Results 9,301-9,320 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

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. We have already hit our ceilings for 2015 in respect of local government. Ours is the only organisation in the public service that has hit its ceilings in 2012. Local authorities deserve great credit for this. I do not believe we have declined a request from any local authority - within its ceilings - in the context of prioritising outdoor staff. It is a matter for local authorities...

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: We do not inhabit an ivory tower in the Custom House and we are in very close contact with local authorities.

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: The Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, the officials and I are all in contact with the local authorities. Some €5 million of the €10 million relating to water will be required for rolling out the surveying that will be required in respect of the water metering programme. The Commission for Energy Regulation is going to be the regulator for water and €2 million...

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: Deputy Stanley asked me a question. We have not had a property tax in this jurisdiction for some time and we are learning from the experience on the other part of the island.

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 am sure the Deputy is familiar with that experience. I cannot provide a figure for 2013 because this matter relates to the budget. The Deputy referred to leaks. We do not want many of those because they cost me a fair bit in the past, politically and in every other way. I would not want that to happen again. We are dealing with water leaks and in the next three years we will spend a...

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: The Government is actually taking on the IMF at every possible opportunity. We do not agree with the figure to which I refer. The Deputy referred to €34 million in savings. There are some such savings in respect of payments under international agreements from the environment fund for the EPA and the RPII. We have reduced provisions for leasing. As result of better value for money...

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: On the Deputy's last question, the local government fund is made up of revenue from motor tax and property tax. I am not in a position to say how that gap will be filled until we have completed negotiations with the Department of Finance in the context of the budget and on the amount of the property tax that will be given to the local fund to be divvied out to the local authorities.

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: It will be a challenging experience to provide the necessary resources for local authorities but we are working it out with the Department of Finance for cashflow purposes. Motor tax still comes under the remit of the Department, but perhaps not for long.

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: The Deputy can if he wishes, but that is the truth in terms of where we are getting the money. It will be a problem. With regard to the environment fund and landfill levies, I have set out over a three-year period what the landfill levies will be, but the Deputy can take it that the environment fund is decreasing in terms of the amount of money we have available for purposes for which we...

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 agree with the Deputy that I have inherited many legacies.

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: We have a surplus through which we are working down, and it has gone down to €2.7 million. I am not clear on the €6.8 million the Deputy mentioned earlier.

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 do not have an immediate answer for the Deputy on that but I will come back to him before the end of the meeting. I will ask my officials to check that.

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 consider Irish Water to be a great opportunity for staff at local level because the idea is to bring more investment into the capital programmes for water and waste water services. We are working closely with Mr. Kevin Foley, who is facilitating transitional arrangements over a six-year period, and while many things can change in six years, I want to keep the knowledge and expertise we...

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: We are dealing with Christmas present.

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: The Deputy mentioned that there might be cuts in local government in 2013. I hope there will not be any cuts but I am working as closely as I can with the Department of Finance in the context of the budget to ensure that we can minimise the reductions in expenditure because local government has taken a reduction in expenditure in 2012 and in 2011 to the tune of 16%. That is a substantial...

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: Yes.

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: We hope so. I hope that in terms of local authorities, which have had a very tight budgetary position this year, we will be able to persuade the Department of Finance that is the case.

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: If we had not had the household charge this year, there would be €160 million less in the local government fund because we would not have been able to proceed with the Exchequer contribution. If this is added to the saving of €51 million we must make next year, it results in a total of €211 million. Deputy Catherine Murphy should tell me where we would get the money for...

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 did not interrupt Deputy Flanagan.

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: Local authorities have saved some €800 million in various ways over recent years. There has been a reduction of €300 million in the local government fund over the three-year period. We are targeting through a voluntary redundancy scheme. It will not be a broad-brush redundancy programme for the public service. There will be a targeted process and this will include local...