Written Answers Nos. 244-256
244. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will accept an alternative land parcel (details supplied) in circumstances in which a replanting order has been issued on good farmland that has been reclaimed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43133/18]
View answerIt is worth noting that the Forestry Act, 2014 provides for the requirement to obtain a felling licence before any tree or trees are felled. The Act also gives powers to issue replanting orders, where it is found that tree felling has taken place without a valid licence. Replanting orders can be issued without having to take the land owner to court (as for the Forestry Act, 1946). Failure to replant under a replanting order can be followed-up with court proceedings, if necessary.
In the case referenced, following an investigation by officials of my Department, it was ascertained that trees had been felled without a valid tree felling licence. A replanting order issued, instructing the land owner to replant the land concerned. This is a standard procedure as trees felled under a valid felling licence are normally replanted on the same land.
Alternative land may be accepted for replanting under a replanting order, provided that land is approved for afforestation prior to planting and is equivalent in area to that felled. In such circumstances, the landowner is required to make an application for an afforestation licence (non-grant aided) to ensure the proposed alternative site is suitable for afforestation. Where the alternative land is found suitable, the land owner may plant that area, at their own expense, under the conditions of the afforestation licence. If however the land owner is not in a position to provide an appropriate alternative site, they are required to replant the original site.
245. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of EV charging points available in each park-and-ride facility that is in operation. [43099/18]
View answer246. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of regular and rapid EV charge points in operation here by county. [43100/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 245 and 246 together.
The majority of the existing network of publicly accessible charge points was rolled out by the ESB through its eCars programme. This network includes 77 fast chargers, mainly on national routes. A real-time map showing the charge points, including the status and availability of the charge points, is available on the ESB's website at www.esb.ie/ecars. The management of these charge points is an operational matter for the ESB.
The following table, provided to my Department by ESB eCars, sets out in tabular form the number of current publically available standard charge points and fast chargers available in each county. It should be noted that this list is limited to ESB eCars public charge points and may not include any installations on private sites such as hotels or chargers installed by other entities. For example, Tesla has multiple fast chargers installed at three locations in Louth, Laois and Tipperary which are not included.
|
County |
No of on-street/public points |
No of fast stations |
|
Donegal |
26 |
3 |
|
Sligo |
10 |
1 |
|
Leitrim |
6 |
1 |
|
Mayo |
20 |
2 |
|
Westmeath |
20 |
3 |
|
Roscommon |
16 |
1 |
|
Galway |
28 |
4 |
|
Monaghan |
10 |
1 |
|
Cavan |
10 |
0 |
|
Longford |
10 |
1 |
|
Meath |
22 |
2 |
|
Louth |
24 |
3 |
|
Dublin |
160 |
18 |
|
Kildare |
28 |
4 |
|
Offaly |
14 |
0 |
|
Laois |
16 |
2 |
|
Wicklow |
26 |
3 |
|
Carlow |
12 |
1 |
|
Wexford |
26 |
4 |
|
Kilkenny |
14 |
3 |
|
Tipperary |
18 |
4 |
|
Waterford |
24 |
2 |
|
Clare |
16 |
2 |
|
Limerick |
26 |
4 |
|
Cork |
58 |
7 |
|
Kerry |
28 |
1 |
|
Total |
668 |
77 |
ESB eCars has also provided the following table related to park and ride facilities. With the exception of the Stillorgan Luas Park and Ride, which also has a fast charge point and four charge points, all sites listed have two charge points.
