Written Answers Nos. 162-172
162. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position in relation to the need to maximise support for funding to the Arts Council and local government (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50584/12]
View answer175. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will give a commitment not to reduce current levels of funding given to The Arts Council of Ireland and local authorities as further cuts would result in job losses within the Arts sector here which currently employs 20,755 persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50739/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 162 and 175 together.
I assume that the Questions refer to general purpose grants from the Local Government Fund. General purpose grants contribute towards meeting the reasonable cost to local authorities of providing services to their customers. In line with previous years, it is my intention to inform local authorities of their 2013 general purpose grant allocations following the announcement of Budget 2013. I will seek to contribute to the general purpose funding of local authorities to the maximum extent possible in 2013, having regard to the current pressures on the public finances and motor tax income.
It is a matter for each local authority to determine its own spending priorities, including investment in the Arts, in the context of the annual budgetary process, having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources.
163. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will supply the name of the Chairperson of the Finance and Audit Committee of the Local Government Management Agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50586/12]
View answerThe Chairperson of the Finance and Audit Committee of the Local Government Management Agency is Mr. John Tierney, Dublin City Manager.
164. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when the inspection plan, including the operating manual for inspectors under the Water Services Act 2012, will be finalised and published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50587/12]
View answer165. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government with reference to the 2007 report entitled ‘Regulatory Impact Analysis of the proposed Surface Water Classification Systems including Environmental Quality Standards: Final Report’ which is hosted on his Department’s website and states that the total cost of the remediation of septic tanks nationally will be between €975 million and €3 billion and that the individual cost to householders is likely to be between €7,000 and €25,000, if he has undertaken any recent estimation as to the total cost to the State of complying with ECJ Judgment C-188/08 and the water quality standards required under the water framework directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50608/12]
View answer169. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when the standards for which homeowners must comply to under the Water Services (Amendment) Bill will be published; whether or not grant aid will be made available to persons who must carry out upgrade work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50679/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 164, 165 and 169 together.
The Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012 provides that the Environmental Protection Agency will make the National Inspection Plan for domestic waste water treatment systems. A public consultation on the proposed plan was commenced by the Agency on 11 October 2012. Submissions received are currently being reviewed by the Agency with a view to finalising the Plan. A training course for persons who will be appointed to carry out inspections is also currently being finalised and this is being overseen by the Water Services Training Group. I understand that the Plan and the training course will be finalised shortly.
The standards to be met by all domestic waste water treatment systems are set out in the Act. They are that such systems do not constitute and are not likely to constitute a risk to human health or the environment and in particular do not create a risk to water, air or soil or to plants or animals. The Act also provides that such systems must not create a nuisance through noise or odours or adversely affect the countryside or places of special interest. These standards were augmented by the provisions of the Water Services Acts 2007 and 2012 (Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems) Regulations 2012 which set out additional performance standards, including maintenance and de-sludging requirements.
A Regulatory Impact Analysis carried out by my Department for the 2012 Act is published on my Department’s website. The 2007 Regulatory Impact Analysis referred to was prepared by consultants, ERM Ireland, for the Environmental Protection Agency and it was not concerned with the provisions of the 2012 Act.
It is not possible to estimate the total cost of remediation for defective domestic waste water treatment systems. The extent of remediation required will depend on the nature of any problem identified, the extent of the risk to human health or the environment and the hydrological and geological conditions present. These factors will inform the selection of the most appropriate and cost-effective solution. While responsibility for the maintenance of on-site waste water treatment systems lies with the owners of those systems, I have stated on a number of occasions that I am prepared to consider all possible options to provide financial support to householders’ whose wastewater treatment systems are deemed, following inspection under the new legislation, to require substantial remediation or upgrading. The provision of any financial support will have regard to the overall budgetary situation and to the financial position of the individual households concerned.
166. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will confirm that funding has been withdrawn from the Ulster Canal Project Co-ordinator post; the reasons for same; if in view of the importance of this role in terms of the delivery of this project and the realisation in full of its real potential for Clones and all host communities along the route of the restored waterway, he will reverse this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50621/12]
View answerI refer to the reply to Question No. 199 of 14 November 2012, which sets out the position in this matter.
167. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to bring forward the Non-Use of Motor Vehicles Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50659/12]
View answerThe General Scheme of a Bill to tighten the procedures for declaring a vehicle off the road for motor tax purposes has been approved by the Government and the Bill will be published once the legal drafting process has been completed.
168. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 711 and 712 of 6 November 2012 if he will indicate on a county basis the number of rental accommodation scheme units in use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50672/12]
View answerIt is not possible to give a specific breakdown by county of the number of units tenanted at any given time under the Rental Accommodation Scheme. Numbers in RAS constantly vary as contracts end, tenants move on to other properties, landlords withdraw from the scheme, new tenancies are allocated or vacancies in contracted units are filled. Figures in relation to RAS units are generally provided as the number of households transferred from Rent Supplement to RAS and other forms of social housing support and in that regard I refer to the table of transfers to RAS by county since 2005 given in reply to Question No 695 of 6 November 2012.
170. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 428 of 12 June 2012, if he will provide a list of the assets under the control of the Temple Bar Cultural Trust; the money received by the Trust as a return on these assets; and when he will publish and make available to the public the Latitude report on the Trust. [50688/12]
View answerAs indicated in the reply to Question No. 428 of 12 June 2012, the Temple Bar Cultural Trust organisation is a private limited company with the Dublin City Manager as the sole shareholder, and governance arrangements and financial management of the Trust are matters for Dublin City Council. I have no role in relation to these matters. Accordingly, the information sought is not available in my Department and may be obtained directly from Dublin City Council.
171. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if there is provision in legislation for exemptions to the plastic bag levy for those customers who buy alcohol [50697/12]
View answerThe legislation which provides for the environmental levy is the Waste Management (Environmental Levy) (Plastic Bag) Regulations 2001. There is no specific provision in the legislation for exemptions to the environmental levy on plastic bags for customers buying alcohol.
Regulation 5 outlines the situations where plastic bags are exempted from the 22 cent environmental levy, including as follows –
(i) Plastic bags solely used to contain fresh fish, meat and poultry, provided that the bags are not greater in dimension than 225 mm in width (exclusive of any gussets), by 345 mm in depth (inclusive of any gussets), and by 450 mm in length (inclusive of any handles),
(ii) Plastic bags solely used to contain packaged (including in another plastic bag) fresh uncooked fish, meat or poultry products, provided that the bags do not exceed the dimensions indicated at (i) above,
(iii) Plastic bags solely used to contain non-packaged (loose) fruit, nuts or vegetables, confectionery (including unwrapped bread), dairy products, cooked food (whether cold or hot) and ice, provided that the bags do not exceed the dimensions indicated at (i) above.
Plastic bags are exempt from the levy when used to contain only the aforementioned foodstuffs. If items other than those specified above are placed in the same bag then the levy is applicable.
The Regulations further provide that plastic bags designed for reuse, and which are sold to customers for a sum of not less than 70 cent each, are also exempted from the levy.
172. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 711 and 712 of 6 November 2012, the number of units held by each local authority in the current year; if he will also indicate the trends discernible in relation to his Department's scheme of long-term leasing; if, on a county basis, long-term leases are being initiated by local authorities themselves or by approved bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50733/12]
View answerI refer to the reply to Question No. 697 of 6 November 2012 which detailed the total number of units leased to end October 2012.
3,458 units have become operational under the leasing scheme to date. Of these 1,845 are unsold affordable units managed by approved housing bodies on behalf of housing authorities. A breakdown of the other 1,613 units by local authority is set out in the table. 347 have been sourced by approved housing bodies with the remaining 1,239 sourced by housing authorities.
|
Housing Authority Area |
Authority |
AHB |
Overall |
|
Athlone Town Council |
43 |
7 |
50 |
|
Birr Town Council |
20 |
20 |
|
|
Bray Town Council |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Buncrana Town Council |
38 |
38 |
|
|
Bundoran Town Council |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Carlow County Council |
6 |
6 |
|
|
Cashel Town Council |
4 |
4 |
|
|
Cavan County Council |
6 |
6 |
|
|
Clare County Council |
44 |
44 |
|
|
Clonmel Borough Council |
16 |
16 |
|
|
Cork City Council |
60 |
16 |
76 |
|
Cork County Council |
1 |
1 |
|
|
DLR County Council |
12 |
37 |
49 |
|
Donegal County Council |
55 |
12 |
67 |
|
Drogheda Borough Council |
16 |
15 |
31 |
|
Dublin City Council |
50 |
87 |
137 |
|
Dundalk Town Council |
102 |
29 |
131 |
|
Ennis Town Council |
15 |
15 |
|
|
Enniscorthy Town Council |
9 |
9 |
|
|
Fingal County Council |
47 |
47 |
|
|
Galway City Council |
96 |
96 |
|
|
Galway County Council |
12 |
12 |
|
|
Kerry County Council |
3 |
3 |
|
|
Kildare County Council |
41 |
41 |
|
|
Kilkenny County Council |
13 |
15 |
28 |
|
Laois County Council |
54 |
54 |
|
|
Leitrim County Council |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Letterkenny Town Council |
42 |
42 |
|
|
Limerick City Council |
10 |
10 |
|
|
Limerick County Council |
13 |
5 |
18 |
|
Longford County Council |
20 |
20 |
|
|
Mayo County Council |
28 |
28 |
|
|
Meath County Council |
27 |
27 |
|
|
Monaghan County Council |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Nenagh Town Council |
6 |
6 |
|
|
North Tipperary County Council |
13 |
13 |
|
|
Offaly County Council |
36 |
8 |
44 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
4 |
4 |
|
|
Sligo Borough Council |
10 |
10 |
|
|
Sligo County Council |
19 |
19 |
|
|
South Tipperary County Council |
20 |
20 |
|
|
Sth Dublin County Council |
157 |
157 |
|
|
Templemore Town Council |
50 |
50 |
|
|
Thurles Town Council |
12 |
12 |
|
|
Waterford City Council |
21 |
10 |
31 |
|
Waterford County Council |
26 |
26 |
|
|
Westmeath County Council |
38 |
38 |
|
|
Wexford Borough Council |
6 |
6 |
|
|
Wexford County Council |
46 |
46 |
|
|
Wicklow County Council |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Grand Total |
1,239 |
374 |
1,613 |
