Results 4,461-4,480 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Written Answers — Tribunals of Inquiry: Tribunals of Inquiry (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: Total expenditure incurred by my Department in 2005 on the planning tribunal was €8.537 million.

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 131, 148, 187, 199, 210, 222 and 653 together. I refer to the replies to Question No. 215 on 9 February 2006 and to Priority Question No. 105 and Questions Nos. 107 and 112 on today's Order paper. Water quality in Ireland is generally good but has been deteriorating since the 1970s due to the increasing incidence of slight to moderate pollution. The third...

Written Answers — Nuclear Plants: Nuclear Plants (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I understand from the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, RPII, that preparation of the report by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, NII, into the incident at THORP in April 2005 is at an advanced stage. Although it is the intention of the NII to publish the report, there is a possibility of enforcement action, in the form of legal proceedings, arising from its investigation...

Written Answers — Waste Disposal: Waste Disposal (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: Primary responsibility for the environmentally sound management of WEEE rests with producers, in line with the producer responsibility obligations imposed by the directive. Producers are required under the legislation to finance the collection, treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of WEEE deposited by retailers and members of the public at collection facilities and to...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: The European Communities (Waste Water Treatment) (Prevention of Odours and Noise) Regulations 2005 require sanitary authorities to ensure that new and existing waste water treatment plants under their control are operated and maintained so as to ensure that they avoid causing nuisance though odours or noise. The regulations require each sanitary authority to maintain records of all...

Written Answers — Waste Disposal: Waste Disposal (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: Enforcement of environmental legislation is a matter for local authorities and the Office of Environmental Enforcement. I understand the office, through the enforcement network it has established, arranged a meeting of regional co-ordinators on 17 January 2006 to finalise the overall content of the work plans for enforcement activities for 2006, which include initiatives planned to deal with...

Written Answers — Nuclear Safety: Nuclear Safety (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 213 together. The Government initiated international legal proceedings against the United Kingdom under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS, with regard to the Sellafield Mox plant. This litigation was suspended pending resolution of jurisdictional issues in the dispute, which were raised by the European Commission and heard by...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 141 and 648 together. I have recently received a request from the Association of County and City Councils calling for the regulation of adult entertainment stores and related venues through the planning code. When next amending the planning exemption regulations, I will consider whether the regulation of this sector is necessary and, if so, whether this can be...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: The strategic planning guidelines for the greater Dublin area were published in 1999 and were succeeded by the Regional Planning Guidelines Greater Dublin Area 2004-2016. The latter were prepared at my direction and adopted jointly by the Dublin Regional Authority and the Mid-East Regional Authority. The guidelines are in the second year of their 12 year lifespan. My Department monitors...

Written Answers — Nuclear Safety: Nuclear Safety (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: Following notification from the United Kingdom in December 2003 that it intended to provide state aid to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, NDA, the European Commission opened a formal investigation in December 2004 to investigate whether the establishment of the NDA complied with EC treaty rules requiring that state aids should not distort or threaten to distort competition. State aid is...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 537, 538, 539 and 540 on 7 February 2005.

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 147 and 158 together. Article 15 of the EU energy performance of buildings directive allows for the phasing in of the building energy rating, BER, of buildings not later than 4 January 2009. I understand that most EU member states are phasing in BER certification, over the period 2007 to 2009, under Article 15. I have already announced that I intend to phase...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Question No. 217 of 9 February 2006.

Written Answers — Election Management System: Election Management System (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: A person in legal custody may be registered as an elector and, under section 11(5) of the Electoral Act 1992, such persons are deemed to be ordinarily resident in the place where they would have been residing but for their detention. Following a judgment of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in a UK case in October 2005, the Government has approved the drafting of a Bill...

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: My Department is undertaking a number of actions to promote co-operation on North-South and east-west environmental issues. A North-South market development steering group — comprising representatives of my Department, the Department of the Environment Northern Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, the UK based Waste Resources Action Programme, WRAP, Invest Northern Ireland, the Environmental...

Written Answers — Election Management System: Election Management System (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 154, 181, 201, 642, 659 and 660 together. The Government decision in February 2000 to move to electronic voting and counting in Ireland followed extensive research on electronic voting systems and experiences in other countries and input from a range of sources on legislative, financial and practical considerations, including from representative returning...

Written Answers — Retail Sector Developments: Retail Sector Developments (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: My Department is aware from media reports that the company referred to has applied for planning permission for what it terms a smaller store of about 20,000 sq. m laid out over three levels in London, which the company says will be first in a series of such smaller stores in town centres across Britain. The company already operates a network of some 13 stores in the UK. Eight of these 13...

Written Answers — Litter Pollution: Litter Pollution (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 156 and 214 together. Following the success of the plastic bag levy, consultants were appointed by my Department to make recommendations on the possible application of economic instruments, including environmental levies, to other items that are problematic from a litter perspective. With regard to chewing gum, the consultants recommended either a levy on the...

Written Answers — Social Inclusion: Social Inclusion (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: The local authorities which have adopted the Barcelona Declaration, as advised to my Department by the National Disability Authority, NDA, are included in the table. The NDA has also advised that there is no target date for the adoption of the declaration by all local authorities. The aims and objectives of the declaration are also largely reflected in the national disability strategy. ...

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (14 Feb 2006)

Dick Roche: My Department is undertaking a number of actions to promote wider co-operation on North-South and British-Irish biodiversity strategies and plans. My Department is represented on the Northern Ireland biodiversity group and nominations are being sought for reciprocal representation on our biodiversity forum, the establishment of which I announced recently. These complementary structures are...