|
County |
Location |
|
Carlow |
Irish Rail, Carlow Town |
|
Clare |
Irish Rail, Ennis Train Station, Station Road, Ennis |
|
Cork |
Irish Rail, Mallow |
|
Irish Rail, Charleville |
|
|
|
Irish Rail, Cork City (Kent) |
|
|
Black Ash Park and Ride |
|
Dublin |
Irish Rail, Heuston, Dublin 8 |
|
|
Irish Rail, Balbriggan |
|
Irish Rail, Lusk |
|
|
|
Portmarnock DART Station |
|
|
Shankill DART Startion |
|
|
Blackrock DART Station |
|
|
Booterstown DART Station |
|
|
Clontarf DART Station |
|
|
Dalkey DART Station |
|
|
Malahide DART Station |
|
|
Sutton DART Station, Dublin 13 |
|
|
Irish Rail, Coolmine Train Station, Dublin 15 |
|
|
Luas Park and Ride, Blackthorn Avenue, Sandyford, Dublin |
|
|
Luas Park and Ride, Off Glenamuck Road North Roundabout, Carrickmines, Dublin |
|
|
Stillorgan Luas Park and Ride, Blackthorn Drive, Stillorgan Industrial Park, Sandyford, D18, Dublin |
|
Galway |
Irish Rail, Gort |
|
|
Irish Rail, Athenry |
|
Irish Rail, Ballinalsoe |
|
|
|
Irish Rail, Oranmore |
|
Kildare |
Irish Rail, Monasterevin |
|
|
Irish Rail, Kildare Train Station |
|
|
Irish Rail, Hazelhatch, Celbridge |
|
Irish Rail, Sallins & Naas, Sallins |
|
|
|
Irish Rail, Leixlip |
|
|
Irish Rail Newbridge Train Station |
|
|
Irish Rail, Church Road, Athy |
|
Kilkenny |
Irish Rail, Dublin Road, Kilkenny |
|
Laois |
Irish Rail, Portlaoise |
|
Irish Rail, Portarlington |
|
|
Irish Rail, Edgeworthstown |
|
|
Longford |
Irish Rail, Longford Town |
|
Irish Rail, Dundalk |
|
|
Louth |
Irish Rail, Drogheda |
|
Meath |
Irish Rail, Enfield Train Station |
|
Offaly |
Irish Rail, Kilcruttin, Tullamore |
|
Irish Rail, Clara |
|
|
Sligo |
Irish Rail, Lord Edward Street |
|
Irish Rail, Collooney |
|
|
Tipperary |
Irish Rail, Thurles |
|
Waterford |
Irish Rail, Waterford |
|
Westmeath |
Irish Rail, Mullingar |
|
Irish Rail, Athlone |
|
|
Wexford |
Irish Rail, Gorey |
|
Wicklow |
Irish Rail, Arklow |
247. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his attention has been drawn to the recent 15% increase in bin charges by a company (details supplied) in County Cork; the action he will take to reduce costs of bin charges in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42810/18]
View answerI do not have a role in setting price levels for waste collection. The charges applied by waste management companies are matters for those companies and their customers, subject to compliance with all applicable environmental and other relevant legislation, including contract and consumer legislation. However, in line with the commitments set out in A Resource Opportunity - Waste Management Policy in Ireland, published in 2012, and in the interest of encouraging further waste prevention and greater recycling, flat-rate fees for kerbside household waste collection have been phased out over the period autumn 2017 to autumn 2018.
My Department established a Household Waste Collection Price Monitoring Group (PMG) last year to monitor pricing developments for household waste collection services during the phasing out of flat rate fees.
The PMG has met each month since September 2017 and has considered thirteen months of pricing data trends. The PMG has indicated that, in the vast majority of cases to date, charges have remained stable. Detailed data on the price offerings for the months of December to August are available on www.dccae.gov.ie.
The nature of the waste market is complex, as both the recent report of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and the Price Monitoring Group (PMG) have identified.
The CCPC Report recommends that existing national waste management policy, as set out in "A Resource Opportunity - Waste Management Policy in Ireland" would be reviewed. This review should take account of:
- the CCPC report, including its recommendation on the role of an economic regulator for household waste collection;
- the on-going work of the Price Monitoring Group; and
- the finalisation of the European circular economy waste and plastics legislation framework.
The review will inform the development of a future national waste management policy, including our environmental goals, regulatory and market structures, and policy instruments and tools.
248. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he and-or his departmental officials have met a person (details supplied) and-or representatives of companies in the past two years to date; if so, if he will publish a schedule of those meetings and the associated minutes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42816/18]
View answerThe Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment has a broad remit and is responsible for communications, broadcasting, postal services, energy, natural resources, climate change, waste management, air quality and environmental policy. The day-to-day functions of the Department in carrying out its remit, therefore, involve engagement with a broad range of stakeholders.
