Results 3,701-3,720 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Government Reform (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: I have an idea what they are thinking. I will tell the Deputy what Sinn Féin was thinking in advance.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Government Reform (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: I agree in principle with the Deputy that councillors will be covering a wider geographical area and we will have a look at resource supports to ensure that the people in local government are able to do the job for which they are elected. They will have a lot more responsibility and devolved functions, as the Deputy will see when the legislation is published. The Deputy is making the case...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Government Reform (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: I am disappointed at Deputy Stanley's negativity about a legislative proposal for local government reform which he has not seen yet.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Government Reform (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: I will be delighted to deal with Deputy Stanley's amendments on Committee Stage. I will be very open with anyone who brings forward suggestions. I remind the Deputy that the local government system has not been reformed for a long time. I am doing what I can to devolve more functions from central government and agencies to local government. I have abolished half the agencies in my...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Water Charges Administration (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: The water sector reform implementation strategy, which is published on my Department’s website, is focused on ensuring that appropriate policy and legal frameworks are put in place for Irish Water and the water sector. A key objective is to rationalise the cost of the current service delivery and ensure more efficient operation of water services by moving from 34 water services...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Water Charges Administration (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: I know that Deputy Pringle has a very detailed knowledge of this work arising from his former employment. It will be a matter for the Commission for Energy Regulation to assess charges and to examine what is happening in the water-in, water-out system and whether it is being implemented by the local authority system, which will become part of Irish Water. Therefore, I am unable to answer...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Water Services Provision (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: The independent assessment of the establishment of a public water utility undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2011 estimated that there were just over 4,000 whole-time equivalent staff directly engaged in water services. A breakdown of this figure is not available in my Department. The local authority water services transition office is gathering this information on a water services...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Water Services Provision (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: There are a number of questions. Ultimately, there will be an increase in employment relating to water provision. What we are seeking to do is to generate an efficient implementation programme that will mean that the processes we have at the moment between local authorities and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government will be rationalised to the extent that we will...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Water Services Provision (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: I do not agree with Deputy Cowen that it is appropriate to have public representation at the management-union talks that are ongoing under the chairmanship of Mr. Foley from the Labour Relations Commission. There are many technical issues to be resolved. Public representatives are in charge of policy and will effectively be the board of directors in respect of local authorities in the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Government Reform (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: I am confident that the new governance arrangements within counties will enable councillors to represent their constituents more effectively than under current arrangements. While the recommendations of the local electoral area boundary committee involve an overall reduction in the number of local electoral areas, the level of representation across local authorities will be more...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Waste Water Treatment Issues (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 18 and 25 together. The Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012 assigns responsibility to the Environmental Protection Agency to make a National Inspection Plan for domestic wastewater treatment systems. The National Inspection Plan 2013: Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems was adopted and published by the EPA in February 2013. The Local Authority...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff Numbers (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: The moratorium on Public Service posts was introduced 2009 and my Department operates a delegated sanction for its implementation in relation to local authorities. Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each City and County Manager is responsible for staffing arrangements in individual local authorities. My Department works closely with local authority management to ensure that...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rural Development Policy (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: My colleague, Minister Coveney and I established the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas (CEDRA) in September 2012 and tasked it to investigate the opportunities and challenges facing rural populations in the current economic climate. Since then the Commission has been working towards the publication of a report that will inform policies and strategies to support the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: The traditional model of local authority funding has been through a combination of central and local resources; General Purpose Grants and other Grants and Subsidies provided by Government are complemented by commercial rates and user charges and fees raised locally by the local authority. General Purpose Grant allocations, predominantly financed by Motor Tax revenues, have been structured so...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Reform Expenditure (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Government's Action Programme for Effective Local Governmentindicated that it would be reasonable to project a target for overall savings in the range €15 to €20 million per annum relative to 2010 expenditure figures as potentially achievable from changes in sub-county governance when the new arrangements have bedded down.Savings willarise from the elimination of parallel...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Proposed Legislation (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: Following Government approval of the general scheme of a Pyrite Remediation Bill work is now under way, as a matter of urgency, on developing the Bill and it is my intention that it will be published and enacted in the shortest possible timeframe. The Pyrite Resolution Board has made excellent progress on developing the scope and detail of a pyrite remediation scheme, including the terms and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rural Development Programme Funding (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) is the Managing Authority for the Rural Development Programme, and is in ongoing discussions with the European Commission on the 2014-2020 Programme. My Department is the delegated paying agency for Axes 3 and 4, the LEADER elements of the Programme. Accordingly, it is in regular contact with the Department of Agriculture, including in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Leader Programmes Administration (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: The LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2007 – 2013 commenced in February 2009 after a delay of more than two years which reduced the time available to allocate funding to less than five years rather than the normal seven. I expect, however, that all project commitments under the Programme will be made by 31 December 2013 at the latest. Following a comprehensive...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Funding (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: Significant matters regarding EU Community-led Local Development funding and LEADER funding for the 2014-20 period are yet to be agreed, including the value of funding and the regulations governing implementation. In the absence of these, and ahead of the submission of local development strategies, it would be inappropriate for me to confirm any implementation arrangements for future...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Waste Management Regulations (12 Jun 2013)

Phil Hogan: A Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) published by my Department in July 2012 considered the introduction of franchise bidding by local authorities for household waste collection. This approach has been adopted in other EU Member States , whereby a local authority or group of authorities invite tenders from private operators to bid for the exclusive right to collect waste or certain streams of...