Results 3,801-3,820 of 9,994 for speaker:John Gormley

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: The Deputy will appreciate that we cannot legislate for those who are media savvy. I understand a very media savvy person may be running for Fine Gael in the forthcoming by-election in Dublin South. Perhaps he could confirm whether this rumour, which has been circulating around the House for quite some time, is true. I will provide the background to the legislation, which has been in...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: A research report on local election spending limits was published by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, in which the Deputy's party was represented and its members made their points of view known. This is what is causing me surprise. They were in broad agreement with what I was doing and they said that consistently. The Deputy will see this if...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: I thank the Deputy for tabling this amendment. As he stated, it relates to material published on the Internet and would effectively exempt any material published on the Internet prior to the coming into effect of the spending limit period from being counted as election expenditure. I appreciate the intention behind the amendment, but I do not propose to accept it. It might be of assistance...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: I am happy to accommodate the Deputy in that regard. However, perhaps we should address this issue through guidelines on the implementation and interpretation of the legislation. It is clear that many candidates will want to know exactly what they can and cannot do. My Department will work on those guidelines and ensure there is clarity in that regard as far as candidates are concerned.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: The Local Elections (Disclosure of Donations and Expenditure) Act 1999 fixes a limit of €6,349 as the maximum donation that may be accepted by a political party in any given year from any one source. The Electoral Act 1997, as amended, provides that political parties must disclose donations of more than €5,079 in any given year. The Labour Party amendment is intended to reduce these...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: ——and we have delivered it. What I promised last weekend will be also delivered. It will be radical legislation. What we are discussing today is legislation that stems from legislation produced by the Deputy's party when it was in Government. We are now going further than that and we will go further again. That will be separate legislation because we are examining not only the...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: I again offer my assurances to the Deputy that this legislation deals with specific matters relating to local elections. We had to get the Bill to the House as quickly as possible because we have to comply with the 60-day rule, which is part of the legislation. I want to come forward with more comprehensive legislation, which will overhaul the system and deal with the issues I spoke about...

Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (11 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: Since the publication of the National Climate Change Strategy 2007 — 2012, work has continued across Government Departments on the development of measures to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions. Progress in implementing such measures, and the coordination of work across Government with respect to the climate change agenda is overseen by the Cabinet Committee on Climate Change and...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 67 together. The public expenditure provision for my Department amounted to €3,198m in 2008 as between capital and current provisions. In Budget 2009 the published expenditure provision for 2009 was €3,114m representing a reduction of 3% in overall expenditure by my Department. The reduction in overall expenditure has been brought about by a...

Written Answers — Local Government Fund: Local Government Fund (11 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: Section 4 of the Local Government Act 1998 required that the Exchequer contribution to the Fund was to be increased annually in line with inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index. Section 17 of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009 amends this provision and provides that the annual exchequer contribution to be paid into the Local Government Fund is to be...

Written Answers — Register of Electors: Register of Electors (11 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 47 and 51 together. In law, the preparation of the Register of Electors is a matter for each local registration authority. It is their duty to ensure, as far as possible and with the co-operation of the public, the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the Register. In working to compile the Register for 2007/08, local authorities undertook and completed, with...

Written Answers — Local Government Reform: Local Government Reform (11 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 74 together. I published the Green Paper, Stronger Local Democracy — Options for Change in April 2008. The Green Paper presents a set of options which share a common theme of strengthening local democratic leadership. For example, Stronger Local Democracy proposes a Regional Mayor for Dublin to meet the strategic challenges the city faces. The Paper...

Written Answers — Environmental Protection: Environmental Protection (11 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 55 and 82 together. The Programme for Government contains a commitment to initiate a study of all legislation relating to environmental fines as part of the review of the EPA. The review will be carried out by an expert group to include members with relevant international experience. I am currently considering the appropriate structure for the review and the...

Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (11 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: I refer to the reply to Question No. 53 of 27 November 2008. The EPA is preparing a report on climate impacts and potential vulnerabilities from a national perspective, which I expect to receive shortly. This report will constitute the first step in the development of a national strategy on adaptation. Subsequent steps will be informed by the findings of the Agency on potential impacts and...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (11 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: The Carrickmacross Sewerage Scheme, involving the upgrading of the collection system and the construction of a new treatment plant, is included for funding in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2007-2009, at an estimated cost of €22m. In accordance with the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive, all projects funded under this Programme require that the marginal...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (11 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 80 together. Septic tanks are the long established means of sewage treatment for houses in rural areas not served by a public sewerage scheme. The results of the last Census of Population indicated that about 418,000 houses, or 32% of the total stock of just over 1.3 million houses, were served by septic tanks in 2006. In its Water Quality 2004-2006...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (11 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: My Department is currently preparing proposals to strengthen the existing legislation on noise pollution, in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government. A public consultation process has been completed, and account is being taken of submissions received from the public and key stakeholders. While there is already a wide range of measures in place to deal with noise from a...

Written Answers — Building Regulations: Building Regulations (11 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 89 together. The EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings, which was transposed into Irish law by the European Communities (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2006 — 2008, introduced a requirement for a Building Energy Rating (BER) system. Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) has been designated as the Issuing Authority with...

Written Answers — Register of Electors: Register of Electors (11 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: The compilation and publication of the register of electors is a matter for the appropriate local authority in accordance with electoral law. A person who is not on the register may apply for inclusion on the supplement to the register up to 15 days before polling day. Applications must be received by the relevant city or county council not later than Monday 18 May in order to vote at the...

Written Answers — Water Quality: Water Quality (11 Mar 2009)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 66 and 93 together. Management of public drinking water supplies is generally the responsibility of the local authorities, which have a range of instruments and measures available to them to produce and conserve sufficient supplies to meet anticipated needs and to ensure quality standards. The quality of individual supplies is monitored by the EPA and its...