The NBP procurement process is being conducted as a “Competitive Dialogue” process which is a procedure used where:
- The need of the contracting authority cannot be met without adaption of readily available solutions;
- The technical specifications for the contract could not be established in advance with sufficient precision:
- the complexity of the project and potential solution required negotiation.
The NBP Competitive Dialogue process by its nature has involved a significant level of interaction with each of the bidders that participated in that process, including more than 230 meetings between the NBP Procurement Team and representatives of the Granahan McCourt led consortium, since the Competitive Dialogue process commenced in July 2016. As these meetings form part of an ongoing public procurement process it is not proposed to publish further details at this time. My Department has informed me that former Minister Naughten was not involved in any of those meetings.
Enet is the Management Services Entity for the State Owned Metropolitan Area Networks that come within the remit of the Department.
The Department has compiled details of other meetings at Ministerial, or Official level (Principal Officer or above) with David McCourt, Granahan McCourt and enet that did not form part of the NBP Competitive Dialogue process. In the interest of completeness, details are included of any meetings for the period with the other members that had participated in the bidder consortium, i.e. SSE, John Laing and 3i.
A schedule of these meetings is set out in the table. I will arrange for a copy of the associated meeting notes to be forwarded to the Deputy, subject to any redaction necessary to protect confidential or commercially sensitive information.
It is worth noting that the terms of reference for the independent audit of the procurement process provides that the process auditor will be free, at his own discretion, to review all relevant documentation held by the Department and/or to seek written or oral inputs from any relevant party.
|
Date |
Entity |
Attendees/Invitees (Where a note of meeting is provided it details attendance, for other meetings the list includes those invited to meeting. Civil Servant attendees of a grade below Principal Officer are not included) |
Meeting Note |
Note provided |
|
18/10/2016 |
SSE |
Michael Manley, Rebecca Minch |
This meeting was a workshop on a public consultation. SSE response available at: https://www.dccae.gov.ie/en-ie/energy/consultations/Pages/Energy-Efficiency-Obligation-Scheme-Consultation-on-the-2017-2019-Phase-of-Operation.aspx |
Yes |
|
20/10/2016 |
Enet & David McCourt |
Minister Naughten; Finola Rossi; Ross Elwood; Suzie Coogan; |
No |
No |
|
26/10/2016 |
SSE |
Mark Griffin Michael Manley |
Yes |
Yes |
|
03/11/2016 |
Enet |
Finola Rossi; Ger Butler |
No |
No |
|
16/11/2016 |
Enet |
Finola Rossi; Ger Butler |
No |
No |
|
24/11/2016 |
Enet |
Finola Rossi; Ger Butler |
No |
No |
|
01/12/2016 |
David McCourt |
Katherine Licken; Finola Rossi |
No |
No |
|
12/12/2016 |
Enet |
Finola Rossi; |
No |
No |
|
14/12/2016 |
SSE |
Mark Griffin, Michael Manley |
Yes |
Yes |
|
15/12/2016 |
SSE |
Rebecca Minch |
Yes |
Yes |
|
20/12/2016 |
Enet |
Finola Rossi; Luke Hardcastle |
No |
No |
|
24/03/2017 |
SSE, Stephen Wheeler |
Mark Griffin |
No |
No |
|
29/03/2017 |
Enet |
Minister Kyne |
Yes |
Yes |
|
31/03/2017 |
David McCourt & Enet |
Finola Rossi; Mark Griffin |
No |
No |
|
11/04/2017 |
SSE |
Rebecca Minch |
Yes |
Yes |
|
12/04/2017 |
Enet |
