Results 3,521-3,540 of 28,190 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Road Projects (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Gabhaim buíochas leis na Teachtaí. I am aware of how important this is. We will have national roads announcements in the coming weeks. I mentioned €4.8 million was allocated in 2024. Just two weeks ago, on 14 February, €23.6 million was also allocated to Waterford as part of the regional and local roads allocations. I am aware of the importance of the N25 and the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Transport (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht na ceiste tábhachtaí faoi shábháilteacht phaisinéirí ar iompar phoiblí. As he will be acutely aware, antisocial behaviour is a broad societal issue to which public transport is unfortunately not immune. I have witnessed, as the Deputy will have in talking to his constituents, that this is a matter that really...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Transport (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I was looking at the previous safety report and I was taken by the fact that 84% of respondents who were asked said that they felt safe on public transport. I am not disputing the numbers but I was quite surprised by that. It depends on the route. I use public transport. I am in the Dublin commuter zone. There are many other things that need to be done. On DART stations, I was pleased...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Transport (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The training to secure a licence for a vehicle such as that is standardised and obviously involves road testing and so on. I have not had any complaints about different driving styles across Bus Átha Cliath, Go-Ahead Ireland or Bus Éireann, but that is obviously the experience the Deputy's constituent had. On safety, Dublin Bus took the bull by the horns in running its pilot...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Transport (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I am aware of the poor performance issues on certain routes operated by Go-Ahead in the greater Dublin area. I highlighted this myself. It was brought to my attention my many commuters. As the Deputy knows, public transport service obligations are provided by both State and commercial operators under contract with the National Transport Authority. I assure the Deputy that the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Transport (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I have impressed on the NTA the real importance of being customer and user focused. A lot of time is spent, and rightly so, on expanding our bus network and investing in infrastructure. However, existing routes need to be supported. I agree with the Deputy. The passenger or customer experience is critical to ensuring other people use public transport. Thankfully, because of the work done...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Transport (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to update him on this. It was a Green Party commitment in its manifesto. It was a Fianna Fáil commitment as well that we have a transport security force and transport police supported by colleagues in the programme for Government. Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Regional Independents have agreed that measure, and it is an important...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The vast majority of public service obligation bus services are provided by State operators through what are known as direct award contracts. Remaining routes are run by operators awarded a contract following a competitive tendering process. Sometimes those routes are operated by a State operator and sometimes they are operated by a private operator. This mix of contract award processes is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy has the answer, in that a very severe fine was levied. Public transport is not disimproving. We need to ensure punctuality. We have a growing population. There are developments all over the country that need to be serviced by the bus network. This year, €658 million has been provided for the PSO, up from €613 million the year before. We have seen a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: There were issues on certain routes in the past few weeks and I publicly stated they were not acceptable. I use this opportunity to restate to bus operators that paying customers - all customers indeed because many do not have to pay now due to the expansion of free travel - expect a reliable services. In many instances, that is exactly what they get. We will continue the investment in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Projects (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy mentioned a number of things. On active travel, earlier this year he will have seen the NTA announcements, with very significant funding. Tomorrow, I will announce additional funding for greenways, improving the permeability between towns and villages. This is a successful programme and we want to expand it, and that is embraced by communities too. In respect of EVs, I am...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I am aware of that. I am also aware the Deputy's party has opposed every action we have taken in respect of climate, whether through our climate budgets or the climate action plan. That is a policy position it has, but I think we all understand the need for us to reduce emissions to improve how people travel. The Deputy's question relates specifically to electric vehicles and making them...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: As I was saying, the regional and local EV network plan is very important. Departmental officials have been engaging actively with local authorities to develop their own regional charging plans. We are now looking at ranges averaging 400 km, which will cover most daily driving. Most EV charging happens at home. Nevertheless, I agree that we need to improve the EV charging infrastructure...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I have just told the Deputy what we are doing, and I did not say that what has happened up to now is unacceptable. I said we need to do more. Anyone will understand that when you are bringing in new infrastructure such as this, you are not going to do it in a year. That is obvious. You have a plan but you also have to know how to pay for it, and I have highlighted the contradiction in the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I will leave that as it is. People will make up their own minds about it. Let us look at the facts. In 2020, the number of available charging points was about 1,700. It was 2,400 as of January 2024, and that will increase further this year, although I do not yet have those numbers. I am very serious about improving the infrastructure throughout the country. We will do that and we are...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Network (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Tá am breise ag an Teachta anocht. There is no kite flying on this. This is real money for roads across the country. We announced them and people will see the network of roads. As part of this investment in 2025, just under €48 million is being invested in developing and upgrading this infrastructure through vital strategic projects. The Deputy will be familiar with some of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Network (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: All of us want to see further improvements in the road network and in particular when we look at regional and local roads. I do not think anyone can dispute the investment for 2025 is very significant. Will it do every regional and local road across the country? Of course it will not. You must have a works programme as well and the capacity to deliver those programmes. That is what I and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Projects (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for this important question on transport sectoral emissions. My Department's national investment framework for transport in Ireland, NIFTI, sets out modal and intervention hierarchies to achieve transport objectives. One of the four priorities is decarbonisation and as such, the sponsoring agency of any road project must consider any potential positive or negative impacts...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Projects (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: There is a balance to be struck here. I am glad the Deputy mentioned the CCAC and IFAC contribution today which I very much welcome. It does show the challenge in a growing economy. Thankfully we have full employment. Deputy Pa Daly already mentioned his view that there are infrastructural deficits and there are as well. We need to build more roads and we need more investment in rail....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Network (4 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle as ucht a phoist nua. Congratulations on your new post, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I thank the Deputy for his question as I know that this is a matter of interest to him and to many Deputies within the House. I certainly know that by the number of queries that I have received over the past week or so. The improvement and...