Results 161-180 of 1,864 for speaker:Malcolm Noonan in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Marine Protected Areas (7 Nov 2023)

Malcolm Noonan: The Habitats and Birds Directives, transposed in Ireland via the Birds and Natural Habitats Regulations 2011, require Ireland to identify a network of Natura 2000 sites (European sites) where important or endangered species and habitats are present to a degree that is significant at a European level. The selection of these European sites is done on a scientific and ornithological basis,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (18 May 2023)

Malcolm Noonan: Modern methods of construction (MMC) have the potential to increase productivity and efficiency, improve delivery, and reduce cost in construction. Coordination of activities to promote MMC adoption is being led under Housing for All by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, which now chairs an interdepartmental MMC Leadership and Integration Group to drive government supported...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Policy (18 May 2023)

Malcolm Noonan: Following the declaration by the Dáil of a Biodiversity Emergency in 2019 and in recognition of the vital role that biodiversity plays in the continued health of our society, economy, species and planet, the Programme for Government included a commitment to hold a Citizen's Assembly on Biodiversity Loss. Efforts to date to halt the loss of nature and biodiversity in Ireland have had...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (18 May 2023)

Malcolm Noonan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 95 and 142 together. My Department supports fire authorities by establishing policy, setting national standards for fire safety and fire service provision, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for priority infrastructural projects and the procurement of essential...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Policy (9 Mar 2023)

Malcolm Noonan: Under the European Green Deal, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 sets out the general objective of reversing biodiversity loss, so that Europe's biodiversity is on the path to recovery by 2030 and that by 2050 all of the EU’s ecosystems are restored, resilient and x adequately protected. One of the commitments in the Biodiversity Strategy is a proposal for legally binding EU...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Forest Fires (9 Mar 2023)

Malcolm Noonan: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade and the assessment of fire cover needs, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Act, 1981. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Policy (9 Mar 2023)

Malcolm Noonan: The Government approved the General Scheme of a Bill to provide for the designation and effective management of Marine Protected Areas on the 13th of December last year. It is intended that the area of application of the Bill will extend from the high water mark on the shore to the 200 nautical mile limits of the national Exclusive Economic Zone. It would be important not to limit marine...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Jan 2023)

Malcolm Noonan: Data relating to new dwelling completions is published by the CSO on a quarterly basis. There are three new dwelling classification types:- single house, scheme house and apartment. Single dwellings are defined as one-off dwellings connected to the ESB network. The ESB domestic connections dataset provides information on the type of connection and whether it is in an urban or rural area. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (26 Jan 2023)

Malcolm Noonan: My Department’s Multi-annual Rural Water Programme, through Exchequer funding, delivers improvements to water services in areas of rural Ireland where there are no public water services. The Rural Water Working Group will shortly finalise the composition of the measures for inclusion for funding under the upcoming multi-annual programme. When I have had an opportunity to consider...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (26 Jan 2023)

Malcolm Noonan: The Programme for Government supports the uptake of Uisce Éireann's Small Towns and Villages Growth Programme 2020-2024, to provide water and waste water growth capacity in smaller settlements that would otherwise not be provided for in Uisce Éireann's capital investment plan. I understand that the Commission for Regulation of Utilities has approved an allocation of almost...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Official Engagements (26 Jan 2023)

Malcolm Noonan: I attended the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal in December and was delighted to address the High-Level Segment of the meeting on behalf of Ireland. The Irish delegation, led by my Department's National Parks and Wildlife Service, negotiated at COP as part of the European Union. The position of the EU and its Member States supported an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Process (26 Jan 2023)

Malcolm Noonan: The Electoral Reform Act 2022, delivers the legislative underpinning for a range of significant electoral reforms set out in the “Programme for Government – Our Shared Future”. Provisions commenced on 13 October under S.I. No. 512 of 2022, included provisions which modernise electoral registration, including the requirement for each registration authority to establish...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Process (14 Dec 2022)

Malcolm Noonan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 86 to 90, inclusive, together. Under the provisions of Part III of the Electoral Reform Act 2022, the introduction of a rolling electoral registration process (in contrast to the former annual registration process) means that people can register or update their details, including postal voting applications at any time of year up to the usual deadlines in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (13 Dec 2022)

Malcolm Noonan: My Department provides financial support for the protection of eligible heritage buildings and historic structures through two grant schemes which are, in the main, administered by the local authorities. These are the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) and the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS). My Department does not provide funding of the type outlined in your question. One option that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Regulations (13 Dec 2022)

Malcolm Noonan: The National Parks and Wildlife Service is working to update the Wildlife Act. This is a multi-year project and is currently at an early planning phase. The issue raised can be examined as part of that work. This will entail an extensive public consultation phase and I would encourage everyone to participate fully in that when the opportunity arises.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (13 Dec 2022)

Malcolm Noonan: Under the 2022 Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS), all 31 local authorities were allocated grant funding and asked to nominate awards to a number of heritage projects, for approval by my Department. The project at Knocklofty House was one such project nominated by Tipperary County Council and approved by my Department. As you are aware, officials in my Department were recently informed...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Programme (13 Dec 2022)

Malcolm Noonan: The Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2016 gives legal effect to the proposed reconfiguration of the raised bog Natural Heritage Area network arising from the 2014 review of the raised bog Natural Heritage Area network. The Bill had completed all stages in the Dáil and the Seanad, and had been returned to the Dáil for consideration of the various amendments made by the Seanad when the...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Funding (8 Dec 2022)

Malcolm Noonan: My Department provides financial support for the protection of eligible heritage buildings and historic structures through two grant schemes which are, in the main, administered by the local authorities. These are the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) and the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS). The HSF is for conservation and enhancement of eligible heritage structures and historic...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Special Areas of Conservation (8 Dec 2022)

Malcolm Noonan: There were no consents issued for the SACs in this time period relating to this matter, as there were no such applications.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Special Areas of Conservation (7 Dec 2022)

Malcolm Noonan: The provision of compensation does not automatically apply to a site designated as a Special Area of Conservation. Under the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011-2021, compensation may be payable in certain instances where an application was made to carry out an activity requiring consent to which the regulations apply and that application was refused, modified,...