Written Answers Nos. 1286-1298
1286. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a company's (details supplied) plans to roll out broadband in County Kildare form part of the national broadband plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20248/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra1288. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a company (details supplied) will be in receipt of a State subsidy to roll out broadband in County Kildare in view of the fact that the company had plans to offer broadband before the NBP was announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20258/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra1289. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the progress of the NBP in County Kildare; the date on which it expected that all homes and businesses will have access to reliable fast broadband; if the NBP gave consideration to the local area plans released for County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20260/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1286, 1288 and 1289 together.
The 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 rollout 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.
On 4 April, I signed a commitment agreement with eir in relation to its plans to provide broadband to an additional 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis. Eir has committed to doing this work over a 90 week period, with an average of 500 premises passed per day. My Department will be monitoring this rollout to ensure that eir meets its obligations under the Agreement. A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my Department's website www.dccae.gov.ie.
On the same day I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. which finalises the State Intervention area. The updated Map shows the following categories of areas for delivery of broadband:
- The BLUE areas represent those areas where commercial telecommunications providers are either currently delivering or have indicated plans to deliver high speed broadband services,
- The AMBER areas on the High Speed Broadband Map represent the areas that will require State Intervention and are the subject of the current procurement process.
It is intended that all premises will have access to services of at least 30 megabits per second when the procurement process is completed and the network rolled out.
There are circa 89,000 premises in County Kildare, approximately 13,000 (14%) of which are located in the Amber area on the Map, and will benefit from the NBP’s State Intervention. The remaining c76,000 (75%) premises are located in the commercial BLUE area and will be served by commercial operators and includes approx. 9,000 (12%) where eir is planning to deliver high speed broadband by 2018.
Individuals can themselves check whether their premises is in a BLUE or an AMBER area by accessing the High Speed Broadband Map and entering their Eircode at www.broadband.gov.ie
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. 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 level of subsidy that will be sought by bidders to roll-out high speed broadband in Amber areas of the High Speed broadband Map, will be established through that procurement process. No subsidy is paid towards the investment by commercial operators in rolling out high speed broadband in the Blue areas of the map.
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 rollout a network of the scale envisaged under the NBP once contracts are in place.
The Programme for Government also commits to measures to assist in the rollout of the network once a contract is awarded. 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 and a prioritisation programme.
1287. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to secure the future of post offices with particular reference to post offices in Fingal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20252/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is Government policy that An Post remains a strong, viable company in a position to provide a high quality, nationwide postal service and that it maintains a nationwide customer-focused network of post offices in the community
As Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, I have responsibility for the postal sector, including the governance of An Post, to ensure the company is fully compliant with the code of practice for the governance of State bodies and the governance functions included in the statutory framework underpinning An Post.
On foot of a reconfiguration of Government Departments in July last year, responsibility for the post office network transferred to the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Arrangements are in hand to reassign this responsibility to my Department given my overall responsibility for An Post.
The operation of the post office network is an operational matter for the Board and management of An Post and not one in which I, as Minister, have a statutory function.
1290. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland has provided an update on the proposed media merger involving the acquisition of sole control of a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20261/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing approval by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, notification of the proposed merger referenced in the question was received by me as Minister on 21 November 2016. I had 30 working days from the notification deadline of 24 November 2016 to conduct an initial, or Phase 1, assessment of the case on media plurality grounds.
This examination was guided by the relevant criteria laid out in the legislation and by the Guidelines on Media Mergers, which are available on my Department's website. The examination process laid out in the legislation and the Guidelines requires consideration to be given to a number of important criteria or measures, including diversity of ownership in the relevant media sector and in the wider media market, editorial management, governance structures, and the financial standings of the parties to the proposed merger.
On completion of this Phase 1 examination, I decided on 10 January 2017 to request the BAI to conduct a full media merger examination of the proposed transaction. The BAI will, following its examination of the proposed merger, provide me with a report detailing its recommendations on the matter within 80 working days from the date of my request. Furthermore, in accordance with the legislation, I established an advisory panel to provide an opinion to the BAI on the application of the relevant criteria in the legislation to the media merger in question.
In accordance with the timeline prescribed by the legislation, the BAI must submit its report and recommendations to me, as Minister, by 10 May 2017 at the latest. Upon receipt of these, I have a further 20 working days within which I must make a final determination to allow the proposed acquisition to proceed; to allow the proposed acquisition to proceed with conditions; or to refuse to allow the proposed acquisition to proceed.
