Results 11,861-11,880 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (23 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 147 and 173 together. The Environmental Protection Agency report,Ireland's Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2012, which was published on 9 October 2013 and is available on the Agency's website ( ), sets out national greenhouse gas emissions for the period 1990 to 2012 and includes details on compliance for the purposes of the Kyoto Protocol over its first...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Fire Safety Regulations (23 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: In late 2008, following a complaint to Dublin Fire Brigade, Dublin City Council became concerned about fire safety issues more generally at Priory Hall and came to regard the buildings as potentially dangerous. Several attempts to have the developer address fire safety concerns were unsuccessful and on 3 December 2009 Dublin City Council delivered a letter by hand to each occupied apartment...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Constitutional Amendments (23 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: I provided to the Oireachtas, in this House, the Government response to the first report of the Convention on the Constitution. The Government welcomed that report and accepted the main recommendations of the convention in the report. These included a recommendation that the Constitution should be changed to provide for a voting age of 16 years. The Government committed therefore to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Recycling Policy (23 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: In June 2012, as part of a commitment in the Programme for Government to examine the introduction of a levy on packaging in conjunction with a waste reduction programme, I initiated a root and branch review of all aspects of the Producer Responsibility Initiative model in Ireland. The aim of the review was to assess the nature and level of the challenges which are currently facing the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Charges Yield (23 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: The information requested i s not available in my Department. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Seniors Alert Scheme Issues (23 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: My Department manages the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages and assists the community's support for older people by means of a community-based grant scheme to improve the security of people over 65 years of age. The Scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of my Department. The aim of the Seniors Alert Scheme is to support independent living for...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Charges Yield (23 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: I assume that the question refers to the Household Charge and the Local Property Tax. The Local Government Management Agency has administered the Household Charge system on a shared service/agency basis for all county and city councils. I am advised by the Agency that in excess of €5.3m has been raised in respect of the Household Charge in Kerry. The aggregate proceeds of the Charge...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Services Provision (23 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: The overall strategy of investment in water services to date has been to ensure that the timing and scale of investment facilitates economic and other development, achieves compliance with statutory requirements and promotes environmental sustainability objectives. The main vehicle for achieving these objectives for public domestic water supplies is the multi-annual Water Services Investment...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Fire Service Issues (23 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: The provision of a fire services in local authority areas, including the establishment and maintenance of fire brigades, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of premises is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the provisions of the Fire Services Act 2001. My Department supports fire authorities through the setting of general policy, provision of training...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Pollution (23 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 171 and 172 together. In respect of monitoring of water quality, the EPA, local authorities, Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Marine Institute all monitor rivers, lakes, transitional and coastal waters, and groundwater quality under the Water Framework Directive on a three-year cycle. This extensive monitoring programme provides a good overview of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes Funding (23 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 175 and 176 together. Funding is currently provided under my Department's Rural Water Programme towards group water schemes, group sewerage schemes, small public water and wastewater scheme works and some miscellaneous grants. The allocation for the Programme in 2013 is €39.6 m. The allocation for the Programme for 2014 will be €27.7 m. The...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Meters Issues (24 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Water Services Act 2013 provides for the establishment of Irish Water as an independent subsidiary within the Bord Gáis Éireann Group and assigns the necessary powers to allow Irish Water to undertake the water metering programme. Water meters used for domestic billing must comply with the EU Measuring Instrument Directive which sets standards of accuracy. This Directive is...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Electromagnetic Fields Studies (24 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: The issue of the potential health effects of electromagnetic fields was the subject of an Expert Group Report commissioned by the Government and published in March 2007. This Report, entitled Health Effects of Electromagnetic Fields , is available for download on my Department's website (). The Expert Group reported that the majority scientific opinion was that no adverse short or long-term...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Tax Yield (24 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: The estimated income to the Local Government Fund in 2013, as set out in the Revised Estimates for Public Services 2013 published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, is €1.12 billion, of which €1.11 billion relates to Motor Tax receipts.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Property Taxation Yield (24 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: The local government funding model will change considerably in 2014. Under the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012, commencing in 2014 the Minister for Finance will pay into the Local Government Fund an amount equivalent to the Local Property Tax paid into the Central Fund during that year; this revenue will be allocated to local authorities from the Fund. In addition, the establishment...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Collection (24 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: The operation of the motor tax system is kept under regular review. The position for many years has been that in order to be taxed as a goods vehicle, a vehicle must be constructed or adapted for that purpose and must be used solely in the course of trade or business. Under section 2 of the Finance (Excise Duties) Vehicles Act 1952, if a vehicle is used in a manner that would attract motor...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Seniors Alert Scheme Issues (24 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: My Department manages the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages and assists the community's support for older people by means of a community-based grant scheme to improve the security of people over 65 years of age. The Scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of my Department. The aim of the Seniors Alert Scheme is to support independent living for...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (24 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: General purpose grants are my Department's contribution towards meeting the cost to local authorities of providing a reasonable level of services to their customers. The information requested is set out in the tables below which detail the total general purpose grant allocations and final general purpose grant payments from the Local Government Fund for all local authorities in each county....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (24 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 184 to 186, inclusive, together. The local government funding model will change considerably in 2014. Under the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012, commencing in 2014 the Minister for Finance will pay into the Local Government Fund an amount equivalent to the Local Property Tax paid into the Central Fund during that year; this revenue will be allocated...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Place Names Changes (24 Oct 2013)

Phil Hogan: The law currently in force in relation to the changing of placenames is set out in the Local Government Act 1946, as amended. Section 78 of the 1946 Act provides that a local authority may, with the consent of the majority of qualified electors, change the name of a street. The procedure s for holding a plebiscite of qualified electors on a proposal to change a street name are set out in...