Written answers

Tuesday, 6 November 2012

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Departmental Bodies

Photo of Seán FlemingSeán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the date on which the fix your street review group was established; the person who is chairperson of this group; the membership of same; the number of meetings that have been held; the number of reports and conclusions issued; the action taken or to be taken as a result of the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48719/12]

Photo of Phil HoganPhil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The FixYourStreet Review Group was established in September 2011 and was chaired by my Department (Mr Donal Enright, Principal Officer). The Review Group included representatives from my Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, South Dublin County Council and the Local Government Management Agency.

The Review Group met once, subsequently finalised the drafting of its report by way of written procedure, and reported to me in December 2011. It concluded, inter alia, that it is important that the rollout of the FixYourStreet initiative is beneficial to all local authorities; that it should avoid significant fiscal or staffing cost being incurred by local authorities in its operation and that it should be integrated with local business processes. The Group also recommended that where re-engineering of processes is required that this should be done with the intention of driving down overall administrative costs and optimising the customer service function.

I am advised that six local authorities, South Dublin, Fingal, Galway and Kildare County Councils together with Dublin and Waterford City Councils have gone live on the FixYourStreet website. I am also advised that another 21 local authorities will go live shortly.

The FixYourStreet website assist s residents in reporting problems with street lighting, drainage, graffiti, waste collection and road and path maintenance in their neighbourhoods, with a guarantee that the authority will respond within two working days. It incorporates interactive mapping, allowing users to locate on an online map the precise location of the problem or issue being reported.

Photo of Seán FlemingSeán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the date on which the local government audit service of the Comptroller and Auditor General critical review group was established; the person who is chairperson of this group; the membership of same; the number of meetings that have been held; the number of reports and conclusions issued; the action taken or to be taken as a result of the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48720/12]

Photo of Phil HoganPhil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Local Government Audit Service and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General Critical Review Group was established in June 2012. The Group was independently chaired by Mr. Pat McLoughlin (Chief Executive, Irish Payments Services Organisation, and former chairperson of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group). It included representatives from my Department, the Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform and Finance, the audit services in question and a former County Manager.

The Review Group, including a sub-group, met on four occasions to date. Arising from the Government’s Action Programme for Effective Local Government, Putting People First, new governance and accountability arrangements are being put in place in local government. In this context, the Government decided that the Local Government Audit Service and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General should not be merged. However, cooperation and other measures to underpin enhanced audit arrangements will be pursued in accordance with the Government’s Action Programme.

Photo of Seán FlemingSeán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when the local government, the Private Residential Tenancies Board and the Property Services Regulatory Authority critical review group was established; the person who is chairperson of this group; the membership of same; the number of meetings that have been held; the number of reports and conclusions issued; the action taken or to be taken as a result of the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48721/12]

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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A working group to examine the proposed merger of the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) and the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRIA) was established in July 2012, and chaired by my Department (Mr. Cian Ó Lionáin, Principal Officer) with representation from my Department, the Department of Justice and Law Reform, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the two bodies in question.

The group commenced activity with the circulation of detailed briefing papers on the two bodies. n 10 September 2012, the group met to consider those papers and all issues pertaining to the proposed merger. A draft report was subsequently prepared and was the subject of further correspondence until, on 16 October 2012, my Department submitted a final report on behalf of the working group to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

The report recommended against a merger of the PRTB and the PSRA on the basis that a merger would be likely to give rise to additional costs and to have a significant negative impact on the delivery of both bodies’ core activities. Notwithstanding this, my Department will continue to engage with the PRTB and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to achieve further efficiencies in the operation of the Board.

Photo of Seán FlemingSeán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when the Environmental Protection Agency and the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland critical review group was established; the person who is chairperson of this group; the membership of same; the number of meetings that have been held; the number of reports and conclusions issued; the action taken or to be taken as a result of the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48722/12]

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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A steering group to oversee the review of Part V of the Planning and Development Acts was established in June 2012 with membership from my Department, the local authority sector and the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency.

The group is chaired by my Department (Mr. Cian Ó Lionáin, Principal Officer) and has met on 3 occasions to date. While the review process is on-going I expect to receive a finalised report shortly, and any future changes to the legislation governing Part V will be informed by this review.

Photo of Seán FlemingSeán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when the steering group to oversee independent review by consultants of part five of the Planning and Development Acts was established; the person who is chairperson of this group; the membership of same; the number of meetings that have been held; the number of reports and conclusions issued; the action taken or to be taken as a result of the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48723/12]

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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A steering group to oversee the review of Part V of the Planning and Development Acts was established in June 2012 with membership from my Department, the local authority sector and the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency.

The group is chaired by my Department (Mr. Cian Ó Lionáin, Principal Officer) and has met on 3 occasions to date. While the review process is on-going I expect to receive a finalised report shortly, and any future changes to the legislation governing Part V will be informed by this review.

Photo of Seán FlemingSeán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when inter-departmental committee on the implementation of green tenders - an action plan on green public procurement was established; the person who is chairperson of this group; the membership of same; the number of meetings that have been held; the number of reports and conclusions issued; the action taken or to be taken as a result of the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48724/12]

Photo of Phil HoganPhil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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A group has been established to oversee implementation of Green Tenders:An Action Plan on Green Public Procurement which was published earlier in 2012. The Group is co-chaired at Principal Officer level by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and my Department. The first meeting of the Group was held on 18 July 2012. A further meeting of the Group is due to take place in December 2012.

The Group also includes representation from the Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht; Communications, Energy and Natural Resources; Defence; Education and Skills; Health; Justice and Equality; and Transport, Tourism and Sport; the Health Service Executive; the Office of Public Works; and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland are also represented on the Group.

A Sub-group of the Implementation Group is currently examining a range of issues, including the development of more detailed sectoral plans as required by Green Tenders. This and other issues will be considered by the Implementation Group as part of its ongoing work in overseeing implementation of the Plan. Green Tenders also provides for the publication of annual reports which will outline progress under the various actions contained in the Action Plan.

Photo of Seán FlemingSeán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when the steering group to oversee independent assessment being undertaken by consultants on the establishment of a tenancy deposit protection scheme was established; the person who is chairperson of this group; the membership of same; the number of meetings that have been held; the number of reports and conclusions issued; the action taken or to be taken as a result of the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48725/12]

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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On foot of a commitment in the Programme for Government 2011 to introduce a tenancy deposit protection scheme I asked the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) to commission research on such a scheme and to report back to me with recommendations.

A steering group to oversee this research was established in May 2012 with representation from my Department, the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency and the PRTB. The Group is chaired by Mr. David Silke of the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency, and it has met on 2 occasions to date. I understand that a draft final report has been submitted to the steering group and that I will receive a finalised report and recommendations shortly. I will consider the scope for actions arising from the report in the context of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012.

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