As the statutory process is not yet concluded, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on this case.
1291. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on the European Commission's policy to cap and phase out all conventional biofuels produced in the EU in spite of their many evident benefits including the role they play in ensuring food security; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20283/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra1294. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will he bring forward proposals to halt importation of so called biodiesel based on palm oil in view of the environmental and social impacts associated with this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20286/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1291 and 1294 together.
The 2009 Renewable Energy Directive requires that biofuels must meet strict sustainability criteria to qualify for support and to be counted towards renewable energy targets. Under these criteria all biofuels, including biodiesel produced from palm oil, may not be made from raw materials originating from tropical forests or recently deforested areas, drained peatland, wetland or highly biodiverse areas.
In addition, the 2015 ILUC Directive limits to 7% the amount of energy from crop based biofuels, whose use could lead to Indirect Land-Use Change (ILUC) that Member States can count towards their 2020 renewable energy targets in transport. I anticipate the ILUC Directive will be transposed into Irish legislation by my Department by the deadline of 10 September 2017.
In November 2016, the European Commission published a proposal for a new Renewables Directive that envisages an overall European Union renewable energy target of at least 27% in 2030. It is proposed in the draft Directive that the amount of energy from crop based biofuels which can be counted towards renewable energy shares in transport (RES-T) in the period after 2020 will be progressively reduced from 7% in 2020 to 3.8% in 2030.
Biofuel production and its use, unless properly regulated, may not deliver required greenhouse gas savings and could impact negatively on food production and land use. It is important, therefore, that measures are in place to mitigate against environmental risks, such as Indirect Land-Use Change, of certain categories of biofuels. It is also important that the development of advanced biofuels, which pose little risk of ILUC, are encouraged. Both the ILUC Directive and the proposed new Renewables Directive contain measures to incentivise the production of such biofuels.
1292. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the priority he attaches to reversing the trend of dieselisation of road transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20284/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe trend of dieselisation of road transport is a concern to me, and to Governments all around Europe, as road transport, and diesel in particular, is a significant source of harmful emissions. Emissions from transport, including particulate emissions, can have a detrimental impact on both environmental ecosystems and human health. Inhalation of Particulate Matter (PM) can increase respiratory morbidity (including exacerbation of existing conditions such as asthma) as well as contributing to cardiovascular disease.
A significant contributor to the rise in NOx emissions in recent years throughout the EU has been the higher than expected emissions from the new fleet of road vehicles, particularly diesel vehicles. Over time, discrepancies have come to light between the emissions recorded from vehicles during emissions testing and ‘real’ driving.
Given the nature of both auto manufacture and the EU’s single market, a co-ordinated European response across all Member States is necessary. The regulatory shortcomings highlighted by this issue are being addressed at EU level through the adoption of a revised emissions test cycle, that incorporates elements of real world driving. Ireland fully supports this approach and its early implementation.
At a national level, in accordance with the commitment in the Programme for Government, my Department and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport are co-chairing a Low Emission Vehicles (LEV) Task Force involving relevant Government Departments and agencies. The work of the task force has been divided into two phases, with the first phase focusing solely on electric vehicles. The Task Force expects to report on an interim basis to Government on the first phase by June 2017, with associated recommendations. These recommendations will suggest a range of options for facilitating greater uptake of EVs in the coming years.
My Department has also commenced work on the first ever National Clean Air Strategy which will provide an overarching strategic policy framework within which clean air policies can be formulated and given effect in a manner consistent with national, EU and international policy considerations and priorities. The Clean Air Strategy will address priority air pollutants in Ireland, including diesel emissions, in an integrated manner. A public consultation on the strategy closed last week.
1293. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the consideration he has given to the beneficial health impacts of increased ethanol blending in petrol when tackling NO2 and fine particulate matter pollution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20285/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraVehicle emissions are a key source of negative health impacts from a range of air pollutants including nitrogen oxides (NOx) , particulate matter (PM), black carbon and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particularly in urban areas. Though petrol and diesel road vehicles have met progressively tighter EU emission limits, known as Euro standards, since the early 1990s, increases in road traffic, changes to the ratio of diesel to petrol vehicles, questions over the efficacy of the Euro standards in real driving conditions, as well as the behaviour of some vehicle manufacturers, mean that the air pollution impact from road transport still presents a significant challenge.
