Results 10,141-10,160 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (21 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: I move amendment No. 12: In page 5, after line 49, to insert the following: 5.—Section 14 of the Act of 1987 is amended— (a) by inserting the following subsection after subsection (5): "(5A) Where an authorised person has reasonable grounds for apprehending any serious obstruction in the performance of his or her functions or otherwise considers it necessary, he or she may be accompanied...

Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (21 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: The deployment of resources is a separate issue. There is a serious problem with the employment moratorium and I do not expect to see any change with that in the near future. I subscribe to the devolution of functions and I will keep an eye on the issue of resourcing functions that can be devolved to local authorities to ensure they are being enforced.

Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (21 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: Amendment No. 13 proposes the ceiling on the plastic bag levy should be retained at 26 cent. The Bill gives me the opportunity over a long period of time to increase the plastic bag levy but I cannot do it by any more than 10% of the existing levy in any financial year plus the change in the consumer price index since the last change, up to a limit of 70 cent. It will take a considerable...

Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (21 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: I propose to deal with the three parts of amendment No. 14 in turn. The first part of this amendment proposes to make illegal within the State a form of waste management which is legal under EU law. Incineration, where it reaches the required threshold for energy recovery, is deemed to be on the recovery tier of the waste hierarchy - a priority order established by the Waste Framework...

Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (21 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: That is, the taxpayer.

Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Instruction to Committee (21 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: I move: That, pursuant to Standing Order 177,Standing Order 131 is modified to permit an instruction to the Committee to which the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011 may be recommitted in respect of certain amendments, that it has power to make provision in the Bill to amend the placename provisions of the Local Government Act 2001 and to change the name of An Daingean to...

Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Instruction to Committee (21 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: He failed to do it, but I am doing it. As Members might recall, the official name of Dingle was changed to An Daingean by the Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order of December 2004 made by the Minster for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs under the Official Languages Act 2003. As is well documented at this stage, the change in name has provoked an extended debate, with significant...

Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Instruction to Committee (21 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: We will sort out both issues for him.

Waste Disposal (20 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: I thank Deputy Lawlor for raising what is an important matter for his community and for providing me with an opportunity to update the House on the substantial effort being made by the relevant agencies, with financial support from my Department, to address the issues involved. As the Deputy indicated, substantial funding has already been provided from the Environment Fund to deal with the...

Litter Pollution (20 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: I thank Deputy Lynch for raising the issue of litter pollution, a matter in which I also have a very keen interest. The Litter Pollution Acts 1997 to 2009 provide the statutory framework to combat litter effectively. Under the Acts, the primary management and enforcement response to littering must come from the local authorities. The role of my Department is to provide the legislative...

Litter Pollution (20 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: Given the public health issues involved, enforcement of the legislation falls to the Health Service Executive. Furthermore, where problems of this nature occur in local authority accommodation, the local authority, in its capacity as landlord, has a responsibility to ensure the property is being maintained in a reasonable condition and does not constitute a health risk. The landlord may in...

Mental Health Services (20 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: I will be taking this matter on behalf of my colleague the Minister for Health and I thank Deputy Broughan for raising it as it provides me with an opportunity to update the House on the current position in the development of mental health services in north Dublin. The Mental Health Commission has attached a condition to the registration of St. Ita's Hospital which requires the closure of the...

Medical Cards (20 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: I am taking this Adjournment mater on behalf of the Minister for Health who apologise for his inability to take this matter personally. I am happy to have an opportunity to explain, as the Deputy probably already knows, how the person's eligibility for a medical card is assessed.

Medical Cards (20 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: I am interested in the examples cited by the Deputy, but I cannot give him a solution because I am not the appropriate Minister to give the discretionary information he requires. Deputy Costello has put forward an interesting number of examples which give rise to concern about the manner in which these matters are being investigated and assessed by the HSE. Applicants whose weekly incomes...

Written Answers — Noise Pollution: Noise Pollution (20 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: Section 107 of the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992 provides local authorities with powers to require measures to be taken to prevent or limit noise from any premises, processes and works. The Environment Section of the relevant City or County Council is the appropriate contact point for reporting a noise nuisance in this regard. In addition, under section 108 of the Environmental...

Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (20 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: Four EU Environment Council meetings, including two Informal Councils, and two North/South Ministerial Council meetings, for which my Department has responsibility, have taken place since the formation of the Government. While I may call upon Ministers of State from time to time to deputise for me at these meetings, I attended all of the meetings referred to above.

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (20 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: In accordance with the provisions of the Waste Management Acts, the preparation and adoption of a waste management plan, including matters in respect of infrastructure provision, is the statutory responsibility of the local authority or authorities concerned, and under section 60(3) of the Waste Management Act 1996 I am precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to the...

Written Answers — Building Regulations: Building Regulations (20 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: The legal requirements for the design and construction of new buildings are set out in twelve parts (classified as Parts A to M) of the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations. Technical Guidance Documents (TGDs) are published to accompany each part in order to demonstrate how compliance with the legal requirements can be achieved in practice. The onus is on the owner and the builder...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (20 Jul 2011)

Phil Hogan: Dublin City Council has been examining the feasibility of taking water from the River Shannon as a means of providing long-term security of supply in the Dublin region. Consultants working for Dublin City Council have completed a Preliminary Report which addresses this matter and outlines the options examined for source development, the type of treatment to be provided and how the water...

Written Answers — Fire Stations: Fire Stations (20 Jul 2011)

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...