Results 2,741-2,760 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 115 and 116 together. The WEEE scheme has now been operating for almost six months and the real benefits of this new system for consumers and the environment are becoming apparent. WEEE is now being collected from more than 180 collection points nationwide. Early indications are that significant quantities of this waste type are being returned for recycling....

Written Answers — Radon Gas: Radon Gas (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 151 together. As I have previously indicated, Government efforts and resources, together with those of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, RPII, are continuing to focus on highlighting public awareness of radon and on improving information to householders to enable and encourage them to address monitoring or remedial requirements...

Written Answers — Nuclear Plants: Nuclear Plants (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118, 135 and 184 together. Following Prime Minister Blair's recent announcement regarding a review of the United Kingdom's progress under the medium and long-term energy White Paper 2003 goals last November, a consultation document, entitled Our Energy Challenge: Securing Clean, Affordable Energy for the Long Term, was launched on 23 January by the UK...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: The Race Against Waste campaign funded by my Department is an extended national environmental awareness campaign to promote better waste management at home and in the workplace. The campaign, which was launched in November 2003, comprises a waste awareness media campaign and a communications strategy. The media campaign encourages people to prevent, reduce, re-use and recycle or compost their...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 120 and 194 together. The recent report referred to in the questions, comments on certain decisions by An Bord Pleanála to refuse permission for certain large apartment developments in Dublin and alleges that the board's decisions are contrary to Government policy on housing. An Bord Pleanála is an independent body, with statutory functions provided for...

Written Answers — Price Inflation: Price Inflation (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: The rate of inflation in the price of building and construction materials continues to decline. The year on year inflation rate to November 2005, the latest month for which figures are available, was 3.3% compared to a corresponding figure of 11.7% at November 2004. As the Minister responsible for overseeing the delivery of a major share of economic and social infrastructure projects under...

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 600 and 601 of 22 November 2005.

Written Answers — Nuclear Safety: Nuclear Safety (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 126, 145, 166 and 190 together. On 31 January, I had meetings with the EU Commissioner for Energy, with responsibility for nuclear energy and protection, Andris Piebalgs, and the Vice President and Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, Franco Frattini, to impress upon the European Commission the strength of Irish Government concerns about the...

Written Answers — Architectural Heritage: Architectural Heritage (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: In August 2005, the Government approved the establishment of an independent Irish heritage trust to acquire, for public access, major important heritage properties where the State does not wish to acquire them directly and where there is imminent risk to their heritage value through neglect or where an appropriate use cannot be brought forward through sale to a private sector investor. In...

Written Answers — Climate Change: Climate Change (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: Among the more significant impacts of climate change on Ireland will be a predicted rise in sea levels associated with thermal expansion as the oceans warm and the melting of ice caps and glaciers such as the Kangerdlugssuaq glacier in Greenland. A 2003 study, Climate Change Scenarios and Impacts for Ireland, conducted by NUI Maynooth under the Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental...

Written Answers — Tribunals of Inquiry: Tribunals of Inquiry (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: Total expenditure incurred by my Department in 2005 on the planning tribunal was €8.537 million.

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 131, 148, 187, 199, 210, 222 and 653 together. I refer to the replies to Question No. 215 on 9 February 2006 and to Priority Question No. 105 and Questions Nos. 107 and 112 on today's Order paper. Water quality in Ireland is generally good but has been deteriorating since the 1970s due to the increasing incidence of slight to moderate pollution. The third...

Written Answers — Nuclear Plants: Nuclear Plants (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I understand from the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, RPII, that preparation of the report by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, NII, into the incident at THORP in April 2005 is at an advanced stage. Although it is the intention of the NII to publish the report, there is a possibility of enforcement action, in the form of legal proceedings, arising from its investigation...

Written Answers — Waste Disposal: Waste Disposal (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: Primary responsibility for the environmentally sound management of WEEE rests with producers, in line with the producer responsibility obligations imposed by the directive. Producers are required under the legislation to finance the collection, treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of WEEE deposited by retailers and members of the public at collection facilities and to...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: The European Communities (Waste Water Treatment) (Prevention of Odours and Noise) Regulations 2005 require sanitary authorities to ensure that new and existing waste water treatment plants under their control are operated and maintained so as to ensure that they avoid causing nuisance though odours or noise. The regulations require each sanitary authority to maintain records of all...

Written Answers — Waste Disposal: Waste Disposal (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: Enforcement of environmental legislation is a matter for local authorities and the Office of Environmental Enforcement. I understand the office, through the enforcement network it has established, arranged a meeting of regional co-ordinators on 17 January 2006 to finalise the overall content of the work plans for enforcement activities for 2006, which include initiatives planned to deal with...

Written Answers — Nuclear Safety: Nuclear Safety (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 213 together. The Government initiated international legal proceedings against the United Kingdom under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS, with regard to the Sellafield Mox plant. This litigation was suspended pending resolution of jurisdictional issues in the dispute, which were raised by the European Commission and heard by...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 141 and 648 together. I have recently received a request from the Association of County and City Councils calling for the regulation of adult entertainment stores and related venues through the planning code. When next amending the planning exemption regulations, I will consider whether the regulation of this sector is necessary and, if so, whether this can be...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: The strategic planning guidelines for the greater Dublin area were published in 1999 and were succeeded by the Regional Planning Guidelines Greater Dublin Area 2004-2016. The latter were prepared at my direction and adopted jointly by the Dublin Regional Authority and the Mid-East Regional Authority. The guidelines are in the second year of their 12 year lifespan. My Department monitors...

Written Answers — Nuclear Safety: Nuclear Safety (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: Following notification from the United Kingdom in December 2003 that it intended to provide state aid to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, NDA, the European Commission opened a formal investigation in December 2004 to investigate whether the establishment of the NDA complied with EC treaty rules requiring that state aids should not distort or threaten to distort competition. State aid is...