Results 801-820 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Written Answers — Nuclear Plants: Nuclear Plants (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Question No. 149 of 9 February 2005. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — House Prices: House Prices (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 112 and 140 together. The Government is giving careful consideration to the Ninth Progress Report of the All Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution, concerning private property, as well as Report No. 112 of the National, Economic and Social Council, Housing in Ireland: Performance and Policy, and a report by Goodbody Economic Consultants, within the...

Written Answers — End-of-Life Vehicles: End-of-Life Vehicles (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: Enabling provisions to facilitate implementation of Directive 2000/53/EC on end of life vehicles, ELVs, were incorporated in the Protection of the Environment Act 2003. The delay in transposing and implementing the directive principally reflects difficulties in reaching agreement with the relevant sectors on the detailed mechanisms for the operation of the take-back arrangements required by...

Written Answers — Waste Disposal: Waste Disposal (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: The preparation and publication of national waste statistics is a matter for the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and these statistics are published at three-yearly intervals by the agency. The most recent National Waste Database Report in respect of 2001 was published by the agency in 2003. I understand that the agency is currently compiling the database for 2004 which will include data...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: The small change programme for businesses was published in 2004, following consultation with key stakeholders which included IBEC, Repak, local authorities, Chamber of Commerce of Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and the Irish Waste Management Association. The programme forms part of the race against waste campaign which is funded by my Department. The programme provides information and support to...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: An effective basis for addressing our waste management responsibilities has been put in place through my Department's policy statements Changing Our Ways, September 1998, Delivering Change, March 2002, and Taking Stock and Moving Forward, April 2004, statutory waste management plans, largely prepared on a regional basis, and the comprehensive regulatory framework now in place under the Waste...

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: The national biodiversity plan, which was adopted by Government and published in April 2002, sets out the framework necessary to provide for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in Ireland over an initial five-year period. The plan details 91 actions aimed at halting biodiversity loss in Ireland. My Department has overall responsibility for its implementation. The plan was...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: My Department's national overview of waste management plans, July 2004, identified significant progress in many areas in regard to the implementation of waste management plans by the relevant local authorities. However, it is acknowledged that further progress is also necessary if we are to achieve the objective of developing a fully integrated approach to waste management. The local...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: My Department approved grant assistance of €1,333,225 towards the cost of the Midleton northern relief road under the strategic non-national roads grants scheme in recent years. Details of payments to date and the allocation for 2005 are set out in the following table: Year Payment â'¬ 2002 36,794 2003 3,162 2004 19,360 2005 50,000 (allocation) Further grants up to the...

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: On 22 December 2004, the European Commission indicated, by letter of formal notice under Article 228 of the treaty, that the nitrates action programme submitted by Ireland on 22 October last did not comply with the requirements of the nitrates directive or the judgment issued against Ireland by the European Court of Justice on 11 March 2004. The Commission view is that the programme is...

Written Answers — Nuclear Plants: Nuclear Plants (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: Since my appointment as Minister, I have availed of every opportunity to articulate and convey to the UK authorities at diplomatic and ministerial level the Government's continuing concerns regarding nuclear safety. These include our concerns about old Magnox reactors, such as those at the Wylfa nuclear power plant; we have consistently called for the early closure of these reactors. Those at...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: There has been no contact between my Department and the Department of Transport regarding the matter raised in the question. In July 1996 my Department issued guidelines for planning authorities on telecommunications antennae and support structures. The purpose of those guidelines was to assist planning authorities, An Bord Pleanála, operators of mobile telecommunications services and the...

Written Answers — Litter Pollution: Litter Pollution (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: Following the success of the environmental levy on plastic bags, which was introduced in March 2002 and has resulted in a reduction in the dispensing of plastic shopping bags at retail outlets by over 90%, An Agreed Programme for Government contained a commitment to consider the extension of the levy on plastic bags to other materials which may be problematic from a waste management and-or...

Written Answers — Archaeological Sites: Archaeological Sites (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Question No. 57 on today's Order Paper.

Written Answers — Building Regulations: Building Regulations (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: Half-yearly statistics on enforcement of the building regulations, furnished by local building control authorities to my Department, do not give a breakdown by building type or for each of the 12 parts, A to M, of the regulations. On the general issue of compliance with part M, I refer to the reply to Question No. 1080 of 12 April 2005.

Written Answers — Elections Management System: Elections Management System (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: Information provided by returning officers to my Department indicates that the total annual storage cost of the electronic voting and ancillary equipment is some €658,000. Actual claims by returning officers are being processed by the Department of Finance for payment from the central fund. I am satisfied that the guidelines provided to returning officers in relation to the storage of...

Written Answers — Elections Management System: Elections Management System (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: The Office of Public Works conducted a number of open tender competitions for the supply of ancillary equipment for the electronic voting and counting system, including the contract referred to in the question, which was for the supply of voting machine transport trolleys. The contract was awarded to the lowest bidder.

Written Answers — Recycling Policy: Recycling Policy (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: The opening hours of local authority recycling facilities are an operational matter for those authorities. My Department is not involved in determining the operating conditions of such facilities, nor does it have detailed information on their opening hours. In the context of providing assistance towards the operating costs of recycling facilities, my Department encourages local authorities...

Written Answers — Waste Disposal: Waste Disposal (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: All landfills are now required to be licensed by the Environmental Protection Agency, and the types of waste which may be deposited in a landfill are determined by that licence. I am satisfied that in discharging its responsibilities, the agency operates to best international practice, including the need to comply with the requirements of the EU landfill directive.

Written Answers — Ministerial Responsibilities: Ministerial Responsibilities (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: Dúchas was the title and brand name used by that division of the former Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands which had responsibility for the State's built and natural heritage functions. Following changes in the functions of Government Departments in June 2002, my Department consulted with relevant stakeholders and examined arrangements for the discharge of the heritage...