Results 1,561-1,580 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: In relation to what? Can the Deputy repeat that question?

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 welcome the opportunity to discuss with the sub-committee my Department’s Revised Estimate for 2014. I am accompanied by the Ministers of State, Deputy Jan O’Sullivan and Deputy Fergus O’Dowd. To assist members, we have prepared briefing material on the Department’s Vote for 2014, which sets out details on the overall Vote, as well as key financial and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Constitutional Convention Recommendations (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 418 and 419 together. The Fifth Report of the Convention on the Constitution, which recommends giving citizens resident outside the State the right to vote in Presidential elections, was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 26 November 2013. In accordance with the resolution of the Oireachtas on the calling of the Convention, the Government will...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Leader Programmes Funding (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: I refer to the reply to Question No. 162 of 18 December 2013, which addresses this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Establishment (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 421, 452, 464, 465 and 493 together. No Exchequer funds were provided to Bord Gáis or Irish Water in 2012 or 2013 in relation to establishment costs. In 2014, Irish Water, which now has statutory responsibility for water services, will receive €240m in equity from the Minister for Finance and €490m from the Local Government Fund but no...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Expenditure (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos . 422, 426, 432, 451, 453, 454, 459, 460 and 495 together. The establishment of Irish Water is 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...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Meters Installation (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 423, 427, 442, 469, 481 and 483 to 488, inclusive, together. The Programme for Government sets out a commitment to the introduction of 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...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Services Provision (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 424, 462 and 463 together. The Water Services (No.2) Act 2013 transferred statutory responsibility for water services to Irish Water and provided for local authorities to act as agents for Irish Water, with this relationship being expressed through Service Level Agreements. The agreements signed between Irish Water and individual local authorities were...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Proposed Legislation (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to take further steps to address noise pollution, inter alia , through the introduction of fixed payment notices (also known as on-the-spot fines).  The development of new noise legislation by my Department is being considered in the context of this commitment. I expect to bring the General Scheme of the Bill to Government for...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Reports (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: The information requested is set out in the following table: Consultant/Author etc. Name/Description of Report Status Amount Spent Since February 2011 Egan, Fitzpatrick, Malsch & Lawrence Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) report of the risks from Sellafield to Ireland and Irish interests. Executive Summary published November 2012. €2,921,327 AECOM Cost optimal study...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Fire Service Staff (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: My Department operates a delegated sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for implementation of the moratorium in relation to local authorities. Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each City and County Manager is responsible for staffing and organisational arrangements in each Council. It is a matter for City and County Managers, in the first instance,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Severe Weather Events Expenditure (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 431 and 434 together. During the period from 13 December 2014 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: Consultancy Contracts Expenditure (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: My Department makes payments to Oracle, mainly for software licence updates and support for the Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) Financial Management System used by the Department; the payments to Oracle over the last three years are set out in following table. Description 2011 2012 2013 Total New Oracle EBS Licences - €374,455 - €374,455 Annual Oracle EBS Licencing...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Fire Service Issues (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: The provision of a fire service, including the provision of fire fighting and emergency equipment, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities as set out in the Fire Services Act, 1981. My Department supports fire authorities through the setting of general policy and the provision of capital funding, including the recoupment (within the overall funding available) of costs incurred...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: Questions relating to the Local Property Tax are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Finance. The Programme for Government sets out a commitment to the introduction of domestic water charges based on usage above a free allowance and to establish Irish Water, a new state company to take responsibility for water services provision. The Government considers that charging based on usage...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Leader Programmes Funding (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: Preparations for Ireland’s Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 (RDP) have begun and public consultation on the overall Programme will commence shortly with a view to the programme commencing in 2015. My Department is holding its own targeted stakeholders’ consultation meeting on the LEADER elements of the 2014-2020 RDP on 30 January and a public consultation meeting in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Leader Programmes Funding (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: Before Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta (MFG) went into liquidation in 2011 my Department had paid €3.37m to the company under the LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 (RDP) . Following legal advice and discussions with the European Commission in late 2012 the areas which had been previously served by MFG were transferred to the contiguous Local Action Groups...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Redundancy Payments (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: My Department has no role in the internal operations of any organisations funded through Pobal 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. However the Government recognises that like all other sectors of our economy, the community and voluntary sector has had to deal with reduced funding...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: State Properties (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions No. 444 and 445 together. The Government is committed to minimising greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide emissions, from building stock in State ownership. In 2012, I published, in tandem with my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Green Tenders, the national action plan on green public procurement. Green Tenders notifies...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Appointments (21 Jan 2014)

Phil Hogan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 446, 455, 456 and 461 together. The Water Services Act 2013 provided for the establishment of Irish Water as a subsidiary of Bórd Gáis Éireann to be formed and registered under the Companies Act. Irish Water is currently recruiting to build up the internal capabilities required within the organisation and the numbers of staff employed is...