Results 6,321-6,340 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (5 May 2005)

Dick Roche: There are six directives or other EU legislative measures under my Department's area of responsibility outstanding for transposition. These are the Directive 2000/53/EC, end-of-life vehicles, which contains two stages of transposition, the first by 21 April 2002 for new vehicles sold after 1 July 2002 and the second by January 2007 for all other vehicles. It is anticipated that this directive...

Written Answers — Vetting Procedures: Vetting Procedures (5 May 2005)

Dick Roche: Several different processes are involved in appointments to boards and agencies under the aegis of my Department. In some cases statutory selection procedures must be followed or nominations must be sought from independent nominating panels before appointments are made by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government or by the Government. In other cases, it is incumbent on...

Written Answers — Motor Taxation: Motor Taxation (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: Correspondence from the person in question was received at my Department's offices in Shannon on 22 April 2005 seeking return, for insurance related purposes, of a vehicle licensing certificate which had earlier been surrendered. The document has been returned to the vehicle owner.

Written Answers — Compulsory Purchase Orders: Compulsory Purchase Orders (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: My Department has no proposals to amend legislation governing the compulsory purchase of property in the manner outlined in the question. A property arbitrator has full discretion to determine the amount of compensation to be paid in any given case having regard to the statutory rules for assessing such compensation, and is not required to take into account any offer that previously may have...

Written Answers — Seanad Reform: Seanad Reform (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: The Report on Seanad Reform — April 2004 by the Seanad Sub-Committee on Seanad Reform sets out comprehensive recommendations for further consideration and action concerning the composition, functions and future role of Seanad Éireann. The report includes proposals for new arrangements surrounding the nomination and election of Senators, involving radical reform of the vocational panel...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: The Tuam regional water supply scheme's extension to Clarinbridge is included in my Department's water services investment programme 2004-06 as a scheme to commence construction this year. Galway County Council's contract documents for the scheme are being examined in my Department and will be dealt with as quickly as possible.

Written Answers — Archaeological Sites: Archaeological Sites (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: An illustrated summary of the Ardfert Cathedral project of interest to the general reader is planned for publication this autumn. The excavations at Ardfert Cathedral took place from 1989 to 1995 and it is intended that the detailed excavation report, incorporating the human remains analysis — more than 2,000 burials were discovered — will be finalised and ready for peer review by the end...

Written Answers — Recycling Policy: Recycling Policy (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: My Department does not have detailed data on private sector recycling and recovery facilities. It is accepted, however, that while there is an ever-increasing number of recyclables collection facilities, a great deal of the actual recycling is carried out in other countries. In the case of municipal waste, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that some 69% of recycling took place...

Written Answers — Radon Gas Levels: Radon Gas Levels (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: The Government, through the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, RPII, has over the years committed significant resources to assessing the extent of the radon problem throughout the country and to increasing public awareness of radon. While the provision of Exchequer grant assistance for radon remediation works or radon detectors is not envisaged, effort will continue to be directed...

Written Answers — Local Government Elections: Local Government Elections (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: Legislation providing for the direct election of mayors in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford along with the cathaoirligh of counties was repealed by section 7 of the Local Government (No. 2) Act 2003. Accordingly, the question of establishing such offices does not now arise.

Written Answers — Local Government Elections: Local Government Elections (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: In accordance with electoral law, a person must be 18 years of age to vote at local elections. This is consistent with the position in most countries, including the EU member states. While electoral law is subject to ongoing review, there is no proposal at present to reduce the voting age in Ireland. There is no information available on the likely cost implications of any such proposal.

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: Land use and zoning decisions are generally local government functions in other jurisdictions. Subsidiarity in the taking of decisions at the lowest appropriate level is a principle which has been endorsed at international and national level. I consider, therefore, that efforts should continue to be directed at making local responsibility for zoning in Ireland operate to high standards of...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: The total amount of fees which planning authorities reported receiving in 2003 for the making of submissions on planning applications was €542,938. The total amount received in planning application fees, net of refunds, was in the order of €40.6 million. Corresponding information for 2004 is not yet available.

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: Waste charges are a matter for the relevant local authorities and my Department does not compile information on the income raised by such charges. Information supplied to my Department by local authorities in connection with the Local Authority Budgets 2004 publication indicates that local authorities' estimated revenue from domestic and commercial refuse collection charges and landfill...

Written Answers — Recycling Policy: Recycling Policy (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: I intend to allocate some €5 million from the environment fund this year towards the operating costs to local authorities of bring centres and civic amenity sites. I also intend in the coming weeks to make a further round of grant allocations towards the capital costs of recycling and recovery facilities. My decision on the scale of the latter allocations will depend on a number of factors,...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: The Environmental Protection Agency has statutory responsibility for the national hazardous waste management plan. The current plan, which is under review, identifies the need for the development of thermal treatment and landfill facilities to deal with Ireland's hazardous waste. The costs of such facilities would be dependent on the nature and volume of the waste to be treated. Detailed cost...

Written Answers — Recycling Policy: Recycling Policy (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: A significant proportion of households already have kerbside collection of dry recyclables. At the end of 2003, the most recent period for which national data is available, 563,681 households had a dry recyclable collection, comprising more than 40% of households in the State, and this will have further increased in the intervening period. My Department is not in a position to estimate the...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: Work on the sewage collection system in Straffan forms part of the lower Liffey Valley sewerage scheme which is included in my Department's water services investment programme 2004-06 as a scheme to commence construction this year. In December 2004, my Department approved Kildare County Council's proposals to proceed with the Straffan element in advance of the rest of the lower Liffey Valley...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: A single local authority is nominated within each waste management region to operate the regulation of waste permits on behalf of all local authorities within that region. It is a matter for each nominated collection permitting authority to determine under the Waste Management (Collection Permit) Regulations 2001 (as amended) the conditions which may be attached to a waste collection permit...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (4 May 2005)

Dick Roche: The public consultation requirements laid down by Part 8 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 do not make mandatory provision for the completion of a transport analysis. Nevertheless, I would expect all local authorities to be guided on this matter by the National Roads Authority's national roads project management guidelines and its design manual for roads and bridges which...