Results 681-700 of 3,777 for speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Just to dig down into the next layer and into the local authorities, I am aware that active travel teams are being built across most of our local authorities and there is good investment in it. I have a worry about the competencies. The NTA's briefing note states it is worth noting that the NTA recommendations for staffing arrangements for the active travel teams in each local authority...
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: What is that based on, if the NTA does not have the granular data?
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I am aware of it, but it is all the more reason to build up the in-house competencies. We have a lot of schemes coming back as if they are dropped from space, whereas a local engineer would be able to make impactful interventions in schemes, without necessarily the level of engineering that is going into them.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I will move away from active travel and to the matter of buses. I will talk a little about integrated timetabling. I lived in Germany in 1999, which was, God help us, in the previous millennium. I lived in a very small village, which was about 10 km from the local railway station. Any time I got off a train, I walked out the front door and got onto a bus seamlessly. It was integrated and...
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It is so important, as the NTA knows. It is when people will actually make their modal shift. If we plan them as active travel nodes so that a person can cycle safely to them, there are good lock-ups, and they walk onto a bus or whatever, which then connects to the onward service, that is when it will really make a difference. The death of modal shift is spending 40 minutes standing at the...
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: That walking and cycling index was very good.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It was excellent.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank the Cathaoirleach. I am now going to name some towns in my constituency. I will revert to the bus stops issue. My God, it breaks my heart. Stradbally now has eight services in and out of Dungarvan daily, but the only way someone would know that a bus passed through Stradbally would be if he or she happened to be standing on the side of the road when it went by. There is no bus...
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: The NTA has to ask the local authority for permission to stop.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I am conscious of the time. Perhaps the NTA is hamstrung by legislation. If so, the matter falls in our court, but the idea that it would need a designer to design a bus stop-----
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: What is the average timeline from the point of being certain a bus stop is needed to it being delivered?
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: The average, though.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: “Significantly longer” is not a number, but it is taking-----
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: -----months and months. There are a couple of other points I would like to make, although I will not pose questions on them because I want to ask a final question later. The points have to do with real-time updates for Local Link services and the TFI Live app. I do not use the app even though I use public transport a great deal. I use a private website instead, particularly for the No....
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: The narrative is, if a community does not get it under active travel, the council is sorry, as active travel is the only show in town.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority (2 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I had put that question to the NTA as well.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Our Rural Future and Town Centre First Policies: Discussion (1 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Apologies have been received from Deputy Naughten and Senator Garvey. Members are reminded that when participating remotely, they are required to do so from within the Leinster House precinct only. I welcome the witnesses. Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the presentation they make to the committee. This means they have an absolute defence against any...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Our Rural Future and Town Centre First Policies: Discussion (1 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank Mr. O'Brien and I believe the committee will follow up on his invitation to participate in the OECD work. If he could communicate with the clerk, that would be very much appreciated. I now invite Mr. Tiernan to make his opening statement.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Our Rural Future and Town Centre First Policies: Discussion (1 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank Mr. Tiernan. I think he is the first man I have ever seen to round €14.988 million down to €14 million. I think you would have been on safe enough footing to round that up to €15 million and I do not think we will object too much. Finally, I call Mr. Doyle of the Heritage Council to make his opening statement.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Our Rural Future and Town Centre First Policies: Discussion (1 May 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank the witnesses for their detailed opening statements. I invite members to discuss and remind any members participating online to use the raise hand feature to indicate if they wish to contribute.