Results 2,741-2,760 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — European Council Meetings: European Council Meetings (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 120 and 154 together. The meeting of the Transport Council on 6 October 2005 unanimously agreed with the European Commission that the time was now right for the resumption of negotiations with the US. The previous talks had ended in a failure to reach agreement in June 2004. The main issues where agreement could not be reached were market access, ownership and...

Written Answers — Semi-State Bodies: Semi-State Bodies (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 122, 142 and 250 together. In its decision of 18 May, the Government agreed to the State disposing of a majority shareholding in Aer Lingus and retaining a stake of at least 25% to protect strategic interests, provided that both myself and the Minister for Finance are satisfied that this level of disposal is warranted on foot of the analysis prepared by the...

Written Answers — Transport Investment Plan: Transport Investment Plan (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 124, 132, 134 and 136 together. The current five-year investment envelope for transport provides for capital expenditure of €10.15 billion over the 2005-09 period. I cannot comment on the level of funding to be made available for the ten-year transport investment framework until the Government has considered the matter. I hope to bring proposals to...

Written Answers — Driving Tests: Driving Tests (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: The tendering process has been completed and a preferred tenderer has been selected. However, the use of outsourcing as part of a package of measures to clear the backlog of driving test applications is being disputed by the staff associations, who have asked that the matter be referred to conciliation under the terms of Sustaining Progress. A conciliation hearing at the Labour Relations...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: I expect to be in a position to make regulations transposing both the above mentioned directives into Irish law shortly.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: The information sought by the Deputy is set out in the following table. National Roads Year Forecast Expenditure €m Actual Outturn €m 2000 190.80 188.10 2001 293.23 236.90 2002 374.34 182.31 2003 382.38 186.80 2004 389.66 354.75 2005 415.49 413.13* Total 2,045.90 1,547.38 * Allocation. A sum of €10.16 million is committed for the...

Written Answers — Rail Services: Rail Services (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 128, 130 and 162 together. It is my policy that Irish Rail should remain in the rail freight business. The strategic rail review, commissioned by my Department and published in 2003, contained a comprehensive examination of the rail freight business and its realistic potential to support economic development and contribute to a sustainable environment. The...

Written Answers — Driving Tests: Driving Tests (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: My Department and the Department of Finance agreed a package of measure to reduce the backlog of driving test applications in April this year. The package includes a bonus scheme for driver testers, the recruitment of additional testers as well as the outsourcing of a block of tests. Details of the package were notified to the testers' union, IMPACT, in late April 2005 and to other unions in...

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Priority Question No. 83 which I have answered today.

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 141 and 164 together. In the context of a review of the West Link bridge agreement, the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General discovered an underpayment in the licence fee due to the State under the West Link bridge agreement in respect of the years 2002 and 2003. The background to the underpayment is that under the West Link bridge agreement, a...

Written Answers — Traffic Management: Traffic Management (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: My Department has received no proposals from the National Pensions Reserve Fund to buy the Dublin Port tunnel or to fund the building of an eastern bypass around Dublin.

Written Answers — Traffic Management: Traffic Management (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: Traffic management in the city centre and in the vicinity of Dublin Port is a matter for Dublin City Council. In parallel with the opening to traffic of the Dublin Port tunnel, Dublin City Council will be introducing a heavy goods vehicle traffic management strategy to ensure that maximum traffic benefits are secured from the Dublin Port tunnel. My Department's formal role will be to put in...

Written Answers — Road Traffic Offences: Road Traffic Offences (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: The extension of the penalty points system to additional road traffic offences will be progressively commenced once the appropriate Garda Síochána IT processing system is fully operational and related administrative supports are in place. I will make the necessary statutory instruments at that point. The delivery of the IT and related measures are matters for the Garda Síochána and the...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: Comparisons with the best performing countries in the European Union can be made by examining the number of road deaths per 100,000 population for 2002, the most recent year for which comparisons are available. The road fatality rate in Ireland in 2002 was 9.6 per 100,000 population, which placed Ireland in seventh place among the then 15 member states of the European Union. The best...

Written Answers — Road Traffic Offences: Road Traffic Offences (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: The North-South work programme, which was agreed by the North-South Ministerial Council, included a commitment to examine the mutual recognition of penalty points between the Republic of Ireland and the North. However, in addition to the fact that separate penalty points systems operate in the two jurisdictions on this island, the system that operates in Northern Ireland differs from that...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: The improvement and maintenance of national roads is the responsibility of the National Roads Authority, NRA, and the local authorities concerned. The improvement and maintenance of non-national roads is a matter for local authorities and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Section 70 of the Roads Act 1993 obliges landowners and occupiers of land to take all...

Written Answers — Driving Tests: Driving Tests (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table: Applications on hand — 10 October 2005 Average weeks waiting Longest weeks waiting North Leinster Finglas 31 43 Dundalk 36 41 Mullingar 34 41 Navan 45 52 Raheny 26 60 South Leinster Churchtown-Rathgar 36 49 Gorey 46 58 Naas 27...

Written Answers — Taxi Regulations: Taxi Regulations (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: The operation and licensing of wheelchair accessible taxis and their drivers is controlled through the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations 1963 to 2002. The Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations 1998 — SI 47 of 1998 — set out the vehicle requirements for wheelchair accessible taxis. These regulations also make it clear that a space for a wheelchair...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table. Where transposition has not yet been undertaken, I expect to be in a position to do so shortly. Subject Years letters received Number of Letters Transposed If outstanding, date it was due to be transposed Council Directive 98/20/EC of 30 March 1998 amending Directive 92/14/EEC on the limitation of the...

Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (19 Oct 2005)

Martin Cullen: Ireland has international obligations under the Kyoto Protocol to limit emissions of greenhouse gases, GHGs. GHGs from the transport sector are comprised almost entirely of carbon dioxide produced by the combustion of petrol and diesel, on which the transport sector is heavily dependent. The national climate change strategy, NCCS, which was published by the Department of the Environment,...