Results 12,561-12,580 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: Most traffic and parking functions will be at district level so we will check the situation regarding bus shelters. I do not see any reason a local authority cannot provide an essential facility for citizens at that level if it wishes to do so.

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: If it wishes to do so, I am sure there is nothing stopping it at the moment.

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: We will have a look at that.

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: I acknowledge the spirit and intent of what Deputy Catherine Murphy is seeking to do here. I believe the Bill caters fairly well for her objective, particularly through the establishment of a national oversight and audit commission. This commission will scrutinise local government performance in fulfilling national, regional and local mandates. It promotes value for money where State funds...

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: We will be okay.

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: What will the councillors do?

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: I am surprised that Deputy Cowen has the mistaken view that we are taking powers from local authorities, given the fact that his party in government set up so many agencies and abolished so many opportunities for local government to play its part. Town councils were effectively made redundant.

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: I draw his attention to the fact that former town commissions had no power to adopt local area plans.

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: No, the Deputy did not.

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: If we were to allow-----

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: What the Deputy is proposing with the community council is effectively to over-ride the democratic input of the elected members-----

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: -----of the municipal district by asking them-----

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Deputy is asking them to draft the local area plans. The democratically elected person in the municipal district is the elected person who should be in charge of adopting that plan.

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: There certainly should be a structure to ensure the community is engaged in the process, but not involved in the drafting of it.

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: No.

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: We will come to that later.

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: Everybody agrees that the existing community and voluntary structure is not working. I will try to reflect the tenor of the amendments. A working group has been established under the chairmanship of Fr. Sean Healy, whom the Deputy knows well, to bring the people together to assess what structure of citizen engagement and participative democracy we can have in conjunction with the municipal...

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: I will certainly reflect on it for an amendment in the Seanad. I will get the report from Fr. Sean Healy on Friday and we will see what recommendations he offers. I am prepared to look at a structure to be put it in place, but I will not agree to a list of functions for a community council that would actually subvert the powers that were given to the municipal district member at local level.

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: In addition, council officials would be tied up with doing the work with the community council rather than with the democratically elected member at municipal district level. We will not do that. We will come up with a structure and hopefully the Deputy-----

Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: Yes, there is a gap, and I acknowledged that on Committee Stage. That is the reason I set up the working group, to look at what it considered to be an appropriate structure and to give some advice on it.