Results 1,801-1,820 of 7,082 for speaker:John Paul Phelan

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (21 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: The next stage is to hold a referendum.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (21 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: To deal with what other Senators said in their contributions, I have spoken about what the Acting Chairman said. There are similar pieces of legislation in the Dáil on extending voting rights. I disagree with Senator Gavin in the sense that while his point about this being a simple piece of legislation is absolutely right, it is very fundamental because we are speaking about changing...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (21 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: Change that phrase "get them young". It just-----

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (21 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: Would that there were.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (21 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: I reiterate that we will oppose this section. I do not want to repeat the reason I gave initially but I will re-emphasise one of them. The whole basis for this discussion, and for the numerous Private Members' Bills in both Houses, is the decision of the Convention on the Constitution with regard to reducing the voting age. The vote of the convention was 52 members in favour, 47 against...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (21 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: The proposal, as approved by the Government on 26 September last, is that a referendum on reducing the voting age and a referendum on reducing the time in which a person can get a divorce would be held together. I hope I am not coming across as patronising. What Senator Mac Lochlainn said earlier about older people pretending to be younger and knowing what younger people want, struck a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Register (21 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: In law, the preparation of the Register of Electors is a matter for each local registration authority. It is their duty to ensure, as far as possible and with the cooperation of the public, the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the Register. The focus of my Department's work in relation to the Register is to support and assist registration authorities in ensuring that an appropriate...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Members' Remuneration (20 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: As set out in my reply to Question No. 717 of 27 February 2018, with effect from 1 January 2018, the Representational Payment for elected members of local authorities was increased to €16,891 per annum in line with an increase to the basic amount of a Senator's salary from that same date following the implementation of the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020. The cost of any...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Government Reform (20 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: The Programme for a Partnership Government (PPG) sets out a number of requirements in relation to local government reform. In particular, the PPG envisages the submission of a report to Government and the Oireachtas on potential measures to boost local government leadership and accountability, and to ensure that local government funding, structures and responsibilities strengthen local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Mayoral Election (20 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1032, 1042 and 1052 together. The Programme for Partnership Government includes a commitment to consider directly elected mayors in cities as part of a broader range of local government reform measures aimed at strengthening local democracy. In response to this commitment, work on a report on directly elected mayors for cities is at an advanced...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme (20 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: Part 4 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated regulations,  the Housing (Tenant Purchase of Apartments) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 679 of 2011) introduced the scheme for Tenant Purchase of local authority apartments, which came into operation on 1 January 2012 and remains in place. A local authority may, as a reserved function and following at least...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (20 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: Local authorities are required by legislation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015.  The annual rate on valuation (ARV), which is applied to the valuation for each property determined by the Valuation Office to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Elections (20 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: The recommendations of the Cork Implementation Oversight Group as contained in their Report entitled Proposal for delineation of extended boundary of Cork City have been accepted by the Government in their decision of 12 December 2017.  Against this background, it is my intention that the local electoral areas in Cork City and County Councils will be reviewed in advance of the 2019...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee Report (20 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: I established two Local Electoral Area Boundary Committees on 13 December 2017 to review and make recommendations on local electoral areas. The review is being undertaken having regard to the results of Census 2016 and the commitment to consider reducing the size of territorially large local electoral areas in A Programme for Partnership Government, published in May 2016. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates Valuation Process (8 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes, in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015.  The Commissioner of Valuation has responsibility for valuation matters.  The Annual Rate on Valuation (ARV), which is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (8 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 622 to 624, inclusive, together. Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes, in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015.  The Commissioner of Valuation has responsibility for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Government Reform (8 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 662 and 674 together. The Programme for a Partnership Government (PPG) sets out a number of requirements in relation to local government reform. In particular, the PPG envisages the submission of a report to Government and the Oireachtas on potential measures to boost local government leadership and accountability, and to ensure that local government funding,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Government Reform (8 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: The final report of the Galway Expert Advisory Group on Local Government Arrangements in Galway is expected to be submitted in the coming weeks,  following which arrangements for the review of local electoral areas will be put in place without delay.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Mayoral Election (8 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: The Programme for Partnership Government includes a commitment to consider directly elected mayors in cities as part of a broader range of local government reform measures aimed at strengthening local democracy. In accordance with this commitment, my Department's focus to date has been on developing policy proposals in relation to cities only.

Sustainable Seaweed Harvesting: Motion [Private Members] (7 Mar 2018)

John Paul Phelan: We understand it all right.