Environment (Houses of the Oireachtas)

Environment - Fire stations - provision

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers]...if the proposal to provide a new fire station in Ballybay, County Monaghan will be progressed during 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [Q. No(s) 294 to Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government ]

Environment - Fire stations - provision

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers] The provision of fire services in local authority areas, including the establishment and maintenance of fire brigades, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of premises, is a statutory function of the individual fire authorities under the provisions of the Fire Servi...

Environment - Irish Water - staff

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers] Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. The Water Services Strategic Plan - A Plan for the Future of Water Services (WSSP), which was published in Octob...

Environment - Irish Water - staff

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers]...the reason the original service level agreements between local authorities and Irish Water that would have retained the services of local authority waterworks personnel to Irish Water up to 2026 have been amended; if local authority waterworks personnel will be asked to transfer ...

Environment - Litter pollution - legislation

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers]...his plans to introduce legislation to compel election candidates to remove plastic ties that hold election posters in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [Q. No(s) 240 to Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment ]

Environment - Litter pollution - legislation

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers] Section 19(7) of the Litter Pollution Act 1997, as amended by the Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2009, provides that election posters must be taken down within 7 days of an election taking place. Prior to each general election, my Department writes to all participating politic...

Environment - Nitrates - usage

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers] I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 53 together. The European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2014, as amended, give legal effect in Ireland to the Nitrates Directive and to our Nitrates Action Programme (NAP). The Nitrates Directive re...

Environment - Nitrates - usage

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers] The European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2014, as amended, give legal effect in Ireland to the Nitrates Directive and to our Nitrates Action Programme (NAP). The Nitrates Directive requires all member states to define set periods when the...

Environment - Nitrates - usage

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers]...his plans to amend the regulations regarding slurry spreading to introduce greater flexibility as to when this practice is permitted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [Q. No(s) 267 to Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government ]

Environment - Nitrates - usage

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers] In accordance with the Nitrates Directive, Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme is due for review this year. Negotiations with the European Commission are ongoing with a view to having a revised Nitrates Action Programme in place by the end of 2017. As part of the review, a full ...

Environment - Nitrates - usage

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers]...if he will extend the slurry spreading closing date of 15 October for a further two weeks in view of the very challenging weather conditions of the past two months which has resulted in significant backlogs in getting slurry spread; and if he will make a statement on the matter. ...

Environment - Nitrates - usage

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers]...if he will extend the slurry spreading deadline of 14 October 2017 to enable farmers to spread when conditions allow in view of the extremely wet weather conditions in parts of the country over the past six to eight weeks which has prevented the spread of slurry, [Q. No(s) 53 to ...

Environment - Nitrates - usage

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers]...the reason farmers in Northern Ireland can spread slurry for the entire year depending on ground conditions and weather in view of the fact that the entire island has similar land and weather conditions; the reason farmers here do not have the same conditions (details supplied); ...

Environment - Planning - guidelines

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers] The zoning of lands for particular uses is a reserved function of the elected members of a planning authority, in accordance with the statutory development plan procedures under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). Chapter 4 of the 2007 Development Plans Guidelines ...

Environment - Planning - guidelines

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers]...his views on remarks by the CEO of Dublin city council regarding the use of Dublin’s green spaces to be considered for the development of housing; if he has issued guidelines to local authorities with regard to rezoning of public green spaces and amenities; and if he will make a ...

Environment - Planning - national framework

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers]...if he will address concerns regarding aspects of the national framework plan that are creating uncertainty for local authority funding streams particularly in rural areas. [Q. No(s) 264 to Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government ]

Environment - Planning - national framework

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers] I am not aware of any aspects of the recently published final consultation draft of the National Planning Framework Ireland 2040 – Our Plan, that would have any adverse implications for the funding streams of local authorities, particularly in rural areas. On the contrary, thro...

Environment - Radon gas - levels

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers]...the way in which a newly built €13 million mental health unit (details supplied) can now be found to have radon levels exceeding the recommended 200 becquerels per cubic meter; if the building regulations provision for radon gas as outlined by the Department of Communications, Cl...

Environment - Radon gas - levels

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers] As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Environment - Regeneration projects - funding

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Oral Answers]...if a project (details supplied) in Dublin 8 will be funded directly through exchequer revenue rather than a private sector led land initiative. [Q. No(s) 10 to Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government ]

Environment - Regeneration projects - funding

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Questions] The Minister of State knows Sinn Féin's strong concerns about the funding model that is being used for the land initiatives at O'Devaney Gardens and St. Michael's Estate. Given the long history of failed and collapsed regeneration projects at this location and in light of the very activ...

Environment - Regeneration projects - funding

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Questions] The area in question is one of three development sites that Dublin City Council intends to bring to the market and which offer the combined potential to provide over 1,600 homes and the opportunity to create three new, high-quality urban quarters. Accordingly, it is not intended to fund...

Environment - Regeneration projects - funding

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Questions] Not in the community.[Barrett, Richard Boyd]

Environment - Regeneration projects - funding

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Questions] It is an area of high social housing. I have discussed this in many arenas outside this House and know many members of the community favour the approach of a mixed development. I think Sinn Féin would rather it was all paid for by the State, with some houses then sold on as private hou...

Environment - Regeneration projects - funding

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Questions] It is important to remember that the origin of these schemes does not come from the councils but from a time when there was no central government funding available for any kind of scheme, whether mono-tenure or mixed. The difficulty with the funding model the Government is essentially i...

Environment - Regeneration projects - funding

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Questions] This is a process we are engaged in with Dublin City Council and we can engage further with it around the percentages. I have said before that I think it is a key site for workers, given it is so close to the hospitals.[English, Damien]

Environment - Regeneration projects - funding

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Questions] If they can afford the properties.[Ó Broin, Eoin]

Environment - Regeneration projects - funding

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Questions] They can be afforded. This is a State-owned site. It is a key site and, if it is managed properly, it can deliver all the Deputy wants it to deliver. We have to try to make the best use of taxpayers' money. There is an opportunity to bring this forward, with a proper mixed tenure, wh...

Environment - Septic tanks - grants

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers] The Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2013, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas library, brought into operation a grant scheme to assist with the cost of remediation of septic tanks and domestic waste water treatment systems which ...

Environment - Septic tanks - grants

Sitting date: 26/10/2017
[Written Answers]...if his attention has been drawn to the low take up of the domestic septic tank grant; and his plans for broadening the qualifying criteria for the grant. [Q. No(s) 52 to Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government ]