Results 6,081-6,100 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: The accounting units already have to make donation statements available to the Standards in Public Office Commission and to their parent political party's head office in order to have a comprehensive picture of the donations that came in during election time. I do not propose to have the accounts of each branch of each political party made available. That would be to engage with a lot of...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: Amendments Nos. 4, 5, 8, 9, 14, 15, 19, 20, 23, 27, 29, and 30 refer to sections 5, 6, 8, 12, 13, 16, 20, 24 and 25 of the Bill. These 12 amendments will have the effect of reducing the threshold for the receipt of anonymous donations to €100, reducing the threshold for opening a political donations account to €100 and reducing to €100 the threshold whereby a third party is recognised...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: Senator Cáit Keane's comment indicates exactly what I do not want to do, that is, have a witch-hunt against an individual who is not a member of a political party but who wants to express his political preference in a bona fide manner or support the political process anonymously. A balance must be struck in allowing this practice to continue but we must not create an administrative...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: Amendments Nos. 6, 17 and 25 deal with banning cash donations over €200 and they pertain to sections 6, 14 and 21. Donations made up of large amounts of cash not only look wrong but are wrong. Currently, there is no prohibition on the acceptance of cash donations. The Mahon tribunal recommended that this be addressed. The limit of €200 is reasonable and ties in with the issue...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: I will be working next week.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: Any money that comes from any jurisdiction must observe the rules that obtain in the Republic of Ireland, that is, in the State. People must make the declarations associated with the law as it applies here. As for corporate donations and the sum of €200, this constitutes a major reform whereby any moneys of more than €200 must be declared under certain criteria to the Standards in...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: I agree with Senator Mooney's comments. It is a practical and pragmatic approach that removes the temptation for political parties and individuals to amass large amounts of money for political purposes and then, by perception or otherwise, to creep into a position whereby influence is being bought. The reduction to €200 provided for in this legislation is a major response to that...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: Amendments Nos. 7, 12, 13, 18, 21, 22, 26, and 31 to 33, inclusive, which affect sections 8, 10, 16, 23 and 25, relate to donations given through an intermediary. These ten amendments all relate to the introduction of new restrictions on indirect donations, or donations given through intermediaries, as they are described. The amendments respond to the Mahon tribunal recommendation that...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: Praise does not come easily to me. Amendments Nos. 10, 11, 16 and 28, which affect sections 9, 13 and 24, deal with the provision of more detailed information on donors and donations. These four amendments will require that additional information is included on the statement of donations submitted to the Standards in Public Office Commission by candidates at all elections, political parties,...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: We had a different crowd in charge at that time.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: I cannot be blamed for that one.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: I hope all of the events that have happened here today are very well recorded.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: Normally it does not happen until one goes to one's eternal reward. I thank the Senators for their comments. When introducing the list of amendments we dealt with I stated it was fitting the Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 should conclude in the Seanad where it commenced last February. I thank all members of the Seanad and the Dáil for their thoughtful and detailed...

Written Answers — Household Charge: Household Charge (19 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 470 and 507 together. The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 and the Local Government (Household Charge) Regulations 2012 provide the legislative basis for the household charge. The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) is administering the household charge system on a shared service/agency basis for all county and city councils. The costs...

Written Answers — Non-Principal Private Residence Charge: Non-Principal Private Residence Charge (19 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended, broadened the revenue base of local authorities by introducing a charge on non-principal private residences (NPPR). The charge is set at €200 and liability for it falls, in the main, on owners of rental, holiday and vacant properties in the State. As of 17 July 2012, the number of properties registered for the non-principal private...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (19 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: The Dunlavin Sewerage Scheme is included for funding in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2013 as a scheme to start within the lifetime of the Programme. My Department has approved Wicklow County Council's Preliminary Report for the scheme. Under the devolved procedures applying to the scheme the Council may progress the scheme up to and including the seeking of...

Written Answers — Non-Principal Private Residence Charge: Non-Principal Private Residence Charge (19 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended, broadened the revenue base of local authorities by introducing a charge on non-principal private residences. The charge is set at €200 and liability for it falls, in the main, on owners of rental, holiday and vacant properties. The Act places the onus on an owner of a residential property which is situated in the State to assess his or...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (19 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: My Department is in continuing engagement with the Chief State Solicitor's Office in relation to this case. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.

Written Answers — Fire Service: Fire Service (19 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: 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, the provision of a premises and the making of such other provisions as it considers necessary or desirable, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the provisions of the Fire Services Act 1981. Kerry County Council's...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (19 Jul 2012)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 482 and 484 together. I believe there is a need for a more coherent and joined-up approach to service provision at local level, which supports the priorities of both national and local government. To this end, I established an expert Steering Group to provide me with proposals to develop greater alignment between local government and local development. The...