Results 6,201-6,220 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: My Department currently provides two or more phone lines to the homes of twenty-eight members of staff, all of whom operate away from the Department's main offices. In the case of twenty-two of the staff concerned, two phones lines are required to provide telephone and Internet access as broadband is not available. The other six staff concerned are provided with three phone lines: these...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 678 and 679 together. The Department has a number of offices outside Dublin. Training courses are provided to staff as required and may involve travel to Dublin or to other locations. In the period 2004-2006, a total of €10,809 in travel and subsistence was paid to my Department's training officers. During that time a total of 9,981.5 training days were...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (3 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Question No. 562 of 20 February 2007. To date 124 people have transferred to or joined my Department to decentralise to Wexford, Waterford, New Ross and Kilkenny. Of this group, three staff members were assigned different work duties within 6 months of joining the Department. Such reassignments are commonplace in an organisation as large and diverse as my Department...

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: The time that Fine Gael doubled the national debt.

Written Answers — Tribunals of Inquiry: Tribunals of Inquiry (4 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: In July 2004, the Government approved reduced fees for all legal representation at Tribunals established from September 2004, and for existing Tribunals that ran over various termination dates set in the light of consultations between the Attorney General and the relevant Chairpersons. The completion date agreed in respect of the Planning Tribunal was 31 March 2007. In December 2006, the...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (4 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: The breakdown by gender of the boards of State Bodies under the aegis of my Department is set out in thetable. Name Year Serving female members Serving male members Affordable Homes Partnership 2005 3 6 2006 3 6 2007 to date 3 6 An Bord Pleanála 2002 4 8 2003 8 8 2004 8 8 2005 4 6 2006 5 5 2007 to date 5 5 An Chomhairle Leabharlanna 2002 5 8 2003 4 9 2004 4 9 2005...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (4 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Question No. 275 of 28 March 2007. For the period 29 March to 4 July 2007 the position is as set out in that reply, with the sole exception that one appointment has recently been made to the board of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, leaving a total of 3 appointments (rather than 4) to be made to that body between 29 March 2007 and 4 July 2007.

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (4 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: Some €2.54 billion was provided in both current and capital funding by my Department for local authority services and capital programmes in 2006. Of this a net sum of €7 million was not drawn down by the end of the year: this has been included in the Department's overall capital carryover of €20 million into 2007 under the Multi-Annual Capital Investment Framework. It is not...

Written Answers — Water Quality: Water Quality (4 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: In 1998, my Department circulated detailed guidelines to local authorities on minimising the risk of cryptosporidium in water supplies. The guidelines were prepared in consultation with the Department of Health and Children and the Environmental Protection Agency and circulated to local authorities. They provided advice to local authorities on preventing cryptosporidium entering water...

Written Answers — Water Quality: Water Quality (4 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 282 and 284 together. The Galway City Water Supply Scheme was included in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2002 – 2004, published on 16 April 2002, as a scheme to advance through planning. The scheme has retained its approved status in subsequent iterations of the Programme. These were published on 13 August 2003, 7 May 2004 and 16...

Written Answers — Water Quality: Water Quality (4 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: Management of their public drinking water supplies is the responsibility of the relevant local authority. The results of monitoring of individual water supplies are forwarded by local authorities to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on being required to do so by the Agency under section 58 of the Environmental Protection Act 1992. Information on the quality of drinking water...

Written Answers — Road Traffic Offences: Road Traffic Offences (4 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 286 to 291, inclusive, together. Questions in relation to penalty points are a matter for the Road Safety Authority (RSA) under the aegis of the Minister for Transport. My Department issues penalty point notices on behalf of the RSA, and provides the latter agency and the Department of Transport with data to enable them to respond to requests for...

Water Supply Contamination. (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing this important question. Deputies have been caught off guard due to the changes to the Order of Business. I am very conscious of the inconvenience and hardship being caused by the parasitic outbreak of cryptosporidium in Galway. I have made my Department's resources and expertise available to the local authorities in Galway to help them to resolve...

Water Supply Contamination. (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: The point raised by Deputies Grealish and O'Dowd pertains to the immediate problem. I accept they are both correct that there is a significant inconvenience for families in Galway and for large families in particular, who are obliged to haul water home from supermarkets. I raised this issue with the local authorities on Friday and indicated that I was willing to help them to overcome this...

Water Supply Contamination. (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: It is not a "no go" area. Boiling the water more than adequately deals with the problem and I understand guesthouses and hotels have taken steps on which I commend them. Deputy O'Dowd asked a second and much more pertinent question, which is also the subject of Question No. 12. It pertains to the monitoring of water supplies. I agree with him. Last month, I introduced new water monitoring...

Water Supply Contamination. (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: The testing of public water schemes is incorporated in the regulation, which deals with the issue.

Planning Issues. (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I thank Deputy Cowley for raising this question. As Members are aware, I take a particular interest in rural housing and in the right of people to live in their own area. The guidelines for planning authorities on sustainable rural housing came into effect in April 2005. While the fact they are called guidelines is often taken to mean they are not statutorily based, they are. Although...

Planning Issues. (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I thank the Deputy. I accept there is frustration on this matter. Having had a long friendship over 30 odd years with the county manager in Mayo, I would not recognise him necessarily as a dictator.

Planning Issues. (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I will make a point to the Deputy which I have made to councillors and councillors' groups: councillors are in command. The only body which has a statutory capacity to fire a county manager is the county council, and that has not happened.

Planning Issues. (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: We could argue about the issues of the local government managerial system for a long time but I reiterate councillors have significantly more powers than they realise sometimes. It is incumbent on everybody elected to a local council, especially since the end of the dual mandate, to inform themselves of their powers and to use them judiciously. The interpretation and application of the...