Results 721-740 of 7,082 for speaker:John Paul Phelan

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: -----because the traffic and through traffic on them would obviously be significantly lower than on through roads.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I am not. It is a fact. I was a member of the council shortly afterwards and this scheme-----

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: Funding for the scheme has been increased in the last couple of years. It was during the time of the recession that it was parked.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: Funding has been increased and more funding is planned in this budget.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (19 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: The Local Government Act 2001 requires local authorities to prepare their annual budgets in a statutory format, which requires that budgeted expenditure must equal budgeted income. It is a matter for local authorities to manage their finances prudently and the elected members of a local authority have direct responsibility in law for all reserved functions of the authority, which includes...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates Data (19 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority.  The annual rate on valuation (ARV), which is applied to the valuation for each property determined by the Valuation Office, to obtain the amount payable in rates, is decided by the elected members of each local authority during the annual budget process. Rates income data are published by local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Members (19 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 653 and 656 together. As a result of feedback from local authority elected members and their representative bodies regarding their current remuneration regime, my colleague, the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, and I agreed that in June 2018 Ms Sara Moorhead SC would be invited to carry out a review of the role and remuneration of local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Government Fund (19 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: Local authorities derive their income from a variety of sources including commercial rates, charges for goods and services and funding from Central Government. Central Government funding of local authorities includes transfers, both current and capital, from a range of Departments and Offices for a variety of purposes. Some streams of funding are delivered directly from funding departments to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates Yield (19 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: My Department works closely with the local government sector through the City and County Management Association (CCMA) in the preparation of a consistent and evidence based approach to the various funding challenges facing the sector. This work has helped inform the decision making process to ensure that a coherent and sector wide view of the particular issues are presented. Of course, all...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (19 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: Local Property Tax (LPT) was introduced to provide a stable and sustainable funding base for local authorities to support the delivery of critical local services to communities. Every local authority receives a minimum amount of LPT funding for its own use; this is known as the baseline.  Local authorities with surplus LPT income i.e. income above the baseline, retain a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Seanad Reform (12 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: The Programme for a Partnership Government includes an objective to pursue the implementation of the Manning Report, formally known as the Report of the Working Group on Seanad Reform. That report makes recommendations to restructure and reform the Seanad, including implementation of the 1979 amendment of the constitution to extend the university franchise at Seanad elections to graduates of...

Report of the Seanad Reform Implementation Group: Statements (7 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I thank the Deputies who have contributed. I again thank those who participated in the group and Senator McDowell, who chaired it. I also acknowledge the former Senator, the late Feargal Quinn, who was very involved in the referendum campaign and who was also an outstanding Member of the Upper House for many years. This is the first discussion on Seanad reform to take place in the...

Report of the Seanad Reform Implementation Group: Statements (7 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I am just highlighting the lack of unanimity, to say the least, that exists. Deputy Cassells asked what international expertise I used in my assertion about registration. I just use the practical interpretation that we, as public representatives, use. In other words, it is not sufficient to state that just because a group believes that not everybody who is entitled to register will do...

Report of the Seanad Reform Implementation Group: Statements (7 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I agree. However, the report's authors proceed to outline why they think there is not a hope of that happening, which is completely contradictory, but there are many contradictions in the debate. Deputy Cullinane stated that I do not accept the report. There are chunks of it that I accept, including the need to implement the 1979 referendum result. I certainly accept the provisions of...

Report of the Seanad Reform Implementation Group: Statements (7 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I just need about another minute.

Report of the Seanad Reform Implementation Group: Statements (7 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. The Manning report adopted the principled objective to develop and strengthen the vocational nature of the Seanad. The report points out, however, that vocational panels are not evident in the way in which debates are structured in the House. Greater prominence could be given to the panels by periodically scheduling special debates on broad themes...

Report of the Seanad Reform Implementation Group: Statements (7 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak to the Dáil this afternoon about the report of the implementation group on Seanad reform. I had the opportunity to similarly address the Seanad on 24 September last and to listen to the views of Senators on the report. It was an interesting and wide-ranging discussion and I have no doubt Members in this House would also like to get their...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (7 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: In May 2018, a Local Government Funding (Baseline) Review Group was established to consider the methodology to determine local authority funding baselines, to inform the distribution of any additional funding that could become available for general, operational purposes. The Review Group, comprising representatives from my Department and the Local Government Sector, executive and elected...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Postal Voting (6 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: Postal voting is provided for in electoral law in respect of certain categories of persons who are entered in the register of electors, including electors living at home who are unable to vote because of a physical illness or a physical disability. Section 66(2) of the Electoral Act 1992 provides that the receipt sent with the ballot paper to postal voters must be in the form directed...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Register (5 Nov 2019)

John Paul Phelan: Following an initial consultation with local authorities on a set of policy proposals, I launched a public consultation on the electoral register modernisation project in December 2018. 187 submissions were received from a broad range of stakeholders and I intend to publish a report on the consultation very shortly. The responses to the consultation are informing ongoing work in my...