Results 2,301-2,320 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: As required under the Disability Act 2005, my Department's sectoral plan was approved by the Houses of the Oireachtas in October 2006. The plan, covering my Department, its partner bodies and local authorities, sets out national objectives and guidelines for access to public buildings, services, amenities, and information, as well as to heritage sites and other facilities. The plan provides...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: A grant of up to €2,031.58 or 75% of the approved cost, whichever is the lesser, is available from county councils under the Rural Water Programme for the provision or necessary improvement of a domestic water supply to an existing dwelling but only where a supply cannot be obtained from either a public or group water scheme. Responsibility for determining the eligibility of an individual...

Written Answers — National Parks: National Parks (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: The Glendalough monastic site is under the responsibility of the Office of Public Works but is set in Wicklow Mountains National Park, which is managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department. NPWS provides a number of facilities in Glendalough, including a Visitor Information Point near the Upper Lake and picnic facilities. Glendalough also enjoys the services of...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: The improvement and maintenance of non-national roads is a matter for local authorities to be funded from their own resources supplemented by State grants provided by my Department. While there are no specific grants available from my Department for the construction of cattle underpasses on the non-national road network, local authorities may use discretionary improvement grants provided by...

Written Answers — Forestry Licences: Forestry Licences (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: My Department understands that, in connection with this development, an application for a felling licence may be made to the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture and Food. In the event of such an application, my Department would be consulted in relation to wildlife and conservation implications and would submit any views to the Forest Service as necessary.

Written Answers — Waste Water Treatment: Waste Water Treatment (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: My Department is in ongoing communication with the European Commission regarding the measures which continue to be put in place to comply with the wide-ranging judgment of the European Court of Justice in Case C-282/02 in relation to implementation of the Dangerous Substances Directive in Ireland. One of the measures proposed is the licensing of urban waste water discharges from local...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: Specific distance requirements for residential, or other development from agricultural establishments are not provided for under planning legislation. It is a matter for each planning authority, when making decisions in relation to planning applications for their functional area, to reach a determination in each case in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

Written Answers — Wildlife Protection: Wildlife Protection (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: Feral goats are not afforded protection under the Wildlife Acts and my Department is not in a position to provide expert advice on their preservation. The question of protecting this herd of goats as an element of Waterford City's biodiversity would be a matter for the City Council to consider.

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: Section 261 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 was commenced with effect from 28 April 2004. It introduced a once-off system of registration for all quarries, except those for which planning permission was granted in the preceding 5 years. Under the registration system quarry operators were required to supply full details of their operations to the planning authority, including...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: There was confusion earlier in that a group of amendments is being taken together. Amendments Nos. 7a, 15 to 17, inclusive, 17a, 18, 18a and 19 to 23, inclusive, are being taken together. The group of amendments relates to section 4. The substance of the amendments was discussed on Committee Stage. Section 4(1) is necessary so the registration authority can get the information required for...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: I made it clear if the Deputy followed the point I made. During the Committee Stage discussions, Deputy Gilmore raised a concern and wanted to delete the word "shall" which he said was inflexible and substitute the words "may be required to". The general tenor of the discussion on Committee Stage was that it would be wise to try to introduce a more flexible arrangement. To answer Deputy...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: I move amendment No. 18: In page 5, to delete lines 7 to 13 and substitute the following: "(2) If a registration authority makes a requirement pursuant to subsection (1), it may specify in the requirement or in a subsequent notice given by it in relation to the requirement the period of time within which the requirement shall be complied with and, if the applicant does not comply within the...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: Amendment No. 27 is very interesting. Amendments Nos. 27 to 30, inclusive, effectively cover the same issue and deal with the matter of automatic registration. They raise very significant difficulties. What is proposed is a system of automatic registration when a person reaches 18 years. There is a problem with the amendment, notwithstanding the fact that automatic registration might be a...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: I am grateful to the Deputy for his remarks. The Deputy asked about the use of the PPS numbers. I have made the point several times that PPS numbers are primarily for use by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and were established for a particular purpose. We have approximately 5 million PPS numbers in the country and approximately 3.1 million voters. To convert PPS numbers to a...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: The Deputy was not present when I dealt with this specific point. The idea is that we would have a recognised official in the prison at senior level who will take responsibility for this issue and that, for example, the prison education service would have a specific role to play, a point made earlier by Deputy O'Dowd. Deputy Boyle is correct that a disturbingly high proportion of the prison...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: Practical difficulties arise. We clearly could not have a separate register for each different election. There is no need to know a voter's address for a referendum, for example, but as the electoral register is difficult enough to construct once, to construct four or five different electoral registers would be extremely difficult. The idea of automatic registration or, for example, a...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: The Deputy heard me correctly. I have said it several dozen times. I have even said it in the Deputy's presence.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: I move amendment No. 28a: In page 11, between lines 17 and 18, to insert the following: "11.—(1) The Table to Rule 1 (4) of the Second Schedule to the Act of 1992 is amended as respects, and only as respects, the preparation of the register of electors which comes into force immediately following the register in force at the date of coming into operation of this Act, by substituting— (a)...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Instruction to Committee (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: I thank Deputies and would like to take up a number of the points made. Turning to Deputy Boyle's contribution, I have said several times that this must be taken out of the political maw and that we need an electoral commission that will take over the totality of this. I agree with the comment that this should not be an issue for one side of the House. I would welcome a debate in that...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Instruction to Committee (28 Nov 2006)

Dick Roche: It is very difficult to change any process half way through it. Let us look at where there is agreement. What we are doing here is moving the dates out. I wish to make one point to Deputy O'Dowd on the issue of PPS numbers. We have talked about the issue of using PPS numbers several times. With respect, I think Deputy Morgan has a more accurate view of what happened in the North of...