Results 8,861-8,880 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Services (2 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 379 and 380 together. I established a Local Government Committee in September 2011 to carry out a review of local government arrangements in Waterford and to submit a report containing recommendations on whether the County Council and City Council of Waterford should be unified. The report of the Committee has been submitted to my Department and its...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Electoral Divisions Report (2 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: I am not in a position to define timelines for the review of local electoral area boundaries, which will arise following decisions by Government on the reform of local government, but it will be completed in good time before the 2014 local elections.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Septic Tank Registration Scheme (2 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 382, 392 and 397 together. As of 2 October, applications in respect of the on-site wastewater treatment systems of some 165,253 owners, who have registered on-line, by post or in person at their local authority offices, have been processed. I understand that a further 85,000 owners have submitted registration applications which are yet to be processed by...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Staff Remuneration (2 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: Tabular Statement: Position No Serving Salary Scale Salary Secretary General 1 Not applicable €215,590* Director Met Éireann 1 Assistant Secretary €127,796 - €146,191 Inspector of Audits 1 Assistant Secretary €127,796 - €146,191 Principal Adviser (Higher) 3 Principal Adviser Higher Level €93,197 - €110,665 ...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (2 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: As of 30 June 2012 there were 235.65 (whole time equivalent) local authority staff on salary scales the maximum points of which are in excess of €100,000. The grades concerned are City and County Managers, Assistant Managers and Directors of Service. The number of Directors of Service has reduced from 262 (WTE) in 2008 to 203 (WTE) (-23%) at present. A workforce study has been...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (2 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: My Department spent some €323,000 on consultancy in 2011 and the estimated expenditure for this purpose in 2012, as set out in Appendix 7 of Revised Estimates for Public Services 2012 published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, is €357,000.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (2 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: The cost of foreign travel undertaken by the staff of my Department in 2011 was €415,027. In addition, expenditure on Foreign Delegates Allowance in 2011 was €73,487. Foreign travel costs to date in 2012 are €503,730 from a budget of €636,000 for the full year. Foreign Delegates Allowance cost €84,014 to date in 2012; however expenditure under this allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Services (2 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: My Department’s National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management is currently processing the output from a round of stakeholder consultation on the draft “Keeping Communities Safe” (KCS) document. The draft document is currently being revised on foot of the submissions received with the intention of publishing the final KCS document before the end of the year. It...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Environmental Regulations (2 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 393 and 394 together. The EPA is responsible for developing a National Inspection Plan upon which the risk-based inspection of domestic wastewater treatment systems will be based. The Plan will be in accordance with the EU’s Recommendation for minimum Criteria for Environmental Inspections document (Reference 2001/331/EC) which makes recommendations...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Commercial Rates Write-Offs (2 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: 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. As with all local charges, the invoicing and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Septic Tank Registration Scheme (2 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: No grant aid to assist with the maintenance, upgrade or remediation of septic tanks was provided by my Department during the period 2007 to 2011. I have stated on a number of occasions that I am prepared to consider all possible options to provide financial support to householders' whose systems are deemed, following an inspection carried out under the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012, to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Register of Electors (2 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: The preparation of the Register of Electors is a matter for each local registration authority – the city and county councils. It is their duty to ensure as far as is possible, and with the cooperation of the public, the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the register. In the normal course, voter registration is an ongoing process in which those entitled to be registered apply to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Staff Rehiring (2 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: Mr. David O'Callaghan is current Chair of the Management Board of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management. He was originally appointed by my predecessor, Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr. John Gormley, in June 2009 when the board was first constituted; he was reappointed by me for a second term in June 2011. He is a former Secretary General in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Property Taxation Application (3 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: An independently-chaired Inter-Departmental Expert Group was established to consider the structures and modalities for an equitable local property tax to replace the household charge. The Group recently submitted its report to me and p roposals will be brought to Government as soon as possible . I t will then be a matter for the Government to decide on the exact details of implementation...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local and Community Development Programme Project Funding (3 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: The project in question is currently funded under the Local & Community Development Programme (LCDP).  Funding has been in place since 2008 and will continue until the end of 2012.  My Department is in contact with the organisation involved to examine funding options for the project from 2013 onwards.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Dormant Accounts Fund Management (3 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 and 151 together. Total funds as at end August 2012 in the Dormant Accounts Fund are €169.305 million as shown in the table in Appendix 1. Of that sum, €17.968 million is committed to projects, with €54.542 in the statutory reserve. Year Inflows Gross Inflow of Funds Outflows Net Funds Banks/building societies An Post...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Septic Tank Registration Scheme (3 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: I do not consider that the new systems of registration and inspection for septic tanks, being introduced under the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012, are disproportionate on rural dwellers. Environmental and public health issues must be dealt with as circumstances dictate and where risks exist. A key objective of the new legislation is, therefore, to enhance and protect public health and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Property Taxation Application (4 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 156 and 157 together. An independently-chaired Inter-Departmental Expert Group was established to consider the structures and modalities for an equitable local property tax to replace the household charge. The Group recently submitted its report to me and proposals will be brought to Government as soon as possible. It will then be a matter for the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Postal Voting (4 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: In order to be able to vote at elections and referendums, a person's name must be entered in the register of electors for a constituency in the State in which the person ordinarily resides. Postal voting is provided for in electoral law in respect of certain categories of person who are entered in the register of electors. The Electoral Act 1992 provides for postal voting by whole-time...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Air Pollution (4 Oct 2012)

Phil Hogan: The ban on the marketing, sale and distribution of bituminous fuel (or ‘smoky coal ban’ as it is commonly known) was first introduced in Dublin in 1990 in response to severe episodes of winter smog that resulted from the widespread use of smoky coal for residential heating. Air quality monitoring carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that the ban has...