Written Answers Nos. 166-181
166. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of reports commissioned from firms (details supplied) in 2018; the firm that completed each report; and the cost of each report. [7173/19]
View answer167. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of consultants from firms (details supplied) contracted to perform work in 2018; and the amount spent on consultants from each firm. [7190/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 166 and 167 together.
My Department administers a very diverse, complex and technical brief across critical and strategic sectors of the Irish economy. While it has a total complement of around 396 full time equivalent staff of whom a number are technical personnel, the technical, commercial, legal complexity and evolving nature of sectors with which the Department deals requires access to external professional expertise to assist in discharging its functions. In procuring these specialised services, my Department always seeks to ensure value for money and that these services contribute to project delivery and informed, robust and evidence based policy making.
Details of external consultants reports commissioned and also consultants contracted by my Department in 2018 from the firms in question are set out in the tables below.
|
Name of firm report was commissioned from in 2018 |
Name of Report |
Cost of Report (inc VAT) |
|
Ernst & Young |
Financial Capacity Assessment of Petroleum Licence Applicant A – AMLR 2015 Conversions |
€7,380 |
|
Ernst & Young |
Financial Capacity Assessment of Petroleum Licence Applicant B – AMLR 2015 Conversions |
€7,380 |
|
Ernst & Young |
Financial Capacity Assessment of Petroleum Licence Applicant C – AMLR 2015 Conversions |
€7,380 |
|
Total |
€22,140 |
|
Name of firm consultant was contracted from in 2018 |
Name of project |
Cost of consultant (inc VAT) |
|
Deloitte & Touche |
National Broadband Plan |
€52,767 |
|
PwC |
National Broadband Plan |
€467,508 |
|
KPMG |
National Broadband Plan |
€4,296,098 |
|
Ernst & Young (EY) |
Provision of commercial, financial and governance advice for the award of a concession agreement to operate, manage and maintain the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) |
Nil cost to date as work is on-going. (Total cost of €226,594 inc VAT to be paid in 2019). |
168. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if there are climate change experts in his Department. [7056/19]
View answerI refer to the reply to Question No. 169 of 6 February 2019. The position is unchanged.
169. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the national broadband plan Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7261/19]
View answerOn 24 July 2018 Government approved the drafting of the National Broadband Plan Bill 2018. My Department is developing this legislation in consultation with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel in the Attorney General’s Office.
170. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the documents he plans to publish upon the awarding of the national broadband plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7262/19]
View answer171. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated workforce required to roll out the national broadband plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7263/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 170 and 171 together.
As the Deputy will be aware, the procurement process to engage a company to build the NBP State intervention network is in its final stages. I intend to bring the process to a fair and impartial conclusion as quickly as possible and I will bring a recommendation to Government in the coming weeks. I do not propose to comment further at this time.
172. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to publish a map of broadband coverage blackspots; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7264/19]
View answer173. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a deadline for the provision of high-speed broadband in dark blue areas of the national broadband plan has been put in place; if this was in place in the past; the rationale if there is no deadline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7265/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 172 and 173 together.
In April 2017 my Department published an updated version of the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map. This is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. The map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services (BLUE/LIGHT BLUE) and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (AMBER).
My Department monitors the deployment of commercial operators' services across the country and will continue to do so under the NBP. The NBP procurement process allows for changes to the NBP Map in the event that new commercial plans for high speed broadband are announced, or where planned commercial investment has not materialised. This process was set out in 2015 on my Department’s website before the procurement process commenced and is available at this link
https://www.dccae.gov.ie/documents/Managing%20IA%20Map% 20-%20Consultation%20Paper%20FINAL%2021-12-15.pdf).
In 2017, as a direct result of this monitoring, my Department added a further 84,500 premises to the NBP State Intervention Area where commercial investment plans previously provided to the Department failed to materialise.
I am conscious that there are premises within BLUE areas that cannot access a high speed broadband connection. Where a citizen living in a Blue area is unable to obtain a high speed broadband service, I would encourage them to email my Department at broadband@dccae.gov.ie with their Eircode and details of the service providers they have contacted and the issues encountered in respect of accessing high speed broadband.
Where commercial operators' plans for providing high speed broadband in BLUE areas do not materialise, premises may be included as part of the State led intervention in order to achieve the Government's commitment to deliver access to high speed broadband to every premises in Ireland.
Separately, and as part of my Department’s Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce, both my Department and the Department of Rural and Community Development worked with a pilot group of local authorities to identify the issues associated with mapping local mobile phone blackspots. This pilot exercise has been completed, with all local authorities having been asked to map local blackspots and identify infrastructure that could potentially be used to provide additional mobile phone coverage on an economic basis.
174. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the timeframe for the introduction of the bin charge waiver as announced in budget 2017 for households that have to dispose of incontinence wear; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7295/19]
View answerI refer to the reply to Question No.584 of 12 February 2019. The position is unchanged.
176. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of reports commissioned from firms (details supplied) in 2018; the firm that completed each report; and the cost of each report. [7186/19]
View answerDetails of all expenditure on external services (including reports) are available on my Department's website at the following link: www.dttas.ie/corporate/english/expenditure-external-services.
This information is published on a six monthly basis. Information on the second half of 2018 (July to Dec) is currently being compiled and will be published shortly
177. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of consultants from firms (details supplied) contracted to perform work in 2018; and the amount spent on consultants from each firm. [7203/19]
View answerThe first two firms named by the Deputy performed work for my Department in 2018 - the other three named companies did not. The number of consultants involved in the performance of the work varied and was dependent on the nature of the work.
In 2018, the first firm received payments totalling €135,090.90 while the second received €14,760.00; both amounts including VAT.
178. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 211 of 23 January 2019, the amount collected by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, road tolls and public private partnership, PPP, toll road concessions operators in respect of money retained, money not collected by customers and excess payments in the past five years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7217/19]
View answerAs stated previously in response to PQ 211 of 23rd January 2019, as Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy in relation to roads. The planning, design and implementation of individual road projects on national roads are a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 in conjunction with the relevant local authority. For regional and local roads it is a matter for each respective local authority.
More specifically, the statutory powers to levy tolls on national roads as well as regional and local roads, to make toll bye-laws and to enter into toll agreements with private investors are vested in TII (for national roads) and each local authority (for regional and local roads) under Part V of the Roads Act 1993 (as amended by the Planning and Development Act 2000 and the Roads Act 2007).
I have made an enquiry to TII on your behalf and I understand from TII that a reply to Parliamentary Question No. 211 was issued on 5th February 2019.
179. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of aircraft hangar spaces at Dublin Airport leased by private persons or companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7234/19]
View answerAs daa has statutory responsibility for the management and operation of Dublin Airport, I have forwarded your question to the Company for direct reply. If the Deputy does not receive a reply within ten working days, please advise my Private Office.
180. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of meetings held by the board of the National Transport Authority in 2018; and the attendees of each meeting. [7248/19]
View answer181. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount paid to each member of the board of the National Transport Authority, NTA, for his or her service as a board member in 2018. [7249/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 180 and 181 together.
The Chairman of the National Transport Authority (NTA) is paid the Government approved fee of €21,600 per annum for his services to the Board. Directors are paid a rate of €12,600 per annum. I have asked the NTA to respond directly to the Deputy in relation to the more detailed information sought. Please contact my private office if you have not received a reply within ten working days.
