Results 9,281-9,300 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Election Management System (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: The primary role of my Department in electoral matters is to provide an appropriate policy and legislative framework for a modern and efficient electoral system. Within that framework, local returning officers are responsible for all matters in connection with the actual conduct of elections and referendums, including the provision of a sufficient number of polling stations, conveniently...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Household Charge Exemptions (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 454 and 465 together. The Local Government Management Agency is administering the Household Charge system on a shared service/agency basis for all county and city councils. The Household Charge is on a self-assessment basis and it is a matter for an owner of a residential property on the liability date to determine if he or she has a liability and, if so, to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: The salaries of the managers in Dublin local authorities are set in the context of manager salaries more broadly. The salaries for county and city managers are set out in the following table. Local Authority Manager Salary Dublin City Council € 189,301 Cork County Council Fingal County Council South Dublin County Council € 162,062 Cork City Council Dun...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Election Management System (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: While electoral law is subject to ongoing review, I have no proposals at present to change the requirement whereby a person entitled to vote at an election or referendum may only do so in person at the polling station allotted to him or her in the constituency where he or she is registered. Exceptions to this rule are provided in electoral law for postal and special voters, persons...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: I conveyed sanction to Sligo County Council on 8 November 2012, in accordance with Section 106 of the Local Government Act 2001, for the borrowing of €7.5 million by way of a term loan. The Council’s overdraft borrowing limit was revised to €4 million in conjunction with this sanction.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Community Development (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: My Department funds a network of twenty two Volunteer Centres nationally. In the context of the current economic climate, my primary concern has been, and will continue to be, the protection of front line services delivering vital programmes and initiatives, especially those focused on the needs of the most socially deprived communities. Ongoing funding for my Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Building Regulations (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: I have asked the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) to undertake work on a number of recommendations in the Pyrite Report including Recommendation 15. Priority is being given to the development of protocols for testing and categorisation and for a remediation method statement. I understand that a stand-alone specification for hardcore will be developed in conjunction with a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Building Regulations (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: In mid-October when I announced that I had asked my Department to finalise arrangements and terms of reference for the establishment of a Resolution Board I also indicated that I was writing to the stakeholders to give them one final opportunity to engage constructively with me in putting in place a remediation programme and to contribute to its cost . I wrote to the Construction Industry...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Referendum Expenditure (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: In accordance with the Referendum Acts the costs of running the Children’s Referendum are met by the Minister for Finance from the Central Fund on the request of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and the costs of the Referendum Commission are met by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. To date, costs totalling €88,390.06 have been spent by my Department ...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Members' Remuneration (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: I am advised that Part IV of the Local Government (Expenses of Local Authority Members) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 668 of 2006), together with a direction under article 16 of S.I. No 668 of 2006 issued in conjunction with Circular LG 33/06 and the guidance issued in conjunction with Circular LG 2/2010 provide the legal basis to enable local authorities to pay expenses relating to educational...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Quality (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: The European Communities (Drinking Water) (No. 2) Regulations 2007 specify the frequency for sampling and analysis of water supplies and prescribe the limits for 48 microbiological, chemical and indicator parameters and standards which water supplies are required to meet. It is a responsibility of the Environmental Protection Agency , under the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992, to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: I assume that the Question refers to general purpose grants from the Local Government Fund. The two principal sources of revenue for the Local Government Fund are the proceeds of motor tax and the income from the Household Charge. The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 provides that income from the household charge is to be paid into the Local Government Fund. The proceeds from...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Public Order Offences (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: Part 19 of the Local Government Act, 2001 deals with bye-laws. Section 199 (1) of the 2001 Act provides that a local authority may make a bye-law for or in relation to the use, operation, protection, regulation or management of any land, services, or any other matter provided by or under the control or management of the local authority, whether within or without its functional area or in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Pension Provisions (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: State bodies under the aegis of my Department, with the exception of the National Building Agency, operate defined benefit pension schemes. These pension schemes are funded annually on a pay as you go basis from monies available to the State agencies, including where appropriate monies made available from my Department, and from pension contributions deducted from staff salaries. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: I congratulate Deputy Michael McCarthy on his appointment as Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht and look forward to working with him in the period ahead. I thank the joint committee for the invitation to discuss the Estimates for my Department for 2013. The Government’s expenditure reform programme has provided for enhanced engagement by...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: I will deal with the matters raised by Deputy Cowen. In 2012, the Local Government Fund gave us approximately €1.12 billion which was made up of the motor tax and various other receipts. We had to take out the €160 million Exchequer contribution for 2012 in the Estimates and introduce the household charge. When it came to the third quarter of the year where people were not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: No. People will not be paying any water charges in 2013.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: That will be a matter for the Commission for Energy Regulation which is the regulator for the water sector. I cannot provide that information until the commission is organised. The Deputy is a bit ahead of himself and I understand the reason.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: I got a lot of training from the Deputy's brother. We have made progress on EU-related programmes. I know the Deputy has an interest in the progress of the rural development programme. We front-loaded money into the rural development programmes in the Estimates for 2013 on the basis that we can get a refund of 85% rather than a refund of 55% from the European Union. We are getting more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: 2013 Allocations for Public Expenditure
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (13 Nov 2012)

Phil Hogan: To answer the Deputy's final question first, we have given priority to requests made by local authorities in the context of replacing staff who are retiring. We have given particular priority to the operational side of local authority staffing.