Results 5,181-5,200 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: In Ireland, the thirty four county and city councils are the designated statutory competent authorities in respect of the export of waste from the State under Council Regulation (EEC) No. 259/93, the Waste Shipment Regulation. My Department does not compile data in regard to their specific enforcement activities, but is aware that verification of waste destinations is carried out by...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: I am satisfied that the co-operation between An Bord Pleanála and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in relation to environmental impact assessments (EIA) is effective and, furthermore, is fully in accord with the provisions of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive (337/85/ EEC). The interface between An Bord Pleanála and the EPA has been developed and refined over the...

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: Adaptation to the inevitable impact of current and historic emissions of greenhouse gases is an integral part of national climate change policy, as reflected in the document "Ireland's Pathway to Kyoto Compliance" which I issued earlier this year, copies are available in the Oireachtas library. There is no evidence to link recent flooding or any future flooding in the short-term directly to...

Written Answers — National Spatial Strategy: National Spatial Strategy (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 85 and 99 together. At national level substantial progress is being made in implementing the National Spatial Strategy (NSS), which is having an increasing influence on policies and programmes across a range of Government Departments and agencies. At regional level, a key policy bridge between national development priorities and local planning has been put in...

Written Answers — Motor Taxation: Motor Taxation (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: On Budget day (6 December) I announced new proposals which will provide an incentive through the motor tax system for the motoring public to drive cleaner cars. The new proposal will use CO2 emission ratings, in addition to the normal engine c.c. value, in the calculation of motor tax and will rebalance tax payments in favour of cars with lower CO2 emission levels, at the expense of cars with...

Written Answers — Recycling Policy: Recycling Policy (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89 and 125 together. There has been a radical transformation in recycling rates in Ireland in the last ten years. Recycling is a significant element of the Government's overall integrated policy framework on waste management — which is based on the internationally recognised waste hierarchy — prioritising waste prevention, minimisation, reuse, recycling,...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: Following a European Court of Justice judgment in April 2005 which found that Ireland had not properly transposed the 1975 Waste Framework Directive, the European Commission indicated its wish to see progress in relation to landfill sites which had not been subject to the regulatory approach provided for in the Directive in the period to the enactment of the Waste Management Act in 1996. In...

Written Answers — Nuclear Safety: Nuclear Safety (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Question No. 45 of 8 November 2006. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — Climate Change Strategy: Climate Change Strategy (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: Ireland's Pathway to Kyoto Compliance, published in July 2006 for the purpose of public consultation in the context of the ongoing review of the National Climate Change Strategy, sets out work currently under way to assess the impacts of climate change in Ireland. The report proposes the development of a national policy on adaptation to climate change to provide policy-makers with a framework...

Written Answers — Recycling Policy: Recycling Policy (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Question Nos. 21 and 78 of 8 November 2006.

Written Answers — National Water Study: National Water Study (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: My Department's National Water Study audited 91 water supply schemes outside the Greater Dublin Area serving more than 5,000 consumers and operated by some 38 local authorities. The study reported on all aspects of water supply, including availability of raw water, treatment capacity, water distribution systems and associated management issues. The study report published in 2000 found, inter...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 103 and 107 together. Ireland is experiencing huge levels of population growth across all counties, with the national population rising by over 8% in the last four years alone. This unparalleled growth, together with unprecedented economic expansion have placed large demands on housing and associated infrastructures. This represents a new challenge for the...

Written Answers — Special Areas of Conservation: Special Areas of Conservation (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Question No. 48 on today's Order Paper.

Written Answers — Air Quality: Air Quality (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: EU Directive 1999/30/EC set limit values for particulate matter (PM10), currently in force from 1 January 2005. These are the first mandatory national air quality standards for particulate matter PM10 and are transposed into Irish law by the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2002. The air quality standards in force for particulate matter (PM10) including annual limits, have never been breached.

Written Answers — Nuclear Safety: Nuclear Safety (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 22, 84 and 126 of 8 November 2006. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: The Environmental Protection Agency has a wide range of statutory duties and powers under the Environmental Protection Agency Act. The protection of human health is a primary consideration of the Agency. In granting Integrated Pollution Protection and Control (IPPC) and Waste licenses, the Agency sets stringent emission limit values for pollutants and potential pollutants, to meet the...

Written Answers — Building Regulations: Building Regulations (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: I intend to make the European Communities (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations shortly. The Regulations will become operative on a phased basis, over a 3 year period from 1 January 2007 to 1 January 2009. The Regulations will specify the exempted building categories, which will be broadly as outlined on page 14 of the Action Plan for the Implementation of the EU Energy Performance of...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 153 together. 224 wastewater schemes have been completed since 1997 under my Department's Water Services Investment Programme at an Exchequer cost of €2.3bn. These schemes have provided additional wastewater treatment capacity equivalent to the needs of a population of 3.3 million, including a population equivalent of some 64,000 in County Mayo....

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: Under the Waste Management Acts, responsibility for the determination and implementation of waste management plans rests with the local authority (or local authorities) concerned and my Department has no direct involvement. Thermal treatment with energy recovery in accordance with the internationally accepted waste management hierarchy is a key element of Irish waste management policy and...

Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (12 Dec 2006)

Dick Roche: It is not proposed at present to make it mandatory for local authorities to set targets in local area plans for reductions in CO2 emissions.