Results 6,041-6,060 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: There is no great problem where consent exists. In Wexford, for example, the municipal boundaries were extended into the county council area by common agreement. There is no such common agreement between Limerick city and county councils. In the latter case, and in that involving Waterford, I suggest that a much more common sense approach, rather than a hegemonic attitude, be adopted by...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I thank the Members who contributed to the debate, particularly Deputies O'Dowd and Gilmore who put a huge amount of effort into their contributions. I agree with Deputy Gilmore that there are quite a number of matters that need adjusting, particularly in the areas of local government and European elections. These matters will be dealt with in separate and appropriate legislation. The point...

Health Services. (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. As the House will be aware, the Health Act 2004 provided for the establishment of the Health Service Executive, HSE, which duly came into being on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the HSE has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or to arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and...

Water Pollution. (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I thank the two Deputies who raised this matter. Deputy McCormack asked a specific question and I will cut to the details of that because he is entitled to specifics. The presence of cryptosporidium was confirmed on 20 March, as Deputy McCormack knows. It was found to be involved at the old Terryland plant, which is part of the Galway city water supply. That was confirmed by further...

Water Pollution. (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: The funding is in place now. As I stated, the council in Deputy McCormack's area has had €21.5 million available to it to do this work. I realise he is not a member of the council, but local inquiries should be made as to why that was not spent.

Water Pollution. (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I am sure Deputy McCormack would have been much more active in this matter than certain current councillors, who preach about the green agenda but do not practise it when they are in power in their local council. I have clarified that funding of €21.5 million has been in place for some time for the Terryland upgrade and I look forward to the council coming forward with the proposals....

Road Network. (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I hope not to disappoint the Deputy but I intend to outline the extraordinary resources currently available to Kildare County Council, not only from Exchequer funds but also due to the development contributions taken in by the council in recent years and the buoyancy of its rates. If any local authority should be facing difficulties in this area, it is not Kildare County Council. I have...

Written Answers — Housing Development Completions: Housing Development Completions (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: My Department has not received representations referred to in the Question, which I understand is a private residential development. The developer of a residential estate is statutorily required to complete this development in accordance with the terms of the planning permission and a development which has not been completed in accordance with the planning permission is unauthorised...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: The provision and maintenance of non-national roads in County Kilkenny is a matter for Kilkenny County Council to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State grants provided by my Department. In July last year local authorities were invited by my Department to submit applications for consideration for funding under the 2007 Specific Improvements Grant scheme. The initial selection...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: The Killybegs Sewerage Scheme is approved for funding under my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 20050-2007 at an estimated cost of €18m. I approved Donegal County Council's Preliminary Report for the scheme in November 2006. The wastewater treatment plant for Killybegs will be procured under a single Design/Build/Operate contract that also includes Bundoran, while the...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: The recorded greetings for my Department's main telephone number give the name of the Department in both the Irish and English languages: the remainder of the message is recorded in English. Arrangements will be made shortly for the provision of the recorded message in both Irish and English.

Written Answers — Water Pollution: Water Pollution (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: The Mullingar Regional Water Supply (Treatment) Scheme, which involved the construction of a new water treatment plant at the Lough Owel source, had been approved for funding under my Department's Water Services Investment Programme and was being advanced through planning by Westmeath County Council when the cryptosporidium outbreak occurred in May 2002. The new treatment plant became...

Written Answers — Election Management System: Election Management System (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: Information provided by returning officers to my Department in relation to storage costs (including insurance) for the electronic voting equipment under local arrangements is set out in the following table; the information is provided by returning officers on a county/city basis and delivery of the equipment for use at the June 2004 elections began towards the end of 2003. Arrangements...

Written Answers — Water Pollution: Water Pollution (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: In recent years local authorities have notified my Department of suspected cryptosporidium infection of water supplies in Carlow, Ennis, Mullingar and Roscommon. No evidence of such infection was subsequently found in the Carlow or Roscommon supplies. My Department has issued detailed guidance to all local authorities on minimising the risk of cryptosporidium in water supplies. The...

Written Answers — Housing Management Companies: Housing Management Companies (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: My Department set up a Working Group on Management Companies/Taking in Charge of Estates which considered the question of responsibility for the maintenance of common shared facilities (roads, sewerage, footpaths, public lighting, large open spaces, smaller landscaped open spaces, car-parking, etc) in residential estates, including the newer type of mixed high-density estate. The Group has...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: According to returns supplied to my Department for the Annual Planning Statistics 2005, a total of 6,419 warning letters were issued by planning authorities in 2005, 2,667 enforcement cases were initiated, 948 enforcement cases were complied with, a further 105 convictions were achieved and planning authorities have the remainder in hands. Section 154 of the Planning and Development Act 2000...

Written Answers — Ministerial Appointments: Ministerial Appointments (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: The statutory processes involved in appointments to State bodies and boards under the aegis of my Department are set out in reply to Questions Nos. 287 and 288 of 8 March 2007. The number of such appointments or nominations envisaged in the period 26 March 2007 to 31 May 2007 is set out in the following table: Name Appointments/ Nominations envisaged between 26 March and 31 May 2007 An...

Written Answers — End-of-Life Vehicles: End-of-Life Vehicles (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: Directive 2000/53/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 September 2000 on end-of life vehicles (ELVs) sets out specific measures to be put in place by EU Member States in relation to the collection, storage, treatment, dismantling, reuse and recycling of end-of-life vehicles. Under the Directive, each Member State is required, inter alia, to ensure that all end-of-life...

Written Answers — Special Areas of Conservation: Special Areas of Conservation (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 277 to 279, inclusive, together. The following table shows the breakdown by county of hectarage proposed for designation as SAC. The European Commission does not offer a guideline on the percentage of national coverage that should be designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). County Area of county in HA cSAC Area in HA % Land covered by ...

Seanad: Carbon Fund Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I thank the Seanad for an interesting debate. To respond to Senator McHugh's last point, whatever I might suggest to the Taoiseach or any other leader with a conscience about the future of the planet, I would not suggest that he follow the very bad example of Finland which is building several nuclear plants. The same applies to the equivocal example of Sweden which is always put forward as...