and the service provider that persons are to use in cases in which broadband is not readily available. [7002/18]

View answer

Robert Troy

Question:

535. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the plans in place to improve broadband availability in Ballinalack, County Westmeath; and when it will be rolled out. [7058/18]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 533 and 535 together.

The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location.  The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. Today 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband.  By the end of this year that number will rise to nearly 8 out of 10 premises and by 2020, 9 out of 10 premises or 90% of premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection.

In April 2017 I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie.  This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).

The Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode:

- The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP and are the subject of an ongoing procurement process.

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

- The LIGHT BLUE areas represent eir's commercial rural deployment plans to rollout high speed broadband to 300,000 premises by the end of this year as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with me in April.

In April 2017, I signed a Commitment Agreement with eir in relation to its plans to provide high speed broadband to 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis. eir has committed to completing the rollout by the end of this year.  Information on eir's planned rural deployment is available at http://fibrerollout.ie/eircode-lookup/. A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my Department’s website www.dccae.gov.ie.

Quarterly updates on eir's rural deployment are published on this website. Although deployment figures for Q4 2017 have not yet been verified by my Department’s teams, I understand eir has passed a total of 121,000 of the identified 300,000 eircodes to date.

The following table sets out the percentage of  premises to be covered by the State Intervention and through commercial investment in the areas identified by the Deputy.

County Name

Townland

AMBER % Premises within the NBP Intervention Area

BLUE % Premises within Commercial Operator’s Area

LIGHT BLUE premises planned rural deployment

Cumminstown

2 (11%)

0 (0%)

17 (89%)

Westmeath

Ballinalack

0 (0%)

0 (0%)

76 (100%)

My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area.  When the procurement process reaches a satisfactory conclusion for Government, a contract will be awarded and the network rollout will commence.

Delivering high speed broadband to citizens across Ireland remains a firm commitment of mine and this Government.

In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.

Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen.  These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities.  The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure.  There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.

National Broadband Plan Implementation

Questions (534)

Thomas Byrne

Question:

534. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to improve broadband service in an area (details supplied) in County Meath. [7040/18]

View answer

Written answers

The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. Today 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband. By the end of this year that number will rise to nearly 8 out of 10 premises and by 2020, 9 out of 10 premises or 90% of premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection.

In April 2017 I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).

The Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode:

- The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP and are the subject of an ongoing procurement process.

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

- The LIGHT BLUE areas represent eir's commercial rural deployment plans to rollout high speed broadband to 300,000 premises by the end of this year as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with me in April 2017.

There are 53 premises in Follistown, Navan. All 53 (100%) fall within the AMBER area and will be covered under the State led Intervention.

My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. One company, eir, publicly withdrew from the procurement process on 30 January. While this is regrettable, it is a commercial decision for eir to make.  The specialist NBP procurement team will continue to engage intensively with all relevant stakeholders, including the enet/sse consortium, to ensure the earliest possible achievement of the Government’s objective of providing reliable high quality, high speed broadband to all premises in Ireland. When the procurement process reaches a satisfactory conclusion for Government, a contract will be awarded and the network rollout will commence.

Delivering high speed broadband to citizens across Ireland remains a firm commitment of mine and this Government.

In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.

Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen.  These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities.  The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure.  There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.

Question No. 535 answered with Question No. 533.

Electricity Grid

Questions (536)

Seán Fleming

Question:

536. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the action he plans to take arising from his recent meeting with a group (details supplied) in respect of the proposals by EirGrid to commence work on an electricity substation at Coolnabacka, County Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7069/18]

View answer

Written answers

At the meeting referred to which I attended with officials along with my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, the Ratheniska, Timahoe, Spink and Surrounding Areas Substation Action Group presented a lengthy outline of aspects of the project with which they were dissatisfied. These aspects covered issues of concern from the origins of the project in 2009 to the present day. I listened carefully to the many views expressed and I undertook to further consider the issues raised.

  The Laois- Kilkenny electricity project is required to improve the security of electricity supply across counties Kilkenny, Carlow, Kildare and Laois. It is a €110 million investment in the area designed to ensure that the electricity network can meet the present and future needs of all users, from homes to farms and small businesses to industrial customers. The project was granted planning permission in 2014 by An Bord Pleanála. That decision was subjected to Judicial Review proceedings which were dismissed in January 2015.

Since the meeting I have asked EirGrid to attend a meeting with my officials to discuss issues raised by the group and that meeting takes place today. I am happy to brief the Deputy on the outcomes of that meeting.

