Written Answers Nos. 186-195
186. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when the planned roll-out of fibre optic broadband will commence in areas (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52422/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector so that today over 67% of the 2.3m premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband and this is set to increase to 77% (1.8m premises) by the end of 2018 and to 90% (2.1m premises) by the end of 2020.
In April I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).
The Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode:
- The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP and are the subject of an ongoing procurement process.
- The BLUE represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services.
- The Light BLUE areas represent eir's commercial rural deployment plans to rollout high speed broadband to 300,000 premises by the end of 2018 as part of an Agreement signed with me in April.
The premises of the three constituents referenced by the Deputy are located in AMBER areas. High speed broadband will be brought to them under the NBP State Intervention.
My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company or companies who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. That procurement process is now at an advanced stage. “Detailed Solutions” submitted by two bidders on 26th September are being evaluated by the NBP specialist team. The next stage in the procurement process is the receipt of final tenders followed by the appointment of a preferred bidder(s) and contract signature.
As part of this procurement process, the bidder(s) will be required to submit their strategies, including timescales, for the network build and rollout. My Department will engage with the winning bidder(s) to ensure the most efficient deployment as part of the contract.
I recognise the importance of availability of high speed connectivity for all premises in Ireland and the frustration for communities, schools and businesses that do not currently have access to this level of connectivity. Delivering connectivity to the 542,000 premises (including approximately 16,500 in Waterford) that fall within the State led intervention under the NBP remains a Government priority and my Department will engage with the winning bidder(s) to ensure the most efficient deployment as part of the contract.
In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.
Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen. These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities. The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure. There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.
187. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a company (details supplied) has met its commitments at the end of quarter 3 of 2017 on the roll-out of high speed broadband in rural areas; the number of premises served to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52468/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra188. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of premises served under a contract with a company (details supplied) in which the service is provided by fibre to the premises, exchange of cabinet launched VDSL and other technologies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52469/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 187 and 188 together.
The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) will ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland via a combination of commercial investment and State Intervention. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecommunications sector so that to date over 1.5m or 67% of the 2.3m premises in Ireland can get high speed broadband. By 2020 it is expected that 90% of premises in Ireland will have access to high speed broadband.
In April 2017, I signed a Commitment Agreement with eir in relation to its plans to provide High speed broadband to 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis. eir has committed to completing the rollout by the end of 2018. Information on eir's planned rural deployment is available at http://fibrerollout.ie/eircode-lookup/.
A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my Department’s website www.dccae.gov.ie.
Quarterly updates on eir's rural deployment are published on this website and can be viewed at:
http://www.dccae.gov.ie/documents/County%20Statistics.pdf.
Following evaluation by officials from my Department of eir's Q3 update of its rural deployment of high speed broadband I can confirm that eir has met its Q3 target of 101,000 premises passed. As part of the Q3 update eir also informed officials from my Department that, as of September 2017, there are 14,287 connections to premises utilising Fibre to the Home technology.
189. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the justification for the increase in the PSO on electricity bills; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52584/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Public Service Obligation (PSO) Levy is a charge on all electricity customers without exception, and is determined by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU). The legal basis for the PSO and its method of calculation by the CRU are set out in Regulations made under the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 (S.I. 217 of 2002).
The levy has been in place since 2001, and consists of a set of support schemes designed to facilitate national electricity policy objectives for renewables, indigenous fuels and security of supply. Ireland has a target of increasing renewable electricity penetration to 40% by 2020 and the PSO has supported the connection of over 3,000 MW of renewable energy to the electricity grid and will continue to support the development of renewable energy so that we can meet our target. Moreover, international studies have shown that Ireland has had one of the lowest per unit supports for renewable energy in the European Union. The PSO currently represents around 10% of the average household final electricity bill, or approximately €7.69 on a monthly basis for domestic customers from October 2017.
The PSO levy is calculated on an annual basis by the CRU, which is an independent statutory body, solely accountable to a committee of the Oireachtas for the performance of its functions.
