Results 6,141-6,160 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Childcare Facilities were issued by my Department in July 2001 and were intended to ensure a consistency of approach throughout the country to the treatment of planning applications for child care facilities. The guidelines were issued as ministerial guidelines under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, and planning authorities and An...

Written Answers — National Spatial Strategy: National Spatial Strategy (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: The Government has put a wide range of measures in place at national, regional and local levels to implement the national spatial strategy, NSS, and achieve its objectives over its 20 year timeframe. The initial phases of NSS implementation focused on embedding the policy approach of the NSS within key Departments, their agencies and in regional and local authorities. Significant milestones...

Written Answers — Local Authority Staff: Local Authority Staff (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: In December 2002, the Government decided to cap public service numbers at the existing authorised level and to reduce numbers by 5,000 across all sectors by end 2005. Numbers in the local authorities are to be reduced by 1,000 over that period. Local authorities were informed of the reduction required in the overall local government sector over the three year period 2003 to 2005 and the...

Written Answers — Waste Disposal: Waste Disposal (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: The Health Research Board's study on the effects of landfill and incineration was published in 2003. My Department, together with the Department of Health and Children and the Environmental Protection Agency, has been considering this report with a view to co-ordinating a response to its findings. This process has taken longer than originally anticipated, due primarily to the need to also...

Written Answers — Water Pollution: Water Pollution (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: Ireland's bathing waters were of a high standard during the 2004 bathing season and remain consistently near the top of the EU bathing water quality league table, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's annual report, The Quality of Bathing Water in Ireland 2004. The report indicates that 98% of bathing areas complied with mandatory EU values while 88% complied with the stricter...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118, 156 and 192 together. I refer to the reply to priority Question No. 74 of today's date.

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: Ireland is now required to take the steps necessary to comply with the recent judgment of the European Court of Justice on the waste framework directive and to communicate our response to the Commission within three months of receiving the formal communication from it concerning the outcome of the case. Ireland has not yet received this communication. Once it is received we will examine it...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: The policy direction which I have recently issued under section 60 of the Waste Management Act 1996 directs the local authorities to ensure that the requirements of section 22 of that Act are fully met in the current review of their waste management plans. Section 22 states that a waste management plan shall include information on: the identification of sites at which waste disposal or...

Written Answers — Radon Gas Levels: Radon Gas Levels (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: The Government has in recent years, largely through the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, RPII, committed significant resources to assessing the extent of the radon problem throughout the country and to increasing public awareness of radon. For example, during the years 1992 to 1999, the RPII carried out a nationwide survey of radon in domestic dwellings. The survey involved the...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: EU international policy on climate change is determined through close co-ordination between all member states and the European Commission, and a common EU position is presented externally. The EU continues to engage with the United States on a range of climate change issues, despite the latter's decision not to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Since my appointment as Minister for the Environment,...

Written Answers — Fire Service: Fire Service (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: On 17 February 2005 I announced a fire services change programme in which I set out a strategy for the future development of the fire service. This strategy includes measures addressing the development of community fire safety programmes, the development of a risk based approach to the determination of fire cover standards, the introduction of a competency-based approach to recruitment,...

Written Answers — Nuclear Plants: Nuclear Plants (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 128, 130 and 138 together. I welcome the publication of the report on the visit of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, RPII, to the Sellafield nuclear plant. I gave a commitment in December last that this report would be made public and was pleased to be presented with a copy by the RPII chairman when it was published recently. I would like to...

Written Answers — Local Government Reform: Local Government Reform (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: The better local government modernisation programme has brought significant benefits to local government. These include constitutional recognition and guaranteed local elections; enhanced levels of funding; strengthened political and management structures; an updated legal framework as well as an efficiency agenda focused on improved corporate planning, IT, human resources, and customer...

Written Answers — Local Authority Staff: Local Authority Staff (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: Based on information supplied by the local authorities, the numbers of staff employed by them, expressed in whole-time equivalents, on 31 December in each of the years 2002, 2003, and 2004, and the categories are set out in the following tables: 2002. Local Authority Managerial/Administration/ Clerical Professional/Technical Outdoor Overall Total County Councils1...

Written Answers — Water Pollution: Water Pollution (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: The blue flag scheme is operated by the Foundation for Environmental Education, an international non-governmental organisation based in Denmark, and is administered in Ireland by An Taisce. A local authority wishing to apply for blue flag status for a bathing area makes application to An Taisce who provides advice and guidance in relation to the scheme, the criteria on which decisions are...

Written Answers — Archaeological Sites: Archaeological Sites (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134, 155 and 195 together. Section 14(a) of the National Monuments Act 1930, as amended, provides that, before directions are issued by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to a road authority in relation to the carrying out of archaeological works connected with a road development which has been approved by An Bord Pleanála or in...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: The EU directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment, WEEE, which came into effect on 13 February 2003, presents a challenge to all relevant stakeholder groups, including retailers, both large and small, and effective implementation will require a focused, committed approach from all concerned. Draft regulations, which will transpose the directive into Irish law, have now just...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: The Government's policy statement, Changing Our Ways, September 1998, provided a framework for the adoption and implementation by local authorities of strategic waste management plans under which specific national objectives and targets would be achieved. It set out specific targets for the recycling of at least 50% of construction and demolition, C&D, waste by end 2003 rising progressively...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: I am fully aware of the importance of timely transposition of EU environmental legislation, some 200 items of which, including more than 140 directives, have by now been transposed in this country. There are currently six directives in my Department's area of responsibility which are outstanding for transposition. These are: 2000/53/EC, end-of-life vehicles, ELVs. This directive contains two...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (18 May 2005)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 143 and 152 together. My Department is co-operating with the Department of Finance, the decentralisation implementation group, DIG, and the Office of Public Works to ensure the Government's decentralisation programme is implemented efficiently and effectively. In accordance with the Government decision on the first phase of moves under the programme, the...