Results 7,441-7,460 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: The recommendations contained in the Report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group provide important input to consideration of options for expenditure reduction, revenue raising, efficiency and other policy developments. I established an independently chaired Implementation Group, in April 2011, to drive forward relevant recommendations of the Report, with a focus on key...

Written Answers — Building Regulations: Building Regulations (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 58 together. On 6 July 2011 a report was prepared for the Chief Fire Officer of the Dublin region outlining the position in relation to fire safety inspections carried out between April and July 2011 on a number of units in the Belmayne development. These inspections were carried out in the presence of the owners and their technical advisors and were...

Written Answers — Water Quality: Water Quality (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 138 together. The implementation of the Water Framework Directive requires the extensive monitoring of groundwater quality and the inclusion of programmes of measures in each river basin management plan to ensure continuing improvement in the quality of groundwater. In transposing the Directive, the European Communities Environmental Objectives...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 51 and 57 together. We are facing challenging economic times in all areas, including in the community and voluntary sector. There has never been a greater need for us to do more with less. A key principle underlying my Department's activities is that of enabling communities themselves to identify and address social and economic needs and problems in their own...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to take further steps to address noise pollution, inter alia, through the introduction of fixed payment notices (also known as on-the-spot fines) and provision for mediation procedures between neighbours. The development of new noise legislation by my Department will be considered in the context of this commitment; however, as indicated in...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: The Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2012, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library, provides for the development of a comprehensive range of new water services infrastructure in County Galway. The Programme includes contracts under construction and to commence to the value of some €130 million in Co. Galway during the period of the Programme. However, the...

Written Answers — Local Authority Staff: Local Authority Staff (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Leader Programmes: Leader Programmes (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: Axes 3 & 4 (LEADER) of the Rural Development Programme (RDP), for which my Department has responsibility, continues to facilitate access to significant financial resources for rural communities. The main objectives of the RDP are to improve the quality of life in rural areas and facilitate the diversification of the rural economy. The RDP is designed to address directly many of the challenges...

Written Answers — Household Charge: Household Charge (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 and the Local Government (Household Charge) Regulations 2012 provide the legislative basis for the household charge. Under the legislation, an owner of a residential property on the liability date of 1 January 2012 is liable to pay the household charge by 31 March 2012, unless otherwise exempted or entitled to claim a waiver. The development...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: The information requested is outlined in the table. Agency/Board Name of Appointee(Chairperson highlighted) Position advertised An Bord Pleanála Dr. Mary Kelly (Chairperson) Yes An Bord Pleanála Ms. Mary MacMahon No An Bord Pleanála Mr. Conall Boland No Building Regulation Advisory Board Mr. Aidan O'Connor (Departmental representative) No Building Regulation Advisory Board Mr....

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: The phasing out of phosphate-based laundry detergents has been progressed principally in the context of a voluntary agreement made in 1999 between the then Minister for the Environment and Local Government and the Irish Cosmetics and Detergents Association (ICDA), which represented some 90% of the domestic laundry detergents market in Ireland. The agreement provided that by the end of 2002,...

Written Answers — Household Charge: Household Charge (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 and the Local Government (Household Charge) Regulations 2012 provide the legislative basis for the household charge. Under the legislation, an owner of a residential property on the liability date of 1 January 2012 is liable to pay the household charge by 31 March 2012, unless otherwise exempted or entitled to claim a waiver. Section 1 of the...

Written Answers — Household Charge: Household Charge (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 and the Local Government (Household Charge) Regulations 2012 provide the legislative basis for the household charge. Under section 5(1) of the Act, the owner of a residential property, who on a liability date, is liable to pay a household charge to a relevant local authority, or who is entitled to a waiver from payment of a household charge...

Written Answers — Household Charge: Household Charge (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: As part of the process of preparing the National Housing Development Survey 2011, published by my Department in October 2011, local authorities provided details of all unfinished housing developments in their areas. Unfinished housing developments were divided into four categories as follows: Category one, where the development is still being actively completed by the developer, or where no...

Written Answers — Household Charge: Household Charge (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 and the Local Government (Household Charge) Regulations 2012 provide the legislative basis for the household charge. The household charge is on a self-assessment basis and it is a matter for an owner of a residential property on the liability date of 1 January, 2012 to determine if he/she has a liability and, if so, that person is required to...

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: With regard to air pollutants, ambient air quality monitoring and assessment in Ireland is carried out in accordance with the requirements of Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe, also known as the CAFE Directive. The CAFE Directive consolidated and replaced the earlier Air Quality Framework Directive and the first three so-called "daughter" directives. The...

Written Answers — Fire Services: Fire Services (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs, the provision of a premises and the making of such other provisions as it considers necessary or desirable, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the provisions of the Fire Services Act 1981. My Department supports...

Written Answers — Water Pollution: Water Pollution (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: The EPA reports on quality of effluents being discharged from treatment plants, sewers or drainage pipes that are controlled or used by local authorities. The EPA published its latest report Focus on Urban Waste Water Discharges in Ireland for the monitoring period 2008/2009 in February 2012. The report also includes data on the Agency's enforcement activities and information on discharges...

Written Answers — Local Authority Staff: Local Authority Staff (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: No early retirement scheme was in place for local authority staff. However, a total of 985 staff retired from local authorities in the period 1 January 2012 to 29 February 2012. A breakdown by local authority is set out in the table. City Councils & County Councils (Borough & Town Councils included in relevant County Council figures) Numbers of Retirements from 01 January 2012 to 29...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (8 Mar 2012)

Phil Hogan: The European Communities (Environmental Liability) Regulations 2008, which came into operation on 1 April 2009, transpose the EU Environmental Liability Directive (ELD) into Irish law. The case taken by the European Commission against Ireland for failure to transpose the ELD by the required deadline - 30 April 2007 – was discontinued by the Commission on 19 February 2009, following the...