Results 4,301-4,320 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Written Answers — Election Management System: Election Management System (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: On 8 June 2011, I published the General Scheme of the Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011. In line with the Government's commitment significantly to reform political funding in Ireland, this Bill will implement commitments in the Programme for Government and recommendations made in the Moriarty Tribunal Report Into Payments to Politicians and Related Matters. The Bill...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: The Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes was published in July 2009 and, since then, my Department's expenditure provisions, as set out in the Revised Estimates for Public Services 2010 and 2011 published by the Minister for Finance, have been guided by the Report. My Department, local authorities and related agencies are working to maximise...

Written Answers — Water Services: Water Services (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: Water conservation is a key element of my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2012, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library. A primary objective of the Programme is to reduce water loss in the distribution networks to an economic level and to address unacceptably high levels of unaccounted for water. Some €168m was spent between 2003 and 2010 on water...

Written Answers — Local Government Elections: Local Government Elections (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: The procedures currently governing boundary alterations are set out in Part V of the Local Government Act 1991 and in the Local Government (Boundary Alteration) Regulations 1996. Under these provisions, it is open to a local authority to initiate a proposal for the alteration of its boundaries. This involves preparation of a formal boundary alteration proposal by the authority concerned...

Written Answers — Noise Pollution: Noise Pollution (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: My Department is re-considering the approach to introducing noise legislation in light of the Programme for Government, which includes a commitment to address noise pollution through the introduction of fixed payment notices (also known as on the spot fines) and provision for mediation between neighbours. As this process will influence the content and timing of new legislative proposals in...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: I assume the Question refers to the recent visits to Ireland by Queen Elizabeth II and US President Barack Obama. No dedicated funding was provided by my Department in connection with these visits. In announcing funding for a new Civic Responsibility Week in April 2011, I emphasised, against the background of the Royal/Presidential visits which were to take place in the weeks which followed,...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: I do not intend to comment on remarks attributed to executives of Covanta. My focus is on the development of waste policy. Following a period of uncertainty in this area under the previous Government, this administration's Programme for Government commits to the development of a coherent national waste policy which will aim to minimise waste disposal in landfill and maximise recovery. I am...

Written Answers — Waste Disposal: Waste Disposal (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: Information on the total amount spent to date - which would include expenditure from other competent authorities such as the EPA or the local authorities and is therefore not funded directly by my Department - is not available. However, my Department has provided funding of some €93.5 million to date for a variety of legacy activities associated with the remediation of illegal sites, the...

Written Answers — Water Charges: Water Charges (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: The Water Framework Directive requires Member States to regulate the abstraction of surface and ground waters where this abstraction would have a significant impact on water status. However, households with private wells for domestic consumption are considered to be insignificant in terms of the volumes of water they typically abstract. In order to address a commitment in the Programme for...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: My Department is responsible for a range of programmes to support communities, including the Local and Community Development Programme which tackles poverty and social exclusion in disadvantaged communities; the RAPID Programme (Revitalising Areas through Planning Investment and Development) which tackles the spatial concentration of poverty and social exclusion in designated areas; and the...

Written Answers — Fire Service: Fire Service (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs, the provision of a premises and the making of such other provisions as it considers necessary or desirable, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the provisions of the Fire Services Act 1981. My Department supports...

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: A comprehensive set of regulatory and other arrangements are in place, operating through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), local authorities, relevant Government Departments and other bodies, to support the highest standards of environmental protection in Ireland. Future developments in relation to environmental protection matters will be influenced by a range of factors, including...

Written Answers — Water Services: Water Services (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: The information requested is being compiled on an annual basis and will be forwarded to the Deputy when available. In the period, 2000 to 2010 (inclusive), over €5 billion has been invested in the water services sector; this led, inter alia, to an increase in drinking water storage capacity by a level equivalent to the needs of a population of 1,630,000. Details of future investment in...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: Water services authorities, including Kildare County Council, were asked in July 2009 to submit an assessment of needs for water and sewerage services to my Department. In preparing their assessments, water services authorities were required to take into consideration key environmental and economic criteria in prioritising contracts and schemes to be progressed in their areas. The...

Written Answers — Local Government Charges: Local Government Charges (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Act 2001. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority. Under the provisions of the Local Government (Rates)...

Written Answers — Water Charges: Water Charges (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: The Programme for Government provides for the introduction of a fair funding model to deliver clean and reliable water. The objective is to install water meters in all households on public water supplies and move to a charging system whereby households will be charged based on usage above a free allowance. My Department is currently preparing a strategy to implement these proposals and it...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: Kildare County Council was allocated €15,000 under the Civic Responsibility Week Grant Scheme. The purpose of this once-off grant scheme was to support Civic Responsibility Week which ran from Monday 9 May to Sunday 15 May 2011 and was designed to precede the State visits of Queen Elizabeth II and President Barack Obama. A total of €350,000 from the Environment Fund was allocated to local...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: The Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2012, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library, provides for the development of a comprehensive range of new water services infrastructure in County Kildare. Two contracts for the Kildare Sewerage Scheme are included in the Programme amongst the list of contracts in the county to start in the period 2010 – 2012. The Wastewater...

Written Answers — Local Government Charges: Local Government Charges (16 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Act 2001. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority. Commercial rates are legally payable in two...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (21 Jun 2011)

Phil Hogan: Ireland, as a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, makes annual contributions towards the core budgets of both the Convention and the Protocol. In addition, Ireland makes an annual contribution to the cost of the International Transaction Log, which verifies transactions by National Registries in order to ensure consistency with the rules...