Results 5,881-5,900 of 9,994 for speaker:John Gormley

Greenhouse Gas Emissions. (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: I am now being accused of being well prepared.

Proposed Legislation. (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: My Department is currently preparing proposals to strengthen the existing legislation on noise pollution, in line with the commitment in the programme for Government. A public consultation process has been completed, and account is being taken of submissions received from the public and key stakeholders. While there is already a wide range of measures in place to deal with noise from a...

Proposed Legislation. (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: I would hope to have this legislation published before the summer. We have embarked on a comprehensive consultation process. A total of 235 submissions were received which shows there is significant public interest in this issue. We are becoming an increasingly urbanised society. Stricter laws governing noise are in force in European countries and it is time we got our act together to...

Proposed Legislation. (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: Those are issues that should have been dealt with during the planning process. When major construction projects, such as the East Link bridge, were taking place in my constituency, part of the consultation process was that people received double glazing. This is an issue that should be dealt with during the planning process. The introduction of annual noise reporting mechanisms is...

Proposed Legislation. (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: I stayed in Senator Boyle's house on occasion and I got a good night's sleep. I am not quite sure of the import of the Deputy's question. Is he saying we should be taking measures now to deal with this?

Proposed Legislation. (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: I would be happy to deal with that as a separate question.

Proposed Legislation. (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: No. The Deputy should not exaggerate the issue. We are consulting with many of the alarm companies. It seems it is easier to fix that problem from outside a house. It may be the case that the Garda Síochána will require new powers but it is not our intention to have gardaí wrapped up in dealing with such problems because they have enough to be getting on with.

Planning Issues. (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 24 and 28 together. The fee for making submissions or observations to An Bord Pleanála for development under the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act 2006 is €50. The board is legally obliged to consider all submissions or observations before making a decision. Third parties also have the right to be notified of any new significant...

Planning Issues. (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: I indicated in my reply that the European Commission issued Ireland with a reasoned opinion to the effect that the €20 fee for the making of a submission on a planning application for a development which requires environmental impact assessment was contrary to the public participation provisions. The Commission was of the view that the directive makes no express provision for the payment...

Planning Issues. (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: I am relying on what the European Court of Justice said.

Planning Issues. (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: The court has made its judgment and whether one is in opposition or in government, the decision of the court must be accepted. I accept the decision of the court in its entirety.

Motor Taxation. (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 15 together. The changes I introduced last year to charge motor tax on new cars based on their CO2 emissions, together with the linked changes to vehicle registration tax introduced by the Minister for Finance, provided significant financial incentives to purchase new low emission cars. The two lowest CO2 bands for motor tax — bands A and B — are...

Motor Taxation. (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: The Leas-Cheann Comhairle will appreciate that question is not within my own brief. It is for the Minister for Finance.

Motor Taxation. (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: The SIMI has been lobbying for the introduction of a scrappage scheme for cars over ten years, and that involves a reduction in vehicle registration tax. These are matters for the Minister for Finance. While a scrappage scheme could reduce CO2 emissions it should be noted that Ireland now has a relatively modern vehicle fleet. There are already incentives in place, and people are availing...

Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: I refer to the reply to Question No. 1 on today's Order Paper. Under the Carbon Fund Act 2007, the National Treasury Management Agency has been designated as purchasing agent for the State. In 2008, the Agency purchased some 3.5m certified emission reduction units at a cost of €53m; these units were generated under the Clean Development Mechanism provided for in Article 12 of the Kyoto...

Written Answers — Natural Heritage Areas: Natural Heritage Areas (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 14, 43 and 213 together. Blanket Bogs and Raised bogs are important natural habitats and are home to unique ecosystems containing rare flora and fauna. Both are protected habitats under European and Irish Law and representative samples have been designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) under the Habitats Directive or Natural Heritage Areas (NHA) under...

Written Answers — Local Authority Staff: Local Authority Staff (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: I refer to the reply to Question No. 350 of 3 February 2008. Salaries of Directors of Service are set out in the City and County Managers (Remuneration)(No.2) Order 2008. The salary scale for a Director of Service, from September 2008 is €93,231 increasing by annual increments to €110,183. The Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector (Part 2 of Report No.38 of September...

Written Answers — Natural Heritage Areas: Natural Heritage Areas (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: Individual site management plans are not a legal requirement under the EU Habitats Directive and the EU Natural Habitats Regulations, 1997; however, individual site conservation plans are an important instrument of conservation and in total, 140 such plans have been prepared, 21 of these since 2007. There are plans therefore for one third of the 423 Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) in...

Written Answers — Energy Ratings: Energy Ratings (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 and 32 together. I refer to the reply to Question Nos. 1041, 1042, 1061 and 1111 of 27 January 2009. In order to encourage the development of a competitive cost environment, and in line with other EU Member States, no standard fee for Building Energy Rating (BER) assessments has been set. There are currently almost 1,700 BER assessors registered with...

Written Answers — Site Investigation: Site Investigation (5 Feb 2009)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 38 together. My Department is finalising a Memorandum for Government which will provide an update on the outcome of the extensive site investigation and the interim works carried out since 2003 at Haulbowline and will detail options for future use of the site which will determine the levels and extent of further works and remediation that may be...