Written Answers Nos. 194-203
194. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding water schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42436/14]
View answerThe Water Services (No.2) Act 2013 provides Irish Water with the power to charge for water services. The Act also provides that the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) will be responsible for the economic regulation of Irish water and the charges to be levied by Irish Water will be subject to the approval of the CER. Following a public consultation process, the CER announced its decision on water charges on 30 September. Water charges commenced on 1 October 2014 and the first bills will be issued by Irish Water to households from January 2015.
Group Water Schemes that are supplied by way of a connection to the public water supply network will have previously been non-domestic customers of the relevant local authority and will therefore now become customers of Irish Water. Under the arrangements determined by the CER, the existing charges for non-domestic customers will remain in place pending a further consultation. My Department understands that there may be some Group Schemes where local arrangements may have applied; the future arrangements in relation to these schemes will be resolved as soon as possible.
There are other Group Water Schemes that have their own water sources - these will not be customers of Irish Water and will continue to operate as before.
My Department will remain responsible for the overall policy and funding, where appropriate, of the non-public water sector, including the group water sector. Over the past decade, substantial improvements have been made in the group water sector, reflected in improved infrastructure and management and leading to greater compliance with drinking water standards. This has been accomplished through a partnership approach between my Department, the local authorities and the group water sector itself, with the important involvement of the National Federation of Group Water Schemes. This co-operative approach will be maintained as the reform of water services provision is progressed.
195. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will approve funding for a project (details supplied) in County Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42437/14]
View answerUnder Section 78 of the Local Government Act 2001, the provision of premises and facilities in the public library service is a matter for each local authority in its capacity as a library authority. My Department provides some capital funding towards approved refurbishment / renovation and new library projects carried out by local authorities, subject to availability of resources.
My Department has a capital allocation of €1,000,000 in 2014 for the Libraries Capital Programme which is fully committed to existing projects. Future funding will be dependent on available capital funding.
In the event of further funding being available, all submitted proposals will be objectively assessed.
196. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding road tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42444/14]
View answerThe Non-Use of Motor Vehicles Act 2013 came into effect on 1 July 2013. The primary purpose of the Act is to replace the system whereby a vehicle was declared off the road retrospectively with a system under which the vehicle must be declared off the road in advance. The system of making retrospective declarations had become a means of evasion of motor tax estimated to have cost the taxpayer some €5 0 m annually. The Act provides that a vehicle can be declared off the road for a minimum period of three months and a maximum period of twelve months. Where the owner of a vehicle wishes to make a declaration of non-use, he or she must do so during the final month of an existing tax disc or a previously made declaration of non-use. The declaration can be made on-line at www.motortax.ie or through the local motor tax office. The National Vehicle and Driver File, under the auspices of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, issues renewal notices at the beginning of the final month to remind motorists that a vehicle must be either taxed or declared off the road for a further period.
Where a declaration of non-use is not made in the final month of a tax disc or previously made declaration of non-use, a vehicle must be taxed for the minimum period provided for in motor tax legislation, which is three months in the case a car and twelve months in the case of a motorcycle. A new declaration can then be made at any stage during the final month of the new motor tax disc if the vehicle is thereafter not going to be in use in a public place.
Exemptions are not provided for in individual cases. This is to protect the new arrangements; allowing an owner to declare a vehicle off the road after the expiry of a current declaration of non-use could potentially be a move back to the system of retrospective declarations, thereby undermining the overall objective of the legislative change.
197. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will respond to representations from Louth Leader Partnership (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42445/14]
View answerAs detailed in the EU regulatory framework, a maximum of 20% of the LEADER element of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 (RDP) can be spent on administration by the Local Action Group contracted to deliver the Programme in their area. It should be noted that the funding amount available did change during the programme period. However, all Local Action Groups were fully informed of the changes and were expected to amend their operating costs accordingly in order to ensure sufficient budgetary resources to support the operation of the RDP to completion. Louth LEADER Partnership has been paid just under €1.4 million in administration funding since mid-2009.
There is no facility within the EU regulatory framework to provide interim funding and I have no plans to provide interim administration funding for any company between the closure of the current 2007-2013 Programme and the commencement of the 2014-2020 Programme.
198. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if there is a list of applicants for positions on boards of State bodies in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42460/14]
View answerSince July 2011, my Department’s website has been used as the primary mechanism for seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced persons, for consideration as members or chairpersons of the boards of State bodies under my Department’s aegis. Positions have, where appropriate, been listed on the Department’s website and, more recently, on stateboards.ie on a case by case basis as vacancies arise. It should be noted that in the case of certain appointments, statutory selection procedures must be followed or nominations must be sought from independent nominating panels before appointments are made by the Minister or the Government, as appropriate. In addition, in the case of a number of Boards, not all of the appointments to the body concerned are made by the Minister, and in some situations appointments are made with the consent of another Minister.
In line with a recent Government Decision, a Revised Model for Ministerial Appointments to State Boards, brought forward by my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, is being put in place, operating through the Public Appointments Service, and will govern relevant future appointments.
199. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in respect of the introduction of postcodes in spring 2015, if his Department will have a dedicated information campaign to inform businesses of the changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42343/14]
View answer200. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when he expects the new postcode system to take effect; the estimated cost of introducing this system; if this cost has been ring-fenced within his Department's budget for 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42337/14]
View answer201. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if legislation is required to deal with privacy issues in respect of the introduction of postcodes; the nature of these privacy concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42338/14]
View answer202. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to recent criticisms of the proposed new postcode system, particularly those of the Freight Transport Association of Ireland and those of the Irish fire and emergency services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42339/14]
View answer203. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when the public information campaign in respect of the introduction of postcodes in spring 2015 will commence; the details of this campaign; if there will be targeted messaging for differing stakeholders, including consumers, wider public and businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42342/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 199 to 203, inclusive, together.
In December 2013, a ten-year contract was signed with Capita Business Support Services Ireland Limited to develop, roll-out and operate the National Postcode System following a public procurement process.
The design for the National Postcode System was approved by Government last April. The ‘Eircode’ brand was launched for the National Postcode System on 28 April. The project is currently in the implementation phase and is scheduled to be rolled out nationwide by the middle of 2015. Every Irish address will be receiving a unique Eircode by post.
The public awareness campaign began last April with the launch of the website www.eircode.ie . This website has information on Eircodes for both residents and businesses. The Postcode Management Licence Holder has briefed businesses in the interim through a series of seminars and plans further business events before the end of the year.
A comprehensive public information campaign will commence before the planned postcode launch in mid 2015. A key part of the campaign will involve outreach activities to ensure that all members of the general public receive information on Eircodes in an effective way.
The cost to the Exchequer of the National Postcode System over the 10 year cycle of the contract is expected to be €26m (ex VAT) with costs covering design, database upgrades, media and postcode distribution. The cost of the contract will be €16m over the first two years and this funding has been ring fenced in my Department’s 2015 budget.
One of the main benefits of the design chosen which allocates a unique identifier to each address is that it helps resolve the issue of non-unique addresses which represent 35% of addresses in Ireland.
The Freight Transport Association of Ireland and other bodies have expressed concerns over the non-sequenced nature of the Eircode. The postcode design chosen will work to meet the needs of a wide range of public and private users, including logistics and delivery providers and the emergency services. A sequential design has a number of drawbacks, including the potential to lead to inability to assign a sequential Eircode to new build and to cope with the expansion in the number of addresses in the future.
The Eircode postcode will provide a geo location, sourced from Ordnance Survey Ireland, for postal address points that will assist with navigation and will link with online maps. When an Eircode for an address is entered into such systems, it will be possible to find relevant location and routing information. The introduction of Eircodes will be an important and effective strategic addition to our national infrastructure.
Privacy and data protection issues have been part of the debate on postcodes since the establishment of a National Postcodes Board in 2005 to examine the introduction of postcodes in Ireland. There has been engagement with the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner on the issue of postcodes generally at various points since then.
The necessary protections will operate around the use of Eircodes to ensure that data protection legislation is complied with. Holders of personal data are bound by Data Protection legislation on how they store and use this data, and the introduction of Eircodes will not alter this obligation.
