Results 5,261-5,280 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: A number of Members have advocated that I should do nothing on this. As an Oireachtas Member, I cannot advocate the breaking of European law. This goes back to October 2009 when the then Minister had an opportunity to do something about a European Court of Justice judgment but did nothing.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: Does the Senator want to see the file?

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: I got the results.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: A number of matters have been raised in the course of the debate which I will address now. First, the Department has examined in detail the regulatory systems that are in place in other jurisdictions. There is no single consistent approach to regulating the use of on-site treatment systems although monitoring and inspection are common features in many of the countries reviewed....

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: Northern Ireland and Scotland have been mentioned as having regulatory systems which could be replicated here, and people have suggested that there is no charge. In Northern Ireland, regardless of when a septic tank was constructed or installed, discharge consent under the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 is required and with effect from 1 April 2011, the application fee increased from...

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: I have waited a long time to say these few words and I listened to Senator Ó Domhnaill.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: What I am saying does not suit Senator Ó Domhnaill.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: In Scotland, from 1 April 2006, registration of septic tanks with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency is required, and registration fees are as follows: £77 for on-line application; and £104 for application using a hard copy application form. The notion that there are no fees in other jurisdictions mentioned here today is not correct. On registration fees here, a number of...

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: On planning, the scope of the Bill must deal with the fact that the European Court of Justice is in the process of fining us €26,000 a day-----

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: -----arising from the inaction of my predecessors, the Government of Senator Walsh's party.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: On inspection and the condition of planning that apply, I am introducing a system of planning exemption for the work to be carried out in this regard. I am glad of the opportunity to allay fears about this matter.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: I do not know of any situation where grants have been included in legislation. Perhaps Senator Byrne would point me in that direction. We will consider a grant scheme once the inspection period in 2013 is over and where we see the extent of the work that has to be done in remediation for the one-in-five households that will be inspected on the basis of this risk-based approach. On any of the...

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: If Senator Ó Domhnaill supplies me with all of those cases that will cost €17,000, I will have them investigated immediately because if they require that amount of work to be done, they are damaging groundwater under the Water Services Act 2007 brought in by the Government of his party.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: The existing systems must be proven to work. That is all that is expected under this scheme.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: On fines,-----

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: -----and the so-called criminalisation,-----

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: -----under the 2007 Water Services Act there is already an offence of causing pollution with a fine of €15 million and up to five years in prison.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: The penalty I am proposing is €5,000. It is much different. In addition, it has been mentioned that there is no support being given for rural areas. Under the rural water programme, a substantial amount of taxpayers' money has been put into upgrading group water schemes and schemes in rural areas. In fact, my predecessors in Government have invested €500 million and I want to...

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: No. The Minister for Finance must agree this. I would like to provide a grant scheme for many matters, but we are in an EU-IMF programme.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: Mr. Ajay Chopra has everything to do with many matters.