Written Answers Nos. 233-240
233. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will take steps to ensure that an application to transfer entitlements from a father to a son (details supplied) is immediately finalised and the disadvantaged area payments which are due on foot thereof are immediately paid out to the new applicant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27763/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the 2016 Basic Payments/Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) Scheme was received from the second person named on 26 April 2016. Processing of the ANC application identified that the holding in question has not as yet met the stocking requirements as per the Terms and Conditions of the scheme. On completion of this requirement, the application will be further reviewed with a view to payment issuing directly to the nominated bank account at the earliest possible date.
The persons named also submitted a 2016 Transfer of Entitlements application to my Department seeking the transfer of entitlements by gift from the first person named to the second person named. This application has been fully processed and letters issued notifying the persons named on 26 September.
234. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if non-designated commonage is an EU protected habitat; if so, the decision-making process by which the status of this type of commonage changed from one of extensive farmland to one of EU protected habitat; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27766/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe designation of lands as either Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) or Special Protection Areas (SPA) is the responsibility of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) under the Heritage Division of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Any changes in designation of such lands or boundary amendments are a matter for NPWS.
Notwithstanding this all lands outside of SAC/SPA are subject to the basic requirements in terms of land management as set out in the recently published "Explanatory Handbook for Cross Compliance Requirements" and the "Guide to Land Eligiblity" published by my Department last year.
235. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a decision to put an aid package into a low-interest loan will have the effect of requiring EU state aid approval; and if so, his views on whether it will have the effect of causing undue delay which will cause further financial hardship for farm families. [27767/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe final decisions on how Ireland will utilise its allocation of €11.09m under the EU package for dairy and other livestock sectors, and whether matching national funding will be provided, must be made by end of November under the recent EU regulation. I envisage decisions will be made well in advance of that date.
I am fully aware of the pressures on farmers right now and I have committed to working with all the stakeholders, both at national and EU level, to address these issues and ensure that we continue to have a sustainable and resilient sector. One of my priorities is to support the provision of lower-cost, more flexible finance and I am working with all the financial institutions, particularly the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI), to identify potential solutions to providing working capital finance for farmers. Any such solution will of course comply with State Aid requirements.
236. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of inspections from the Nenagh office for each year from 2010 to 2015; the number of penalties imposed by the Nenagh office for each year from 2010 to 2015; the financial value of penalties imposed by the Nenagh office for each year from 2010 to 2015; the number of 100% penalties which were imposed by the Nenagh office for each year from 2010 to 2015; and the comparison of each category versus the national average of all the offices nationally. [27768/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe extensive range of data requested by the Deputy is not readily available. Officials in my Department will compile the data requested and forward it directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
237. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will respond to the recently published estimates by a member of the Government's Climate Change Advisory Council that failure to meet Ireland's EU 2020 and 2030 climate action targets could result in a shrinking of fiscal space by €3 billion to €6 billion; the way in which his Department will respond to the potential risk to public finances this poses and if serious action will be carried out to increase climate ambition and action here; if this action will be included in the national mitigation plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27707/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Paris Agreement was the major outcome of the 21st Conference of Parties held under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from 30 November to 12 December 2015. The agreement is built on the premise of all parties submitting and carrying out Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) outlining the measures they will carry out to reduce their negative impacts on the environment. The European Union, as a single entity, has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels.
The specific responsibilities of individual Member States contributing to this overall EU target have yet to be agreed for the period 2021-2030. The Commission published draft proposals in this regard on 20 July last and analysis is on-going to assess the full implications of these for Ireland. Deliberations are also on-going within the wider EU context. The outcome of these deliberations will ultimately determine Ireland’s contribution, which needs to reflect a level of ambition that is technically feasible, cost-effective and fair, to the overall EU 2030 effort.
The extent of the challenge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in line with our EU and international commitments, is well understood by the Government, as reflected in the National Policy Position on Climate Action and Low Carbon Development, published in April 2014, and now underpinned by the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 which was enacted in December 2015. The National Policy Position provides a high-level policy direction for the adoption and implementation by Government of plans to enable the State to move to a low-carbon economy by 2050. Statutory authority for the plans is set out in the Act.
In accordance with Section 4 of the Act, and in line with responsibilities delegated to me as Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, I intend to submit a draft National Mitigation Plan for public consultation by the end of this year, followed by a final plan to be submitted to Government for approval by June 2017. Work is well underway on the development of the National Mitigation Plan, the primary objective of which will be to track implementation of measures already underway and identify additional measures in the longer term to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and progress the overall national low carbon transition agenda to 2050. The first iteration of the National Mitigation Plan will place particular focus on putting the necessary measures in place to address the challenge to 2020, but also in terms of planning ahead to ensure that appropriate policies and measures will be in place for the period 2021-2030.
