Results 7,241-7,260 of 9,994 for speaker:John Gormley
- Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (14 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 158, 265 and 290 together. The Nitrates Directive and Ireland's National Nitrates Action Programme are given legal effect by the consolidated European Communities (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2009. The objective of the Regulations is to protect ground and surface waters, including drinking water sources, primarily through...
- Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (14 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: In areas for which my Department has responsibility, the European Commission is currently in correspondence in respect of 31 cases relating to transposition and implementation of EU environmental legislation. My Department is working hard to resolve these cases as soon as possible. The Commission has not made an application to the European Court of Justice for an imposition of fines in any...
- Written Answers — Local Authority Staff: Local Authority Staff (14 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: Details of awards made to County and City managers under the Performance Awards Scheme for the Local Government Sector are contained in the annual reports of the Committee for Performance Awards (CPA) which are available in the Oireachtas Library. Awards are defined in terms of their distribution as a percentage of pay, the range of monetary values, and the number of recipients. The scheme...
- 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 â¬200 per annum. The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, which sets out the detail...
- Written Answers — Local Authority Court Cases: Local Authority Court Cases (14 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: The question of court cases and their associated financial implications is a matter for the individual local authorities concerned. My Department does not compile or hold information of the kind sought.
- Written Answers — Waste Disposal: Waste Disposal (14 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: The Attorney General sought and received, on my behalf, the contract for the Poolbeg incinerator from Dublin City Council earlier this year. I can confirm that an economist was hired to carry out an analysis of the contract for the purposes of informing pending legal advice by the Attorney General. The Attorney General has recommended that a further analysis be carried out by a financial...
- Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (14 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: The primary purpose of the levy on plastic bags is not to generate revenue but to change consumer behaviour and maintain the significant reduction in the consumption of plastic bags, dispensed at retail outlets, that was achieved when the levy was first introduced in 2002. To this end, I am bringing forward legislation that will provide for greater flexibility in amending the level of charge...
- Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (14 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: The Athenry Sewerage Scheme is included for funding in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2007 â 2009. My Department awaits the submission of a revised Design Review Report for the scheme from Galway County Council. I understand that this revised report will take account of some interim improvement works being carried out by the Council at the existing Athenry wastewater...
- Written Answers — Air Quality: Air Quality (14 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 275 and 276 together. The monitoring, assessment and management of ambient air quality in Ireland is carried out according to the requirements of the EU Air Quality Framework Directive. This Directive became law through the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992, (Ambient Air Quality Assessment and Management) Regulations, 1999. Under further regulations...
- Written Answers — Fire Stations: Fire Stations (14 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: The provision of a fire service, including equipment and personnel, is a statutory function of the individual fire authorities under section 10 of the Fire Services Act 1981. Issues relating to the recruitment and employment conditions of fire fighters are matters for the local authority under the Local Government Act 2001. The Department supports local fire authorities through the setting...
- Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (14 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 282 and 288 together. The Programme for Government published in 2007 contained a commitment to establish new ambitious waste management targets for maximum prevention, re-use, recycling and modern waste treatment to ensure that we match the best performance in the EU for recycling with the objective that only 10% of waste or less is consigned to landfill and...
- Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (14 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: I refer to the reply to Question No. 402 of 8 July 2009, which sets out the overall position in relation to greenhouse gas emissions for purposes of Kyoto Protocol compliance over the period 2008 â 2012.
- Written Answers — Election Management System: Election Management System (14 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: On 23 April 2009, I announced that the Government had decided not to proceed with implementation of electronic voting in Ireland. Since then, a process has been put in place to address the issues that arise from the decision. An Interdepartmental Task Force, chaired by my Department, has been established to bring the project to an orderly conclusion and to oversee disposal of the equipment...
- Written Answers — Local Government Reform: Local Government Reform (14 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: Regulations made under the Local Government Act 2001 (Section 237A) Regulations 2003 established requirements for local authorities to ensure that information regarding local authority activities is provided to members of the Oireachtas. These include: the local authority budget, draft development plan etc. It is a matter for each local authority to deal with requests for access to...
- Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (14 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: Section 10(8) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 already contains a provision to the effect that there should be no presumption in law that any land zoned in a particular development plan should remain so zoned in any subsequent development plan. The Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill makes no change to this provision. As stated in reply to Question No. 146 on today's Order...
- Written Answers — Flood Relief: Flood Relief (14 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: The draft Guidelines for Planning Authorities on the Planning System and Flood Risk Management are aimed at ensuring a more consistent, rigorous and systematic approach to flood risk identification, assessment and management within the planning system. The draft guidelines provide that: development in areas at risk of flooding, particularly flood plains, should be avoided unless there are...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (15 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: My Department has not provided any funding to my constituency office or the constituency offices of the Ministers of State at this Department for leaflet design, production, delivery and other related costs in 2007, 2008 and to date in 2009.
- Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (15 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: The total cost of foreign travel incurred by me and the Ministers of State at my Department during 2007, 2008 and to date in 2009 is as follows: Year 2007 2008 01 Jan â 13 Oct2009 Total Expenses â¬43,505.18 â¬55,474.01 â¬30,082.74
- Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (15 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: The Government has decided to broaden the revenue base of local authorities by introducing a charge on all non-principal private residences. The charge, which is set at â¬200, is payable by the owners of private rented accommodation, holiday homes and any other residential property that is not the owner's sole or main residence. While detailed guidance has been provided to local authorities...
- Written Answers — Building Regulations: Building Regulations (15 Oct 2009)
John Gormley: The EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings, which was transposed into Irish law by the European Communities (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2006 - 2008, introduced a requirement for a Building Energy Rating (BER) system. The Regulations clearly and unambiguously specify that any person who offers a building for sale or letting on or from 1 January 2009 or any agent...