Results 41-60 of 4,718 for speaker:Malcolm Noonan

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Regulations (22 Jan 2025)

Malcolm Noonan: While the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department licenses the hunting of deer, it does not own the deer population and is not responsible for their control on private lands or in the wider countryside. They roam freely throughout the countryside and are present in many parts of the country. Deer populations, by their nature, are mobile and have a home range that is not...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Invasive Species Policy (22 Jan 2025)

Malcolm Noonan: The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department prioritises the ongoing management and eradication of invasive species as part of its conservation role, dedicating a significant level of its resources to these management activities each year. NPWS has to date removed approximately 4 hectares of Cherry Laurel from the Glen of the Downs Nature Reserve. The remaining approx 1...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Issues (22 Jan 2025)

Malcolm Noonan: Waterways Ireland is the North South Body responsible for the management and maintenance of more than 1000km of Ireland's inland waterways including the river Shannon. Waterways Ireland also manages and maintains the Shannon Erne Waterway, Erne System, the Barrow, the Royal and Grand Canals and the Lower Bann Navigation. Waterways Ireland is funded by my Department and the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks (22 Jan 2025)

Malcolm Noonan: The lands purchased at Dowth in December 2023 form the new National Park, Brú na Boinne National Park, which made it the seventh national park in Ireland at the time. Subsequently Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí became our eighth national park. The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), in partnership with the National Monuments Service (NMS) and the Office...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Cultural Institutions (22 Jan 2025)

Malcolm Noonan: The Omey remains are secure in the Cultural Resource Centre in Swords. I can confirm the skeletal remains, which are medieval in date, are very well preserved and that progress is well underway for further examination of the remains. Good progress is being made through the various necessary stages of the assessment. The remains have now been re-catalogued and the National Monuments...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Monuments (22 Jan 2025)

Malcolm Noonan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 814 and 815 together. The Historic and Archaeological Heritage and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 (the Act) was passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas, and enacted on 13 October 2023. While the Act is now law, its provisions are being brought into force on a phased basis, by way of a series of Commencement Orders. As of January 2025, two Commencement...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Issues (22 Jan 2025)

Malcolm Noonan: The Barrow Blueway Project is a significant initiative which will support communities and create exciting opportunities for recreation and ways to experience interesting places from new perspectives. The project is progressing well with all of the canalside paths completed. Waterways Ireland is responsible for the delivery of the canal-side works elements while the roadside works elements...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: World Heritage Sites (7 Nov 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: In line with UNESCO advice that World Heritage Tentative Lists be reviewed and updated at least every ten years, my Department launched a call for applications in January 2019 to a new Tentative List for Ireland. The Tentative List is essentially an inventory of potential sites that Ireland intends to nominate for inclusion on the World Heritage List. Each site on the Tentative List must...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (7 Nov 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Act, 1981 & 2003. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy and progressing...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Nov 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: There is a water action plan, which I launched a number of months ago, and it is anticipated there will be more inspections as well as funding to increase the number of inspectors at local authority level. This is about retention of the nitrates derogation. It is critically important to this country and we all can agree on that here. It is also about improving our water quality and we have...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Ireland (5 Nov 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: Waterways Ireland proposes to update the Shannon Bye-laws and Canal Bye-laws which are more than 30 years old and no longer fit for purpose. The needs of users have changed, environmental landscape and health and safety considerations have developed significantly and the waterways themselves have been transformed over the past thirty years. The purpose of updating the Bye-laws is to make the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Ireland (5 Nov 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: Waterways Ireland is a North South Implementation Body established under the British Irish Agreement of 10 April 1998. It is funded by my Department and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The detailed information requested in relation to Waterways Ireland facilities for sailing boats of certain draughts and heights is not held in my Department. Arrangements have been...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Turf Cutting (5 Nov 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 546, 547, 548 and 549 together. The Cessation of Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme (CTCCS) was launched in 2011 as an annual payment scheme, from date of legal cessation for 15 years, to compensate households affected by the restriction on turf cutting for domestic use on raised bog Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). It was later extended to include...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks (5 Nov 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment for all staff. Due to the nature of the work undertaken in our National Parks, additional management structures have been set up to ensure that health, safety and welfare obligations are implemented and adhered to and risk assessments and suitable controls are put in place to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fishing Industry (5 Nov 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: While my Department's National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is responsible for legislation and policy around invasive alien species in Ireland, Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has the statutory responsibility for the protection, development, and management of Ireland’s rivers and streams together with 128,000 lake hectares. Pike has been present in Ireland for hundreds of years...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service (5 Nov 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: As part of its ongoing workforce planning processes my Department keeps staffing matters under constant review in order to ensure all priority vacancies are filled in a timely manner and that resource allocations are balanced across the Department to meet key priorities as necessary. My Department's latest round of formal workforce planning will get under way in the coming months...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service (5 Nov 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 584, 585, 586, 587, 588 and 590 together. The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), an Executive Agency of my Department has primary responsibility for nature conservation, wildlife protection and the presentation and preservation of our National Parks and Nature Reserves in Ireland. The NPWS Strategic Plan 2023-2025, and the National Biodiversity...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service (5 Nov 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: Staffing levels across my Department are kept under regular review in line with emerging business needs and Government policy on public sector pay and staffing as advised by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Strategic Action Plan 2023-2025 has delivered an increase of staff from 350 to 550 staff across a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Hare Coursing (5 Nov 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 591 and 595 together. Hare coursing is administered by the Irish Coursing Club (ICC) which is a body set up under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958. Statutory responsibility for the Act resides with the Minster for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. One licence was issued each year to the Irish Coursing Club (ICC) under Section 34 of the Wildlife Act 1976, as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Budgets (5 Nov 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 606 and 607 together. The funding allocations for the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) and the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025 are as follows: BHIS HSF Total Annual Funding 2023 €4m €5m €9m 2024 ...