Finola Rossi |
Yes |
Yes |
|
19/06/2017 |
SSE |
Rebecca Minch |
Yes |
Yes |
|
20/06/2017 |
Enet |
Brendan Whelan |
No |
No |
|
26/06/2017 |
David McCourt |
Mark Griffin, Brendan Whelan |
Yes |
Yes |
|
06/07/2017 |
Enet |
Brendan Whelan; Ciarán Ó hÓbáin |
Yes |
Yes |
|
19/07/2017 |
Enet |
Brendan Whelan |
Yes |
Yes |
|
08/08/2017 |
Enet |
Brendan Whelan |
Yes |
Yes |
|
07/09/2017 |
Enet |
M/Naughten. Public FTTH launch in Ballinasloe. |
N/A |
N/A |
|
11/10/2017 |
TIF delegation including eNet |
Mairéad McCabe |
Yes |
Yes |
|
18/10/2017 |
Enet |
Brendan Whelan |
Yes |
Yes |
|
05/12/2017 |
SSE |
Rebecca Minch |
Yes |
Yes |
|
03/01/2018 |
Enet (Re: Ballinasloe FTTH launch 07/09/2017) |
M/Naughten |
No |
No |
|
16/01/2018 |
SSE |
M/Naughten, Martin Finucane, Ross Elwood |
No |
No |
|
18/01/2018 |
TIF delegation including eNet |
Mairéad McCabe |
yes |
Yes |
|
31/01/2018 |
Enet |
Brendan Whelan |
Yes |
Yes |
|
02/02/2018 |
SSE meeting with Assistant Secretary Energy |
Michael Manley |
Yes |
Yes |
|
14/02/2018 |
Enet |
Brendan Whelan; Ciarán Ó hÓbáin; Patrick Neary |
Yes |
Yes |
|
28/02/2018 |
David McCourt |
Mark Griffin, Ciarán Ó hÓbáin |
Yes |
Yes |
|
06/03/2018 |
SSE |
Secretary General, Eamonn Confrey, Una NicGiolla Choille |
No |
N/A |
|
12/04/2018 |
TIF delegation including eNet |
Mairéad McCabe |
Yes |
Yes |
|
25/04/2018 |
Enet |
Brendan Whelan |
Yes |
Yes |
|
25/04/2018 |
SSE |
Rebacca Minch, Kevin Brady |
Yes |
Yes |
|
14/05/2018 |
David McCourt |
M/Naughten, Seána McGearty |
Book Launch |
N/A |
|
20/06/2018 |
Enet |
Brendan Whelan |
Yes |
Yes |
|
26/06/2018 |
David McCourt |
M/Naughten, Ciarán Ó hÓbáin |
Yes |
Yes |
|
26/06/2018 |
Enet/SSE (Published) |
M/Naughten, Mark Griffin, Ciarán ÓhÓbáin, Patrick Neary, Suzie Coogan |
Yes |
Yes |
|
28/06/2018 |
TIF delegation including eNet |
Mairéad McCabe |
Yes |
Yes |
|
16/07/2018 |
David McCourt (Published) |
M/Naughten, Seána McGearty, Les Carberry |
Yes |
Yes |
|
05/09/2018 |
SSE – Visit Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm |
Michael Manley |
No |
No |
|
03/10/2018 |
Enet |
Brendan Whelan |
Yes |
Yes |
|
05/10/2018 |
ENET |
Ciarán Ó hÓbáin |
yes |
Yes |
249. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the amounts expended on the national broadband plan from the appropriation accounts of 2015, 2016 and 2017 are the total amounts spent to date on the project; if he will provide a schedule of all payments made to date on this project by year and companies paid and or services engaged; the overall expenditure to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43080/18]
View answerExpenditure on the National Broadband Plan was first incurred in 2013.
The total expenditure to date since then is approximately €22.2 million. This expenditure includes the cost of corporate finance and economic advice, technical support and network design, the cost of legal advice, environmental advice and process auditor costs. These services were procured by way of competitive tender.
In addition, the Department also has staff and other administrative costs, along with travel and expenses costs for independent Steering Group members and event costs related to the NBP. The following table sets out payments by year.
Total spend by Year
|
Year |
Cost |
|
2013 |
€394,507.01 |
|
2014 |
€681,326.58 |
|
2015 |
€2,978,462.99 |
|
2016 |
€2,345,659.49 |
|
2017 |
€10,050,457.78 |
|
2018 |
€5,745,111.99 |
|
TOTAL |
€22,195,525.84 |
All figures include VAT
The schedule of companies paid and services engaged by year is also included.