Metropolitan Area Networks Programme

Questions (537, 538, 539)

Stephen Donnelly

Question:

537. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the source for information (details supplied); the geographical breakdown of those estimated end users per metropolitan area network; the criteria for inclusion as end users that benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7085/18]

View answer

Stephen Donnelly

Question:

538. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of connections per metropolitan area network; the estimated number of end users; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7086/18]

View answer

Stephen Donnelly

Question:

539. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the criteria for inclusion in estimated end users with regard to metropolitan area networks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7087/18]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 537 to 539, inclusive, together.

Enet manages, operates, maintains and markets the Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) on behalf of the State and provides high capacity products and services on a wholesale basis to retail service providers. Retail service providers provide services to their customers which include mobile phone users, broadband customers, cable television users, business customers and secondary and third level students. As enet does not have a direct relationship with end users, it has provided my Department with an estimate of one million end users benefiting from the MANs infrastructure. enet has used data from service providers and external industry expertise to estimate this number of end users.

The number of connections per Metropolitan Area Network and a geographical breakdown of these connections are set out in the following Table. These include interconnections with retail telecoms service providers for mobile, broadband and television services as well as universities, schools, hospitals, banks, business and industrial parks, shopping centres and major retail stores.

List of Phase I and Phase II MANs (by county) and Number of Connections

Phase One

Nos:

Town

County

No. of Connections MAN

1

Cavan

Cavan

39

2

Kingscourt

Cavan

5

3

Cork

Cork

474

4

Carlow

Carlow

42

5

Letterkenny

Donegal

48

6

Gweedore

Donegal

6

7

Galway

Galway

272

8

Kilkenny

Kilkenny

105

9

Portlaoise

Laois

43

10

Carrick on Shannon

Leitrim

17

11

Manorhamilton

Leitrim

9

12

Limerick

Limerick

272

13

Dundalk

Louth

80

14

Drogheda

Louth

32

15

Ballina

Mayo

22

16

Belmullet

Mayo

0

17

Kiltimagh

Mayo

6

18

Carrickmacross

Monaghan

7

19

Monaghan

Monaghan

41

20

Tullamore

Offaly

30

21

Roscommon

Roscommon

24

22

Sligo

Sligo

67

23

Clonmel

Tipperary

49

24

Dungarvan

Waterford

17

25

Waterford

Waterford

123

26

Athlone

Westmeath

70

27

Mullingar

Westmeath

37

28

Wexford

Wexford

83

Phase Two

Nos:

Town

County

No. of Connections

1

Cootehill

Cavan

3

2

Kilrush

Clare

10

3

Bantry

Cork

12

4

Blarney

Cork

3

5

Carrigaline/Passage West/Ringaskiddy

Cork

37

6

Charleville

Cork

6

7

Dunmanway

Cork

4

8

Fermoy

Cork

11

9

Kanturk

Cork

2

10

Kinsale

Cork

1

11

Midleton

Cork

9

12

Mitchelstown

Cork

6

13

Skibbereen

Cork

5

14

Youghal

Cork

3

15

Ballybofey/Stanorlar

Donegal

8

16

Ballyshannon

Donegal

7

17

Buncrana

Donegal

7

18

Bundoran

Donegal

3

19

Carndonagh

Donegal

5

20

Donegal Town

Donegal

13

21

Donabate/Portrane

Dublin

1

22

Lusk

Dublin

6

23

Skerries

Dublin

5

24

Athenry

Galway

6

25

Ballinasloe

Galway

11

26

Clifden

Galway

5

27

Gort

Galway

5

28

Loughrea

Galway

8

29

Killarney

Kerry

27

30

Castleisland

Kerry

3

31

Tralee

Kerry

42

32

Listowel

Kerry

8

33

Thomastown

Kilkenny

4

34

Abbefeale

Limerick

4

35

Newcastlewest

Limerick

10

36

Longford

Longford

20

37

Ardee

Louth

6

38

Ballinrobe

Mayo

3

39

Claremorris

Mayo

16

40

Knock

Mayo

0

41

Dunboyne/Clonee

Meath

6

42

Dunshaughlin

Meath

2

43

Kells

Meath

9

44

Navan

Meath

45

45

Trim

Meath

14

46

Bailieborough

Monaghan

5

47

Castleblaney

Monaghan

11

48

Clones

Monaghan

3

49

Nenagh

North Tipperary

10

50

Roscrea

North Tipperary

7

51

Templemore

North Tipperary

5

52

Edenderry

Offaly

10

53

Banagher

Offaly

0

54

Birr

Offaly

9

55

Cahir

South Tipperary

6

56

Carrick on Suir

South Tipperary

9

57

Tipperary

Tipperary

9

58

Cashel

Tipperary

6

59

Blessington

Wicklow

4

60

Kilcoole/Newtownmountkennedy

Wicklow

4

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