Results 5,381-5,400 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Report of Pyrite Panel: Discussion with Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: I have brought those organisations up to date on one side of the equation where I can get access to some funds, but I want them to participate in the process as well. Let us see what happens.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Report of Pyrite Panel: Discussion with Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: I was ready to go to Government at the appropriate time, which I indicated was ten days after the end of September. I got a call to indicate that there were possibilities of further engagement that would be worth exploring. I have put all the pressure I can on the stakeholders to ensure that will be the case. As of today, I am satisfied that one side of the equation - namely, the financial...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Report of Pyrite Panel: Discussion with Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: I have to get approval from the Department of Finance and my Government colleagues. I can assure the Deputy, however, that I will not be wasting any time in putting a mandatory levy in place and will do so as quickly as I can.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Report of Pyrite Panel: Discussion with Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: Up to last week, I had expected I would be obliged to proceed immediately with the imposition of a solution - in other words, to bring forward the necessary legislation to introduce the levy on a mandatory basis. While I may still be so obliged, there has been substantial engagement by all stakeholders in recent days. We received a highly positive response and indication from the financial...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: If we had not had the household charge this year, there would be €160 million less in the local government fund because we would not have been able to proceed with the Exchequer contribution. If this is added to the saving of €51 million we must make next year, it results in a total of €211 million. Deputy Catherine Murphy should tell me where we would get the money for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: I did not interrupt Deputy Flanagan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: Local authorities have saved some €800 million in various ways over recent years. There has been a reduction of €300 million in the local government fund over the three-year period. We are targeting through a voluntary redundancy scheme. It will not be a broad-brush redundancy programme for the public service. There will be a targeted process and this will include local...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: Workforce planning is the mechanism we are using to model and determine where additional staff are needed and where pressure points are located.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Report of Pyrite Panel: Discussion with Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: I welcome the opportunity to discuss the report with the committee and to provide an update to it on the progress being made on the implementation of the report's recommendations. Many homeowners affected by pyrite have been waiting for a considerable period and without success to date for a resolution. The purchase of a home is likely to be the largest investment most people make in their...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: The Deputy mentioned that there might be cuts in local government in 2013. I hope there will not be any cuts but I am working as closely as I can with the Department of Finance in the context of the budget to ensure that we can minimise the reductions in expenditure because local government has taken a reduction in expenditure in 2012 and in 2011 to the tune of 16%. That is a substantial...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: We hope so. I hope that in terms of local authorities, which have had a very tight budgetary position this year, we will be able to persuade the Department of Finance that is the case.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: We are dealing with Christmas present.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: On the Deputy's last question, the local government fund is made up of revenue from motor tax and property tax. I am not in a position to say how that gap will be filled until we have completed negotiations with the Department of Finance in the context of the budget and on the amount of the property tax that will be given to the local fund to be divvied out to the local authorities.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: It will be a challenging experience to provide the necessary resources for local authorities but we are working it out with the Department of Finance for cashflow purposes. Motor tax still comes under the remit of the Department, but perhaps not for long.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: The Deputy can if he wishes, but that is the truth in terms of where we are getting the money. It will be a problem. With regard to the environment fund and landfill levies, I have set out over a three-year period what the landfill levies will be, but the Deputy can take it that the environment fund is decreasing in terms of the amount of money we have available for purposes for which we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: I agree with the Deputy that I have inherited many legacies.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: We have a surplus through which we are working down, and it has gone down to €2.7 million. I am not clear on the €6.8 million the Deputy mentioned earlier.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: I do not have an immediate answer for the Deputy on that but I will come back to him before the end of the meeting. I will ask my officials to check that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: I consider Irish Water to be a great opportunity for staff at local level because the idea is to bring more investment into the capital programmes for water and waste water services. We are working closely with Mr. Kevin Foley, who is facilitating transitional arrangements over a six-year period, and while many things can change in six years, I want to keep the knowledge and expertise we...