Results 5,021-5,040 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Leader Programmes (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Gaeltacht areas referred to in the Question were formerly serviced by Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta (MFG) for the purposes of the distribution of Axes 3 & 4 (LEADER) of the Rural Development Programme (RDP). MFG went into liquidation on 7 September 201 1. Following a complex and difficult legal winding up process most of the Gaeltacht areas are now operational through Local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Household Charge Collection (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Local Government Management Agency is administering the Household Charge system on a shared service/agency basis for all county and city councils. I understand, from data provided by the Agency, that as of 11 January 2012 the number of registrations, including waiver registrations, for the Household Charge is 1,140,586. As the Household Charge system records one owner entry per...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: My Department participates in the Project Steering Group for the Greater Dublin Regional Drainage Project (North Dublin Treatment Plant and Orbital Sewer project). The last Steering Group meeting was held on 13 December 2012 and a comprehensive progress report was provided at the meeting. My Department understands that Fingal County Council expects to be in a position to make the decision...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rights of Way (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: I refer to the reply to parliamentary Question No. 63 of 8 December 2011, regarding facilitating the Wicklow Way to cross private lands in or around the junction between Boranaralty and the Ballybrack Road in the Glencullen area. The development and maintenance of critical walking infrastructure is fundamental to the whole approach to facilitating access to the countryside for recreation and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: National Countryside Recreation Strategy (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: I am aware that the issue of erosion, as a consequence of the increasing popularity of outdoor activities including hill walking, is of increasing concern. The Rural Recreation Section within my Department oversees the implementation of the National Countryside Recreation Strategy (NCRS). The Strategic Objectives set out in the Strategy are:- 1. To achieve sustainable and responsible...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Funding (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: With the reduced resources available for my Department's funding programmes, the CLÁR programme is no longer accepting funding applications and there is provision of €0.3m available to meet existing commitments arising during 2013. I regret, therefore, that here is no additional top-up funding available under the CLÁR programme where an organisation has been approved for a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 684 and 685 together. The Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2013 provides for the development of a comprehensive range of new water services infrastructure in County Longford. The Programme includes contracts under construction and to commence to the value of almost €38 million in County Longford over the period of the Programme....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rural Development Programme (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: Axes 3 & 4 (LEADER) of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2007-2013, for which my Department has responsibility, continues to facilitate access to significant financial resources for rural communities. One of the objectives of the RDP is to provide appropriate amenity and leisure facilities to local communities not otherwise available to them. Accordingly, it may be possible to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Seniors Alert Scheme (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 688, 690, 714 and 725 together. 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. It is my intention that funding for the 2013 Seniors Alert Scheme will be similar...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Household Charge Collection (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Local Government Management Agency is administering the Household Charge system on a shared service/agency basis for all county and city councils. There was no existing comprehensive database of residential properties and their owners within the State prior to the Household Charge being introduced. The collection of the Household Charge via self-assessment declaration provides for the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Seniors Alert Scheme (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: There are 18 groups registered for the Seniors Alert Scheme in County Louth and 14 of these groups received funding in 2012. Over the year 239 people in County Louth were funded under the Scheme and the amount spent was €62,857.80. It is my intention that funding for the 2013 Seniors Alert Scheme will be similar to 2012 levels. The qualifying criterion for the scheme will remain...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 693 and 694 together. The Portrane/Donabate/Rush/Lusk Sewerage Scheme is included in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2013, with some elements approved to go to construction and some to proceed through planning. Work on construction of the new waste water treatment plant in Portrane is now completed and work on the Channel...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Metering Contracts (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: The Government has decided that Irish Water, a new State-owned water company to be established as an independent subsidiary within the Bord Gáis Éireann Group, will be responsible for the domestic water metering programme and for the collection of water charges from households. The procurement process for the sub-contractor panel has been developed by my Department, in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Funding (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 717 and 726 together. Each year my Department makes a large volume of payments to a wide range of organisations, including non-statutory bodies, as well as individuals. The information requested, relating to an extensive number of payments, is not readily available in my Department. If the Deputy wishes to put down a more specific question in the area of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Issues (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: HomeBond, in conjunction with the Construction Industry Federation and the Irish Concrete Federation, has agreed in principle to establish an entity for the purposes of operating a remediation scheme in respect of those homes affected by pyrite and where the homeowner has no other form of redress. This is a positive development which I welcome. The entity thus created will also be in a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Issues (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: In line with the normal practice for the development of standards in which my Department is involved, comments and proposed changes to draft I.S. 398 – Reactive Pyrite in the sub-floor hardcore material – Part 1: Testing and categorisation protocol, were submitted to the National Standards Authority of Ireland during the public enquiry period. The comments were a mixture of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Issues (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: The pyrite panel recommended that only dwellings where there is significant damage, which is confirmed by testing to be pyrite related, should be remediated. It further recommended that dwellings categorised as amber, where there is reactive pyrite in the hardcore but no associated damage, should be monitored and only remediated if they exhibit damage consistent with pyritic heave. I.S....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Issues (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: I am mindful of the need for cost effective testing to be available to homeowners, as indeed was the independent pyrite panel. In its report, the panel recommended the development of a testing and categorisation protocol which would be comprehensive but, importantly, would be cost effective. In asking the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) to develop this protocol, I advised it...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Supply (16 Jan 2013)

Phil Hogan: The most recent published figures for unaccounted for water for each of the local authority administrative areas are set out in the report 'Service Indicators in Local Authorities 2010'. The report was published by the Local Government Management Services Board and a copy is available in the Oireachtas Library.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Proposed Legislation (20 Dec 2012)

Phil Hogan: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to take further steps to address noise pollution, inter alia, through the introduction of fixed payment notices (also known as on-the-spot fines) and provision for mediation procedures between neighbours. The development of new noise legislation by my Department will be considered in the context of this commitment; however, as indicated in...