Results 4,441-4,460 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Non-Principal Private Residence Charge (12 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended, broadened the revenue base of local authorities by introducing a charge on non-principal private residences. The charge is set at €200 and liability for it falls, in the main, on owners of rental, holiday and vacant properties. It is a matter for an owner, whether resident in Ireland or elsewhere, to determine if he or she has a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Mortgage Arrears Rate (12 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Programme for Government and the Memorandum of Understanding with the EU, the IMF and the ECB provide for the introduction of domestic water charges. It is not intended that domestic water charges will commence before 2014. The Government considers that charging based on usage is the fairest way to charge for water and it has decided that water meters should be installed in households...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: European Parliament Elections (12 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: There is a need to adjust the distribution of seats in the European Parliament to take account of the accession of Croatia this year. This is done on the initiative of the European Parliament which will vote this week on a recommendation, from its Constitutional Affairs Committee, on the composition of the European Parliament for the 2014 – 2019 term. The recommendation includes a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes Status (12 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Gweedore Sewerage Scheme is included in my Department’s Water Services Investment Programme 2010 - 2013 as a scheme to commence construction during the lifetime of the Programme. My Department is awaiting the submission by Donegal County Council of their Contract Documents for the scheme.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (12 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 provides that income from the Household Charge is to be paid in to the Local Government Fund. I have generally disbursed Household Charge revenues to local authorities, quarterly and in advance, within General-Purpose Grant payments. As of 8 March 2013, the Household Charge has raised in excess of €118.8 m for the provision of essential...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes Provision (12 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: Dublin City Council’s proposal for the Ringsend Waste Water Treatment Plant Upgrade is included in my Department’s Water Services Investment Programme, 2010 – 2013 as a scheme to start during the lifetime of the Programme. I understand that Dublin City Council’s application for approval of an EIS and planning consent for the proposed expansion of the Ringsend...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Security of the Elderly (12 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Seniors Alert Scheme provides grant assistance towards the purchase and installation of equipment to enable older persons, without sufficient means, to continue to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind. The Scheme provides for monitored personal alarms for persons over 65 years of age living on their own or with other qualifying persons. In the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Leader Programmes (12 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: In late 2011 the European Commission approved a change in the maximum co-funding rate from 55% to 85% for the Axes 3 and 4 elements (LEADER) of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2007-2013. Prior to this the Axes 3 and 4 RDP measures were co-funded at a rate of 55% by the EU, with the remaining 45% coming from national exchequer sources. The 2011 agreement reduced the national...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Leader Programmes (12 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta (MFG) was the Local Development Company contracted by my Department to deliver Axes 3 & 4 (LEADER) of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) in Gaeltacht Areas for the current 2007-2013 programming period. MFG went into liquidation on the 7 September 2011. The delivery of RDP funding to most of the Gaeltacht areas previously served by MFG is now being...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (12 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: The moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the public service was introduced in March 2009 in response to the financial crisis. My Department operates a delegated sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for implementation of the moratorium in relation to local authorities, and any exceptions to the moratorium in local authorities require sanction from my Department....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme Implementation (12 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: In December, 2012 the Government approved the imposition of a levy on the quarrying and insurance sectors as a mechanism to fund a pyrite remediation scheme. Primary legislation is required to underpin the imposition of the levy and my Department is currently advancing the drafting of the General Scheme of a Bill to provide for this. It is my intention that the Bill will be published and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Electronic Voting Machines (12 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 435 and 436 together. A total sum of €69,403.25 was received by the State, in 2012, in respect of the completion of the contract for the recovery as waste of the electronic voting equipment. Expenditure on the electronic voting project, including equipment purchase, storage and other costs, totalled €54.986 million. There are no ongoing...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Septic Tank Remediation Grants (12 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: I refer to the reply to Question No. 440 of 26 February 2013 which sets out the position in relation to the grant scheme for septic tanks. The priorities in my Department’s Water Services Investment Programme include the provision of works required to comply with Water Framework Directive requirements, to improve sewage treatment and collection infrastructure in accordance with the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: EU Directives (12 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: My Department is up to date on the transposition of all relevant EU Directives, apart from transposition of the complex and multi-faceted Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU, which was partially transposed into Irish law by the transposition deadline of 7 January 2013. Three Chapters of the Directive remain to be transposed, but work is nearing finalisation, in consultation with the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes Provision (12 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 442 and 443 together. Responsibility for the administration of the Rural Water Programme, which includes group water schemes, group sewerage schemes and small public water and sewerage schemes, has been devolved to local authorities since 1997. The selection and approval of individual scheme proposals for advancement and funding under the programme,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Air Pollution (12 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: With regard to detection of air pollution, ambient air quality monitoring and assessment in Ireland is carried out in accordance with the requirements of Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe, also known as the CAFE Directive.  The CAFE Directive which consolidated and replaced the earlier Air Quality Framework Directive and the first three so-called...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Fire Service Issues (7 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: The recently published Keeping Communities Safe (KCS) sets the future direction of fire services in a way that aligns fire services and fire safety in Ireland with international good practice. KCS was developed by the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management in my Department following a review of relevant international literature which is referenced in Appendix D of the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Septic Tank Registration Scheme (7 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 155, 158 to 161, inclusive, 164 and 171 together. In relation to the grant scheme for septic tanks, I refer to the reply to Question No. 440 of 26 February 2013 which sets out the position in this matter. Section 70B(5) of the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012 provides that a certificate of registration for a domestic waste water treatment system will be...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Meters (7 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: I refer to the reply to Question No. 219 of 27 February 2013, which sets out the position in relation to the procurement process for the water metering programme. I have previously indicated that there will be a proportion of households which will not be metered in the initial metering programme due to either the high cost or the technical difficulty of doing so. For those properties that...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Correspondence (7 Mar 2013)

Phil Hogan: Under the terms of my Department’s Customer Charter there is a commitment to respond to letter and email correspondence within fifteen working days.  My Department endeavours to meet this deadline having regard to other competing demands on resources. In the event, I understand that the matter raised in this instance is the responsibility of the Department of Transport, Tourism...