Results 1,181-1,200 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Written Answers — Sport and Recreational Development: Sport and Recreational Development (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: In May 2005, I introduced a new initiative for the provision of skateboard facilities by local authorities. Each City and County Council was invited to submit expressions of interest for grant assistance towards the provision of a skateboard park in its area. Applications were assessed in my Department in conjunction with the National Children's Office and some 21 projects in 21 different...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: Information on the quality of drinking water supplies is regularly compiled and provided by the Environmental Protection Agency. The latest relevant EPA report The Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland — A Report for the Year 2005 is available in the Oireachtas Library. Management of public drinking water supplies is generally the responsibility of the local authorities which have a range of...

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: The Headford Sewerage Scheme is being funded under my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2005-07 at a cost of €9.4m. I approved Galway County Council's Tenders Recommendation for the scheme in May 2005 and work is scheduled for completion in Autumn 2007.

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: The maintenance and improvement of public roads, including modifications to associated public footpaths, would normally be a matter for the relevant roads authority and not for private householders. Works relating to private roads or footpaths, or to public footpaths in the context of private development, in principle require planning permission. Certain classes of development are however...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: Under the Habitats Regulations 1997, a landowner may seek review of a designation of land as a proposed Special Area of Conservation (pSAC) or as a proposed Special Protection Areas (pSPAs) 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...

Written Answers — Architectural Heritage: Architectural Heritage (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: Exercise of their compulsory purchase powers to acquire land, is a matter for local authorities themselves and is subject to confirmation by An Bord Pleanála. My Department has no function in relation to the exercise of compulsory purchase orders in particular cases.

Water Supply Contamination. (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I propose to take all of the questions together. I thank the Deputies for raising this issue which is of extraordinary importance. As we are at this advanced stage in our development as a nation, it is simply not acceptable that 90,000 people in Galway are in the position they are in. Drinking water in modern societies is provided through a complex production process. It is fundamental...

Water Supply Contamination. (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I will give the Deputy a factual answer.

Water Supply Contamination. (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: We should stop this nonsense.

Water Supply Contamination. (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I will answer any supplementary question asked. I wanted to volunteer additional information but clearly Deputy Sargent is not remotely interested in it.

Water Supply Contamination. (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I intend to travel to Galway tomorrow with senior personnel from my Department. The objective will be to ask why we have not seen progress on the scheme to date. We will also put in place measures to provide the interim supply which is apparently available and to ensure this happens in the shortest possible time. We will request the council to sit down and get through the basic provisions...

Water Supply Contamination. (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I thank the Deputy. I have contacted him, Deputy Grealish and other local representatives. Deputy Michael D. Higgins knows the water services investment programme is a public document and is notified to all local authorities. The idea suggested during the course of the day that the local council was not aware that €21 million was available to it is patent nonsense.

Water Supply Contamination. (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: Not only is it a public document communicated to the council, but the announcements about County Galway were well covered in the excellent journal, The Connacht Tribune. I ask Deputy Higgins to forgive me, as I do not have specific notes on the matter, but one can find a full-page report on the matter dated 19 May 2002, possibly on page 2 or 3. However, that is not the issue. We can start...

Water Supply Contamination. (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: ——it is a potential disaster for Galway city and I want to see it overcome. We can either spend our energies fighting one another or solving problems. My trip to Galway tomorrow, at some inconvenience, arises because I want to spend time bringing together people from the Department, the county and city councils and the health authority and anyone else who is necessary to resolve the...

Water Supply Contamination. (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: That matter is a canard introduced to deflect attention from the fact there has been no progress. It is not an issue. Major programmes put a strain on local authority staff, but the House is continuously advised that we must keep public service numbers in control. To give credit to the local government sector, it has kept control of those numbers. Where the staffing issue arises in...

Water Supply Contamination. (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: That is correct.

Water Supply Contamination. (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: May I respond?

Water Supply Contamination. (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I thank the Deputy for his comments. He asked whether money is in place. Money has been earmarked for this scheme. As every Deputy in the House knows, this process does not involve sending a cheque to a local authority, it involves telling the authority that it can draw down a certain amount of money after it has finalised the relevant scheme. That is how moneys are made available. Money...

Water Supply Contamination. (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: I am grateful to the Deputy for that undertaking. I accept that the spokespersons of the Opposition parties have encountered certain difficulties. Some committee meetings could not be held at times when I would have liked them to be held. I am not pointing the finger in any way in that regard as all the Members of this House are very busy. I agree with Deputy Sargent that the Water...

Water Supply Contamination. (29 Mar 2007)

Dick Roche: The Bill in question is one of those I designated as priority legislation. With this exception, all the Bills on my priority list have been enacted with the assistance of the Members of the House. The Houses completed their consideration of the Carbon Fund Bill 2006 and the Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2007 this week. The Water Services Bill 2003 is the last of my priority Bills to be passed...