Results 1,421-1,440 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The local agenda 21 environment partnership fund, LA21EPF, promotes sustainable development by assisting environmental awareness projects at a local level that involve partnership arrangements between local authorities and local community groups, schools and environmental NGOs. Allocations from the environment fund, from which the Department's contribution to the local agenda 21 environment...

Written Answers — National Parks: National Parks (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: My Department will meet shortly with Killarney Town Council to discuss a number of issues including, the request by the town council that land in the Killarney National Park should be made available for a burial ground. As a general principle, any development in an area designated as a national park and a special area of conservation, as is Killarney National Park, should be limited to what...

Written Answers — Architectural Heritage: Architectural Heritage (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: There has been no contact between South Dublin County Council and my Department in regard to funding for future works to Killininny Tower, Oldcourt, Tallaght.

Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The Government's national climate change strategy, published in November 2000, provides a comprehensive framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the most efficient and equitable manner, and for ensuring that Ireland meets its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The strategy has provided the basis for Government policy...

Written Answers — Air Pollution: Air Pollution (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: On 12 April 2005, the Government approved a national programme for the progressive reduction of emissions of the four transboundary pollutants, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and ammonia. The National Emission Ceilings Regulations 2004 specify national emission ceilings for the above four pollutants to be achieved by 2010. A number of measures which would tie in...

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

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 819 to 821, inclusive, and 823 together. Ireland signed the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters on 25 June 1998. Progress towards ratification of the convention is closely aligned with work at EU level. To date, the European Union has adopted two directives as part...

Written Answers — Special Areas of Conservation: Special Areas of Conservation (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The impact of peat extraction is a significant issue for raised bog habitats, of which 57 sites have been proposed as candidate special areas of conservation, SACs. Any commercial peat extraction on these sites has been stopped. Since 1999, owners of bog and turbary rights in these SACs have been advised generally that they may continue domestic turf cutting for up to ten years, except in...

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: Sustainable development considerations underpin the work of the county and city development boards, CDBs. In this context, the boards were asked to take account of sustainable development, including its environmental dimension, in the preparation of their strategies for social, cultural and economic development which were published in 2002. The CDBs are reviewing their strategies in line with...

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The UN-ECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context, signed at Espoo in Finland on 25 February 1991, has been fully implemented by section 174 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 and chapter 5 of Part 10 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, SI 600 of 2001. Article 132 of the 2001 regulations prescribes the procedure for consultation with the...

Written Answers — Radon Gas Levels: Radon Gas Levels (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: During the years 1992 to 1999, the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, RPII, carried out a nationwide survey of radon in domestic dwellings. The survey involved the measurement by the RPII of radon for a 12-month period in a random selection of homes in each 10 km x 10 km grid square throughout the country. The results of the survey were used to predict the percentage of houses in...

Written Answers — Air Pollution: Air Pollution (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: Air quality assessment is the responsibility of the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and air quality management a matter for local authorities informed by air quality measurement data. The EPA has a statutory duty under the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2002 to make information available on ambient concentrations of all pollutants under the scope of the regulations. The EPA website...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: I understand that methane gas is not produced in the collection of municipal waste water or in the waste water treatment process itself. Sludge is a waste water treatment by-product and the generation of methane gas for use as a fuel may be a beneficial feature of sludge treatment, in particular anaerobic digestion. Sludge treatment facilities should not release methane into the environment...

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

Dick Roche: My Department has not issued guidelines on the location of landfill facilities. All landfills are now required to be licensed by the Environmental Protection Agency, which is precluded from granting such a licence unless it is satisfied that the facility concerned will not cause environmental pollution.

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

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 305 and 306 of 18 May 2005. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: Proposals have not been received by my Department from Kildare County Council on this issue which I understand involves arterial drainage of the River Slate. Under the Arterial Drainage Acts, such works are the responsibility of the Office of Public Works rather than my Department.

Written Answers — Local Authority Staff: Local Authority Staff (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The number of engineers employed in Kildare County Council at 31 December 2004, as supplied to my Department by the council, is as follows: Grade Full-time Permanent Part-time Permanent Full-time Temporary Vacancies Senior Engineer 4 0 0 1 Senior Executive Engineer (incl. structural) 12 2 0 0 Executive Engineer 25 2 0 6 Assistant Engineer 8 0 1 1 The former...

Written Answers — Urban Renewal Schemes: Urban Renewal Schemes (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 843 to 845, inclusive, together. I refer to the reply to Question No. 249 of 28 April 2005. The position is unchanged. Under the Derelict Sites Act 1990, local authorities have a range of powers to deal with derelict sites within their functional areas. It is also open to Kildare County Council to seek to have Kilcock prescribed as an urban area within the...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Question No. 281 of 9 February 2005. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Question No. 282 of 9 February 2005. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — Radon Gas Levels: Radon Gas Levels (28 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: Studies have not been carried out in Ireland on the possible link between levels of radon gas in homes, schools or workplaces and various forms of cancer. Epidemiological studies have shown that naturally occurring radon gas concentrations add to the incidence of lung cancer. There is evidence to suggest that long-term exposure to high levels of radon can be a contributory factor in...