Results 1,841-1,860 of 5,948 for speaker:Paul McAuliffe

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: 100. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to address the current backlog in processing applications for child benefit. [46180/23]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I thank members and witnesses for being here today to consider the report of the citizens' assembly on a directly elected mayor of Dublin. I note that an invitation was extended to the National Transport Authority, the HSE, the Department of Health and the Department of Education. I welcome from the National Transport Authority, Ms Anne Graham, CEO, and Mr. Hugh Creegan, deputy CEO. We...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Based on the experience of last week, and because we are not dealing with specific legislation or holding the NTA to account on a particular set of accounts, we will be asking for the witnesses' expertise and whatever answers they give will be considered in that way. That gives them some latitude.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: There must have been comparisons of different cities. There must be even anecdotal interactions with those around different systems. If there is any that strikes Ms Graham, the Senator would benefit from that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I might take my slot. I am a strong believer that our current system of local government is so broken, fragmented and weak in power that even the addition of a figurehead that only champions and has no power would be an improvement. Everybody is in agreement that that alone would not be sufficient. However, people who advocate for a directly-elected mayor say there would be a benefit in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Although in hindsight, the decision to cancel it may have meant a much more expensive project in the long run.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: We have spoken many times about how the NTA provides the fleet and private operators like Go Ahead are using that fleet. We have talked about a similar system for e-bikes, for example, in the city. One of the challenges we have discussed is for the NTA to be able to co-ordinate that response across the four Dublin local authorities with existing schemes in place. There would be a challenge...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Ms Graham and Mr. Creegan have identified the issue of funding. It is interesting to come back to that. I remind them of the name Jarrett Walker and the BusConnects project. I have never seen someone who has published a report become so passionate in advocating publicly for their report, as Mr. Walker was, in fairness to him. I am thinking of something like BusConnects that would be a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Mr. Creegan sounds like Sir Humphrey telling the minister he has made a very brave decision.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I want to flesh out that issue of funding. I ask our guests to clarify for the committee the process of drawing down or attracting funding for a project like a Luas or metro line. What mechanism is used currently?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Who is the decision-maker in those cases?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: The NTA makes a proposal to the Department of Transport and I presume that Department, in conjunction with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, makes the decision. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Most of the decisions are already made. Given that funding is already allocated, why would any Minister say "No" or delay something?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: That is useful in helping us to understand the decision-making process. Is there an element of borrowing or the ability to borrow involved or is it all set-aside public resources? In terms of a revenue-raising ability or an ability to borrow, a directly elected mayor may be able to increase the overall pot of money coming to Dublin. Would an ability to borrow be beneficial or would that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: If there was a dedicated NDP budget for Dublin, within which individual decisions could be moved around or swapped, would that give more flexibility to progress projects that might be ready more quickly than others or does the way it is set out at the moment provide a degree of certainty?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: If either a Dublin section of the NTA or a directly elected mayor in conjunction with a Dublin section of the NTA had a ring-fenced public transport budget for Dublin, with a huge degree of flexibility in terms of how it can be spent without having to resort to the Minister, would that lead to greater delivery? Does sending it to the Minister and waiting for the Department of Public...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: Thank you. That is useful.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: That is dealt with in the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023, which was passed in June.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: I have one last point, and it is coming back to what Deputy O'Callaghan said. It is the democratic thing. In some ways, the purpose of a directly elected mayor would be to get national agencies like the NTA to do things that it may not want to do, or that it may have good reasons for not doing. The NTA might have a national focus, and a Dublin mayor would say, "Yes, that is your national...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Paul McAuliffe: In a Department, the Minister will often set the priorities, and then between Governments, the Secretary General will make sure of consistency and so on. The problem for the NTA is that there are people out there who believe that we should not have any more cycle lanes. I am not one of them but there are people who believe that. They believe that they have no democratic way of expressing...