Results 1,261-1,280 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

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

Phil Hogan: At approximately 3 a.m. on Saturday, 25 January, the Dublin Fire Service responded to an emergency call reporting a large fire at the Oxigen Environmental Waste facility in an industrial estate at Ballymount, Dublin. In co-ordination with An Garda Síochána, the Dublin Fire Service has been managing the incident since that time. The Fire Service has worked since Saturday morning to...

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

Phil Hogan: The Programme for Government promised to introduce a fair funding model to deliver clean and reliable water; to establish a new State-owned utility to take responsibility for water infrastructure; and to implement a metering programme and water charging system based on usage above a free allowance. The water sector reform programme implementation strategy aims to implement these commitments....

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

Phil Hogan: The primary role of my Department in electoral matters is to provide an appropriate policy and legislative framework for a modern and efficient electoral system. Within that framework, local returning officers are responsible for all matters in connection with the actual conduct of elections and referendums, including the selection, appointment and training of polling station and count staff...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Severe Weather Events Response (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 414 and 421 together. During the period from 13 December 2013 to 6 January 2014 Ireland was subjected to a series of severe storms, affecting the country roughly once every three days. In addition to the very strong winds, there were periods of extremely heavy rain and a lot of thunderstorm activity. These storms coincided with high spring tides and...

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

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 416 and 475 together. My Department has no role in the internal operations of community and voluntary sector organisations and, therefore, does not have a role in relation to staff or employment matters, which are for the Board of the company, as the employer, to manage. Under the Community Affairs (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial...

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

Phil Hogan: A vehicle constructed or permanently adapted for the purposes of lifting, towing and transporting a disabled vehicle, and used solely for those purposes, is taxed in the contrivance class, which carries an annual tax of €333. If the vehicle is used for the carrying of other goods, it is taxable at the goods rate. The annual tax will depend on the unladen weight of the vehicle.

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

Phil Hogan: Provisions regarding the de-sludging of septic tanks and other domestic wastewater treatment systems are included in the Water Services Acts 2007 and 2012 (Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems) Regulations 2012. No permit is required by persons who de-sludge their own septic tank and subsequently spread the sludge on their own land. However, the spreading of the sludge must be carried out...

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

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 423 and 463 to 465, inclusive, together. The Water Services Act 2013 require the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), as the new independent economic regulator of Irish Water, to perform its functions in a manner that best serves the interests of the customers of Irish Water. This is similar to the CER's statutory role in respect of the gas and...

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

Phil Hogan: I refer to the reply to Question Nos. 444 and 445 of 21 January 2014 in which I set out the position from my Department’s perspective. There is no national carbon control strategy specific to buildings, whether in State ownership or otherwise. In view of the fact that the carbon impact of buildings generally relates the use and management of energy, I also referred to the specific...

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

Phil Hogan: I have no plans to bring in legislation to change the basis for charging motor tax for vehicles registered prior to 2008 to the CO2 system. The question of applying the new CO2 based motor tax system to all cars was subject to detailed discussion during the debate on the Motor Vehicle (Duties and Licences) Act 2008, when the CO2 system was being introduced. Any retrospection would not be...

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

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 426 to 428, inclusive, together. The Government established the Forum on Philanthropy in May 2006 to promote a culture of philanthropy in Ireland. The Forum initially comprised the Departments of An Taoiseach (in the Chair), Finance and Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, as well as five private philanthropic organisations, including Philanthropy...

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

Phil Hogan: An ’open libraries’ initiative will begin on a pilot basis in May 2014, to run for one year in six library branches. Staff hours and levels will not change from the present levels during this pilot, when access to the libraries concerned will be from 8am to 10pm. Research undertaken by the Local Government Management Agency on similar initiatives in other countries has...

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

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 432 and 434 together. The new Building Control Amendment Regulations which come into operation on 1 March 2014 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...

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

Phil Hogan: My Department is responsible for a range of programmes to support communities, including the Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP) and the Scheme to Support National Organisations (SSNO). Both of these programmes provide funding to support the work of the New Communities Partnership. The LCDP is one of my Department’s main social inclusion programmes. Its objective is to...

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

Phil Hogan: Irish Water has agreed in principle to take over the net realisable non-domestic water debtor figure at the end of 2013, the value of which is to be based on a set of criteria that will be applied by each Local Authority to the customer balance as at 31 December 2013. A working group representative of my Department, the Water Services Transition Office (WSTO) and Irish Water was established...

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

Phil Hogan: A fundamental underpinning of the water reform programme is to ensure that the skills and experience built up over many years in local authorities are put to best use for the long-term benefit of the customer and that there is no negative impact on service to customers during the transition. Irish Water is currently recruiting to build up the internal capabilities required within the...

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

Phil Hogan: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was informed, via its emergency line, in the early hours of Saturday, 25 January of a serious fire outbreak at the Oxigen Environmental Waste Facility at Ballymount, Dublin 12. EPA officials were quickly on site and continued to attend the site each day, working in co-ordination with the Gardaí and Dublin Fire Brigade in managing the incident....

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

Phil Hogan: The local government funding model has changed considerably in 2014 and , in particular, the establishment of Irish Water and its financial relationship with the local government sector has a considerable impact on local authority financing. The funding to be provided to local authorities for the provision of water services in 2014 will be governed by Service Level Agreements between Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Appointments to State Boards (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 443 and 444 together. My Department does not engage the company in question in respect of appointments to State Boards under its remit. All appointments to State Boards are made in accordance with the appropriate legislation governing appointments to each body. In some cases statutory selection procedures must be followed or nominations must be sought from...

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

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 445, 458, 470, 476 and 490 together. The Programme for Government includes a commitment to introduce water charges based on usage above a free allowance. The Government considers that charging based on usage is the fairest way to charge for water and it has, therefore, decided that water meters should be installed in households connected to public water...