Results 941-960 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: Kerry County Council's Castleisland Sewerage Scheme Stage 2 is included in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2005-2007 as a scheme to commence construction in 2007, at an estimated cost of €5.57m. The scheme involves the upgrading of the existing town sewerage system in Castleisland and the extension of the sewer network to cater for unserviced existing and future...

Written Answers — Special Areas of Conservation: Special Areas of Conservation (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: Under the Habitats Regulations 1997, a landowner may seek review of a proposed designation of land as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) by making an objection in writing, and based on scientific grounds, to my Department along with a clear map of the land in question. The Regulations provide that such objections must be made within a three-month period of the site being notified and it is...

Written Answers — Election Management System: Election Management System (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 20, 39 and 536 together. The total cost incurred to date in the development and roll-out of the electronic voting and counting system is €51.3 million (including some €46 million in respect of hardware costs, €2.6 million in respect of awareness and education initiatives and €0.1 million in training costs for returning officers and their staff). In...

Written Answers — Electoral Boundaries: Electoral Boundaries (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: The Local Government Act 2001 modernises the legislative framework, supports community involvement with local authorities in participative local democracy and underpins generally the programme of local government renewal. The Act also facilitates improved access, interaction, linkages and service provision for all towns and areas with their respective county councils. Local authorities, as...

Written Answers — Social and Affordable Housing: Social and Affordable Housing (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: A total of eight local authority social inclusion units have been established to date, with assistance from my Department. These units are located in the following local authorities: Cork City Council Dublin City Council Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Limerick City Council Louth County Council South Dublin County Council Waterford City Council Wicklow County Council Arrangements are...

Written Answers — Water Supply Contamination: Water Supply Contamination (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 25, 43 and 69 together. I refer to the reply to Question No. 4 of today.

Written Answers — Risk Management: Risk Management (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: My Department has developed a formal risk management framework and maintains a register of risks in line with the recommendations of the 2002 Report of the Working Group on the Accountability of Secretaries General and Accounting Officers. The register of risks contains a description of each risk identified, an assessment of the likelihood of each risk occurring, the potential impact of such...

Written Answers — Tribunals of Inquiry: Tribunals of Inquiry (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Question Nos. 27 and 77 together. I refer to the reply to Question No. 277 of 4 April 2007.

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: There has been a marked improvement in recycling performance in Ireland over the past ten years. Government policy on waste management is set out in a suite of policy documents — Changing Our Ways (1998), Delivering Change (2002), Taking Stock and Moving Forward (2004) and the National Strategy on Biodegradable Waste (2006) — published over the course of the past decade. The provision...

Written Answers — Electoral Boundaries: Electoral Boundaries (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: Unlike for Dáil constituencies, there are no constitutional or statutory requirements in relation to the frequency of local electoral area reviews. The last review of local electoral areas was carried out in 1998. The June 2004 local elections took place on the basis of the existing local electoral areas. The next local elections are due to take place in 2009. Consideration can be given...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 30, 62, 70, 88, 92 and 94 together. Draft Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Design Standards for Apartments were published by my Department for public consultation on 9 January this year, with the closing date of 5 March for receipt of comments and submissions. Forty submissions have been received and are currently being considered by my Department. It...

Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 102, 147 and 183 of 27 February 2007. At its Spring meeting this year, the European Council endorsed the need for developed countries to collectively reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in the order of 30% by 2020 compared to 1990. It also agreed that until a global and comprehensive post-2012 agreement is concluded, the EU should adopt an...

Written Answers — Ministerial Transport: Ministerial Transport (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, which organises the purchase of the Ministerial Fleet through the Government Supplies Agency, has purchased 5 hybrid cars for the Ministerial Fleet, one of which has been assigned to me. Factors such as fuel efficiency and safety are taken into account in making purchases for the Ministerial Fleet. Hybrid vehicles which are electric/petrol...

Written Answers — Building Regulations: Building Regulations (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: Part E (Sound) of the Building Regulations 1997, and the related Technical Guidance Document E (1997 Edition), sets out minimum requirements in relation to sound insulation in buildings, including new dwellings. Home Bond is carrying out a major study of sound insulation standards in Ireland and selected other EU Member States, which is due to be completed by mid-2007. I intend to initiate...

Written Answers — Climate Change: Climate Change (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 and 40 together. The recent report by the Environmental Protection Agency demonstrates the seriousness of the threat posed by climate change. The EPS report clearly identifies a range of impacts on Ireland that could result from sustained temperature increases. These include increased river and coastal flooding, water shortages in summer, negative impacts...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: The Environmental Research, Technological Development and Innovation programme (ERTDI) is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency with funding provided by my Department from the Environment Fund. Cumulative expenditure by the Agency at the end of the 2000 — 2006 period amounted to €39.76 million. The ERTDI consists of four sub-measures, namely: Sub-measure 1 —...

Written Answers — Nuclear Safety: Nuclear Safety (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: The Mixed Oxide (MOX) Plant at Sellafield utilises plutonium, separated during reprocessing of spent fuel for foreign customers at Sellafield, and returns it, predominantly by sea, to those customers in the form of MOX fuel for use in their nuclear reactors. Such shipments of radioactive material are subject to international maritime regulations including the right of innocent passage and to...

Written Answers — Environmental Policy: Environmental Policy (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: The National Climate Change Strategy 2007-2012, which I published earlier this week, includes a National Policy Framework for the purchase of Kyoto Units by the State for the purpose of compliance with the Kyoto Protocol in the commitment period 2008-2012. The purchasing framework provides that purchases shall be made in accordance with a number of specific objectives including "that they...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 90 together. Consideration of the EU Commission's proposal for a directive establishing a framework for the protection of soil is in the early stages. The proposal for a directive is part of a package adopted by the Commission in September 2006 arising from the EU's 6th Environmental Action Programme. Although soil protection provisions exist in the...

Written Answers — Recycling Policy: Recycling Policy (5 Apr 2007)

Dick Roche: I propose to take Questions Nos. 46, 64 and 76 together. There has been remarkable progress in recycling in Ireland in the past decade. National waste statistics for all waste streams are published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). National Waste Reports have been published in respect of the years 1998, 2001 and 2004 with interim reports published in respect of 2002, 2003 and...