Results 4,481-4,500 of 9,994 for speaker:John Gormley

House Completions. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: Yes.

House Completions. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: No, I was not doing that.

House Completions. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: With respect, I made no reference to any——

House Completions. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: I think the Deputy is out of order, and the Chair is right to point that out.

House Completions. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: I compliment you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, on pointing out what is and is not in order.

House Completions. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: I am saying to the Deputy that I have been criticised in the Oireachtas joint committee for interventions I have made in regard to planning matters in certain counties. I am criticised in the committee but then people say we need to take a stronger hand with the local authorities. I have to try to get the balance right. I have always said, in regard to those rezonings, that I only...

House Completions. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: I was going to complete it but anyway——

Water and Sewerage Schemes. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 18 and 33 together. I commissioned this independent examination of the design parameters of the Ringsend waste water treatment plant to determine whether they adequately addressed existing and projected loads. I was particularly concerned about the odour problems beyond the site boundary since the plant was first commissioned. The report finds that the...

Water and Sewerage Schemes. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: Do the Deputies opposite listen to my responses? I said the odour problem has been dealt with. I will add a little extra.

Water and Sewerage Schemes. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: I do not think so. Deputies must listen to my replies. I made a settlement of €35 million available and the Deputy says we are not accepting responsibility. I commissioned this independent report, which shows the equipment being installed is fit for purpose and will eliminate the smell. Deputy Ciarán Lynch's colleague knows nothing about the smell because she does not live in the area....

Water and Sewerage Schemes. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: The report is already available on a website. Have the Deputy and his colleagues not read it? The Deputy is asking me to make the report public, but it already is in the public domain. He should do his homework. Of course I knew the population would increase, but I was not in Government or on Dublin City Council. I was on the local authority and I made amendments because it was a reserve...

Water Quality. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: I refer to my earlier reply and discussion on Priority Question No. 1. The EPA water quality report for 2004-2006 found that ground water is the only aquatic system showing a trend of decline in water quality and this is a major cause of concern. Implementation of the nitrates directive is one of the key measures to address the deterioration of ground water quality. The nitrates directive...

Water Quality. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: The Deputy's colleague, Deputy Ciarán Lynch, referred to the appearance of the industry representatives before the committee earlier. It sounded like an interesting submission and I will obtain a transcript to establish the points they made to the committee. The Deputy is absolutely correct that we have a serious problem in regard to septic tanks, to which I referred earlier. I also...

Water Quality. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: I take the points made by Deputy Tuffy regarding a monitoring and inspection regime. The sustainable rural housing guidelines for planning authorities issued in April 2005 emphasised the need for adherence to best practice in regard to septic tanks to protect water quality, particularly in ground water. They were issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, which...

Election Management System. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: As I have stated recently in the House, I am at present considering the next steps to be taken in regard to the electronic voting and counting project. In this, I am taking into account the work of the Commission on Electronic Voting, which has examined the system, relevant experiences and developments internationally, the need to maintain public confidence in the electoral process, as well...

Election Management System. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: The Deputies opposite say this is an opportunity to show leadership. I wonder, as I have said before to Deputy Lynch, if and when a decision is made in regard to this matter——

Election Management System. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: ——the Deputy will show leadership. I am sure he will be out on the plinth. I am interested to hear what he would have to say at some time in the future if this matter is resolved.

Election Management System. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: I love to see confidence and ambition. With regard to the Government decision to proceed with the movement of electronic voting equipment, it was the best decision to go to the centralised premises. There are 25 locations and the Deputy has outlined some of the costs involved. In taking forward the decision to centralise storage of the electronic voting machines, what we were trying to do...

Water Quality. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: Overall, water quality in Ireland is of good standard relative to other European countries. The recent EPA water quality report for 2004-06 found a slight improvement overall in water quality, particularly in surface waters with an increase, for example, from 69.2% to 71.4% in the length of our rivers that are unpolluted compared to the 2001-03 period. However, deterioration of ground water...

Water Quality. (27 Nov 2008)

John Gormley: I can assure the Deputy that this is a priority, which is why I secured record funding of up to €560 million for water infrastructure, an increase of 19%. The Deputy is right to be concerned about the EPA findings with regard to groundwater. The main threat to groundwater is contamination from micro organisms originating in sewerage, animal manures and other organic wastes. There has...