Results 1,241-1,260 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: A voluntary redundancy scheme was offered to local authority staff in 2013 and by the end of March 2014 approximately 620 staff will have departed under the scheme. The number of staff provided for Water Services under the Service Level Agreements with Irish Water for 2014 is 4319.6 full time equivalents subject to alignment with the budgets notified by Irish Water to each local authority....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Administration (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 103 and 438 together . The Water Services Transition Office (WSTO) was established by the County and City Managers' Association to assist with the implementation of the water sector reform process. The role of the Transition Officer is to support the delivery of the water sector reform programme on behalf of the local government sector, by...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Building Regulations Amendments (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: The new Building Control Amendment Regulations will greatly strengthen the arrangements currently in place for the control of building activity by requiring greater accountability in relation to compliance with Building Regulations in the form of statutory certification of design and construction, lodgement of compliance documentation, mandatory inspections during construction and validation...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes Provision (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: The Fethard Burncourt Water Supply Scheme Water Treatment Plants Contract was included in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2013 as a scheme to start during the period of the Programme. On 3 December 2013 I approved funding of €12.3m to enable South Tipperary County Council award the Contract for the Fethard Burncourt Water Treatment Plants DBO...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Reform (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: I set up the Working Group on citizen engagement with local government, under the chairmanship of Fr. Sean Healy, in September 2013 to make recommendations on more extensive and diverse input by citizens into the decision-making process and to allow for facilitation of input by citizens into decision making at the local government level. The members of the group were chosen for their...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Staff (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Question Nos. 108, 128, 435 and 468 together. Irish Water is being established to accelerate capital investment in water services and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of water services delivery. The organisation needs to be appropriately resourced to fulfil this task but will not be over-staffed. Irish Water is currently recruiting to build up the required...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Vehicle Registration Issues (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: In accordance with the provisions of the Non-Use of Motor Vehicles Act 2013, the minimum period for which a vehicle can be declared off the road is three months. However, the Act also provides that an owner can return the vehicle to the road early, if circumstances require, by applying for a vehicle licence for the vehicle. The vehicle licence will commence from the month in which the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Leader Programmes Funding (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: The current value of the Axes 3 and 4 elements of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 is €370 million. In addition, €5 million has been provided for an Axis 1 Agri-food measure. Of this, up to a maximum of 20% can be spent on administration expenses leaving a minimum of 80% of the funding available for projects and animation expenses. To date €183 million has...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: State Bodies Mergers (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Question Nos. 114 and 417 together. My Department has not engaged any external consultants regarding the merger of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland. My Department, however, provided €70,000 in capital funding to the Environmental Protection Agency in 2013 for the merger. In addition, there is an allocation...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Noise Pollution (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: Over many years, there have been reports of low level, low frequency noise, which can be perceived a hum, from various places around the world. By its nature low frequency noise can be transmitted over long distances, and at low level it can be difficult to distinguish from other sources. Reported 'hums' have been extensively investigated in both the UK and the USA, where studies found that...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Administration (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 116 and 121 together. The Water Services Act 2013 provided for the establishment of Irish Water as a subsidiary of Bord Gáis Éireann (BGE) and that the new company should be formed and registered under the Companies Acts. The Memorandum and Articles of Association, which were adopted by Irish Water on its incorporation in July 2013, provide that...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Administration (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013, provides for the transfer of water services functions from the 34 water services authorities to Irish Water. Under the legislation Irish Water now has the powers previously held by local authorities in relation to the takeover of Group Water Schemes and this means that Irish Water may acquire by agreement a waterworks or waste water works, but subject to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Services Provision (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013, which came into effect on 1 January 2014, provides for the transfer of responsibility for the delivery of water services from the water services authorities to Irish Water. Section 12 of the Act provides that the Minister can transfer water services infrastructure from a water services authority to Irish Water by order. Irish Water is not responsible for...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Staff (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: Staff recruitment to Irish Water is an operational matter for the company and I have no role in such matters. I understand from Irish Water that the staffing requirements of the company were defined based on the requirements of a high performance utility model. The roles required were identified, job descriptions were developed and positions then advertised. Due to the scale, volume...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Climate Change Policy (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: I refer to the reply to Question s No . 141, 142, 143 and 150 of 22 January 2014 which sets out the position in this matter. As outlined in that reply, in addition to a direct involvement in the sectoral element of the roadmapping process related to the built environment, my Department's responsibility for overall co-ordination of national climate policy, in respect of both mitigation and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Community Development Initiatives (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: The Government continues to advance a range of measures that support volunteering and active citizenship and my Department funds a network of twenty one Volunteer Centres, including Galway Volunteer Centre. These Centres act as 'brokers' between potential volunteers and organisations seeking volunteers, and they are linked by a common database and a common best practice approach. They also...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Administration (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 467 together. The employment terms and conditions for Irish Water staff are a matter for the company and I understand that the terms and conditions are in line with the arrangements applying with Bord Gáis Éireann. Bord Gáis has in place a competitive market based pay model. The model offers market based pay ranges for all...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rural Development Programme Funding (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: Under Ireland's Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 (RDP), the LEADER programme will primarily address Priority 6 of the European Union priorities for rural development which is promoting social inclusion, poverty reduction and economic development in rural areas. Preparatory work for the RDP, including the needs analysis processes and the research conducted by CEDRA, the Commission on...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Expenditure (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: The establishment of Irish Water in 2013 was an integral component of the Government’s water sector reform strategy and involves major organisational change, an entirely new funding structure governed by economic regulation, the introduction of domestic water charges based on usage and the roll-out of a national domestic metering programme. The PwC independent assessment on...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Reform (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: These amendments and others relating to the provisions in the Local Government Reform Act 2014 have already been debated and agreed by the Oireachtas. In respect of Section 35 relating to Local Community Development Committees, lines 12-30 in section 128F were deleted as they related to the making of Regulations and General Policy Guidelines for Local and Community Plans to be developed by...