Results 1,201-1,220 of 7,082 for speaker:John Paul Phelan

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee Report (15 Jan 2019)

John Paul Phelan: The commitment I can give the Deputy is that it is my intention to have the legislation in place before the new councils take office, which will be following the local elections at the end of next May. However, the Government is not responsible for the business of the House any more. The report to which I referred on additional powers for municipal districts across the country has been with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (15 Jan 2019)

John Paul Phelan: Local authorities have a statutory obligation to levy rates on property used for commercial purposes, in accordance with the details in the valuation lists prepared by the Commissioner of Valuation. The Annual Rate on Valuation (ARV), decided by local authority members annually, is applied to the valuation determined by the Valuation Office, to calculate the amount payable. Rates income is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Members (15 Jan 2019)

John Paul Phelan: On 21 June 2018, I announced that, with the agreement of the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, I was commissioning a review of the role and remuneration of local authority elected members and published the terms of reference for same. I appointed Ms. Sara Moorhead SC to conduct the independent review. In accordance with the terms of reference, Ms Moorhead submitted an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Area Plans (15 Jan 2019)

John Paul Phelan: It is my intention, in the coming months, to publish legislation to place local authority cross boundary cooperation on a statutory basis in certain circumstances where urban settlements have extended beyond county boundaries. These provisions envisage the establishment of urban area committees where the results of a population census show that at least 1,500 persons or 10% of the area's...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Government Reform (15 Jan 2019)

John Paul Phelan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1122 and 1123 together. The Local Government Bill 2018 provides inter alia for the holding of plebiscites on directly elected mayors with executive functions for Cork City Council, Limerick City and County Council and Waterford City and County Council. These plebiscites are expected to be held at the same time as the local government elections in May...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (15 Jan 2019)

John Paul Phelan: The processes and procedures underpinning the valuation of property for rating purposes are set out in detail in the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. Such valuations are a matter for the Commissioner of Valuation, who is the head of the Valuation Office, in the first instance. The Commissioner is independent in the exercise of his functions. I have no role in such matters. The Valuation Acts...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Constitutional Amendments (15 Jan 2019)

John Paul Phelan: At its meeting on 4 December 2018, the Government reviewed the progress on Bills to amend the Constitution. The Government noted that further consideration will be given to the timing of a referendum on reducing the voting age to 16 although it is not proposed that this referendum be held in 2019.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates Valuation Process (15 Jan 2019)

John Paul Phelan: The Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015 provide for the valuation of all commercial and industrial property for rating purposes. The Commissioner of Valuation is independent in the performance of his functions under the Acts and the making of valuations for rating is his sole responsibility and neither the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government nor I have any function in decisions in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Elected Office Requirements (15 Jan 2019)

John Paul Phelan: Electoral law provides that 'a person of unsound mind' is disqualified from seeking election to the Dáil or European Parliament and, from membership of the Seanad. However this provision is to be repealed by the Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016, which is currently at Committee Stage in Dáil Éireann. There are no other barriers in electoral law to persons...

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2018)

John Paul Phelan: The brief answer is if the asset is being transferred and there is an outstanding debt upon it, that debt will also be transferred. For example, if Cork County Council has invested in a public project in the transfer area or the area that is under consideration by the Bill, there cannot be a question that it would still have the liability of paying for the debt. In one sense, it is a paper...

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2018)

John Paul Phelan: The purpose of any local authority is to provide public infrastructure and services. What has became apparent in the Cork review is that somewhere between 600 and 700 different services are provided by the local authority, a number that also shocked me. It concerns the idea that a local authority would invest public money - in this case, money it has received either from a Department such...

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2018)

John Paul Phelan: What I am trying to make clear is that there will be a full transfer of both liabilities and assets. Assets provided decades ago were provided on the basis of meeting local need. If the local population moves, the asset moves. That is the position.

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2018)

John Paul Phelan: There is not much disagreement among Senators or from me. The Leader of the House probably put it best in his contribution which echoed what he said last night. These sections essentially provide for the biggest boundary change in the history of the State. As well as the transfer of assets and liabilities, there is the much more important transfer of 80,000 to 85,000 people who, crucially,...

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2018)

John Paul Phelan: I have come to know Leitrim in recent years and I will spend Friday and most of the next two weeks in the county. While it is geographically large and takes one hour to drive from one end to the other, it is extremely small in population terms. However, I believe 18 councillors is too few for such a large geographical area. Wexford is also a huge county and when I was standing for election...

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2018)

John Paul Phelan: I am familiar with the Senator's correspondence, on a daily basis, on matters relating to local government and no Oireachtas Member is responsible for more.

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2018)

John Paul Phelan: I will give a commitment to that, and not just for Cork. The Department will circulate letters to all local authorities advising them to get a handle on asset management issues in general. Senator Boyhan is wrong if he believes we have got this over the line. We have got to the position where the Cork issue does not excite as much difficulty as Galway but the Senator will have had a gentle...

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2018)

John Paul Phelan: It is between 80,000 and 85,000.

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2018)

John Paul Phelan: I will start with Senator Lombard's legitimate points. The day the transfer will happen is being called transfer day. Today is deadline day. It feels like we should be across the water talking about sports arrangements in the new year but this is very serious and we are discussing people's careers. While it is more prevalent in Cork than in other local authority areas, there has always...

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2018)

John Paul Phelan: Because Cork is such a big county, as I said previously on Second Stage, it should have been set up with about four or five local authorities, never mind two, when the local government system was being established. Be that is it may, we specifically spelled out population because - I got into trouble in the other House for saying this - local authorities should serve primarily people...

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2018)

John Paul Phelan: The Senator has raised a valid point. Ultimately we are seeking volunteers. I believe we will fill most these positions with volunteers who wish to transfer. Normal industrial relations processes will apply and I have no intention of trying to strong-arm people who live in Skibbereen. Those areas will still be in County Cork. They have their own municipal district structure, which we...