Results 1,761-1,780 of 7,082 for speaker:John Paul Phelan

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Postal Voting (26 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: I refer to the reply to Question No. 611 of 24 April 2018, which sets out the position in this matter.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Building Regulations (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: I thank Senator Conway for raising this issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy. At the outset, I wish to acknowledge the distressing and stressful circumstances the owners and residents of buildings must face where building defects emerge. However, in general, building defects are matters for resolution between the contracting parties involved, the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Building Regulations (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: No.

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: I thank the Senators who contributed to this debate. I will try to reference as many of the contributions as possible. The range of views that have been expressed in the House this evening and during the previous discussion on this issue demonstrate to me and to Members of this House the importance of councillor supports and local government functions. I fully appreciate the dedication...

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: On the previous day Senator Ó Ríordáin spoke at length about the huge number of retirements from councils he served on between 2004 and 2011. He is right. All of us would have experience of people who left. Sometimes people leave because they just want to get out of local government, whether for family or employment reasons or whatever. In more recent times, however, people...

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: -----for travel within their Dáil constituency. For councillors who have vast electoral areas, some provision to acknowledge those costs must be considered by this group. On the previous day Senator Mark Daly raised the issue of the Revenue Commissioners. Other Senators have spoken about the public sector travel rates that apply to councillors. A recent adjudication by the Revenue...

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: They are never too far away. Does the Government want proper local government? Absolutely. The current system in its entirety in terms of the supports for councillors is insufficient and is the reason we need to examine the role of a councillor and remunerate accordingly. What has to be taken from the work done by the Department on surveying the amount of time councillors put into the job...

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: I do not think we will ever be able to deal with such claims. I got a call once on Christmas Day about water, but that was a legitimate council related matter.

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: Sorry, I missed that. That is fair enough.

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: No. It was about 2000. My father answered the phone and I will not say what he said to the constituent who, I hasten to add, was his cousin. Senator Murnane O'Connor is right, and others have expressed the same view. Councillors want to help make their communities better. It is what motivates all of us, at least at the start of our careers in politics. When I stood for the council there...

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: The representative groups could not outline additional powers that should be given to councillors in the presence of the Minister and his officials, which is a shocking indictment of-----

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: Absolutely. Extra reserve functions were given under the reforms brought in on the previous occasion and there are certainly other areas that should be given additional powers. As part of the review of the boundary areas, which will be published in June, there is also the knock-on, which will have to be a decision of Government in terms of giving funding directly to municipal districts or...

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: That is gone.

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: It is to give back that sense of autonomy. I believe the previous local government reforms went very far in that the size of the areas created were too big. We changed those in the terms of reference under which the review group is operating. I fundamentally believe, and I said it previously here, that the decision to ensure one person, one vote in a local election, whether one lives in...

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: It was to try to get this process under way.

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: Senator Boyhan said I met Fine Gael councillors in a private meeting in Dungarvan. They were very happy that day.

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: Okay. I think they will be quite happy that the process is now taking shape. Senator Wilson gave out about the €1,000 being taxable. The intention was always that it would be taxable. It was always the position of the Department that it was likely to be taxable but we were waiting on an adjudication by the Revenue Commissioners. He gave out about the €5,000 vouched...

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: Yes. There are some Members of this House who said that we should stick with the link between Senators and councillors. Absolutely not. If councillors are to get the PRSI entitlements to get the pension entitlements, this link between councillors and a grade in the public service is the crucial step in getting the other ancillary benefits for councillors, as well as the pay issue.This is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Postal Voting (24 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: Postal voting is provided for in electoral law in respect of a number of categories of electors - whole-time members of the Defence Forces, members of An Garda Síochána, Irish diplomats serving abroad and their spouses/civil partners, electors living at home who are unable to vote because of a physical illness or a physical disability, electors whose occupation, service or...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Postal Voting (17 Apr 2018)

John Paul Phelan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1497, 1525, 1537, 1552 and 1569 together. Postal voting is provided for in electoral law in respect of a number of categories of electors - whole-time members of the Defence Forces, members of An Garda Síochána, Irish diplomats serving abroad and their spouses/civil partners, electors living at home who are unable to vote because of a physical...