Results 28,501-28,520 of 33,214 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Other Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: I do not wish to mislead the House in any way. My comments on the transport element of the mitigation plan indicated that we would be submitting our contribution to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government for consideration in the overall plan, which would be published in the summer of 2017. That being said, I understand there will be a period of public consultation...

Other Questions: State Airports (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: The particular elements of the report to which the Deputy referred are the subject of ongoing discussion and contact with the European Commission. I will not say anything about when I believe that might conclude for fear of compromising the work that is under way. I have to recognise the role the Commission plays, under law, in making decisions on-----

Other Questions: State Airports (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: -----aid and support to airports. I fully understand the importance the Deputy accords to the airport and its importance to his county. I have to emphasise that importance is well understood by me and the Government. We have contributed, through plans like the Wild Atlantic Way, to the demand that is facilitating the passenger growth Knock has seen. It has had its best year ever, and I...

Other Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy. As she is aware, responsibility for co-ordinating Ireland's position on climate policy rests with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Under the 2009 EU effort-sharing decision, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government advises that Ireland is on course to comply with annual emissions reduction...

Other Questions: State Airports (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: I want to begin by congratulating the management of Ireland West Airport Knock, which last year saw over 700,000 passengers pass through its doors. This was an extraordinary performance on their behalf, making it the best year ever for the number of travellers in and out of this airport. This success should not be forgotten and is, in part, thanks to Exchequer support over the past ten...

Other Questions: State Airports (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: I can assure the Deputy of the active interest of, for one, the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, who is a very prominent and positive supporter of the airport-----

Other Questions: State Airports (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: -----and raises its position within my Department assiduously and regularly. As it also has the active support of the Taoiseach and Deputies O'Mahony and Mulherin, the airport receives an appropriate and ongoing amount of focus from me. To deal with the analysis Deputy Naughten has laid out regarding the regional importance of the airport, I accept his point that its importance stretches...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Bus Éireann Services (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy has made some very fair and important points. One of the big drivers in all of this has been the fact that we have so many new and improved national routes. There is a great demand from communities on those national routes to make use of services from point to point. As a consequence, some communities are now facing either a significant reduction in a service or a complete loss...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Bus Éireann Services (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: That is a suggestion from the Deputy to which I will give some consideration. All of this is in the context of a bus market that is growing. More passengers are using the services now than last year. Buses and services have been made available. The evidence of my commitment to the need to expand public transport in our country is the fact that, of the Supplementary Estimate of €110...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of Aer Lingus (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: If I had contradicted the trustee, Deputy Ross would have come to the House the following day to accuse me of taking an action that went against the recommendation of a trustee of the largest pension fund in the country. I was struck by the Deputy's description of my motives in this matter. He implied that he is completely insulated from any electoral concerns in respect of the issues...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of Aer Lingus (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: This is a very vexed issue on which Deputy Ross is trying to play both sides. We are discussing a pension fund that has a deficit of more than €760 million, and a further contribution of €260 million has been made to address the issue we are discussing. The Deputy did not acknowledge that point. I fully understand the concern and worry that many people are experiencing. The...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Bus Éireann Services (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: I refer the Deputy to my reply to the earlier priority question relating to bus services in the south and south-east.  I am very much aware of the concern that these issues are causing in many rural communities. I reiterate that public service obligation, PSO, funding to public transport companies has been maintained this year at 2014 levels. This is the first time since 2008...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of Aer Lingus (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: I assure the Deputy that I am absolutely aware of the difficulty and concerns that these individuals face. I have met them and I have had much dealing on their behalf, but a challenge that must be faced is the request - a request made by Deputy Ross and many of the deferrees also - to go against a recommendation from a trustee of the fund who has statutory responsibility for its management....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Bus Éireann Services (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: In regard to the Deputy's reference to the importance of money in the context of delivery of these services, that is the challenge. Bus Éireann has withdrawn these services because there is no adequate commercial rationale to it delivering them. In the absence of these services, changes will have to be made to existing subvented services. The Deputy will be aware that subvented...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of Aer Lingus (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for his question. As I have previously said on a number of occasions, the IASS and its funding is a matter for the trustees, the companies participating in the scheme, the scheme member and the Pensions Authority. The Deputy will be aware that the trustee proposal which was approved by the Pensions Authority and implemented on 31 December 2014 includes a contribution by...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Bus Éireann Services (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: Tá brón orm that I do not have enough of the líofacht to respond to the statement from the Deputy as Gaeilge but I want to accurately respond to the points he made. The National Transport Authority, NTA, has responsibility for securing the provision of public transport services, including the provision of PSO subvented services. I ensured that PSO funding was maintained at...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Bus Éireann Services (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: I appreciate the point the Deputy is making regarding the tábhacht or the importance of the services to which he is referring. These are services commercially delivered by Bus Éireann and not delivered by way of the PSO funding made available to Bus Éireann by the State. As I outlined in my initial response, one of the challenges to which Bus Éireann is currently...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of Aer Lingus (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: It is now very much a matter for IAG as to whether it wishes to make a further proposal which we would then consider in the way I have outlined. In response to the Deputy's specific question about the nature of assurances, we have not received any further assurances beyond the proposed deal that IAG made available a number of weeks ago which I have said was not acceptable to the Government...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of Aer Lingus (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: It is very important to be clear about the legal powers of the State at the moment. As the Deputy knows, the power that our shareholding confers on us at the moment is the ability to play a role in blocking the disposal of slots at Heathrow but not in determining their use. I must emphasise again that maintaining and growing access for our country, with particular focus on what will happen...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of Aer Lingus (10 Mar 2015)

Paschal Donohoe: As I stated previously, as Aer Lingus remains in an offer period under the Irish takeover rules, I am constrained in what I can say publicly on the matter, as these rules apply to significant shareholders in some regards as well as offerors and offeree companies during an offer period. However, I did make a detailed statement clarifying the Government's position on the matter last month. ...