A schedule of payments made to date on the NBP is set out in the following tables for each year, specifying the companies paid and the services engaged.
Schedule of NBP Payments in 2013
|
Company/Payee Name |
Services Provided |
Cost |
|
PRISA Technologies Ltd T/A Prisa Consulting |
Technical, commercial, economic, financial and procurement advice |
€323,491.23 |
|
Transport Infrastructure Ireland |
Staff secondment |
€67,899.16 |
|
Word Perfect Translation Services Limited |
Translation services |
€3,116.62 |
|
TOTAL for 2013 |
€394,507.01 |
Schedule of NBP Payments in 2014
|
Company/Payee Name |
Services Provided |
Cost |
|
AVC Ltd |
Audio visual services |
€2,257.05 |
|
Clever Cat Design |
Design and branding services |
€12,346.70 |
|
D4 Catering 4. U. |
Catering |
€231.08 |
|
Strategic Scout Ltd |
Steering Group costs |
€6,101.07 |
|
Kieran Clancy Photography |
Photography |
€346.86 |
|
Mason Hayes and Curran |
Legal advisory services |
€12,286.22 |
|
Mespil Hotel |
Steering Group costs |
€423.50 |
|
National Adult Literacy Agency Ltd ( NALA ) |
Literacy advisory services |
€854.29 |
|
Park Town Consulting |
Policy advisory services |
€6,089.25 |
|
PRISA Technologies Ltd T/A Prisa Consulting |
Technical, commercial, economic, financial and procurement advice |
€494,981.54 |
|
Consultant A (Anonymsed under GDPR) |
Steering Group costs |
€4,195.07 |
|
Tony Harris Design |
Design services |
€2,324.70 |
|
Transport Infrastructure Ireland |
Staff secondment |
€109,417.11 |
|
Vilicom Engineering Ltd |
Technical advisory services |
€25,184.68 |
|
W1 Design |
Design services |
€4,287.46 |
|
TOTAL for 2014 |
€681,326.58 |
Schedule of NBP Payments in 2015
|
Company/Payee Name |
Services Provided |
Cost |
|
Analysys Mason |
Technical advisory services |
€449,210.01 |
|
Buswells Hotel |
Steering Group costs |
€958.40 |
|
Café Sol |
Catering |
€434.02 |
|
Club Travel Ltd |
Travel costs |
€1,747.95 |
|
Department for Digital, Culture Media & Sport |
Steering Group costs |
€100.65 |
|
Doyle Kent Planning Partnership Ltd |
Environmental advisory services |
€7,995.00 |
|
Dublin Chamber Of Commerce |
Steering Group costs |
€832.60 |
|
Strategic Scout Ltd |
Steering Group costs |
€15,997.32 |
|
Consultant B (Anonymised under GDPR) |
Process auditor for legal tender evaluation |
€4,458.75 |
|
KPMG |
Financial and procurement advisory services |
€729,831.57 |
|
Mason Hayes and Curran |
Legal advisory services |
€339,615.23 |
|
Mediavest Ltd |
Newspaper publication costs |
€4,646.89 |
|
Mespil Hotel |
Steering Group costs |
€922.00 |
|
PricewaterhouseCoopers |
Economic and strategic advisory services |
€1,040,440.67 |
|
PRISA Technologies Ltd T/A Prisa Consulting |
Technical, commercial, economic, financial and procurement advice |
€302,020.35 |
|
Consultant A (Anonymised under GDPR) |
Steering Group costs |
€8,305.18 |
|
Transport Infrastructure Ireland |
Staff secondment |
€69,629.07 |
|
Vilicom Engineering Ltd |
Technical advisory services |
€1,317.33 |
|
TOTAL for 2015 |
€2,978,462.99 |
Schedule of NBP Payments in 2016
|
Company/Payee Name |
Services Provided |
Cost |
|
Analysys Mason |
Technical advisory services |
€556,924.82 |
|
Club Travel Ltd |
Travel costs |
€422.48 |
|
Deloitte |
Tax and VAT advice |
€5,412.00 |
|
Department for Digital, Culture Media & Sport |
Steering Group costs |
€441.91 |
|
Doggett Group |
Design and print services |
€4,314.84 |
|
Elaine Tohill Ltd T/A Press |
Catering - bidder dialogue |
€7,512.00 |
|
Here and Now Business Intelligence |
Communications advisory services |
€7,380.00 |
|
Hilton Dublin (Charlemont Hotels Group Ltd ) |
Meeting room hire |
€470.00 |
|
Strategic Scout Ltd |
