Results 9,661-9,680 of 9,994 for speaker:John Gormley

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (16 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 316 and 317 together. Revenues from the levies on plastic shopping bags and the landfill of waste are paid into a 'ring-fenced' Environment Fund, established under the Waste Management (Amendment) Act 2001, and can be used for activities that are of benefit to the environment. The purposes for which the Fund may be used are set out in section 74(9) of the...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (16 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: While the Cork Docklands Forum Report, which was submitted to the then Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment in 2008, has not been formally published, I understand that the main findings and recommendations of the report are in the public domain. As stated in the reply to Question No. 104 of 19 October 2010, enabling measures are currently being considered further to progress the...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (16 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: My Department has paid Mayo County Council a total of €6.243 million to date in 2010 in respect of water services schemes in the county, against a total claimed of almost €7.1 million. The shortfall is largely due to some claims being adjusted by the Department to comply with approved scheme budgets or to exclude ineligible expenditures. My Department is currently examining claims on...

Written Answers — Local Authority Services: Local Authority Services (16 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: The detailed terms and conditions under which public authorities may enter into framework agreements, and contracts based on agreements, are set out in Regulations 33, 34 and 35 of the European Communities (Award of Public Authorities' Contracts) Regulations 2006, which were made by the Minister for Finance. The duration of a framework agreement may not generally exceed 4 years. It is a...

Written Answers — Building Regulations: Building Regulations (16 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: The European Communities (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2006 – 2008, which transposed Directive 2002/91/EC on the energy performance of buildings into Irish law, require a Building Energy Rating (BER) certificate to be obtained prior to a building being offered for sale or letting, or prior to a newly commissioned building being occupied for the first time. The Sustainable...

Written Answers — Natural Heritage Areas: Natural Heritage Areas (16 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: Approximately 14% percent of the total onshore area of Ireland is designated as candidate Special Areas of Conservation (cSACs), Special Protection Areas (SPA's) or Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs). This includes lakes and rivers. The percentage of agricultural land included in designated sites is not available in my Department.

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (16 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: Under a Government Decision of June 2003, my Department was charged inter alia with coordinating all legal actions in relation to the former Irish Ispat site at Haulbowline, Co. Cork. Accordingly, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government has been a party to a number of legal cases relating to the site. In June 2001, Irish ISPAT Limited went into voluntary liquidation...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (17 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: The Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2012, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library, provides for the development of a comprehensive range of new water services infrastructure in County Kildare. Two contracts for the Kildare Sewerage Scheme are included in the Programme amongst the list of contracts in the county to start in the period 2010 – 2012. Earlier this...

Written Answers — Farm Plan Scheme: Farm Plan Scheme (17 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: My Department's Farm Plan Scheme is currently closed to new applicants. Further access to the scheme will be subject to the availability of funding during 2011 and beyond. Any decision to invite new applications will be publicly announced. In such an event, applications to join the scheme will be assessed on the basis of conservation priorities, biodiversity added value and value for money.

Written Answers — Animal Welfare: Animal Welfare (18 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: My responsibilities under the Wildlife Acts relate primarily to the conservation of populations of certain protected species, which includes the granting of licences for the hunting of certain protected species. It is my understanding that the activity referred to in the question involves following a scent, and that it does not come within the scope of the Wildlife Acts.

Written Answers — Turbary Rights: Turbary Rights (18 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: Having regard to available budgetary resources, priority is being given under the bog purchase scheme to those wishing to sell their interest in the 31 raised bog sites which were nominated for designation as Special Areas of Conservation between 1997 and 1999, on which the derogation for turf cutting has now ended. The person in question owns land within a Natural Heritage Area designated in...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (18 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: I refer to the reply to Question No. 245 of 10 November 2010, which outlines the position in regard to the plant in question.

Written Answers — Departmental Investigations: Departmental Investigations (18 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: Information in relation to external reports and reviews commissioned by State Agencies and Boards under the aegis of my Department is a matter for these bodies themselves.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (23 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: I have been advised by the Heritage Council, that in addition to the details supplied with the question, the person involved did not complete the required application form for the grant and accordingly was not included in the assessment process for funding in 2011. Any such future application is a matter for the Heritage Council directly.

Written Answers — Litter Pollution: Litter Pollution (23 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: Under the Litter Pollution Acts, primary responsibility for implementing responses to litter lies with local authorities, who are required to take all practicable measures for the prevention, control and disposal of litter in their functional areas. Both litter wardens and members of An Garda Síochána have powers of enforcement in respect of littering offences. Furthermore, under section...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (23 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: The Crookstown Water and Sewerage Scheme was included for funding in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2007 – 2009 under the Serviced Land Initiative measure. This initiative was discontinued in 2009 in light of developments in the economy at large, and in the housing market in particular. While all existing scheme approvals under the initiative, for which contracts had...

Written Answers — Local Government Charges: Local Government Charges (23 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: The Government in the Local Government (Charges) Act 2009 broadened the revenue base of local authorities through the introduction of the charge on non-principal private residences. The charge is set at €200 and is being levied and collected by local authorities. There is a single liability date in each calendar year and the Act provides, at section 3(2), that this is 31 March in 2010 and...

Written Answers — National Monuments: National Monuments (23 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: I assume that the Question refers to opinion submitted to my Department by a non-governmental environmental organisation in relation to monuments listed in the Record of Monuments and Places established under section 12(1) of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act, 1994. Section 12(3) of the 1994 Act provides that the owner or occupier of a monument or place listed in the Record of Monuments...

Written Answers — Archaeological Sites: Archaeological Sites (23 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 274 to 277, inclusive, and 280 together. The UNESCO World Heritage Convention requires that all properties inscribed on the World Heritage List are safeguarded through regulatory measures at national and local levels that assure their survival and protect them against development and change that might negatively impact on their outstanding universal value, or...

Written Answers — Archaeological Sites: Archaeological Sites (23 Nov 2010)

John Gormley: Information in relation to the cost of the excavations in this case is not available in my Department. I understand that work is underway on the completion of the final archaeological report on the excavations, including the specialist analysis and conservation of the recovered artefacts, and that the report will be submitted to my Department as soon as possible. I have no general oversight...