Results 1,561-1,580 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Written Answers — Sustainable Development Strategy: Sustainable Development Strategy (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The local agenda 21 environmental partnership fund scheme promotes sustainable development by assisting, at a local level, environmental awareness projects that involve partnership arrangements between local authorities and local community groups, schools and environmental NGOs. The scheme is co-funded on a 50-50 basis by the Department and the local authorities. The scheme was introduced in...

Written Answers — Local Authority Staff: Local Authority Staff (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The cap on local authority staffing levels results from a Government decision in December 2002 to cap public service numbers at the existing authorised level and to reduce numbers by 5,000 across all sectors by end 2005. Numbers in the local authorities are to be reduced by 1,000 over that period. Local authorities were informed of the reduction required in the overall local government sector...

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The company in question wrote to my predecessor in November 2003 offering a briefing on biotechnology issues. This offer was declined in writing in December 2003.

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: I assume that the question refers to the recently issued policy direction under section 60 of the Waste Management Act 1996. The most recent waste management policy statement, Taking Stock and Moving Forward, published in April 2004, recognised that a prohibition on inter-regional movement of waste could be unduly restrictive in terms of securing the development of waste infrastructure and...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The EU directives on waste electrical and electronic equipment, WEEE, and on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, RoHS, involve challenging requirements for all relevant stakeholder groups, particularly producers. In accordance with the terms of the WEEE and RoHS directives implementation will commence on 13 August 2005 and 1 July...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 708 and 709 together. The Heritage Council has one vacancy following the resignation of a council member on appointment to An Bord Pleanála. It is anticipated that this vacancy will be filled in the context of the appointment of the new Heritage Council following the expiry of the term of the present council on 9 July 2005. In appointing persons to the boards...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The Government's decentralisation programme involves the relocation of my Department's functions to four locations — Wexford, Waterford, New Ross and Kilkenny — in the south east. The Local Government Computer Services Board is the only body under the aegis of my Department to be relocated to Drogheda. A total of 61 applications had been received at the central applications facility, CAF,...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: Electronic voting would make that possible.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: That is correct.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: On Senator Bradford's point, I have committed to producing guidelines over this summer. I suggested in the Dáil that it would be a good idea to refer these guidelines to the relevant Oireachtas committee. This is one area where politicians know better than most the exact situation. Over the years, every politician has been in a position where he or she believed the register to be incorrect....

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: There are 300,000 more people on the summation of all registers than are eligible to vote, according to the census. This issue is serious regardless of whether the figure is 300,000, or 800,000. The first figure is the lowest figure and the latter figure is extrapolated to take into account numbers of people who are on the register when they should not be, people who should be there and are...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: I apologise but I cannot carry all the figures in my head.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: It is difficult to get them. One could extrapolate from detailed figures in the first volume of the census to work out who is eligible to vote and what the numbers should be. The results can be precise. It would be a substantial exercise to carry out and the Senator has asked a good question. If the exercise was carried out, one could then objectively highlight where the biggest errors lie...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: Whatever excuse local authorities make this year, they cannot say they are broke because they have received handsome increases. The issue is not resources but whether people are enthusiastic and willing to introduce new technology to do the job they should be doing. If a business was faced with the task of updating the register, it would not use the system operated by local authorities. I do...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: While the Senator was talking I said I intend introducing guidelines which will be available to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Environment and Local Government. I made that point clear in the Dáil. I hope the committee will have a full debate involving Members from both Houses and all parties. I will take guidance from the committee on this issue. I am very open on this issue, which...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: Resources, however, are not endless. If the local authorities do not do the job for which they are being paid they need not expect to be paid for a job they do not do.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: It is a statutory part of their job.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: I am glad the Senator clarified that point because it is consistent with the approach his party adopted in the Dáil. The Government made the point, and the Senator's party accepted it, that it is no use establishing an independent review committee if we decide we do not like its recommendations and pick and mix from them. I am pleased at the different level and tone of the debate in this...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: That is a very healthy situation. Academic observers and critics, and some people in the media who tend to be cynical — we are never short of cynics in this country — have disparaged that relationship, but we must be very careful about accepting it. I make the point that it is, first of all, not appropriate to this legislation. Second, I am grateful the Senator has made it clear he is not...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Dick Roche: The unique relationship between the elected representative in Ireland and the citizen is part of our political culture. Most of the academic literature on this would argue that it is negative, but I find it very positive. It helps to mediate between the citizen and the State, humanising that relationship. It is obviously not possible in the context of this Bill to make the change, since this...