Steering Group costs |
€591.15 |
|
KPMG |
Financial and procurement advisory services |
€513,409.38 |
|
KPMG |
Specialist personnel |
€585,206.33 |
|
Mason Hayes and Curran |
Legal advisory services |
€456,505.65 |
|
Pricewaterhouse Coopers |
Economic and strategic advisory services |
€143,145.58 |
|
PRISA Technologies Ltd T/A Prisa Consulting |
Technical, commercial, economic, financial and procurement advice |
€11,070.00 |
|
Public Affairs Ireland |
Training course |
€362.85 |
|
RPS Consulting Engineers |
Environmental advisory services |
€27,312.15 |
|
T Kilmartin & Sons |
Design and print services |
€178.35 |
|
The Irish Farmers Association |
National Ploughing Championships 2015 costs |
€25,000.00 |
|
TOTAL for 2016 |
€2,345,659.49 |
Schedule of NBP Payments in 2017
|
Company/Payee Name |
Services Provided |
Cost |
|
Achilles Procurement Services |
Procurement advisory services |
€5,166.00 |
|
Analysys Mason |
Technical advisory services |
€1,302,540.54 |
|
Andrew Fox Photography |
Photography |
€450.00 |
|
Bernard Coyle Enterprises |
Event costs |
€1,353.00 |
|
Café Sol |
Catering |
€104.01 |
|
Club Travel Ltd |
Travel costs |
€38.94 |
|
Commerce Decisions Limited |
Tender evaluation tool |
€41,294.10 |
|
Deloitte |
Tax and VAT advice |
€16,236.00 |
|
Doggett Group |
Design and printing services |
€942.18 |
|
Elaine Tohill Ltd T/A Press |
Catering |
€5,602.80 |
|
Here and Now Business Intelligence |
Communications advisory services |
€5,904.00 |
|
Hilton Dublin (Charlemont Hotels Group Ltd ) |
Meeting room hire |
€1,282.00 |
|
Strategic Scout Ltd |
Steering Group costs |
€6,317.73 |
|
Consultant C (Anonymised under GDPR) |
Independent Chair costs |
€5,000.00 |
|
KPMG |
Financial and procurement advisory services |
€3,342,817.76 |
|
KPMG |
Specialist personnel |
€1,434,957.98 |
|
Consultant D (Anonymised under GDPR) |
Communications advisory services |
€4,305.00 |
|
Consultant E (Anonymised under GDPR) |
Procurement board costs |
€1,932.63 |
|
Mason Hayes and Curran |
Legal advisory services |
€3,003,411.09 |
|
Maxwell Photography |
Photography |
€499.38 |
|
Mespil Hotel |
Steering Group costs |
€109.65 |
|
Consultant E (Anonymised under GDPR) |
Independent Chair costs |
€3,546.90 |
|
Pembroke Hall Limited |
Meeting room hire |
€254.61 |
|
Peter Smyth Management Consultancy Ltd |
Process auditor costs |
€1,968.00 |
|
PricewaterhouseCoopers |
Economic and strategic advisory services |
€759,926.73 |
|
Consultant A (Anonymised under GDPR) |
Steering Group costs |
€2,082.45 |
|
Quigg Golden |
Independent Chair costs |
€1,650.00 |
|
RPS Consulting Engineers |
Environmental advisory services |
€43,190.22 |
|
Shearwater Hotel |
Event costs |
€1,154.85 |
|
The Gap Partnership Ltd |
Specialist training |
€27,378.93 |
|
Think Media Limited |
Design and printing services |
€29,040.30 |
|
TOTAL for 2017 |
€10,050,457.78 |
Schedule of NBP Payments in 2018 (to date)
|
Company/Payee Name |
Services Provided |
Cost |
|
Analysys Mason |
Technical advisory services |
€1,115,387.37 |
|
Bank of Ireland Visa (Department credit card) |
Administrative procurement process costs (PMO) |
€310.97 |
|
Club Travel Ltd |
Travel costs |
€1,493.96 |
|
Deloitte |
Tax and VAT advice |
€24,354.00 |
|
Department for Digital, Culture Media & Sport |
Steering Group costs |
€250.50 |
|
Doggett Group |
Design and printing services |
€510.45 |
|
Elaine Tohill Ltd T/A Press |
Catering - bidder dialogue |
€849.00 |
|
Here and Now Business Intelligence |
Communications advisory services |
€16,236.00 |
|
Strategic Scout Ltd |
Steering Group costs |
€6,941.94 |
|
Consultant C (Anonymised under GDPR) |
Independent Chair costs |
€2,000.00 |
|
KPMG |