The use of biofuels such as ethanol (or biodiesel for diesel cars) can help to reduce emissions, particularly carbon dioxide emissions, from road transport. Since 1 July 2010, Ireland has operated a Biofuels Obligation Scheme which is administered by the National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) and requires road transport fuel suppliers to bring increasing amounts of biofuel to the transport fuel market. The obligation has been increased over the years since the beginning of the scheme, with the most recent increase bringing it to 8.695% from 1 January 2017.
The use of biofuels is not, however, without potential drawbacks, which can include the displacement of food production, or habitat destruction for the purposes of clearing land for biofuel production. Strict sustainability criteria must be applied to biofuels under the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC) before they can be counted towards Member State’s renewable energy targets. Under these criteria, biofuels may not be made from raw materials originating from tropical forests or recently deforested areas, drained peatland, wetland or highly biodiverse areas.
In addition, the European Commission adopted Directive (EU) 2015/1513 (also known as the Indirect Land-Use Change or ILUC Directive) in September 2015. This Directive limits to 7% the amount of energy that Member States can count towards their 2020 renewable energy targets in transport from crop based biofuels whose use could lead to indirect land-use change. It also contains incentives to encourage the development of advanced biofuels that do not affect food production. The ILUC Directive will be transposed into Irish legislation by September 2017.
It is important to ensure that the solution of any environmental problem, such as air pollution in Ireland, is not at the cost of creating a greater environmental problem elsewhere.
I am currently developing Ireland's first ever National Clean Air Strategy to advance a coherent cross Government framework for decision making on policies and actions that can impact air quality and pollution from all sources, including road transport. A public consultation on the Strategy closed last week.
1295. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to ban or limit the use of bituminous fuels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20478/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe ban on the marketing, sale and distribution of bituminous coal, or ‘the smoky coal ban’ as it is commonly known, was first introduced in Dublin in 1990, and subsequently extended to our major cities. Following a public consultation process, it was further extended in 2012, and now applies in 26 urban areas nationwide. The ban has proved very effective in reducing particulate matter and sulphur dioxide levels and has had the effect of significantly improving public health. Research indicates, for example, that the ban has resulted in over 350 fewer annual deaths in Dublin alone.
An ‘all-island’ research study commenced in February 2014 into policy options to deal with the problem of airborne pollution from residential fuel combustion, in particular, smoky coal. The study, undertaken under the auspices of the North-South Ministerial Council, was finalised in December 2015, and subsequently presented to Ministers. The report supports the extension of the ban areas in Ireland and smoke control areas in Northern Ireland. While I would like to see a joint approach by authorities to the introduction of an all island ban on smoky coal, it is of course also a matter for authorities in Northern Ireland to consider in relation to that jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the timing of decisions in the North and the position taken there, I am committed to extending the ban nationwide in this jurisdiction.
This process necessarily involves discussion and consultation with a wide number of stakeholders, including with the European Commission, relevant Government Departments and Agencies, the residential fuel industry, and the general public. Discussions with many of these stakeholders on issues that may arise in connection with the proposed nationwide ban are underway.
My Department is currently developing a national Clean Air Strategy which will provide the strategic framework for a set of cross-Government policies and actions to reduce harmful emissions, and consequential health impacts, by improving our air quality. A public consultation process on the strategy concluded last week. The strategy will also address a wide range of other national policies that are relevant to air quality such as transport, energy and agriculture. Residential home heating is a key source of air pollution, in particular from solid fuel and smoky coal, and as such there is a pre-existing commitment to extend the smoky coal ban nationwide by 2018. I expect that the strategy will be published by the end of 2017 and that I will to be to be in a position to implement the national ban in time for the heating season of 2018, that is the third quarter of that year.
1296. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of plans to extend broadband cover to a location (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20537/17]
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 rollout 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.
On 4 April, I signed a commitment agreement with eir in relation to its plans to provide broadband to an additional 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis. Eir has committed to doing this work over a 90 week period, an average of 500 premises passed per day. My Department will be monitoring this rollout to ensure that eir meets its obligations under the Agreement. A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my website www.dccae.gov.ie.
