Results 6,461-6,480 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Written Answers — Local Government Programme: Local Government Programme (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: The Local Government Act 2001 was designed to modernise the legislative framework, support community involvement with local authorities in a more participative local democracy and underpin generally the programme of local government renewal, including the position of county and city councils as the primary units of local government. The Act takes account of the recommendations of the 1996...

Written Answers — National Spatial Strategy: National Spatial Strategy (13 Apr 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 Government Departments, their agencies and in regional and local authorities. Significant...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: Article 15 of Council Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste requires member states to send reports to the Commission at intervals of three years on the implementation of the directive. The report is being finalised by my Department and will be forwarded to the Commission within the coming days. This directive also requires member states of the European Union to achieve specified...

Written Answers — Quigley Report: Quigley Report (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: Substantial progress has been made by my Department in implementing the recommendation regarding procurement contained in the Quigley report. Procurement guidelines and practices in the Department have been reviewed and a set of consolidated guidelines has been made available to all staff. Revised procedures have being put in place to strengthen monitoring and control of procurement and...

Written Answers — Nuclear Plants: Nuclear Plants (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Question No. 149 of 9 February 2005. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — House Prices: House Prices (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 112 and 140 together. The Government is giving careful consideration to the Ninth Progress Report of the All Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution, concerning private property, as well as Report No. 112 of the National, Economic and Social Council, Housing in Ireland: Performance and Policy, and a report by Goodbody Economic Consultants, within the...

Written Answers — End-of-Life Vehicles: End-of-Life Vehicles (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: Enabling provisions to facilitate implementation of Directive 2000/53/EC on end of life vehicles, ELVs, were incorporated in the Protection of the Environment Act 2003. The delay in transposing and implementing the directive principally reflects difficulties in reaching agreement with the relevant sectors on the detailed mechanisms for the operation of the take-back arrangements required by...

Written Answers — Waste Disposal: Waste Disposal (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: The preparation and publication of national waste statistics is a matter for the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and these statistics are published at three-yearly intervals by the agency. The most recent National Waste Database Report in respect of 2001 was published by the agency in 2003. I understand that the agency is currently compiling the database for 2004 which will include data...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: The small change programme for businesses was published in 2004, following consultation with key stakeholders which included IBEC, Repak, local authorities, Chamber of Commerce of Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and the Irish Waste Management Association. The programme forms part of the race against waste campaign which is funded by my Department. The programme provides information and support to...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: An effective basis for addressing our waste management responsibilities has been put in place through my Department's policy statements Changing Our Ways, September 1998, Delivering Change, March 2002, and Taking Stock and Moving Forward, April 2004, statutory waste management plans, largely prepared on a regional basis, and the comprehensive regulatory framework now in place under the Waste...

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: The national biodiversity plan, which was adopted by Government and published in April 2002, sets out the framework necessary to provide for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in Ireland over an initial five-year period. The plan details 91 actions aimed at halting biodiversity loss in Ireland. My Department has overall responsibility for its implementation. The plan was...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: My Department's national overview of waste management plans, July 2004, identified significant progress in many areas in regard to the implementation of waste management plans by the relevant local authorities. However, it is acknowledged that further progress is also necessary if we are to achieve the objective of developing a fully integrated approach to waste management. The local...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: My Department approved grant assistance of €1,333,225 towards the cost of the Midleton northern relief road under the strategic non-national roads grants scheme in recent years. Details of payments to date and the allocation for 2005 are set out in the following table: Year Payment â'¬ 2002 36,794 2003 3,162 2004 19,360 2005 50,000 (allocation) Further grants up to the...

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: On 22 December 2004, the European Commission indicated, by letter of formal notice under Article 228 of the treaty, that the nitrates action programme submitted by Ireland on 22 October last did not comply with the requirements of the nitrates directive or the judgment issued against Ireland by the European Court of Justice on 11 March 2004. The Commission view is that the programme is...

Written Answers — Nuclear Plants: Nuclear Plants (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: Since my appointment as Minister, I have availed of every opportunity to articulate and convey to the UK authorities at diplomatic and ministerial level the Government's continuing concerns regarding nuclear safety. These include our concerns about old Magnox reactors, such as those at the Wylfa nuclear power plant; we have consistently called for the early closure of these reactors. Those at...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: There has been no contact between my Department and the Department of Transport regarding the matter raised in the question. In July 1996 my Department issued guidelines for planning authorities on telecommunications antennae and support structures. The purpose of those guidelines was to assist planning authorities, An Bord Pleanála, operators of mobile telecommunications services and the...

Written Answers — Litter Pollution: Litter Pollution (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: Following the success of the environmental levy on plastic bags, which was introduced in March 2002 and has resulted in a reduction in the dispensing of plastic shopping bags at retail outlets by over 90%, An Agreed Programme for Government contained a commitment to consider the extension of the levy on plastic bags to other materials which may be problematic from a waste management and-or...

Written Answers — Archaeological Sites: Archaeological Sites (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Question No. 57 on today's Order Paper.

Written Answers — Building Regulations: Building Regulations (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: Half-yearly statistics on enforcement of the building regulations, furnished by local building control authorities to my Department, do not give a breakdown by building type or for each of the 12 parts, A to M, of the regulations. On the general issue of compliance with part M, I refer to the reply to Question No. 1080 of 12 April 2005.

Written Answers — Elections Management System: Elections Management System (13 Apr 2005)

Dick Roche: Information provided by returning officers to my Department indicates that the total annual storage cost of the electronic voting and ancillary equipment is some €658,000. Actual claims by returning officers are being processed by the Department of Finance for payment from the central fund. I am satisfied that the guidelines provided to returning officers in relation to the storage of...