A key element of the development process for successive National Mitigation Plans will be the identification of the most cost-effective measures with the optimal mitigation potential, which safeguard Ireland’s competitiveness and ideally support sustainable economic growth. This will be done with due consideration of both current and future fiscal space.
238. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to provide better broadband and better broadband coverage in Arvagh, County Cavan; the timeframe set out for these works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27654/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra239. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to provide better broadband and better broadband coverage in Canningstown, Cootehill, County Cavan; the timeframe set out for these works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27655/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra241. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the position on the upgrading and the rolling out of new broadband infrastructure by area in counties Cavan and Monaghan, in tabular form; the targets which have been set out for each area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27659/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 238, 239 and 241 together.
The National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed services to every city, town, village and individual premises in Ireland. The Programme for Government commits to the delivery of the NBP as a matter of priority. This is being achieved through private investment by commercial telecommunications companies and through a State intervention in areas where commercial investment is not forthcoming. The formal procurement process for the State Intervention commenced in December 2015.
The High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie, shows the extent of the State Intervention area. The areas marked BLUE represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have previously indicated plans to deliver high speed broadband services. The Department continues to monitor the commercial deployment plans in the BLUE area to ensure that those services are delivered. The areas marked AMBER on the High Speed Broadband Map represent the target areas for the State Intervention which are the subject of the current procurement process. Premises within this area will get services of at least 30Mbps when the procurement process is completed and the network rolled out.
The map provides information on a county by county basis with a breakdown of coverage across the townlands in every county including Counties Cavan and Monaghan. Individuals can check whether their premises is in a BLUE or an AMBER area by scrolling through the map online or entering their Eircode. The Department also has a dedicated mailbox and anyone with a query in relation to the Map should email the Department, quoting their Eircode, to broadband@dcenr.gov.ie. 57% of all premises in Cavan and 58% of all premises in Monaghan are within the Intervention (AMBER) area.
The areas to which the Deputy specifically refers are set out in the table, which shows the percentage of premises that are expected to be covered by commercial investments, and the percentage that will be covered by the State Intervention.
|
County |
Name |
Townland |
Premises currently expected to be covered by State intervention under NBP |
Existing and Planned commercial High Speed Broadband |
|
Cavan |
Arvagh |
Drumalt |
1% |
99% |
|
Canningstown |
Tullylorcan |
100% |
||
|
Cootehill |
Killycramph |
100% |
Over 750,000 premises are the focus for the procurement process, which formally commenced in December 2015. This includes over 24,000 premises in Cavan and over 19,500 premises in Monaghan. On 5 July, I announced that my Department has also identified that up to an additional 170,000 premises which are currently marked BLUE on the High Speed Broadband Map are unlikely to get access to services. My Department is conducting further analysis to identify these additional premises with a view to including them in the formal procurement process. This work will conclude in the coming months and will be reflected in a further update to the High Speed Broadband Map.
The Department commenced the Invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD) phase of the procurement process in July and is engaged in the formal dialogue process with the three qualifying bidders. Following the conclusion of the Dialogue Phase and an invitation to bidders to submit detailed draft proposals, the Department will issue final tender documentation to bidders. When final tenders have been submitted a winning bidder(s) will be selected for the contract which will comprise one or two lots as set out in the NBP Intervention Strategy.
The timing of each stage of the procurement is dependent on a number of factors including the number of qualified bidders and the complexities that may be encountered during the procurement process. It must be noted that bidders will need adequate time to prepare detailed proposals and their final formal bids and get the relevant shareholder and funding approvals at these stages of the process.
In preparation for the procurement stage of the process my Department investigated how different technical solutions could be used to deliver high speed broadband. In line with EU State Aid rules, the process must be "technology neutral" and it is not therefore possible to specify what technology should be used to build the network. As part of the procurement process bidders will be asked to propose solutions which meet the NBP service requirements. It is recognised however, that a significant fibre build will be required, regardless of what technology is used to provide services to individual premises. Once the successful bidder or bidders is chosen the technology(ies) to be deployed will become clear.
As part of the Department's extensive stakeholder consultations in 2015, telecommunications service providers indicated that it could take 3-5 years to roll out a network of the scale envisaged under the NBP. It is however open to bidder(s) to suggest more aggressive timescales as part of their bids. As part of the competitive process, the Department will engage with winning bidder(s) on the best rollout strategy, in order to target areas of particularly poor service, business needs and/or high demand. This will need to be balanced with the most efficient network rollout plan. A prioritisation programme will be put in place in this regard, in consultation with the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. A detailed rollout plan for the network will be published once contract(s) are in place.
The Programme for Government also commits to measures to assist in the rollout of the network once a contract is awarded. In this regard, Minister Humphreys is leading on the establishment of two regional action groups, working with Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Offices and other relevant agencies to help accelerate the broadband network build in rural Ireland, once a contract(s) has been awarded.
