Results 13,001-13,020 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: Amendment No. 85 seeks to make the chairperson of the new economic development and enterprise SPC a member of the local authority's local enterprise office. I cannot accept this amendment as the local enterprise offices will be executive offices within local authorities and will perform functions on behalf of Enterprise Ireland under the cover of service level agreements. Unlike the CEB's...

Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: Amendment No. 89 rounds out the extension of new functions to local authorities, as set out in the Government action programme for effective local government. This is an important element of the Bill and will ensure that balanced local economic and community development will be undertaken in accordance with the principles of sustainable development, and that this development will be led and...

Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Senator finally found something that he agreed with.

Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)

Phil Hogan: I agree with Senator Cullinane's sentiments that the local enterprise offices and the local authorities have to be centre stage in economic development in the future, and not be by-passed into agencies and quangos, as occurred in the past. There is a genuine issue here. We have experienced this particularly in the south east where we do not have an office for one of our major agencies. I...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Household Charge Collection (15 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 provided the legislative basis for the Household Charge. Under the Act, an owner of a residential property on the liability date is liable to pay the Household Charge, unless otherwise exempted or entitled to claim a waiver. The Charge has operated on a self-assessment basis with an owner of a residential property determining liability and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Fire Stations Upgrade (15 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under section 10 of the Fire Services Act 1981. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rural Development Policy (15 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: The Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas (CEDRA) was launched in October 2012 by Minister Coveney and me. The aim of the Commission was to carry out an extensive public consultation and research exercise on the future economic potential of rural Ireland and how best to channel funding and resources between 2014 and 2025. The most significant element of the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (15 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for public water services. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that Irish Water can collect charges from its customers in receipt of water services. Irish Water will not collect charges from any households not connected to a public water supply including private group schemes. My Department will remain responsible for the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Fire Service Issues (15 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs, the provision of a premises and the making of such other provisions as it considers necessary or desirable, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the provisions of the Fire Services Act 1981. In February 2013 I...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Reform (15 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 490 and 493 together. The Government’s Action Programme for Effective Local Government sets out Government policy decisions in relation to a range of local government reform measures including a more effective, coherent and comprehensive system of sub-county municipal governance, encompassing both urban and rural areas, to strengthen local government...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Pollution (15 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: Chromium VI and Chromium III are listed as specific substances in the European Communities Environmental Objectives (Surface Waters) Regulations 2009. These Regulations contain Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) for substances discharged to waters. In accordance with these Regulations, monitoring of Irish surface waters is undertaken by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and by...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Staff Data (15 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: My Department has had a contract in place for the provision of telephone switch services in each of the past five years. The service was delivered by three staff until 2011; since 2012 the service has been provided by two staff. This contract is in place to assist my Department in meeting its commitment to providing a quality service to customers in line with our Customer Charter.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (15 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: Fundamental changes are being made to the role of the manager within the system of local governance and the balance of powers between the executive and the elected council, through a range of new provisions in section 51 of the Local Government Reform Bill 2013. The Bill provides for the replacement of the traditional city and county manager position by a new post of "chief executive". The...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Fire Stations Provision (15 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 499 and 511 together. The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under section 10 of the Fire Services Act 1981. My Department supports the fire...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Flood Prevention Measures (15 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: I have no responsibility for, or role in relation to, managing or dealing with capital improvement works relating to flooding.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff Recruitment (15 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: The moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the public service was introduced in March 2009 in response to the financial crisis. My Department operates a delegated sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for implementation of the moratorium in relation to local authorities, and any exceptions to the moratorium in local authorities require sanction from my Department....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Services Provision (15 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: The Programme for Government sets out a commitment to the introduction of water charges based on usage above a free allowance. The Government considers that charging based on usage is the fairest way to charge for water and it has, therefore, decided that water meters should be installed in households connected to public water supplies. The Water Services Act 2013 provides for the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Household Charge Collection (15 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: It is a matter for each local authority to determine its own spending priorities in the context of the annual budgetary process having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources. The elected members of a local authority have direct responsibility in law for all reserved functions of the authority, which include adopting the annual budget, and are democratically...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Register of Electors Data (15 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: The information requested, based on information received from registration authorities on the Register of Electors currently in force, is set out in the following table. The 2014 - 2015 Register of Electors, which will be used for the forthcoming European and Local elections, will be published on 1 February 2014 and will come into force on 15 February 2014. Register of Electors 2013- 2014...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Severe Weather Events Response (15 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: My Department is Lead Government Department for the emergency response to severe weather events and I presented a preliminary report to Government on 14 January setting out the meteorological background to the series of storms, the preparedness measures adopted by local authorities and relevant Government Departments and Agencies to the weather alerts from Met Éireann, their actual...