Results 7,221-7,240 of 9,994 for speaker:John Gormley

Written Answers — Dublin Docklands Development Authority: Dublin Docklands Development Authority (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: I understand that the Annual Accounts of the Authority for 2008 are now finalised within the Authority and will be submitted to me in the coming days, following which I will bring them to the attention of Government and arrange to have them laid before both Houses. In advance of consideration of the Accounts by my Department, I am not in a position to comment in detail on their contents. I...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: The Government has decided to broaden the revenue base of local authorities by introducing this charge on all non-principal private residences, including private rented accommodation, holiday homes and any other residential property that is not the owner's sole or main residence. The charge has been set at €200 per annum. When the Bill was at Second Stage in the Houses, it was indicated...

Written Answers — Tribunals of Inquiry: Tribunals of Inquiry (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: The Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments is empowered by relevant resolutions of the Houses of the Oireachtas to carry out such preliminary investigations in private, as it thinks fit. My Department has cooperated with all requests by the Tribunal to make files available. However, it would not be appropriate to disclose details of material provided in this way to...

Written Answers — Building Regulations: Building Regulations (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: There are currently almost 2,900 persons registered with Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) as Building Energy Rating (BER) assessors for dwellings, with 270 registered as BER assessors for buildings other than dwellings. At present there are some 74,000 Building Energy Rating (BER) certificates in place in respect of dwellings and over 2,000 BER certificates in place for buildings other than...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: The fee for making submissions or observations to a planning authority in respect of a planning application is €20. It was introduced in the Planning and Development Act 2000 and the Planning and Development Regulations 2001. There are no proposals for its abolition.

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: One of the key aims of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009 is to secure a more coherent approach to the zoning of land and a better alignment between national, regional and local planning policies and objectives. As a statutory consultee on draft development plans and local area plans, my Department regularly provides specific comments on zonings and other planning policies to...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: There is a commitment to introduce comprehensive legislation on noise pollution within the lifetime of this Government. Earlier this year, following an extensive consultation process, the General Scheme of a Noise Nuisance Bill was prepared in my Department and approved by the Government. The Noise Nuisance Bill is included in Section A of the Government Legislation Programme published on 16...

Written Answers — Water Services: Water Services (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: The establishment of a single national authority for the delivery of water services was one of the policy options identified in the report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes in the context of its consideration of my Department's water and natural heritage programme. The Government will be giving due consideration to the range of options contained in...

Written Answers — Local Authority Rates: Local Authority Rates (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Act 2001. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and...

Written Answers — Water Charges: Water Charges (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: The Government's Water Pricing Policy, adopted in 1998, requires local authorities to recover the cost of providing water services from the users of these services, with the exception of households using the services for domestic purposes. Accordingly, when the Water Framework Directive was adopted in 2000, the established practice in Ireland was to exclude domestic users from water charges....

Written Answers — Water Quality: Water Quality (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 140, 280 and 286 together. Details of all major water schemes included for funding by my Department, together with water conservation allocations, are set out in the Water Services Investment Programme 2007 – 2009 which is available in the Oireachtas Library. Additional information in relation to progress on individual contracts or water conservation works...

Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: The EPA is responsible for compiling the national inventories of greenhouse gas emissions for Ireland and for reporting these to the European Union and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). These inventories are compiled on an annual basis using the good practice guidelines established by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The results become...

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: In response to the Programme for Government and National Climate Change Strategy commitments, my Department developed the principles of a scheme to offset greenhouse gas emissions from official air travel. The scheme operates on an annual basis and commenced in 2009. It will retrospectively account for all official air travel since the Government came into office in June 2007. All...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: The Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009, which is currently progressing through second stage in Seanad Éireann, will address land use zoning reform through requiring an evidence-based core strategy in development plans which must provide information on how the plan and the housing strategy are consistent with regional planning guidelines and with the National Spatial Strategy....

Written Answers — Register of Electors: Register of Electors (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: The reply to Question No. 403 of 17 February 2009 set out the position in relation to postal voting under current electoral law. As I indicated in the reply to that Question, while electoral law is subject to ongoing review, there are no proposals to alter the existing arrangements along the lines referred to in the Question.

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: I am committed to implementing the measures necessary to ensure that Ireland meets the 2010, and subsequent, EU landfill diversion targets. The Government has decided to introduce primary legislation to allow significant increases in the landfill levy. In addition, I have initiated a public consultation on a statutory instrument which will require the source segregation and appropriate...

Written Answers — Local Authority Staff: Local Authority Staff (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: The table lists the number of permanent staff and temporary staff employed in each local authority as returned to my Department for the end of June 2009. The corresponding figures for June 2007 and June 2008 are included for comparative purposes. The table shows the change in staffing levels in each local authority over the period in question. Total numbers of permanent and temporary staff...

Written Answers — Carbon Credits: Carbon Credits (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: The National Climate Change Strategy signalled the possibility of supplementing greenhouse gas emission reductions with the purchase of up to 3.6 million carbon units on average each year in the five-year Kyoto Protocol commitment period 2008-2012 or 18 million units in total, costing €270m, at a projected unit price of €15. Under the Carbon Fund Act 2007, the National Treasury...

Written Answers — Policy on Local Government: Policy on Local Government (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: Work on the White Paper on Local Government is well advanced; I expect that the White Paper will be published later this year following, inter alia, consideration of local government financing in light of the Report of the Commission on Taxation and in line with the commitments in the renewed Programme for Government.

Written Answers — Contaminated Sites: Contaminated Sites (14 Oct 2009)

John Gormley: The Government has considered the position in relation to the former Irish Steel/Ispat site at Haulbowline noting the outcome of the site investigations; the requirement for various works and further monitoring recommended by the environmental consultants; and the development issues, particularly technical constraints, site boundary issues, zoning issues and regulatory requirements, meriting...