Financial and procurement advisory services |
€2,497,834.80 |
|
KPMG |
Specialist personnel |
€902,993.92 |
|
Marsh Ireland |
Insurance advice |
€11,531.25 |
|
Mason Hayes and Curran |
Legal advisory services |
€1,021,850.64 |
|
Mediavest Ltd |
Newspaper publication costs – public consultation |
€9,736.89 |
|
Patrick Ring |
Independent Chair costs |
€7,500.00 |
|
Pembroke Hall Limited |
Meeting room hire |
€444.22 |
|
Peter Smyth Management Consultancy Ltd |
Process auditor costs |
€7,872.00 |
|
PricewaterhouseCoopers |
Economic and strategic advisory services |
€75,031.93 |
|
Consultant A (Anonymised under GDPR) |
Steering Group costs |
€4,264.20 |
|
Professor Martin Cave |
Telecommunications regulatory advice |
€6,150.00 |
|
Quigg Golden |
Independent Chair costs |
€602.70 |
|
RPS Consulting Engineers |
Environmental advisory services |
€30,965.25 |
|
TOTAL for 2018 |
€5,745,111.99 |
250. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the duration for which his Department's website (details supplied) was unavailable; the reason it was unavailable; the nature of the work that was carried out while the website was down; if content from the website was removed or added before, after and during the outage; if so, the changes made; the persons responsible for rectifying the issue; if a third party was involved in the fix and-or solution for the website; if costs were incurred; the contingencies in place for when the website is not available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43087/18]
View answerMy Department’s website, www.dccae.gov.ie, was unavailable to the public during a period from Thursday 11 October 2018 to Saturday 13 October 2018.
As part of the normal course of anti-virus and operating system updates, the website encountered technical difficulties which resulted in issues in accessing the site. The web application needed to be rebuilt as a consequence of these technical difficulties and this work was completed on Saturday last.
Updates to the content of the website are carried out as part of a two-phase operation. Departmental editors add and update content on a secure internal site and the updated content is automatically duplicated and deployed to the public facing server. It was this public facing site that became unavailable. The internal site was still operational and available for content editors. When the public-facing server became available again these updates were pushed out and made available to the public immediately. During the outage, pages were updated on 11 October for the National Broadband Plan. After the outage, pages and images were updated on 16, 17 and 18 October relating to areas including the Natural Resources area, Press Releases and Publications. There was no update from 12 to 15 October.
The Department’s IT Unit rectified the issue and no third party was involved in this work. The fix was to rollback and rebuild the external website and synchronise updates from the internal site. No additional costs were incurred.
The Department uses multiple other multimedia channels to communicate with the public including Twitter, emails and GSI.ie.
251. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding the funding for the proposed Narrow Water Bridge between County Louth and County Down; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42797/18]
View answerThe Fresh Start Agreement includes a commitment to undertake a review of the proposed Narrow Water Bridge project with a view to identifying options for its future development. A draft options paper has been prepared and is due to be the subject of further consultation with interested stakeholders before it is finalised.
