Results 9,281-9,300 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: Why did the Senator table the amendment?

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: I am talking to the Senator and I am asking him why he tabled the amendment.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: The Senator should stop digging.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: I apologise for not mentioning prior notice. It is a very valid point and I am prepared to consider it, in terms of an amendment on ten working days to give advance notice to people. There are various scenarios in which notice should be given. It is appropriate to include that in the primary legislation rather than by way of regulations. Ten working days, which is two weeks, is a...

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: It is not a bit fortunate for anybody that this must be done, but we are where we are.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: The Senator will not get any credit for the fact that he was anti-public health, anti-environment and anti-groundwater quality. I will get credit in that regard at the end of the day.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: Farmers, business people and householders want good quality water. In the regulations, I have allowed for the fact that local authority staff will administer the scheme and the local authorities will be in charge of it. In this section, I am including a provision which will allow local authorities to take on additional staff if necessary. Not all of them will have to do so. This provision...

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: I intend to take a pragmatic approach in those cases to which the Senator referred, where two tanks are serving one property, particularly where they cater for the same family or an extended family.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: It is a reasonable proposal. In regard to investment in rural areas, I am sure the Senator has heard of group water schemes and group sewerage schemes. They did not come about by accident; there was significant support from the State.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: Successive Governments, including Fianna Fáil Party Governments, have invested an enormous sum, amounting to some €500 million, in these schemes.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: What the Senator is now saying flies in the face of his earlier claim that rural communities have not been assisted by the State in improving their water quality. Some €500 million has been invested in the last ten years and group water and sewerage schemes continue to receive an annual subsidy from the State. There is currently an anomaly whereby group water schemes receive grant...

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: Additional staff will come from outside and will have to register with the inspection panel.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: I did not mention that.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: No.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: The Senator is barking up the wrong tree.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: Senator Ó Domhnaill wants it every way.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: The Senator's party introduced that legislation. He should tell me.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: I am favouring local authority staff.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: I am sure the Senator has heard my argument but it may not suit him to listen to me-----

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2011)

Phil Hogan: -----but with respect, I have already stated that this is a matter primarily for local authorities. Some of them will not be in a position to have the necessary staff to deal with this work themselves but if they have the staff, this is the way they should go. This is erring on the side of allowing local authorities to be in charge of the scheme with EPA guidelines. This is what they do in...