In the meantime, my Department continues to liaise closely with industry and relevant other Departments and agencies to assist in the commercial deployment of telecommunications networks. The commercial telecommunications sector has invested over €2bn in upgrading and modernising networks which support the provision of high speed broadband and mobile telecoms services. These investments will further improve the coverage and quality of broadband and mobile voice and data services throughout the country.
In line with commitments in the Programme for Government I established a Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce with my colleague Minister Humphreys in July 2016. The Taskforce will recommend practical actions that can be taken in the short-term to improve mobile phone and broadband access in Ireland, working with Government Departments, Local Authorities, ComReg, State Agencies, the telecoms industry and other key stakeholders. The work of the taskforce will also assist Local Authorities in preparing for the rollout of the new NBP network once contract(s) are in place. I expect that Minister Humphreys and I will bring proposals to Government by the end of 2016, on foot of the Taskforce's report.
240. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to expedite the broadband roll-out plan; the current status planned for certain locations (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27658/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed services to every city, town, village and individual premises in Ireland. The Programme for Government commits to the delivery of the NBP as a matter of priority. This is being achieved through private investment by commercial telecommunications companies and through a State intervention in areas where commercial investment is not forthcoming. The formal procurement process for the State Intervention commenced in December 2015.
The High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie, shows the extent of the State Intervention area. The areas marked BLUE represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have previously indicated plans to deliver high speed broadband services. The Department continues to monitor the commercial deployment plans in the BLUE area to ensure that those services are delivered. The areas marked AMBER on the High Speed Broadband Map represent the target areas for the State Intervention which are the subject of the current procurement process and include the townland of Knockavilla and the townland of Killahara, County Tipperary. Premises within this area will get services of at least 30Mbps when the procurement process is completed and the network rolled out.
The map provides information on a county by county basis with a breakdown of coverage across the townlands in every county including County Tipperary. Individuals can check whether their premises is in a BLUE or an AMBER area by scrolling through the map online or entering their Eircode. The Department also has a dedicated mailbox and anyone with a query in relation to the Map should email the Department, quoting their Eircode, to broadband@dcenr.gov.ie.
Over 750,000 premises are the focus for the procurement process, which formally commenced in December 2015 including over 41,000 premises in County Tipperary. On 5 July, I announced that my Department has also identified that up to an additional 170,000 premises which are currently marked BLUE on the High Speed Broadband Map are unlikely to get access to services. My Department is conducting further analysis to identify these additional premises with a view to including them in the formal procurement process. This work will conclude in the coming months and will be reflected in a further update to the High Speed Broadband Map.
The Department commenced the Invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD) phase of the procurement process in July and is engaged in the formal dialogue process with the three qualifying bidders. Following the conclusion of the Dialogue Phase and an invitation to bidders to submit detailed draft proposals, the Department will issue final tender documentation to bidders. When final tenders have been submitted a winning bidder(s) will be selected for the contract which will comprise one or two lots as set out in the NBP Intervention Strategy.
The timing of each stage of the procurement is dependent on a number of factors including the number of qualified bidders and the complexities that may be encountered during the procurement process. It must be noted that bidders will need adequate time to prepare detailed proposals and their final formal bids and get the relevant shareholder and funding approvals at these stages of the process.
As part of the Department's extensive stakeholder consultations in 2015, telecommunications service providers indicated that it could take 3-5 years to roll out a network of the scale envisaged under the NBP. It is however open to bidder(s) to suggest more aggressive timescales as part of their bids. As part of the competitive process, the Department will engage with winning bidder(s) on the best rollout strategy, in order to target areas of particularly poor service, business needs and / or high demand. This will need to be balanced with the most efficient network rollout plan. A prioritisation programme will be put in place in this regard, in consultation with the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. A detailed rollout plan for the network will be published once contract(s) are in place.
The Programme for Government also commits to measures to assist in the rollout of the network once a contract is awarded. In this regard, Minister Humphreys is leading on the establishment of two regional action groups, working with Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Offices and other relevant agencies to help accelerate the broadband network build in rural Ireland, once a contract(s) has been awarded.
In the meantime, my Department continues to liaise closely with industry and relevant other Departments and agencies to assist in the commercial deployment of telecommunications networks. The commercial telecommunications sector has invested over €2bn in upgrading and modernising networks which support the provision of high speed broadband and mobile telecoms services. These investments will further improve the coverage and quality of broadband and mobile voice and data services throughout the country.
In line with commitments in the Programme for Government I established a Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce with my colleague Minister Humphreys in July 2016. The Taskforce will recommend practical actions that can be taken in the short-term to improve mobile phone and broadband access in Ireland, working with Government Departments, Local Authorities, ComReg, State Agencies, the telecoms industry and other key stakeholders. The work of the taskforce will also assist Local Authorities in preparing for the rollout of the new NBP network once contract(s) are in place. I expect that Minister Humphreys and I will bring proposals to Government by the end of 2016, on foot of the Taskforce's report.
