Results 4,781-4,800 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Written Answers — Local Authoring Staff: Local Authoring Staff (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: The Local Government Efficiency Review Group recommended, inter alia, that the number of county and city managers be reduced from 34 to 24 and that the number of Directors be reduced from 240 to 190. Under the terms of the moratorium on public sector employment all recruitment in local authorities requires sanction from my Department. I have established an independent Implementation Group,...

Written Answers — Unfinished Housing Developments: Unfinished Housing Developments (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: We have established and Minister Penrose is chairing the National Co-ordination Committee on Unfinished Housing Developments to oversee implementation of the Report of the Advisory Group on Unfinished Housing Developments, Resolving Ireland's Unfinished Housing Developments, together with the Government's response to the recommendations, Resolving Unfinished Housing Developments. Both...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17, 46 and 47 together. The new framework for housing policy, launched earlier in June 2011, responds to current and emerging conditions in the housing sector, taking account of the dramatic cycle of rapid growth and sudden collapse in the residential property market. The centrepiece of the approach is to chart a way forward for housing policy in Ireland by...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: The overall strategy of investment in water services is to ensure that the timing and scale of investment facilitates economic and other development, achieves compliance with statutory requirements and promotes environmental sustainability objectives. The main vehicle for achieving these objectives for public domestic water supplies is the multi-annual Water Services Investment Programme....

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: The Programme for Government provides for the establishment of a new State-owned national water authority to take over responsibility for managing and supervising investment in water services infrastructure and to manage the domestic water metering programme. The Memorandum of Understanding between Ireland and the EU/IMF commits Ireland to undertaking an independent assessment of the...

Written Answers — Water Quality: Water Quality (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: Under the European Communities (Drinking Water) (No 2) Regulations 2007, drinking water must comply with a number of microbiological and chemical parameters. The Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for the supervision of drinking water supplies in Ireland. In February 2011 the EPA published The Provision and Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland - a Report for the Years 2008-2009....

Written Answers — Local Government Reform: Local Government Reform (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 25, 32 and 40 together. The Programme for Government, sets out a number of key objectives in relation to local government including reorganisation of structures to allow for greater decision making at local level; alignment of community and enterprise functions with the local government system; implementation of the shared services agenda in order to deliver...

Written Answers — Enterprise Support Services: Enterprise Support Services (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 30 together. Local authorities play a central role in supporting economic development and enterprise at local level. They do this in a number of ways including through their capital and current budgets, economic planning and development and the provision of goods and services as well as community infrastructure. Business Support Units (or similar...

Written Answers — Building Regulations: Building Regulations (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 29 and 101 together. In response to the difficult and distressing problems faced by homeowners and tenants affected by pyrite I am setting up a panel to prepare a report, which I would intend to place in the public domain, on the way forward in relation to pyrite contamination in private housing stock. My Department will provide technical and administrative...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31 and 35 together. I am concerned at the high level of off-the-road declarations being made and I am aware that current procedures governing the making of such declarations may be open to potential abuse. The General Scheme of a Motor Tax Bill, which will include provisions in relation to off-the-road declarations, is at an advanced stage of preparation in...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 37 and 51 together. The Programme for Government 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. The development of new noise legislation by my Department will be considered in the context of this commitment: however, it is...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: On 8 June 2011, I published the General Scheme of the Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011. Provision is made for the restriction of corporate donations, a reduction in the amounts that can be received as political donations and a reduction in the thresholds for declaring political donations. Political parties will also now be required to submit their annual accounts to the...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 100 and 102 together. The Programme for Government includes a commitment to introduce competitive tendering for household waste collection, under which service providers will bid to provide waste collection services in a given area, for a given period of time and to a guaranteed level of service. This system is known as franchise bidding. The franchise bidding...

Written Answers — Severe Weather Events: Severe Weather Events (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: My Department acted as Lead Government Department in co-ordinating the response of 27 Government Departments and Agencies to the Severe Weather Events of 2009 and 2010. In keeping with recognised international good practice, my Department has completed a review of the response to draw conclusions as to what worked well and, importantly, make recommendations from the lessons learned in order...

Written Answers — Local Authority Staff: Local Authority Staff (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: Early retirement is obviously a matter for each individual employee and employer to decide. It is not possible to give definitive or estimated figures at this time having regard to the period to early 2012. Reductions in staff are being managed by local authorities having regard to a range of factors including the exit dates of the staff concerned, the need to reduce public service numbers...

Written Answers — Water Services: Water Services (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: The Greater Dublin Water Supply Area consists of Dublin City, Fingal, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin, significant areas in East and West Wicklow (including Bray), mid and north Kildare and south-eastern areas of Meath. The major source for the Dublin region water supply is the Liffey (Ballymore Eustace and Leixlip), with other sources being the Vartry (Roundwood) and Dodder...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: The Waste Water Discharge (Authorisation) Regulations 2007-2010 provide for the operation of an authorisation regime by the EPA for local authority wastewater discharges. The Regulations require discharges from agglomerations with population equivalents greater than 500 to be licensed and set out procedures for applying for a licence, the review of a licence and the making of submissions. ...

Seanad: Planning Issues (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. I am aware of the background to the High Court case regarding property in County Meath to which he alluded. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government recently received the report into the matter which was made on behalf of Meath County Council by Mr. Gerry Kearney, a former Secretary General of the Department of...

Seanad: Planning Issues (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: I did not receive a report. I was not at the meeting. I am seeking-----

Seanad: Planning Issues (15 Sep 2011)

Phil Hogan: The Senator might be closer to what might be happening in Meath County Council than I am, but as Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government I am asking for a report of the meeting to see what was said and what conclusions were reached by the elected members on foot of that report. Full responsibility for the implementation of policy in local government rests with the county...