Results 3,781-3,800 of 9,994 for speaker:John Gormley
- Water and Sewerage Schemes. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: Water services investments have been undertaken for a number of years on the basis of three year rolling capital programmes of schemes. The schemes included respond to environmental and social-economic developmental needs and priorities identified by local authorities having regard to overall criteria set at national level and overall national resources. The length of time it takes from...
- Water and Sewerage Schemes. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: I reject out of hand the allegation that my Department is deliberately slowing down schemes.
- Water and Sewerage Schemes. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: The Department is only involved in a maximum of four stage approvals for a scheme and it is committed to discharging its obligations on those stages within a given timetable. The Deputy referred to schemes costing â¬3 million to â¬4 million. With schemes that cost less than â¬5 million, which account for almost 60% of schemes, my Department's approval is only required for briefs for...
- Water and Sewerage Schemes. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: Those are the facts. Look at the record. In 2007, there were 77 major schemes. We are increasing the number and in January 2008 the figure was up to 124 schemes. There is a plan to have 175 major schemes in progress by the end of this year, compared with just 59 in January 2006. That represents considerable progress. One of my responsibilities as Minister is officially to open sewage...
- Water and Sewerage Schemes. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: Bundling is used to speed up the schemes.
- Water and Sewerage Schemes. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: I have been in contact with local authorities and often the bundling takes place at the request of the local authority, not the Department.
- Water and Sewerage Schemes. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: They want to slow them down.
- Water and Sewerage Schemes. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: So is the Deputy saying the local authority and my Department are to blame?
- Water and Sewerage Schemes. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: I am trying to engage with the Opposition.
- Water and Sewerage Schemes. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: Since the beginning of the National Development Plan 2000-2006, more than 400 major water and sewerage schemes have been completed under the Department's water services investment programme at a cost of â¬3.5 billion. The facts speak for themselves. I have visited many of these schemes, including a recent visit to a scheme in Galway where there was a cryptosporidium outbreak last year. As...
- Proposed Legislation. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: The programme for Government contains a commitment to establish an independent electoral commission which will take responsibility for a range of electoral matters including the functions currently exercised by the Standards in Public Office Commission relating to election spending. The electoral commission will also examine the issue of financing of the political system. In this regard, a...
- Proposed Legislation. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: The Labour Party is much closer to my colleagues in Fianna Fáil with regard to corporate donations than the Green Party because it sees no problem at all with corporate donations. If the Government was to impose a ban on corporate donations, Labour Party members would be up from their seats, saying they did not want it. The Labour Party accepts donations from builders or anyone else, but...
- Proposed Legislation. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: Likewise with my colleagues in Fine Gael. There was an initiative at one stage from the former party leader, Deputy Michael Noonan, to stop the practice of accepting corporate donationsââ
- Proposed Legislation. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: The fact is that in my reply I said, very clearly, that the Green Paper will examine the question of capping expenditure at election time. I am committed to doing that and believe it is possible to do it between now and the local elections next year. The implication of Deputy Lynch's question is that the Green Party is somehow turning its back on the Standards in Public Office Commission...
- Proposed Legislation. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: ââat that stage, we will see what the Labour Party has to say.
- Proposed Legislation. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: I have never come across an instance of it. That is the Green Party rule. I am speaking here as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government but I am happy to tell the Deputy that we have a rule in the Green Party that we do not accept corporate donations.
- Proposed Legislation. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: That is the rule, clear and simple. As I said, I know that Fine Gael had that rule. If the Deputy has information for meââ
- Proposed Legislation. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: Okay.
- Proposed Legislation. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: I am more than happy to be generous to the Labour Party. In fact, former Deputy Eithne Fitzgerald introduced some very good legislation in the area. Fair play to her and I recognise that.
- Proposed Legislation. (27 Feb 2008)
John Gormley: I think the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, as Minister, had something to do with that and I compliment him on it. Let us work together. I have always said that as Minister I am more than happy to listen to any suggestions coming from the Opposition benches and if they are positive ones, I will act on them.