When completed the options paper is due to be submitted for consideration by the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) when that body is reconvened.
Pending future decisions on the project, there is no specific allocation of funding for a Narrow Water Bridge scheme.
252. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if inspections are regularly carried out and or monitoring undertaken of the preclearance areas at Dublin Airport to ensure the provisions of the Aviation (Preclearance) Act 2009 are being complied with. [42769/18]
View answer253. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the review of preclearance facilities at Dublin Airport ordered in 2017 has been completed; and if so, if he will provide a copy of same. [42770/18]
View answer254. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of US preclearance officers that have been sanctioned under section 13(4) of the Aviation (Preclearance) Act 2009. [42771/18]
View answer255. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of complaints that have been made or actions taken against the State on foot of difficulties encountered at the Dublin Airport US preclearance facility. [42772/18]
View answer256. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the arrangements available to travellers who wish to board aircraft to the United States of America without having to pass through US preclearance here. [42773/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 252 to 256, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy will be aware, US Preclearance is carried out by officers of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Dublin and Shannon Airports under the terms of an international agreement and in accordance with the Aviation (Preclearance) Act 2009.
During 2017, 1.43 million passengers used the preclearance facility at Dublin Airport, with over 208,000 passengers using the facility at Shannon. I understand that, to date, only one complaint has been received by Irish authorities regarding difficulties encountered at the Dublin Airport preclearance facility. I understand that no actions have been taken against the State to date in relation to Preclearance.
Similarly, no US Preclearance Officer has been sanctioned under Section 13(4) of the Aviation (Preclearance) Act 2009.
Passengers who wish to avail of Preclearance do so voluntarily and on condition that they recognise the right of the US to grant or refuse Preclearance in accordance with its immigration rules. Passengers retain the right to withdraw from the Preclearance process at any time before they board their flight.
Preclearance is not compulsory. Airlines choose to apply to have their services precleared at Dublin or Shannon Airports, on the basis that they may then offer the service as an added bonus for their customers. Although the majority of carriers operating services to the US choose to apply to have their flights precleared, at least one carrier has chosen not to. As Dublin and Shannon Airports are the only airports in Europe with Preclearance facilities, passengers can also choose to fly to the USA from other European airports and post-clear for entry on arrival in a US airport. Border control at US airports is also carried out by US Customs and Border Protection, the same organisation that processes passengers for Preclearance in Ireland. The same procedures and criteria for entry will therefore apply whether a passenger preclears or post-clears.
In light of the Government’s concern as to the content of a US Presidential Executive Order, signed in January 2017 (later superseded by legal action and further Orders) which banned nationals of seven named countries from entering the United States, and in particular concerns that had been expressed that the existence of US Preclearance facilities in Ireland might mean that Ireland was breaching international, EU or domestic legal obligations, the Taoiseach directed that a review be undertaken. My Department, along with the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Justice and Equality contributed to the review which was furnished to the Taoiseach in February 2017.
That review concluded that the operation of Preclearance does not give rise to any breach of Ireland’s European or International Human Rights obligations. Additionally, a refusal at US Preclearance has no impact on the rights available to refugees or persons wishing to seek asylum in Ireland. In light of this, and given the significant benefits of Preclearance to Ireland, it was recommended that US Preclearance arrangements in Dublin and Shannon Airports should remain in place. The Government endorsed this recommendation.
The Agreement between the Government of Ireland and the Government of the United States of America on Preclearance requires An Garda Síochána to provide an appropriate and sufficient law enforcement presence to ensure the security of the Preclearance area and safety of Preclearance officers, travellers and airport staff. Law enforcement agencies, including US Customs and Border Protection consult and collaborate regularly to ensure the safety and security of all airport users.
Oversight of the operation of Preclearance in Ireland is provided via the US/Ireland Preclearance Consultative Group (PCCG). The PCCG consists of representatives from both sides and meets regularly (on an annual basis) to review any issues arising related to the Agreement. While local airport mechanisms are used to address issues pertinent to a particular Preclearance location, issues which cannot be resolved at a local level can be referred to the PCCG.
