Written Answers Nos. 253-262
253. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the details of Irish vessels that have been fishing within the voisinage area of the coast of Northern Ireland since the Supreme Court judgment of 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14533/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Supreme Court judgment of 27 October 2016 to which the Deputy refers found that fishing by Northern Ireland vessels within the 0 to 6 nautical mile zone of the territorial waters of the State under the Voisinage arrangements is not currently provided for in domestic law. I am seeking to address this lack of provision through the Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017 which is currently before the Houses of the Oireachtas.
In respect of details of Irish vessels which have been fishing in the Northern Ireland 0 to 6 mile zone, this opportunity continues to be afforded to all registered Irish sea-fishing boats, subject to the same treatment as vessels there, as the arrangements continue to be observed by our Northern counterparts despite our current difficulties in reciprocating. The register of Irish sea-fishing boats is published regularly on my Department's website. The most recent register available showed a total of 2,060 vessels as of the 8th of March 2017.
254. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the legislation that is in place to allow Irish vessels to fish in the 0 to 6 mile zone of the coast of Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14534/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe reciprocal fishing arrangements between Ireland and Northern Ireland known as Voisinage arrangements allow vessels from Ireland to fish in the area from 0 to 6 nautical miles of Northern Ireland subject to the same treatment as vessels there, with equivalent access for vessels owned and operated in Northern Ireland to Ireland's 0 to 6 nautical mile zone. Following the Supreme Court Judgment of 27 October 2016 which found that there was insufficient provision in domestic law for these arrangements, Northern Ireland vessels have been unable to fish in the Irish 0 to 6 nautical mile zone. It is of note, however, that our Northern Irish counterparts continue to allow access to Irish vessels to their 0 to 6 nautical mile zone in line with the terms of the Voisinage arrangements.
As appropriate on an issue like this, there has been active engagement on this issue between myself and my Northern counterpart, the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Michelle McIlveen MLA. Similarly there has been regular contact at official level between our respective departments. To date it has been made clear by our Northern Irish counterparts that they remain satisfied that the letters exchanged which underpin the original arrangements are sufficient basis on which to continue access.
255. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of fines issued for each of the years 2011 to 2016 and to date in 2017 for breach of dog fouling legislation by local authority in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14352/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Litter Pollution Acts 1997 to 2009 provide the statutory framework to combat littering and include provisions relating to dog fouling. Under the Acts, the primary management and enforcement response to littering (including dog fouling) is a matter for local authorities, taking account of its own local circumstances and priorities. My Department collates a wide range of data annually on litter statistics, including local authority expenditure on clean-up activity and litter wardens, and the total amount of fines received by local authorities. However, it does not collate the specific data sought by the Deputy. Data is available under the local authority service indicators report on the number of fines issued generally, along with the number of prosecutions and convictions, under the Litter Pollution Acts. The 2013 local authority service indicators report, together with previous years’ reports, is available at: www.lgma.ie/en/serviceindicators/2004to2013
Responsibility for this reporting transferred the National Oversight and Audit Committee (NOAC) in 2014, and the most recent report can be found at
http://noac.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/NOAC-Performance-Indicators-Report-2014.pdf
In addition, my Department funds the production of the National Litter Pollution Monitoring Survey Report, which provides data on the level of litter pollution nationally, principal constituents of the litter, and causes of litter pollution. The reports are published on
http://litter.ie
Raising awareness of the litter problem, and educating our young people, are key to effecting a long-term change in society’s attitudes towards litter disposal but, ultimately, it is the responsibility of each individual to ensure that they play their part in preserving the environment for others through the responsible disposal of their litter, including that arising from dog fouling.
256. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the steps he intends to take to ensure that rural post offices remain open and functioning, in view of the difficult financial position of An Post. [14398/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe operation of the post office network is a day to day operational matter for the Board and management of An Post and not one in which I, as Minister, have a statutory function.
On foot of the reconfiguration of Government Departments last year, responsibility for the post office network transferred to the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
257. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when the national broadband plan will be fully rolled out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14462/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) was published in August 2012. Progress continues to be made in delivering on this Government’s commitment to ensure every household and business in Ireland has access to high speed broadband, regardless of where they are located. The National Broadband Plan (NBP) is being achieved through a combination of commercial investment by the telecommunications sector and a State intervention in those areas where commercial investment has not been fully demonstrated.
A key principle of the NBP is to support and stimulate commercial investment through policy and regulatory measures. Commercial investment since the publication of the NBP, including over the last 12 months has considerably exceeded expectations. To date, the commercial telecommunications sector has invested over €2.5bn in upgrading and modernising networks which support the provision of high speed broadband and mobile telecoms services.
There has been significant progress in relation to broadband roll out so that today, approximately 1.4m or 61% of premises in Ireland can get high speed broadband of a minimum of 30 Megabits per second. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector, which is continuing to expand this footprint.
For those areas that will not be covered by commercial operators the State has committed to intervene and subsidise a network build. The procurement process to select a company or companies who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State Intervention area is being intensively managed, to ensure an outcome that delivers a future-proofed network that serves homes and businesses across Ireland, for at least 25 years.
My Department will shortly update the High Speed Broadband map to finalise the Intervention Area for this procurement, taking into account industry investments that have not fully materialised in the Blue area, along with concrete and credible commitments by industry for further new investments within the State Intervention area.
The timeframe for the procurement continues to be dependent on a range of factors including the complexities that may be encountered by the procurement team and bidders, during the procurement process.
258. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on a matter (details supplied) with regard to fibre-optic services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14464/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed broadband 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 a combination of commercial investment by the telecommunications sector and a State intervention in those areas where commercial investment has not been fully demonstrated. A key principle of the NBP is to support and stimulate commercial investment through policy and regulatory measures. Commercial investment since the publication of the NBP has considerably exceeded expectations. To date, the commercial telecommunications sector has invested over €2.5bn in upgrading and modernising networks which support the provision of high speed broadband and mobile telecoms services.
There has been significant progress in relation to broadband roll out so that today, approximately 1.4m or 61% of premises in Ireland can get high speed broadband of a minimum of 30 Megabits per second. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector, which is continuing to expand this footprint.
The High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie shows the current extent of the State Intervention area:
- The areas marked BLUE represent those areas where commercial telecommunications providers are either currently delivering or have previously indicated plans to deliver high speed broadband services,
- 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. It is intended that premises within this area will have access to services of at least 30 megabits per second when the procurement process is completed and the network rolled out.
The map indicates that Camp village is within the BLUE area and will receive commercial broadband services. The village of Cloghane, Brandon is within the AMBER area and will, therefore, be included in the State Intervention procurement process under the NBP. The area between Camp and Cloghane is also in the Amber area.
Individuals can check whether their premises is in a BLUE or an AMBER area by accessing the High Speed Broadband Map and entering their Eircode.
A formal procurement process is in train to select a company or companies who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network within the State Intervention Area. My Department will shortly update the High Speed Broadband map to finalise the Intervention Area for the Procurement process, taking into account industry investments that have not materialised in Blue areas, together with new industry investments within the proposed State Intervention Area, along with concrete and credible commitments by industry for further new investments within the Intervention Area.
The procurement process is being intensively managed, to ensure an outcome that delivers a future-proofed network that serves homes and businesses across Ireland, for at least 25 years. The timeframe for the procurement continues to be dependent on a range of factors including the complexities that may be encountered by the procurement team and bidders, during the procurement process. During the Department's extensive stakeholder consultations in 2015, telecommunications service providers indicated a 3-5 year timeline to roll out a network of the scale envisaged under the NBP.
The Programme for Government also commits to measures to assist in the roll out of the network once a contract is awarded.
The Department will engage with winning bidder(s) on the best roll out strategy, in order to target areas of particularly poor service, business needs and/or high demand and a prioritisation programme.
259. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number and location of deep sea and deep water ports; the tonnage coming through each port for the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14405/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIrish ports collectively handled 50.7 million tonnes of goods in 2015, according to the latest figures available from the Central Statistics Office. The ports differ greatly in size, capability and future potential. Both Cork and Shannon Foynes are deep water ports.
The three Ports of National Significance, as outlined in National Ports Policy 2013, Dublin, Cork and Shannon Foynes, collectively handle just over 80% of all tonnage at Irish ports in any given year. All three ports have ambitious long-term Masterplans and capital development programmes. These plans outline the ports infrastructure development requirements over the next 30 to 40 years, to ensure the sector has sufficient capacity to meet the trading needs of the economy.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) provide yearly details of tonnage of goods handled by Irish Ports. The latest figures available can be accessed on their website via the following link:
www.cso.ie/multiquicktables/quickTables.aspx?id=tba07.
260. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the action his Department will take in assisting the community in Lusk and its environs in achieving their goals following an analysis of the Lusk community sports plan 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14282/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI understand that the community of Lusk in County Dublin have developed the Lusk Community Sports Plan 2020. Implementation of community sports initiatives, including participative and infrastructure initiatives, would be a matter for the local community and any clubs in the first instance. Local authorities would also welcome and consider sporting initiatives and would be supportive of viable and worthy initiatives. The Deputy is aware that funding is available for local sporting infrastructure from my department under the Sports Capital Programme.
The Local Sports Partnership Network is working in local areas to increase participation in sport and physical activity and to ensure that local sport resources are used to best effect. In that regard, I would encourage the community in Lusk to engage with the Local Sport Partnership for the Fingal area, who may be able to assist in achieving the goals in the Sports Plan 2020. The Fingal Local Sports Partnership can be contacted at the Fingal County Council Offices in Blanchardstown.
261. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of the national physical activity plan; his views on whether it has been effective; and the further actions and initiatives that are planned under this programme. [14315/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Physical Activity Plan was published in January 2016 and its implementation is being overseen by an Implementation Group co-chaired by my Department and the Department of Health. Work has commenced on over 50 of the 60 actions contained in the plan. An Implementation Template, showing progress to date and work planned for each action, is planned to be published on the Healthy Ireland website by mid 2017.
The Plan contains six actions which specifically relate to monitoring and evaluation, including the establishment of a national research system to monitor physical activity levels in key target groups. Those actions provide a sound basis for appropriate monitoring which will facilitate effective implementation of the Plan.
262. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14361/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is an active member on the Cost of Insurance Working Group, chaired by Minister of State Eoghan Murphy. This group examined the factors contributing to the increasing cost of insurance, and worked to identify measures which can be introduced to help reduce the cost of insurance for consumers and businesses. The report of the Cost of Insurance Working Group was published in January 2017, and all stakeholders are currently working to implement the recommendations to strict deadlines.
I would, however, point out to the Deputy that neither I, nor any other Government Department, have the power to direct insurance companies on the pricing of insurance products. The EU framework for insurance expressly prohibits Member States from adopting rules which require insurance companies to obtain prior approval of the pricing or terms and conditions of insurance products.
However, I am confident that the implementation of the recommendations of the Cost of Insurance Working Group will assist in driving down the cost of motor insurance in Ireland.
