Parliamentary questions

Appointments to State Boards

Micheál Martin

1. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the board appointments he has made in the past 18 months; if there is a gender balance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40095/12]

Appointments to State Boards

Gerry Adams

2. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach the appointments he has made to State boards since he came into office; if he will outline the procedures for identifying persons for appointments to State boards. [41491/12]

Appointments to State Boards

Sean Fleming

3. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Taoiseach if he expects members of the Irish diaspora to be appointed to strengthen State boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43418/12]

Freedom of Information Legislation

Micheál Martin

4. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he has reviewed the recent operation of the Freedom of Information Act in his Department. [40268/12]

Freedom of Information Legislation

Gerry Adams

5. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach the number of freedom of information requests that have been received by his Department since the beginning of the year. [44449/12]

Freedom of Information Legislation

Gerry Adams

6. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach if he is satisfied with the operation of the Freedom of Information Act within his Department. [44450/12]

Northern Ireland Issues

Micheál Martin

7. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach his views on the progress that has been made in relation to the implementation of the St. Andrews Agreement; the aspects of the agreement in which he is not satisfied with the rate of implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41258/12]

Northern Ireland Issues

Micheál Martin

8. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach when the next North South Ministerial meeting will take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44246/12]

Local Authority Funding

Barry Cowen

47. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on providing individual local authorities powers to set property tax rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46303/12]

Local Government Reform

Brian Stanley

48. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in relation to the proposed local government reforms, the way in which the €420m savings will be made; and the time frame for these savings and the cost of the introduction of district councils and proposed mergers of the three local authorities. [46513/12]

Local Government Reform

Catherine Murphy

49. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if, with regard to the enhanced function of regional assemblies, the greater number of shared services and centralised procurement which he proposes as part of wider local government reforms, he has taken into account the academic evidence from similar reforms in other countries which shows that hoped-for efficiency savings did not materialise at the scale envisaged, and that there is evidence that beyond populations of 15,000 - 20,000 there is a limited potential for economies of scale in most areas of expenditure; if so, the measures he proposes to ensure that this does not happen here; if he undertook any examination of the role that enhanced municipal councils might play in helping deliver efficiencies in tandem with regional authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46407/12]

RAPID Programme

Éamon Ó Cuív

50. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans for the future of RAPID and CLAR schemes; if he intends to make dormant account funds available to them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46304/12]

Local Government Reform

John Halligan

51. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will bring forward a statement on the way in which he intends to proceed with the merging of Waterford City and county councils; specifically, the way in which a unified Waterford authority will be better positioned to address the many economic challenges facing Waterford; the legislative changes that will be required in the reorganisation process; the key issues and challenges that have been identified in the actual merger process; if any particular early priorities in service delivery are likely to be achieved ahead of the merger; location of the headquarters of the new authority is likely to be located; if he will provide details of the Waterford Implementation Group’s terms of reference; the reason the boundary area between Waterford and Kilkenny was not addressed in the reform programme; the amount being saved by Waterford City and county councils through local government efficiency savings since 2010; if those savings already accrued are included in the estimated €5 million savings to be brought about by the proposed reforms in Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46507/12]

Local Authority Housing Mortgages

Bernard Durkan

52. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which he continues to receive information from the various local authorities in respect of arrears of shared ownership or annuity loans; if as a result he will initiate legislation to address the on-going situation whereby borrowers are expected to meet repayments in respect of the rental equity which are greater than that applicable to the mortgage equity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46187/12]

NAMA Receivers

Seán Crowe

53. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the progress with delivering homes for leasing which were promised by the National Assets Management Agency at the beginning of 2011 and again this month. [46195/12]

Septic Tank Registration Scheme

Michael Moynihan

54. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he is satisfied that the European Commission accepts the new Waste Water Services as satisfying their legal concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46175/12]

Property Taxation Application

Billy Kelleher

55. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when he will publish the Thornhill report on property tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46163/12]

Local Government Reform

Seán Crowe

56. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the terms of reference for the special forum of elected members of the four local authorities in Dublin to consider the options for the elected Mayor of Dublin. [46077/12]

Foreshore Licences Applications

Richard Boyd Barrett

57. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government with regards to the recent Foreshore Licence granted to Providence Resources to drill an exploratory well just six kms from the Dublin coastline, if he has satisfied himself that there is no threat to the safety and welfare of the people of Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46181/12]

Local Authority Housing Waiting Lists

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

58. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to introduce guidelines for local authorities to facilitate a transparent housing waiting list system in which applicants would have access to their own standing via a reference number. [46203/12]