Results 7,481-7,500 of 26,208 for speaker:Kieran O'Donnell

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: The Minister is the person in the cockpit. What needs to be done now with the existing or new apparatus to increase the number of charging points?

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: When will the Department's new policy be out?

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: I will move on to broadband which is on page 5 of the Estimates. There is a spend of €225,000 this year. National Broadband Ireland came before the committee recently. Is the Minister satisfied with the pace of the roll-out of broadband? Does he believe the taxpayer is getting value for money? What is his overall perspective on where the roll-out of broadband is at present?

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: My next question is on aviation. The Minister is probably aware that Shannon Airport has no European hub connectivity. It does have flights to Heathrow. Aer Lingus was supposed to go ahead with a route from Shannon to Paris Charles de Gaulle in March 2020. Covid intervened and we have also had Brexit. Because of Brexit, Shannon Airport is exposed because we do not have direct hub...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: I am not denying that.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: However, I understand it has been done here. Is it something to which the Minister is open?

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: I thank the Minister.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Can I follow up about active travel and greenways? The Minister spoke about people feeling safe. Obviously, we saw the terrible tragedy that befell Ashling Murphy. I was reflecting on the security aspect of greenways earlier today. If people are to use greenways, they must feel safe. Obviously, councils are rolling out most of the greenways. What is being done in terms of the planning...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Can I make a suggestion with the aim of assisting? There is a need for the Department to ask all local authorities to carry out an audit of their current active travel facilities, including greenways, to ensure they are safe. I am not in any way questioning whether local authorities have done it but at the same time, certain points come along. The murder of Ashling Murphy was utterly...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Would the Department look to carry out my suggestion that there should be a review, even of existing infrastructure?

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Perhaps each local authority could carry out a formal audit and bring it back to the Department. The Minister could instigate this. It must be a safe environment.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: On a technical point, the clerk has advised me that we would love to hear from the officials but the Minister has to-----

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Was the target of 60,000 to be reached by the end of March or the end of April?

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: We were told by NBI that it expected to reach that number by the end of March.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: The Minister will appreciate that these dates become very important because they are in the public domain.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: So both answers are correct.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: One of the biggest issues that has arisen for all members concerns the gap intervention areas, which are basically those areas that run alongside the existing blue area. I am referring to where an individual in a country area has Eir fibre broadband while their neighbour over the ditch does not. NBI has agreed to tender to determine whether we can expedite broadband roll-out in those areas....

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: What I describe is quite commonplace, particularly in rural areas, but not necessarily in rural areas. It is welcome that the Minister is well aware of the proposal. I apologise to Deputy Ó Murchú for interrupting.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: We need to get some understanding of the whole issue of the grid and the ESB. There are technical issues, but the one thing that is coming across from the general public is there is a major appetite for the purchase of electric cars. People are now, in many cases, holding back. There is a tide in the affairs of men and, at present, electric vehicles are something the public has very much...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised)
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (9 Feb 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: I know it is not quite in the remit today, but I will make a general point on one-stop shops. We understand there is a free scheme, the best energy warmer homes scheme and the one-stop shop. Will the Minister elaborate on that a little more? What does he envisage we will see?