Results 1,541-1,560 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: May I speak? It is difficult to-----

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: The Deputy had nine hours last week to give his side of the story. Give me a chance to handle the Estimates. This year, we will spend €240 million on major capital works. There is a carry-over from last year relating to unfinished projects. That money must be spent, but Irish Water will deal with those projects. It will publish its public capital programme for water and sewerage...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: For this year.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: Last year, we allocated €4 million in respect of septic tanks. No grant was paid out because nobody has sought one yet.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: To be fair to Deputy Cowen, he was not involved, but Deputies Ó Cuív, Joan Collins and Mattie McGrath as well as members of his own party travelled around the country telling public meetings that there should have been a grant scheme, that people would need to pay an annual charge of €300 and that every septic tank would be inspected. Arising from a European Court of Justice...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: Some 1%-----

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: The agreement was 1%. That is exactly what we did in 2013.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: When I explained to the committee's members that we would have a good, practical solution to the septic tank issue, Deputy Cowen did not believe me.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: No. Sure, it is-----

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: I know what is wrong with Deputy Cowen. He wants to reverse engines. He wants everyone who has registered a septic tank to be inspected so that he or she might qualify for a grant.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: Does Deputy Cowen know how many have failed the inspection?

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: They have been. The Deputy's local authority has been inspecting septic tanks in river basins since 2007.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: Am I right or wrong?

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: No.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: Some 1% are inspected on a risk basis near rivers and lakes. If they have not been inspected but are registered, they obviously cannot draw down a grant. Does the Deputy want an open-ended scheme? From where would he get the money?

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: If people feel that they have problems with their septic tanks, they are already breaking the law if they do not comply with the water source and water quality issues covered by the Water Services Act 2007. Local authorities have been inspecting septic tanks for years. Deputy Cowen is asking me to arrange inspections for everybody so they can draw down a grant. That is not the arrangement...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: Managing our water resource effectively is a key economic issue that we must face. We have 18,000 people on public water supplies that have a boil water notice or other restrictions. The EPA has determined that remedial action is required on supplies that are at risk, which include large supplies in Dublin and Cork, affecting a million people. We have significant supply constraints in...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: I am answering them. I challenge Deputy Barry Cowen to tell me what he would do in order to deal with this legacy issue. The Deputy should tell me what he would reduce further in the areas of housing, education or health in the context of the restrictions on our finances over the past few years and in light of the issues outlined about how we will deal with these problems for the people of...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: Deputy Barry Cowen can be political if he wants, but these are the challenges we are trying to meet. I have answered questions about the Voted Estimates before the House. I have hidden nothing. A mistake was made in respect of the parliamentary questions. The commercial sensitivity of any State company will also be taken into account but it does not mean we cannot put out the maximum...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised) (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: I have listened to many submissions from Deputy Barry Cowen that we are getting rid of local authorities and their expertise and knowledge. Why were we doing that? Deputy Cowen made representations to have public representatives on the board of Irish Water, but when I did that, there was a problem. When I appointed the president of the Association of County and City Councils, its...