Communications Minister Eamon Ryan today announced plans for the transition from analogue to digital television in Ireland. The analogue terrestrial television service is nearing the end of its life and will be switched off by the end of 2012.

RTÉ will build a replacement digital service, which is expected to provide full national coverage and will also provide significant coverage throughout Northern Ireland.

The new TV service will be available on both a terrestrial network and a satellite network. RTÉ is planning on building a terrestrial network which will operate from 51 transmitter sites throughout the country providing coverage to 98% of the population. RTÉ currently operates 170 analogue sites. For the remaining 2%, RTÉ plans to develop a new satellite service. Such a public service satellite service is unique to Ireland. This provides all-Ireland coverage of RTE and TG4 for the first time.

RTÉ estimates that the new digital network will cost in the region of €70 million. Digital TV will provide access to 7-9 TV channels, including RTE, TV3 and TG4, the national radio channels, will provide on screen programme information and will provide a new digital teletext service.

Digital technology is much more efficient than analogue technology. Going digital will free up valuable spectrum in the broadcasting bands, which can be used for mobile, broadband and other services.

Announcing the move, Minister Ryan said, “I am pleased that we are now in a position to go ahead with the provision of a new nationwide digital television network. Digital television will offer viewers more channels, more choice and higher quality television.

"Going digital will also free up valuable spectrum, which can be used for broadband and mobile services. I have asked ComReg to expedite release of the 800 MHz band, which they will be consulting on shortly.

"Analogue switch-off will take place at the end of 2012 and we need to be prepared. My Department will be coordinating the preparations and I will be receiving regular updates on progress.

"I am glad we are in a position to move to the next generation of television transmission. I thank RTÉ for their work to date and look forward to the successful completion of this important modernisation project for Ireland.

"This is good news for television viewers, for the broadcasting industry and for those looking for faster and better broadband. This will bring a huge boost to Ireland’s economic and social development by providing jobs, new services and revenue to the country.
"Ireland is moving firmly into the digital age and we will all reap the benefits.”

Green Party Leader and Environment Minister John Gormley today announced an additional €20.5m from the Local Government Fund to assist city and county councils with running costs on their water and sewerage treatment plants. This follows on from an additional €1.5 million from the Fund that was notified to authorities last April to support training needs in the water services sector. The additional €22m is on top of the Local Government Fund general purposes grants of €870m, notified to authorities earlier this year.

"I am pleased to be able to make these allocations to financially support local authorities in running their water services infrastructure and in meeting their environmental obligations," the Minister said in announcing the allocations. The Minister added that this 'top-up' allocation, within the Local Government Fund, which has been provided successively in each year since 2003 was further evidence of the Government's commitment to the sector.

The Minister said that the €20.5m was additional to the capital spend of €508m available to his Department in 2010 to fund water services infrastructure. Average spending on water services infrastructure over the period 2009 and 2010 will be up 3% on the 2008 outturn. "Given the ongoing economic difficulties, this continuing high level of expenditure reflects the Government's ongoing commitment to preserving and protecting our water resources, to meeting EU standards for drinking water and wastewater treatment and to putting critical infrastructure in place that will ensure ongoing support for industrial, commercial and other development," Minister Gormley said.

€8.7m from the €20.5m package will directly contribute towards local authorities' operation and maintenance costs on recently completed water and wastewater treatment plants. The balance of €11.8m will be used to offset sampling costs to establish compliance with drinking water and wastewater effluent standards and the cost of licence applications to the Environmental Protection Agency for wastewater discharges. The Minister pointed out that allocations from the €11.8m fund had been weighted towards those authorities that were meeting the required standards.

Green Party Health and Children spokesperson, Senator Niall O Brolcháin has called for the release of all State documents relating to the birth defect drug Thalidomide.

Supporting calls by the Irish Thalidomide Association to release all associated documents from the 1960s onwards, Senator O Brolcháin said: “Full information must be given to the Irish Thalidomide Association. This includes all state documents relating to the catastrophe from the 1960s onwards.

“The Green Party is fully behind transparency of information and the survivors of thalidomide have a right to this information. I have asked Minister Mary Harney to support their request.”

Senator O Brolcháin said: “I welcome the fact that last week the Minister publically stated that she would like all documentation released to the victims of thalidomide. However, I am calling on the Minister to take every possible step to ensure that this now occurs.”

Le Gouvernement wallon a décidé, ce vendredi 16 juillet 2010, d'octroyer une avance remboursable de 13.354.000? à la Société wallonne du Logement (SWL) pour financer la création d'un programme de logements destinés à la vente, par des sociétés de logement de service public.

A l'heure où se tient à Bruxelles la Conférence européenne de synthèse « PAC post-2013 », 18 élus Ecolo rappellent, par leur signature de la Déclaration alimentaire européenne, leur inquiétude quant à l'avenir de l'alimentation et de l'agriculture en Europe.