Car Tourismo Banner
Home » Tag Archives: Alex White

Tag Archives: Alex White

Search for renewable energy site

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural resources Alex White has launched a consultation process to identify potentially suitable land areas for the large-scale generation of onshore renewable electricity, including wind. Theresa O’Donohoe, coordinator of Clare Environmental Network, said “It is important that people participate in this consultation, especially when we are home to Moneypoint power station.How do you want your electricity generated? Where do you want it generated? What size generators would you like? Wind? Water? Waves? Solar? Geothermal? Biogas? How will the grid support it? What needs to happen the grid?” “This is the opposite of what happened with the National Renewable Energy Action Plan that has half the country up in arms. Rightly so – the NREAP consultation was exclusive and failed to secure any meaningful public participation. Nobody asked when, how and where to put the turbines and pylons, if at all.” Ms O’Donohoe said “You can be sure every developer will have their say but their …

Read More »

High speed broadband in the classroom

The €30 million, three-year, high speed broadband connection roll out for all post primary schools in the country brings huge benefits, Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan and Communications Minister, Alex White have stressed. This equates to 780 school locations, including all post-primary schools, as well as special and hospital schools, 19 of which are in Clare. The 19 Clare schools now have 100 Mbps broadband connections, which will serve as a catalyst for the further integration of ICT and digital skills in the classroom. The broadband programme, which represents one of the most ambitious technology roll-outs to the Irish education sector in recent times, was delivered within budget and a highly challenging three year schedule, the ministers said in a joint statement at the lormal launch in Dublin. It was completed in collaboration with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Department of Education and Skills. The national roll-out followed a successful pilot phase of the programme in …

Read More »

Online maps to pinpoint broadband locations

Online national and county maps that identify the homes, businesses and schools where commercial providers will deliver high-speed broadband access by the end of 2016, have been published today (Monday). At the launch in Doolin, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Alex White said that the State would invest in all the remaining areas to ensure that every home, school and business in Ireland has access to high-speed broadband, regardless of where it is located. The maps, which allow the public to identify their own premises to see whether their high-speed broadband will be provided by a commercial operator or through State intervention, can be accessed at www.broadband.gov.ie. The website also carries county-by-county statistics on planned broadband coverage. Minister White said, “The delivery of high quality broadband is about ensuring that our citizens in rural Ireland have the same life chances, and the same access to information, culture, ideas, social interaction and opportunity that people in urban areas can enjoy.” …

Read More »

Mulcahy predicts ‘clarity on broadband’

Fine Gael Senator, Tony Mulcahy has said an announcement next week regarding the future roll-out of broadband in Clare will give clarity to rural communities still without access to an affordable high speed internet service. The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Alex White will be Doolin on Monday to launch the next phase of the National Broadband Plan. This will include the launch of a map that will show in detail the locations across Ireland that will have access to high-quality broadband by the end of 2016, and the remaining locations, which will require state intervention to provide access to high speed broadband. Senator Mulcahy said the absence of high speed broadband has been a “significant problem” for many rural areas of Clare, and is “hampering job creation”. Senator Mulcahy commented, “Since the announcement of the National Broadband Plan in 2012, the number of companies, such as Eircom, UPC and Sky, offering high speed internet access has increased significantly. …

Read More »

Government agrees to broadband debate

The Government has agreed to Fianna Fáil’s request for a full Dáil debate on the major broadband problem facing rural Ireland, an issue that is of serious concern in many areas of Clare. Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Communications in the Seanad Senator Mark Daly has welcomed this but called on the Government to stop paying lip-service to the roll-out of rural broadband. “I welcome the fact that the Minister for Communications, Alex White, has agreed to Fianna Fáil’s request for a full Dáil and Seanad debate on the major problems with broadband in rural Ireland. “The Government has repeatedly committed to delivering a quality broadband service to all areas of the country. This was reaffirmed before May’s local elections where the Government promised to deliver high quality broadband to all areas. “The Government then cynically scrapped the National Broadband Scheme; which provided basic broadband services to rural users through a subsidy to providers; after the local elections. It will directly …

Read More »

Public patients visit GP more often

SURGERIES will be overwhelmed by patients if the Government pursues its current objectives of introducing free GP visits for all citizens without any increase in resources for general practice. The warning has come from the GP Committee of the IMO in response to claims made by Minister for Primary Care, Alex White. Dr Ray Walley,  chairman of the GP Committee,  said that claims made on Monday by the Minister for Primary Care, Alex White TD, that there was “no evidence” that visit numbers would increase when free GP visits were introduced were “mistaken”.  “The Minister is wrong and his views are not supported by the research.  The Government has consistently used incorrect visitation rates as a starting point when the true figure, backed up by published research in the Irish Medical Journal, is 24 million consultations a year in general practice.  The research further demonstrates that demand for visits to GP services is likely to increase by four million visits a …

Read More »