Results 5,841-5,860 of 9,994 for speaker:John Gormley
- Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: As Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, my role in relation to the planning system is mainly to provide, and keep up to date, the legislative and policy guidance framework. The day-to-day operation of the planning system is a matter for the planning authorities. The legislative framework comprises the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2006 which represents a...
- Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 395 and 396 together. The enforcement of planning control is a matter for individual planning authorities, who have substantial enforcement powers under the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2006. Under planning legislation, the planning authority can take action if a development does not have the required permission, or where the terms of permission have...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: There is a strong commitment to the principles of staff development and training in my Department. A wide range of staff training courses were supported in 1997 but no specific leadership training programmes were funded in that year.
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: The information requested is not available in my Department.
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: I have no such plans. The objective of the National Pension Reserve Fund is to meet as much as possible of the costs of social welfare and public service pensions from 2025 onwards.
- Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: Section 106 the Planning and Development Act, 2000 provides that members of the Board are appointed in a whole-time capacity and may not hold any other office or employment during their term of office. In addition, section 147 of the Act provides that Board members are required to make disclosures and declarations of certain interests at least once a year, and section 148 debars a member from...
- Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: Under Part 15 of the Local Government Act 2001, local authority employees areâ (a) required to maintain proper standards of integrity, conduct and concern for the public interest; (b) required to submit an annual declaration of interests and to disclose a beneficial interest in any matter arising in the course of their duties; and (c) prohibited from seeking to influence any matter in which...
- Written Answers — Nuclear Safety: Nuclear Safety (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: The Mixed Oxide (MOX) Plant at Sellafield utilises plutonium, separated during reprocessing of spent fuel for foreign customers at Sellafield, and returns it, predominantly by sea, to those customers in the form of MOX fuel for use in their nuclear reactors. Such shipments of radioactive material are subject to international maritime regulations, including the right of innocent passage, and...
- Written Answers — Asbestos Remediation Programme: Asbestos Remediation Programme (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: There are no specific grants available from my Department or local authorities for the removal of asbestos in housing. However, my Department operates a number of targeted options to assist especially vulnerable groups such as lower income households and elderly persons to secure necessary improvement works to their houses. These include the local authority house improvement loan scheme, a...
- Written Answers — National Parks: National Parks (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: Grantstown Lake and Wood is designated as a Nature Reserve under the Wildlife Act 1976 and is owned and managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department. Access to the site is by means of a right-of-way over privately-owned lands but a dispute has arisen concerning the use of this right-of-way by members of the public. My Department is examining ways of resolving this...
- Written Answers — Special Areas of Conservation: Special Areas of Conservation (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are areas designated for protection under the EU Habitats and Birds Directive on the basis of scientific evidence which shows their importance in protecting specific habitats, birds and species. Ireland is required to designate an appropriate number of these habitats and has now transmitted its finalised list of SAC...
- Written Answers — National Biodiversity Plan: National Biodiversity Plan (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: In November 2005, my Department published a review of the implementation of the National Biodiversity Plan. This indicated that 83 of the 91 actions in the plan were either fully implemented or that implementation was ongoing. Copies of this interim review are available in the Oireachtas Library. My Department is currently coordinating the development of a new National Biodiversity Plan,...
- Written Answers — Energy Efficiency: Energy Efficiency (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: In response to the commitment in the Programme for Government to phase out incandescent light bulbs, I propose to introduce an energy efficiency standard from 1 January 2009. My Department is currently developing the proposed standard and I will announce details as soon as they are finalised. It will then be a matter for manufacturers and importers to respond with products that meet the new...
- Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 416, 419, 420, 423 and 424 together. As an input to the overall strategy for meeting water services infrastructural requirements, local authorities, including Kildare County Council, are required by my Department to undertake regular assessments of needs for new or upgraded infrastructure in their areas and to determine their priorities in accordance with the...
- Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: The Ballyna Regional Water Supply Scheme, which replaces a previous proposal to serve the area through a group water scheme, is included in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2007- 2009 as a scheme to advance through planning at an estimated cost of â¬11.5 million. My Department is awaiting submission of Kildare County Council's brief for the appointment of consultants to...
- Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: The aim of the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines for Planning Authorities, which were published in April 2005, is to achieve a balance between the accommodation of rural housing needs and the need for development to be sustainable in economic, social and environmental terms. The guidelines provide that reasonable proposals on suitable sites for persons who are part of and contribute to...
- Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: Chapter 6 of my Department's Draft Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas deals specifically with small towns and villages with a population of between 400 and 5,000 people. The guidelines state that there should be no significant development in small towns and villages in the absence of an adopted local area plan. The guidelines also state...
- Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: The information sought in the question is available on the Oireachtas website, www.oireachtas.ie, which gives a comprehensive list of all legislation, including that prepared by my Department, in the period from 1997 to date. The following list details the holders of office of Minister for the Environment and Local Government or Environment, Heritage and Local Government in that time: From...
- Written Answers — Water Quality: Water Quality (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: Statutory responsibility for the monitoring, management, protection and improvement of water quality, including groundwater, is assigned to local authorities, acting under the general supervision of the EPA, and to the EPA in the context of its licensing functions. Pollution at former mining sites is addressed in the Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006, which provides, inter alia,...
- Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (22 Apr 2008)
John Gormley: The scheme to extend the Lough Mask Regional Water Supply from Shrah to Westport and to upgrade the water treatment plant in Tourmakeady is included in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2007-2009 to start construction in 2008 at an estimated cost of â¬21.35m. My Department is awaiting Mayo County Council's tender recommendation for the scheme. Invitation of tenders and...