Results 6,821-6,840 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 110, 116 and 125 together. I recently announced the decision to amend the retail planning guidelines, with effect from 1 February 2005, to provide that the floor space cap on retail warehouses will no longer apply within the functional areas of the four Dublin local authorities and in the other national spatial strategy gateways. The gateway towns and cities...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: The provision of road traffic signs, which include metric speed limit signs, is a matter for local authorities under the Road Traffic Acts 1961 to 2004. The Minister for Transport has overall responsibility for the Road Traffic Acts and for any general review of speed limits. I have no function in the matter.

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 115 and 123 together. The contract to the company concerned expired on 8 February 2005. The total paid out to date by my Department on the contract is €275,646. There is no provision in the contract for its renewal nor is it proposed at present to invite tenders for a new similar contract. Given that many of the major communication initiatives envisaged at...

Written Answers — Waste Disposal: Waste Disposal (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: Under the Waste Management (Collection Permit) Regulations 2001, all commercial collectors of waste are obliged to apply to a nominated collection permitting authority in order to collect waste in a given waste management planning region. The regulations also provide that local authorities must require permit holders to ensure that the waste collected is transferred to a waste facility that...

Written Answers — Waste Disposal: Waste Disposal (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: Since the establishment, within the Environmental Protection Agency, of the office of environmental enforcement in October 2003, there has been regular contact with my Department in the context of the office developing comprehensive new structures to deliver a significantly enhanced waste enforcement service. A major achievement for the office during 2004 was the consolidation of...

Written Answers — Litter Pollution: Litter Pollution (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: Under the Waste Management (Farm Plastics) Regulations 2001, producers — that is, manufacturers and importers — of farm plastics, such as silage bale wrap and sheeting, are required to take steps to recover farm plastics waste which they have placed on the market or alternatively to contribute to, and participate in, compliance schemes to recover the waste in question. The farm plastics...

Written Answers — Waste Disposal: Waste Disposal (9 Feb 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 agreeing on a response to the report's findings. I accept that this process has taken longer than originally anticipated, due primarily to...

Written Answers — Litter Pollution: Litter Pollution (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: Primary responsibility for developing and implementing responses to the litter problem rests appropriately with local authorities. My Department does, however, provide financial support for a programme of anti-litter initiatives to support local authority action against litter including: the national spring clean campaign; the Irish business against litter, IBAL, national litter league; and...

Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: I have not met with the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the national allocation plan for the trading period 2005-2007. Under the European Communities (Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading) Regulations 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency is the designated competent authority in Ireland for EU Directive 2003/87/EC establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading...

Written Answers — National Spatial Strategy: National Spatial Strategy (9 Feb 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 and achieve its objectives over its 20 year time-frame. The initial phases of NSS implementation have focused on embedding the policy approach of the NSS within key Government Departments, their agencies and in regional and local authorities. Significant...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: The total grant allocated to each county council in 2005 under the non-national road grant allocations is set out in column 1 of the following table. The only grant categories which are calculated by reference to length of road are the discretionary improvement and maintenance and restoration maintenance categories. The grants allocated per kilometre to each county council under these...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 130 and 171 together. My Department maintains an intensive programme on the transposition and implementation of EU environmental legislation. Some 200 EU environmental measures, including more than 140 directives, have by now been transposed. It is part of the role of the Commission to ensure that member states satisfactorily transpose EU legislation into...

Written Answers — Water Quality: Water Quality (9 Feb 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 which wishes to apply for a blue flag for a bathing area makes application to An Taisce which provides advice and guidance on the scheme, the criteria on which decisions are based and...

Written Answers — Illegal Dumping: Illegal Dumping (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: While enforcement of waste regulations is a matter for the local authorities and the office of environmental enforcement, I am determined to ensure that whatever resources are required to tackle the problem of illegal dumping are made available and that current initiatives will succeed. The office has consolidated environmental enforcement activity through the establishment of a national...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: The national biodiversity plan, published in April 2002, contained a commitment to put in place a national biological data management system to be co-ordinated by a national biological records centre. Subsequently, in December 2003, the Heritage Council, pursuant to sections 6 and 7 of the Heritage Act 1995, recommended to the then Minister the establishment, under the council's auspices, of...

Written Answers — Departmental Procurement Policies: Departmental Procurement Policies (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: My Department fully accepts the Quigley report recommendation that it should review and consolidate its internal advice on all aspects of procurement and this recommendation will be fully implemented over the next few weeks. Some relevant initiatives have already been identified and others are in the process of being developed. My Department is a large and complex organisation dealing with...

Written Answers — Recycling Policy: Recycling Policy (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste is based on the concept of producer responsibility, which effectively requires producers to contribute to the waste management costs of products which they have placed on the market at end of life. Under the directive, Ireland was required to achieve a 25% recovery rate of packaging waste by 1 July 2001, increasing to a 50% recovery rate by...

Written Answers — Development Levies: Development Levies (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: Charging development contributions allows local authorities to recoup some of the costs to public funds of servicing land for private development. Without them, this servicing could not proceed or the full cost would have to be borne by the taxpayer. Under the Planning and Development Act 2000, income from development levies must be ring-fenced to pay for facilities servicing new development,...

Written Answers — Recycling Policy: Recycling Policy (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: The Waste Management (Packaging) Regulations 2003, as amended, which revised and replaced previous regulations made in 1997, are intended to facilitate the achievement by Ireland of the 50% packaging waste recovery target by end 2005 as set out in Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste. These new regulations provide the necessary legal framework to facilitate the recovery and...

Written Answers — Nuclear Plants: Nuclear Plants (9 Feb 2005)

Dick Roche: The Government initiated international legal proceedings against the UK under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in relation to the Sellafield MOX plant. The current position on the litigation by Ireland under UNCLOS is that the arbitration remains suspended pending resolution of jurisdictional issues in the dispute, which were raised by the European Commission. However, the...