Results 4,041-4,060 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Leader Programmes Funding (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: I refer to the reply to priority Question No. 4 on today’s order paper. I have allowed the issuing of contracts for approximately €42 million worth of projects that have all the necessary approvals in place.  The Local Development Companies (LDCs) have two weeks to notify my Department as to whether all of the projects considered within this €42 million are ready to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Domestic Violence Policy (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: Responsibility for the development and provision of services to support victims of domestic abuse rests with the nister for Health and is delivered through the Health Service Executive. In addition Cosc, the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, which was established in June 2007 as an executive office of the Department of Justice and Equality,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Properties (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: In general, premises and sites occupied by my Department are rented or leased by the Office of Public Works, rather than directly by my Department. My Department rents office space for Met Éireann at Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports at a full year rental cost of €86,106 for Dublin and €159,818 for Shannon. In relation to the office space at Cork Airport, rent for 2009 to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff Remuneration (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: At 31 March 2013 there were 224.70 , whole time equivalent (WTE), local authority staff on salary scales the maximum points of which are in excess of €100,000. The grades concerned are City and County Managers, Assistant Managers and Directors of Service. Since 2008 local authorities have reduced staff numbers by almost a quarter from 37,243 to 28,268. In the same period the senior...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Building Regulations Amendments (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: The national building regulations prescribe construction and performance standards for buildings and dwellings, and include provisions relating to septic tanks. The regulations were introduced under the Building Control Act, 1990, and are operative since 1 June, 1992. Compliance with the regulations is the responsibility of the owner or builder of a building. Enforcement of the regulations is...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: RAPID Programme (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: RAPID (Revitalising Areas by Planning, Investment and Development) covers urban areas designated as disadvantaged by reference to a range of socio-economic criteria including the levels of early school leaving; the proportion of one parent households; the unemployment rate; the proportion of social housing; and the age dependency rate. The RAPID programme aims to ensure that priority...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Official Engagements (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 57 together. Comhairle na Tuaithe (The Countryside Council) continuously supports and oversees the implementation of the National Countryside Recreation Strategy and its associated schemes, programmes and activities, including the Walks Scheme. The last meeting of Comhairle na Tuaithe was held in Dublin on 27 February, 2013. The next meeting is...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme Issues (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: HomeBond is one of the construction stakeholders who have agreed to set up a not-for-profit entity to operate a remediation scheme under the supervision of the Pyrite Resolution Board (PRB) . Under the proposed process, i t is intended that t he entity will be the borrower of the loan facility , which a number of financial institutions have indicated their willingness to provide , to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff Issues (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 25 and 51 together. Under Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001 each City and County Manager is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements to carry out the functions within his or her local authority. While the specific information requested in the questions is not available in my Department, I understand that, overall, the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Electoral Divisions Establishment (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: I established a Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee on 15 November 2012 to review and make recommendations on the division of each council area, other than Cork City, into local electoral areas, and to make recommendations on the number of members of each council to be assigned to each local electoral area. The Committee was requested to submit its report as soon as possible and, in any...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Proposed Legislation (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: In line with the commitment in the Programme for the development of national climate policy and legislation, I have released the outline Heads of a Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development Bill, together with the second and final policy analysis report from the NESC Secretariat, for consideration by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Ministerial Travel (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Minister of State in my Department, Jan O'Sullivan, represented the Government in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 16 to 19 March as part of the Government ’ s Promote Ireland programme . The main purpose of Minister of State O’Sullivan ’s visit was to attend and address the Annual Jeddah Economic Forum, the theme of which this year was ‘Housing the Growing...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Leader Programmes Funding (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: The table below details the level of project funding committed to date by each Local Development Company (LDC) contracted to deliver Axis 3 & 4 (the LEADER elements) of the Rural Development Programme (RDP). The table also contains the level of project expenditure and the administration costs to date for each LDC. Local Development Company Project Commitments Project...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Reform (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: The specific question of introducing an office of directly elected mayor for the Dublin Metropolitan Area is considered in the Government’s Action Programme for Effective Local Government in the context of other governance issues. A key conclusion in that regard is that such an office should not be simply inserted as a further layer of governance and administration in addition to the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Dormant Accounts Fund Deposits (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Dormant Accounts Acts provide for an annual transfer by credit institutions and insurance undertakings of monies in accounts determined to be dormant into the Dormant Accounts Fund (DAF). Since its establishment in April 2003 to the end of March 2013, the transfers to the DAF have totalled some €678.5m, including €38.7m in interest. Funds reclaimed since April 2003 total...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Expenditure (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: On the basis of the terms of reference of the Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee, the total cost of allowances for additional councillors in the Dublin local authorities is currently estimated to be circa €1.5 million per annum. This additional cost will arise from reducing the degree of representational imbalance currently in the Dublin authorities and should also be viewed in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Ministerial Travel (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: I attended the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Boston, Massachusetts and Rhode Island from March 13 to 18 as part of the Government’s Promote Ireland programme . I carried out over twenty separate engagements over the five days, meeting with many of the key contacts in the political , business and local community. The emphasis was on helping to promote trade, tourism and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Septic Tank Inspections (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 39, 40, 42 and 157 together. The Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012 assigns responsibility to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 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 Plan...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Security of the Elderly (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Seniors Alert Scheme provides grant assistance towards the purchase and installation of equipment to enable older persons, without sufficient means, to continue to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind. The Scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of my Department. The funding allocated to the Seniors Alert...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rural Recreation Promotion (1 May 2013)

Phil Hogan: In regard to rural recreation development, my Department continues to engage with 12 Local Development Companies with whom we have Service Level Agreements in place. These agreements relate to appropriate schemes and actions to implement relevant objectives of the National Countryside Recreation Strategy and the continued implementation of the Walks Scheme. The Walks Scheme was originally...