On the same day I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. which finalises the State Intervention area. The updated Map shows the following categories of areas for delivery of broadband:
- The BLUE areas represent those areas where commercial telecommunications providers are either currently delivering or have indicated plans to deliver high speed broadband services,
- The AMBER areas on the High Speed Broadband Map represent the areas that will require State Intervention and are the subject of the current procurement process.
It is intended that all premises 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 shows that 98% of the townland of Fountainstown, Cork falls within the AMBER area and will require State Intervention. The remaining 2% of the townland fall within the BLUE area and will covered by commercial operators. Individuals can themselves check whether their premises is in a BLUE or an AMBER area by accessing the High Speed Broadband Map and entering their Eircode at www.broadband.gov.ie
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. 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 three bidders have indicated that they are proposing a predominantly fibre-to-the-home solution. A fibre-to-the-home solution means that householders and businesses may get speeds not just of 30 Megabits per second but much higher, potentially up to 1000 Megabits per second.
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 rollout a network of the scale envisaged under the NBP once contracts 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, I established the Task Force in July 2016 together with Minister Humphreys to identify immediate solutions to broadband and mobile phone coverage deficits and investigate how better services could be provided to consumers prior to the full build and roll-out of the network planned under the National Broadband Plan State intervention. The report of the Task Force was published in December and is available at the following link: http://www.dccae.gov.ie/communications/en-ie/Pages/Publication/Report-of-the-Mobile-Phone-and-Broadband-Taskforce.aspx.
In producing this report, the Task Force worked with Departments, local authorities, ComReg, State agencies, the telecoms industry and other key stakeholders. The report contains 40 actions that will alleviate some of the telecommunications deficits across Ireland and the implementation programme on mobile phone and broadband access identifies 19 of these actions as areas where immediate and direct action by Departments and State agencies can ensure accelerated benefits to consumers. The work of the Task Force will also assist local authorities in preparing for the roll-out of the new NBP network once contracts are in place.
In order to maintain momentum, I, together with my colleague Minister Humphreys, have established an Implementation Group, which met for the first time on 8 March. This group will drive and monitor the implementation of the actions in the Task Force report, bringing together all key stakeholders identified in the Task Force report with responsibility for delivery of actions. This group will formally report every 90 days on progress made on all actions to both myself and Minister Humphreys. I am expecting the first such quarterly report shortly.
In addition, I have signed regulations allowing ComReg to proceed with a 2017 allocation of spectrum in the 3.6 GHz radio spectrum band. This will provide an 86% increase in total spectrum available for mobile and fixed wireless services.
In my Department's Estimates for 2017, I have secured an €8 million provision for RTE to allow it to free up the 700 MHz spectrum band. ComReg in turn will make plans to allocate this spectrum to provide for significantly enhanced mobile coverage. The 700 MHz band is particularly suited to rural environments where the signal can travel long distances.
These initiatives should assist in enhancing the quality of mobile phone and data services across Ireland and particularly in rural Ireland.
1297. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the position regarding a new application to mine coal (details supplied); when this matter will be dealt with; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20579/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraProspecting Licence 3891 is held by Dan Morrissey (Ireland) Ltd. A Prospecting Licence confers a right to prospect for minerals but not to mine minerals. My Department is in receipt of an application for a State Mining Lease in respect of the mining of coal and fireclay at Rossmore, Co. Laois. This application remains under consideration.
1298. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on Germany's request that accounting for managed wetlands be obligatory for EU member states for their 2030 greenhouse gas emissions targets. [20858/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer to the reply to Question No. 300 of 6 April 2017.
Under the Paris Agreement, the EU has committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels, and negotiations on how this should translate into efforts by individual Member States are ongoing. The Deputy is referring to a proposal made by Germany regarding the mandatory inclusion of wetlands by Member States in the context of this negotiation process.
As I have previously outlined, there is an absence of global experience in the tracking and reporting of climate mitigation measures associated with wetlands. Ireland presently accounts for mitigation action associated with wetlands falling within currently-reported land types and continues to carry out research which will support the understanding of carbon stock changes associated with peatlands and agricultural soils. This will feed into the development of a more robust inventory and underpin future accounting for mitigation action associated with wetlands.
I remain open to considering further work on the role of wetlands in the context of the National Mitigation Plan, building on the experience of research already undertaken.
