Results 4,961-4,980 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: There was confusion earlier in that a group of amendments is being taken together. Amendments Nos. 7a, 15 to 17, inclusive, 17a, 18, 18a and 19 to 23, inclusive, are being taken together. The group of amendments relates to section 4. The substance of the amendments was discussed on Committee Stage. Section 4(1) is necessary so the registration authority can get the information required for...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: I made it clear if the Deputy followed the point I made. During the Committee Stage discussions, Deputy Gilmore raised a concern and wanted to delete the word "shall" which he said was inflexible and substitute the words "may be required to". The general tenor of the discussion on Committee Stage was that it would be wise to try to introduce a more flexible arrangement. To answer Deputy...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: I move amendment No. 18: In page 5, to delete lines 7 to 13 and substitute the following: "(2) If a registration authority makes a requirement pursuant to subsection (1), it may specify in the requirement or in a subsequent notice given by it in relation to the requirement the period of time within which the requirement shall be complied with and, if the applicant does not comply within the...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: Amendment No. 27 is very interesting. Amendments Nos. 27 to 30, inclusive, effectively cover the same issue and deal with the matter of automatic registration. They raise very significant difficulties. What is proposed is a system of automatic registration when a person reaches 18 years. There is a problem with the amendment, notwithstanding the fact that automatic registration might be a...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: I am grateful to the Deputy for his remarks. The Deputy asked about the use of the PPS numbers. I have made the point several times that PPS numbers are primarily for use by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and were established for a particular purpose. We have approximately 5 million PPS numbers in the country and approximately 3.1 million voters. To convert PPS numbers to a...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: The Deputy was not present when I dealt with this specific point. The idea is that we would have a recognised official in the prison at senior level who will take responsibility for this issue and that, for example, the prison education service would have a specific role to play, a point made earlier by Deputy O'Dowd. Deputy Boyle is correct that a disturbingly high proportion of the prison...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: Practical difficulties arise. We clearly could not have a separate register for each different election. There is no need to know a voter's address for a referendum, for example, but as the electoral register is difficult enough to construct once, to construct four or five different electoral registers would be extremely difficult. The idea of automatic registration or, for example, a...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: The Deputy heard me correctly. I have said it several dozen times. I have even said it in the Deputy's presence.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: I move amendment No. 28a: In page 11, between lines 17 and 18, to insert the following: "11.—(1) The Table to Rule 1 (4) of the Second Schedule to the Act of 1992 is amended as respects, and only as respects, the preparation of the register of electors which comes into force immediately following the register in force at the date of coming into operation of this Act, by substituting— (a)...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: In accordance with the most recent progress Report from the Decentralisation Implementation Group, the indicative timescale for completion of the Department's Office in Waterford is Quarter 3, 2010. At this stage a total of 31 staff have confirmed their availability to decentralise with this Department to Waterford, with 15 of these currently assigned and working in the Department; the...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Question No. 574 of 21 November 2006.

Written Answers — Public Service Charges: Public Service Charges (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 555, 558, 559 and 565 together. Local authorities are required to recover the cost of providing water services from all users of these services, with the exception of householders. Waiver provisions in relation to local government services are intended only to address cases of personal hardship and would therefore not accommodate schools or other non-profit...

Written Answers — Animal Welfare: Animal Welfare (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: The principal statutes governing welfare and prevention of cruelty to domestic animals, including dogs and cats, are the Protection of Animals Acts 1911 and 1965. As responsibility for that legislation is a matter for the Department of Agriculture and Food, it would not be appropriate for my Department to take on the lead role in relation to the Convention referred to in the Question.

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Question No. 438 of 22 November 2006. Detailed information in relation to the proposed upgrading works to the treatment plant and the timescale for carrying out these works may be obtained from Mayo County Council.

Written Answers — Local Authority Lands: Local Authority Lands (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 560 and 561 together. Under the provisions of section 211 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, a decision to dispose of local authority land, including the granting of a lease, is a matter for the relevant local authority and my Department has no power under that Act to direct an authority to exercise such power in individual cases.

Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: As required under the Disability Act 2005, my Department's sectoral plan was approved by the Houses of the Oireachtas in October 2006. The plan, covering my Department, its partner bodies and local authorities, sets out national objectives and guidelines for access to public buildings, services, amenities, and information, as well as to heritage sites and other facilities. The plan provides...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: A grant of up to €2,031.58 or 75% of the approved cost, whichever is the lesser, is available from county councils under the Rural Water Programme for the provision or necessary improvement of a domestic water supply to an existing dwelling but only where a supply cannot be obtained from either a public or group water scheme. Responsibility for determining the eligibility of an individual...

Written Answers — National Parks: National Parks (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: The Glendalough monastic site is under the responsibility of the Office of Public Works but is set in Wicklow Mountains National Park, which is managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department. NPWS provides a number of facilities in Glendalough, including a Visitor Information Point near the Upper Lake and picnic facilities. Glendalough also enjoys the services of...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: The improvement and maintenance of non-national roads is a matter for local authorities to be funded from their own resources supplemented by State grants provided by my Department. While there are no specific grants available from my Department for the construction of cattle underpasses on the non-national road network, local authorities may use discretionary improvement grants provided by...

Written Answers — Forestry Licences: Forestry Licences (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: My Department understands that, in connection with this development, an application for a felling licence may be made to the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture and Food. In the event of such an application, my Department would be consulted in relation to wildlife and conservation implications and would submit any views to the Forest Service as necessary.