Results 8,481-8,500 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: I understand that both the development consent and the compulsory purchase order for the development concerned were the subject of applications by Donegal County Council to An Bord Pleanála under the provisions of sections 226 and 227 of the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2011. In these circumstances the Council is not obliged to apply for a licence under Section 3 of the Foreshore...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: The organisation referred to in the Question is an independent entity with its own board of management who are responsible under company law for the proper stewardship of the company. In this context, my Department has no role in the internal operations of such organisations and, therefore, does not have a role in relation to the statutory obligations of the organisation in question. In the...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: In line with national policy, my Department does not provide capital funding for new heavy waste infrastructure, including landfills. Therefore, I have not provided any funds in respect of the proposed landfill site at Tooman, Nevitt, Lusk, County Dublin. In accordance with the provisions of the Waste Management Acts, the preparation and adoption of a waste management plan, including...

Written Answers — Household Charge: Household Charge (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: The EU/IMF Programme of Financial Support for Ireland under its fiscal consolidation measures commits to the introduction of a property tax for 2012. In light of the complex issues involved, a property tax, requiring a comprehensive property valuation system, would take time to introduce and accordingly, to meet the requirements in the EU/IMF Programme, the Government decided to introduce...

Written Answers — Genetically Modified Organisms: Genetically Modified Organisms (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 519 and 520 together. The undertaking of field trials of genetically modified crops is subject to the requirements of the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 2003. An entity who wishes to carry out a field trial of a genetically modified organism (GMO) must apply for approval to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as Irish...

Written Answers — Household Charge: Household Charge (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 522, 545 and 580 together. The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 and the Local Government (Charges) Act 2009 set out the legislation underpinning the household charge and the charge on non-principal private residences respectively. Under the legislation, owners of residential property are liable to the household charge, including those persons with...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce competitive tendering for household waste collection, under which service providers would bid to provide waste collection services in a given area, for a given period of time and to a guaranteed level of service. A public consultation designed to inform policy development concluded in September 2011. A large number of responses...

Written Answers — Water Supply Contamination: Water Supply Contamination (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: The most up-to-date information on drinking water quality (including for group water schemes) is contained in the report The Provision and Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland: A Report for the Year 2010 which was published recently by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Report is available on the EPA website and I have also arranged for it to be laid before the Houses of the...

Written Answers — Household Charge: Household Charge (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 526, 527, 548, 559, 571 and 591 together. The Local Government (Household Charge) Regulations 2012 contain the list of unfinished estates to which a waiver from payment of the household charge applies in 2012. The list is also available from www.householdcharge.ie. The relevant circumstances to which I, as Minister for the Environment, Community and Local...

Written Answers — Household Sewerage Facilities: Household Sewerage Facilities (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 528, 529 and 541 together. Information on households' sewerage facilities is collected by the Central Statistics Office in the Census. Information from Census 2011 is not yet available. Census 2006 recorded that in County Cork (excluding Cork City) the number of households connected to the public sewerage network was 65,641 and there were 49,686 households...

Written Answers — Water Services: Water Services (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: The Programme for Government provides for the establishment of a new State-owned national water authority to take over responsibility for managing and supervising investment in water services infrastructure and to manage the domestic water metering programme. The Memorandum of Understanding between Ireland and the EU/IMF commits Ireland to undertaking an independent assessment of the...

Written Answers — Unfinished Housing Developments: Unfinished Housing Developments (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 531, 546, 578 and 585 together. I understand the difficult and challenging situation faced by householders, who through no fault of their own, have to contend with the consequences of pyrite in their homes. I have established an independent Panel with the remit of seeking to facilitate a resolution of pyrite contamination in private housing. The Panel is...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: My Department provides funding towards group water schemes by way of annual block grant allocations to local authorities under the Department's Rural Water Programme. Responsibility for the administration of this programme has been devolved to local authorities since 1997. The selection and approval of individual group scheme proposals for funding and advancement under the programme, within...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: The provision of water and sewerage services is the responsibility of the 34 City and County Councils which are designated as water services authorities under the Water Services Act 2007. The Act allows for the direct provision of water and wastewater treatment services by a water services authority in an area where there is a population or economic activities that are sufficiently...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: The details requested are set out in tabular form below. Ministerial appointed staff serving at 1 December 2009 Minister Position Salary Minister Gormley Donall Geoghegan, Special Adviser* €177,547 David Healy, Special Adviser €93,449 Ryan Meade, Special Adviser €93,449 Liam Reid, Special Adviser (Press & Information) €100,191 Personal Assistant €49,379 Personal Secretary...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: My Department actively participates in the National Internship Programme – JobBridge, which is run by FÁS - full details of this scheme are available at www.jobbridge.ie. My Department also participated in the predecessor to this scheme - the FÁS Workplacement Programme. The JobBridge scheme and FÁS Workplacement Programme are open to graduates and non-graduates. All internships under...

Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: I met Alex Attwood, MLA, in his capacity as Minister of the Environment in Northern Ireland at a North South Ministerial Council Plenary meeting on 10 June 2011 and at meetings of the North South Ministerial Council (Environment Sector) in Armagh on 1 July 2011 and 21 October 2011. A further meeting of the Council is scheduled for 2 March 2012 which will be attended by Minister Attwood. I...

Written Answers — Local Government Reform: Local Government Reform (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: I am adopting a progressive approach to local government structural reform. Decisions have already been taken to merge authorities in Limerick and Tipperary and a statutory Local Government Committee is examining whether Waterford City and County Councils should be unified. I intend to bring wider policy proposals to Government shortly with particular attention being given to local...

Written Answers — Fire Stations: Fire Stations (11 Jan 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 and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under section 10 of the Fire Services Act 1981. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a...

Written Answers — Water Services: Water Services (11 Jan 2012)

Phil Hogan: The provision of public waste water services is provided via a multi-annual investment plan for the provision of major water and sewerage schemes. The current plan, Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2012, is available in the Oireachtas library, and sets out the plans for investment in major water services projects. Previous plans are also available in the Oireachtas library. The...