Results 2,641-2,660 of 9,994 for speaker:John Gormley

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (5 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: The Government has decided to broaden the revenue base of local authorities through the introduction of this charge on non-principal private residences, which is set at €200 per dwelling and is being levied and collected by local authorities. While the Local Government (Charges) Act 2009 sets out the detail of the charge and provides for a number of exemptions, there is no provision for an...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: Does the Senator want me to remove the provision? I have been receiving representations from the Opposition on this issue for some time.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: I thank the many Senators who made contributions on Second Stage of this Bill and Members generally for their attendance over the course of the debate. I note the matters raised, both today and during previous debates, and I will reflect on the contributions made by Senators in the context of progressing the Bill through Committee Stage. It remains my intention to have this Bill enacted at...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: What I can do is——

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: Accordingly, the proposal in the Bill is to have a two thirds majority for material changes after the draft plan has been placed on display. The two thirds requirement does not apply to approving the draft plan before it is placed on public display. As I stated previously, one of the key objectives of the Bill is to strengthen local democracy and accountability in accordance with the...

Written Answers — Local Authority Charges: Local Authority Charges (4 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: The Government has decided to broaden the revenue base of local authorities by introducing a charge on all non-principal private residences, the detail of which is set out in the Local Government (Charges) Act 2009. Payment of the charge may be made via a dedicated website, www.nppr.ie, which is a shared service across local authorities and is the most cost-efficient method of collecting...

Written Answers — Local Authority Charges: Local Authority Charges (4 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: The amount received in respect of the non-principal private residence charge under the Local Government (Charges) Act 2009 was €20,218,400 on 1 October 2009. This figure had risen to €41,752,200 by 2 November 2009. It was originally estimated that the charge would earn approximately €40,000,000 in a year.

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (4 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: Cork City Council has an allocation of €13.030 million available under my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2007 – 2009 for water conservation purposes. The revised Preliminary Report for the replacement and rehabilitation of water mains under Phase 2 of the Council's Water Conservation Programme is being assessed by my Department and a decision on it will be conveyed to...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (4 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that Ireland failed to fulfil its obligations under Articles 4 and 8 of the Waste Directive as regards domestic waste waters disposed of in the countryside through septic tanks and other individual waste water treatment systems. The renewed Programme for Government includes a commitment to introduce a scheme for the licensing and inspection of...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (4 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 234 and 235 together. The Programme for Government contained a commitment to carry out an international review of waste management plans, practices and procedures and act on its conclusions. This review is currently underway and a significant milestone was reached recently when consultants delivered a major international report on waste management policy. I...

Architectural Heritage. (3 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: I thank Deputy Andrews for raising this important issue for the city of Dublin. I fully agree that Georgian Dublin is of great cultural significance to this city. It is internationally accepted that Dublin has made an extraordinary contribution to world literature. It was, and continues to be, a city where people write and is the setting for texts of international significance such as...

Institutes of Technology. (3 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: I will respond to Deputy Costello on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and giving me an opportunity to remind the House of the progress that has been made by the Grangegorman Development Agency since its establishment in 2006 and to outline the current position with regard to the board of the agency. As the Deputy is...

Dental Support Services. (3 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: I am replying to this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue as it affords me the opportunity to outline the position with regard to claims arising from an accident at school. A school's responsibility for the safety of children arises from the general law relating to duty of care...

Written Answers — Election Management System: Election Management System (3 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: The renewed Programme for Government contains a commitment to establish an Electoral Commission. The Commission will be tasked with proposing reforms to the electoral system in a number of areas, including outlining new electoral systems for Seanad Éireann. I have arranged to hold the final meeting of the All-Party Group on Seanad Reform on Wednesday 4 November. The aim of the Group has...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (3 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: All State Bodies must ensure that their procedures and practices are in accordance with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, an updated version of which was published by the Department of Finance in May 2009. My Department wrote to the Dublin Docklands Development Authority in August requesting that a comprehensive review of corporate governance be undertaken. I...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (3 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: Earlier this year, I announced my intention to review the provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 under which the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) operates. The purpose of this review is to consider whether the Act best supports the PRTB's key functions and whether legislative amendments would support either the achievement of additional operational efficiencies by the PRTB...

Written Answers — Electricity Generation: Electricity Generation (3 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: I have not received any correspondence or representations in relation to the colour of wind turbines. On the particular issue of Wind Farm development, my Department issued Wind Energy Development Guidelines in June 2006. A copy of the Guidelines is available on my Department's website www.environ.ie. The Guidelines offer advice to planning authorities, developers and the wider public on...

Written Answers — Local Authority Charges: Local Authority Charges (3 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: The Government has decided to broaden the revenue base of local authorities by introducing a charge on all non-principal private residences. The charge, which is set at €200, is payable by the owners of private rented accommodation, holiday homes and any other residential property that is not the owner's sole or main residence. While detailed guidance has been provided to local authorities...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (3 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: The Moville/Greencastle Sewerage Scheme is included in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2007 – 2009, at an estimated cost of €9.3m. My Department is awaiting the submission by Donegal County Council of the Preliminary Report for the scheme. Local authorities were asked in July to submit an assessment of needs for water and sewerage services to my Department by 23...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (3 Nov 2009)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 930 and 931 together. To date the Strategic Infrastructure Division of An Bord Pleanála has received 30 formal applications for major strategic infrastructure projects under the provisions of the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act 2006, and 18 cases have been disposed of. There are 12 major Strategic Infrastructure cases currently on...