I am very conscious of the impact of energy costs on industry and households alike. Customers can avail of discounts in the retail electricity market, either by contacting their supplier directly or by using the CRU accredited comparison websites, such as bonkers.ie or switcher.ie, to switch to discounted tariffs.
190. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if additional current and capital funding needed per the 2016 rail review report is accurate; his plans for future years in this regard (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52336/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraLast year the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Iarnród Éireann published the Rail Review Report 2016 on which the NTA held a public consultation. Over 300 submissions were received by the NTA in response to that consultation process which have now all been examined and the NTA submitted a report of those submissions to my Department.
Since the Rail Review was published, there have been significant developments in relation to the level of funding available for rail investment and services. Budget 2017 allocated over €50m in additional funding to Irish Rail in 2017 bringing the total funding for the year to over €300m. This significant increase in funding allows for increasing investment in maintenance and renewal of the network and the rolling stock, and also to provide more funding for safety projects. In Budget 2018 I secured an 8% increase in the overall Exchequer funding for PSO services across both the bus and rail networks. That means that a total of over €285 million will be allocated in 2018 to support the delivery of these socially necessary but financially unviable services. Budget 2018 also provided for an increase in the multi-annual capital investment for public transport with a four-year capital envelope of €2.7 billion over the period 2018-2021 including an investment of over €400 million next year. This represents a 30% increase over the original Capital Plan allocations for 2018-2021 and includes investment of over €1 billion in heavy rail maintenance and infrastructure.
When I have reviewed the NTA's report on the consultation process, and when the NTA has updated it to reflect the increased funding that has since been made available for both current subvention and, in particular, the Capital Plan 2018 to 2021, I intend to bring the NTA's document to Government for consideration and would expect that it would be published shortly thereafter by the NTA.
191. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the management of Bus Éireann's assessment that the company needs an additional €30 million in current funding to maintain its service levels is correct. [52337/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe company recently indicated publicly that, since its foundation 30 years ago, it has accumulated total losses of €30m and that about half of this level was in the last two years. This differs from the detail outlined in the question.
As the Deputy is aware the company and its staff are currently implementing the Labour Court Recommendation that they accepted earlier this year, which is aimed at helping to return the company to a sustainable footing. I believe implementation of that Recommendation can provide for a successful and sustainable future for Bus Éireann.
192. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the organisations in County Louth that applied for support under the recent capital sports grant programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52342/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraDetails of all applications submitted under the 2017 Sports Capital Programme are published on my Department's website at:
http://www.dttas.ie/sport/english/sports-capital-programme-applications-received.
193. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of funding for the N62 Kilbeggan to Tullamore link road; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52438/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme. The planning, design and operation of individual road projects is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.
Noting the above position, I have referred the Deputy’s question to TII for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you don’t receive a reply within 10 working days.
A referred reply was forwarded to the Deputy under Standing Order 42A.
194. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when his Department will provide funding for the inner relief road for Edenderry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52440/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads in Offaly is the statutory responsibility of Offaly County Council, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from the Council's own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.
As there are many competing demands, the appraisal and prioritisation of projects in line with the requirements of the public spending code and the Department's capital appraisal framework is central to assessing which road improvement projects can be advanced taking available funding into account. In this context it is a matter for each local authority to prioritise projects within its area of responsibility and decide which projects will be put forward for consideration by Department. No proposal has been received in relation to the Edenderry Inner Relief road.
195. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will authorise the use of moneys sanctioned for the development of the greenway from Galway to Clifden to purchase the necessary land along the route by agreement; if not, the reason this permission has not been given; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52463/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department awarded €2m to Galway County Council in 2014 to deliver a Greenway from Galway to Moycullen. The funding agreement signed by Galway County Council does not preclude the purchase of land along the route by Galway County Council nor is it a requirement for the Council to seek the permission of my Department in relation to any arrangements which it considers necessary for the delivery of the Greenway, once it complies with the terms and conditions of the funding.
The delivery of the Greenway is the responsibility of Galway County Council and it does not require my permission to purchase land along the route by agreement, if the Council considers it necessary and appropriate to do so.
