Results 1,321-1,340 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed). (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: Deputy McGrath comes in to the House and tries to shout me down when I want to outline the facts and tell the truth. If he was better prepared, he would not need to resort to such gutter tactics. The legislation enacted in 1997 provides for three, four and five seat constituencies. It is wrong for Deputies to come in to the House and impute that somehow or other those who formed the...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed). (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: I will deal with that issue. Let us look at the practical impact of what the Deputy is proposing on constituencies with a population greater than 150,000. From the point of view of what the Deputy has brought forward, connectedness between the elected representative and the electorate is not wise.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed). (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The Deputy is disputing the argument that there is a connection between the elected representative and the person he or she represents, which is the very essence of democracy. I am sure the Deputy is not attacking it. There would be an electorate of more than 170,000 in a seven seat constituency. However, that is not the best or most practical way to proceed. There would be an issue with...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed). (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: That is a completely perverse view. After a period when politicians drafted the constituency boundaries, we decided, wisely, to depoliticise that particular issue. It was decided by consensus across the political parties. There has been much comment on this issue of late, including contributions from Dr. Garret FitzGerald. It is not proper for Deputy Finian McGrath to cast aspersions on the...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed). (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The Minister of State is a good example of a hard-working constituency Deputy. One cannot be À la carte on this issue. One cannot say that one does not want the large political parties to make decisions on constituency boundaries and then say one does not like the alternative either. No cogent argument has been put forward for a radical departure from the arrangements that have been in...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed). (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: They have been in operation since the election of 1947, which is more years than I care to remember. The arrangements have applied for over 50 years and they strike a better balance than the alternatives that preceded them. I must make a point to Deputy Morgan and, in fact, I cannot avoid doing so. His espousal of the system that obtained in this country in 1922 overlooks the minor fact that...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed). (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: I know that; they were not mine either.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed). (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: I accept that. Fair dues to Deputy Morgan. What I was about to say is that whatever else motivated our former imperial masters, it was not the well-being of the Irish people. I cannot accept the amendments.

Written Answers — Departmental Websites: Departmental Websites (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: I have already indicated that I believe my Department's website, www.environ.ie, is in need of some improvement in terms of content architecture and presentation. Design and development of a major reworking of the site is under way and an entirely new layout is planned. The Department is aiming to have the new site in place before the end of the year. In the meantime, interim revisions...

Written Answers — Nuclear Plants: Nuclear Plants (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 52, 103 and 108 together. The recent leakage at the THORP reprocessing plant in the Sellafield complex has underscored the legitimacy of Government policy that Sellafield should be closed in a safe and orderly manner because of the threat it poses to Ireland. While the leak was contained and did not constitute an immediate hazard to the local population or...

Written Answers — International Conferences: International Conferences (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The International Symposium on Uranium Production and Raw Materials for the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency, took place in Vienna last week. My Department, in consultation with the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland and based on an evaluation of priorities, decided not to nominate an official representative to the uranium symposium. The...

Written Answers — Local Government Policy: Local Government Policy (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The Local Government Act 2001 modernises the legislative framework, supports community involvement with local authorities in a more participative local democracy and underpins generally the programme of local government renewal, including the position of county and city councils as the primary units of local government. Under the Act, there are five city councils and also five borough...

Written Answers — Election Management System: Election Management System (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: Unlike the situation regarding Dáil constituencies, there are no constitutional or statutory requirements regarding the frequency of local electoral area reviews. The last review of local electoral areas was carried out in 1998. The June 2004 local elections took place on the basis of the existing local electoral areas and there are currently no proposals for examination of these areas. The...

Written Answers — Waste Disposal: Waste Disposal (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The policy direction which I have recently issued under section 60 of the Waste Management Act 1996 directs the local authorities to ensure that the requirements of section 22 of that Act are fully met in the current review of their waste management plans. Section 22 states that a waste management plan shall include information on: the identification of sites at which waste disposal or...

Written Answers — Waste Disposal: Waste Disposal (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 39, 44, 45, 116 and 127 together. The most recent waste management policy statement, Taking Stock and Moving Forward, April 2004, recognised that the prohibition on all inter-regional movements of waste could be unduly restrictive in terms of securing the development of waste infrastructure and the objectives of waste management plans. It is the case that most...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: Action to protect the habitats of rare and endangered wild bird species is most directly addressed by designation of sites as special protection areas, SPAs. To date, Ireland has designated 128 SPAs, covering an area equivalent to almost 3% of our land area and statutory orders are in preparation to designate some further sites. Designation of habitats under other provisions, for example, as...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The statutory provisions for the making of regional planning guidelines are contained in the Planning and Development Act 2000. Under these provisions, I have issued directions to regional authorities and published regulations on the making of regional planning guidelines. My Department has also issued guidance notes to regional authorities to assist them in this process. In accordance with...

Written Answers — Water Conservation: Water Conservation (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: Local authorities are responsible for publicity measures associated with the national water conservation scheme being funded by my Department under the water services investment programme 2004-06. The objective of the conservation scheme is to identify and substantially reduce unaccounted for water levels in public water supply networks. Over €276 million has been allocated to city and...

Written Answers — Nuclear Plants: Nuclear Plants (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 43 and 90 together. I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 180 and 184 of 18 May 2005. Ireland and the United Kingdom submitted their latest progress report to the UNCLOS tribunal on 31 May 2005. Otherwise, the position is unchanged.

Written Answers — Waste Disposal: Waste Disposal (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: My Department does not have detailed information on the number of waste collection permits held by landscape gardeners nor on the origin of green waste deposited at facilities for recycling. Identification of needs for waste management facilities is a matter for local authorities under the relevant regional waste management plans, which are currently being reviewed by the local authorities....