Results 2,841-2,860 of 3,336 for speaker:Kate O'Connell
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: Why not? While upward-only rent leases were standard during the boom, once the crash took place it was normal to negotiate with whoever was in charge, often a bank. However, no attempt was made by the NTA to cut itself loose from a historic lease.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: It was €170,000 a year for 35 years. We have had other instances here and there were lots of instances in the private sector where significant value was achieved. My point is that there was no attempt to do that.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: I did not ask Mr. L'Estrange that. Was there any attempt?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: There was a building on Fitzwilliam Street that was occupied by the taxi regulator and subsumed by the NTA. The NTA is subletting it to another company and the shortfall is €90,000. The NTA is paying that every year until the lease runs out.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: The NCCA is subletting it.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: It is all going round the same pot.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: However, the benefit is going to a private operator who holds the 35 year lease.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: I understand the rationale and streamlining. The NTA regulates clamping. Is there any other group it took under its umbrella that was based in an office with a huge lease over 35 years? Is there any other historic lease going on?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: It is not satisfactory that no attempt was made. At that time, one could not logically estimate that it would have been 35 times €170,000, give or take a few per cent. In the real world, that is not what happened. People either defaulted and went to court or people went to the negotiating table and went through mediation. That is the way one does business. I acknowledge that there...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: It was no surprise.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: I congratulate the NTA on the free Leap card initiative for children over the summer. It was a very good initiative and I saw from being on buses that people used it. Has the NTA carried out any qualitative analysis of uptake and registering of cards? Anecdotally, I know many people bought their children Leap cards and registered them. It was a brilliant initiative and one I would love to...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: What about the impact on other users and capacity of the figures Mr. Gaston quoted? Did extra services have to be scheduled to avoid annoying existing users? Was the NTA able to facilitate Kids Go Free within current capacity?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: I was very supportive of it. I know it happened in previous years. The four weeks were good because after going to the bother of buying the card and registering, people got value for their time especially if they had a few children. We have spoken at so many other meetings about a cultural change in the area of public transport and the idea of getting people out of their cars. If that is...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: Did that include the placement in bus shelters?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: Does Mr. Creegan have a figure for how that was broken down into print, design and bus shelters. I know they are expensive to rent but €77,000 would pay for a lot of them.
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: Will Mr. Creegan get that to us?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: It seems like an extraordinary sum of money. If it incorporates the rent of the shelters, that is significant but I would also like to know if the NTA hammered out a deal. Did it get a discount for a cycle because there will be more in the future? Even in politics, we hammer out deals to use those for advertising. Has the NTA carried out an analysis of the effectiveness of that...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: It did succeed in directing people to the website but we need to know how that was broken down and its effectiveness because it is taxpayers’ money. So many people cycle into the city now. It has changed dramatically in the past ten years. I almost feel at times as if the NTA evolves rather than jumps in the context of the way in which transport develops. In other words, because...
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: What percentage of the NTA's budget goes to cycling?
- Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the National Transport Authority (10 Oct 2019)
Kate O'Connell: How much of the budget is allocated in respect of cycling?