Results 24,261-24,280 of 24,389 for speaker:Jerry Buttimer

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Road Projects (20 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank Senator Kennelly for raising the matter with me. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I know the road in question is of particular importance to the Senator. Road safety is a priority for us as a Government. The Minister for Transport is responsible for the overall policy and Exchequer funding for the national roads programme. TII delivers the national roads...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Road Projects (20 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank the Senator. I know this road and roundabout is of particular importance to him. The name Tim Kennelly, for us in Cork, is a huge reason why we should be supporting this. I take the Senator's concerns and share his view on the lack of progress. I commit to working with the Senator, the Department and Kerry County Council in a manner that will achieve the key outcomes he desires....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Vacant Properties (20 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: I will take this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minster of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, who apologises that he cannot be here. I thank the Senator for being a champion and advocate of housing policy and for being one of the key drivers in revitalisation of many vacant properties. To be fair to the Senator, she has been ahead of the curve in many ways. I commend her on that, during our...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Vacant Properties (20 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank the Senator. I will commit to taking her views back to the Department. The Senator is right about the whole concept of liveable homes. I thank her again for her contribution. I reassure the Senator that the Government is committed to addressing the issue of vacancy.The vacant property refurbishment grant has been successful. An above-shop top-up grant is being developed and other...

Seanad: Road Safety: Statements (25 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach. Is onóir dom a bheith i bhur láthair do na ráitis anocht. I thank the Acting Chairperson for allowing me the opportunity to address the issue of road safety matters. As Members know full well, travel is an essential component of social and economic life. It needs to be available, accessible, sustainable and,...

Seanad: Road Safety: Statements (25 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank the 17 Members who contributed to this important discussion on road safety. I thank them for contributing in a non-partisan, non-adversarial manner. We are all committed to road safety and bringing about improvements because, as we all realise, road safety affects everybody. The statistics are about people. Tonight, as we gather here in this Chamber, it is disturbing and shocking...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Road Safety (27 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank the Senator for raising this important issue relating to Kilmessan. I am taking the matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy O'Brien, who sends his apologies. I fully understand where the Senator is coming from. I assure her that the Government, road safety partners and all the agencies are working to address the alarming trends in road fatalities and serious...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Road Safety (27 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank Senator Nelson Murray and I reassure her the Government is fully committed to providing a safe and secure transport network - Kilmessan is very much a part of this - that will help to serve the needs of all members of society. From my perspective in government, the Government's road safety strategy is the bible we used to improve road safety and make our roads safer for all. The...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Public Transport (27 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank Senator Clifford-Lee for her contribution and for raising very valid points, in particular on the price differentiation. She is right about the Dublin commuter zone. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. I thank Senator Clifford-Lee for her constant advocacy for public transport and for the people in Balbriggan and Skerries. I will take the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Public Transport (27 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: I again thank Senator Clifford-Lee for her contribution. She makes valid points regarding the people of Balbriggan and Skerries. I will bring them to the Minister on her behalf. As the Senator said, the Department of Transport has been working with the NTA over recent years to simplify fares across bus, rail and light rail services and introduce a fairer distance-based structure. The...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Public Transport (27 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: Members might not be aware but today is a very sad but exciting for all of us in the Oireachtas. A great colleague and friend of ours, Aisling Hart, the private secretary to the Cathaoirleach’s office, is retiring. On my own behalf as a former Cathaoirleach and a Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas for 18 years, I thank Aisling most sincerely for the warmth of her personality,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Schemes (27 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank Deputy Wall for the question and congratulate him on his election. I look forward to working with him again as we did in Seanad Éireann. He has always been a champion of transport and the Kildare-Dublin axis, and I look forward to working with him in that regard. Our Rural Future, Ireland's national rural development policy was launched in 2021, following an extensive...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Schemes (27 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: I will come back to the Deputy on the Indecon report. I do not have that information to hand. He is right about the M7 and the N40 in Cork. There is a need for all stakeholders to engage properly to see how we can make that a better thoroughfare for motorists and all road users. As the Deputy said, supporting rural Ireland is a priority for Government. Over the last number of years, we...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Schemes (27 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: I will respond to Deputy Wall first. As he know, Connecting Ireland's rural mobility plan has been a huge success, with 145 new or enhanced services since it began. A total of 240 towns and villages have been connected with, for example, 61 connections to healthcare facilities, 41 higher education facilities and 71 rail services. A total of 600,000 people have access to new and enhanced...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Projects (27 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank Deputy Ward for his question. 11 o’clock As members are aware, the LIS is an important support for rural communities in improving non-public rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its establishment in 2017, almost €170 million has been provided by the Government to local authorities under the scheme. In April of last year,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Projects (27 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: I agree with the Deputy that it is important we ensure people have accessibility and it is about giving them comfort. Donegal has been very good at spending the money allocated to it and has been very successful, with 224 roads completed. It is about ensuring there is flexibility in certain areas where there are pressure points. I will engage with the Deputy and the Minister, Deputy...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Projects (27 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: As the Deputy is aware, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I are very committed to this scheme. It is a very important one and at the heart of what we do about rural Ireland. It is about connectivity and it goes back to the question raised by Deputy Wall. It goes back to Deputy Ward's point about people who live way off the road and are trying to-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Projects (27 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: -----end social isolation and enhance connectivity. There are different factors when it comes to roads, such as geography, the condition of roads and the amount of road area to be covered. I will communicate the Deputy's point to Donegal County Council. It is a vast and beautiful county. To be fair, the road network has been improved. There may be some areas that need to be enhanced. We...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Programmes (27 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: I congratulate Deputy Clendennen on his election. The local enhancement programme is targeted towards enhancing facilities in disadvantaged communities identified in local economic and community plans. The programme seeks to provide small grants to a wide and diverse range of local community groups, to assist with the purchase of equipment and improvements or repairs to their facilities....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Programmes (27 Mar 2025)

Jerry Buttimer: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht an mhéid a dúirt sé mar gheall ar an Roinn. My Department provides guidance to the local community development committees on the eligibility criteria. The guidelines require projects to be in keeping with the ethos of the programme. The Government is very much aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary groups and...