Results 28,661-28,680 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Safety (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Published in December 2021, the Government’s road safety strategy 2021–2030 has the target of reducing road deaths and serious injuries by 50% this decade and achieving Vision Zero by 2050. Vision Zero has been adopted across the EU and aims to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our roads. The second annual review of the road safety strategy took place on 18 January,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Safety (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with the Deputy. It is about engineering, enforcement and education, but we need to lower the speed limits. Many speed limits give the wrong message to motorists and are too high for the real condition of the roads. It is important we bring down the speed limits. In most urban areas the speed limit should be brought down to 30 km/h from 50 km/h, in many of the non-secondary...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Safety (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with the Deputy. That is why in last year's budget we allocated additional funding of €12 million to Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, to specifically look at areas, particularly on the national road network, where there might be sections of carriageway that are not optimal or not up to standard, and to try to address the real black spots. That is just part of it and is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Driver Test (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Deputy. There are four test centres in County Tipperary. Throughout the county at the end of February, 600 tests were scheduled and a further 1,605 applicants were waiting to receive an invitation to book their test. As of the most recent figures for the end of February, the average wait time to be invited to sit test was 27 weeks in Clonmel, 19 in Nenagh, ten in Thurles and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Driver Test (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: It is not satisfactory that two of the centres in Tipperary are outside of the service level agreement. To clarify, in both Thurles and Tipperary town, we are within that SLA target, which is ten weeks in the case of Thurles and seven weeks in the case of Tipperary town. Obviously, if there is a long period where a service provider is not able to meet the standards, my Department, and it...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Driver Test (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I absolutely agree with the Deputy. The Government aspires to an open government data regime where we provide that information. It should not have to require letters in many instances; we should be looking to provide information on a readily accessible basis. This might reduce the amount of work which we as representatives or they as administrators have to do. I fully accept the Deputy's...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Aviation Industry (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Aviation plays a crucial role in our economy and society. The National Aviation Policy, NAP, published in August 2015, established a policy framework for the development of the aviation sector. It was designed to create an environment that would encourage the sector to enhance Ireland's connectivity, foster the growth of aviation enterprise and maximise the contribution of aviation to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Aviation Industry (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with the Deputy that rail connectivity in particular will be a critical issue for the sustainable development of airports. A rail connection to Shannon Airport, as part of a wider investment in the Limerick-Shannon region, the reopening of the Shannon-Foynes line and the building of new stations in the likes of Moyross and elsewhere, would not just benefit the airport but also the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Aviation Industry (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: -----but we certainly need the metro.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Aviation Industry (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: First, regarding the metro, I have to be careful. I do not intervene directly in the planning system or try to change planning conditions, which some people were looking for me to do when it came to Dublin Airport. They were saying to ignore An Bord Pleanála and thrash its conditions. We cannot do that. As Minister for Transport, I can say a decision will be made on the metro. It is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bus Services (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I would like to reassure the Deputy that both my Department and the National Transport Authority, NTA, are aware of Aircoach’s decision to withdraw its 706 Galway to Dublin Airport service from 8 April. While the majority of public transport in Ireland is Exchequer-funded through the PSO programme, a critical part of the national public transport system is comprised of bus services...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bus Services (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The reality is that there are significant services from Galway to Dublin Airport, such as the Citylink services of which the Deputy will be aware.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bus Services (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: They are very significant in number and, therefore, we are not going to see that connectivity completely disappear. The Deputy is right. The Aircoach service was there replacing that Bus Éireann services and in both instances the demand was not there. It is a commercial decision. If Aircoach was seeing large passenger numbers, it would obviously not be stopping the route. I expect...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bus Services (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: First, with regard to rural public transport services, there has never, in the history of the State, been a Government that has been so committed to expanding rural bus and rural public transport services. In the past two years, every week we have introduced a new or enhanced rural public transport service and we have seen-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bus Services (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: -----a spectacular increase in demand for rural public transport services. I will happily compare our record in that regard with any other country or any other time in Irish history where there has been such an expansion of rural public transport services.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bus Services (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Regarding the airport service, we will, as I said, carry out an assessment, as the Deputy said, with GoBus and Citylink. It will be very extensive. We are investing to improve Irish Rail services connectivity between Galway and Dublin-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bus Services (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: -----so that there is a major enhancement and expansion of public transport services. We have to look to see even in that instance where the services are best deployed. If there is a need for a PSO intervention, a gap in the market where there is not an existing service, or where commercial services have not delivered, we will look at that-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bus Services (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: -----but depicting it as no service or a lack of new rural public transport services is not accurate.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Road Projects (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Deputy for his question on this project, which I know is of real interest to him. Approximately €411 million of Exchequer capital funds have been provided for national roads through Transport Infrastructure Ireland to local authorities this year. Of this, approximately €57 million was included for both Cork city and county to advance the roads projects in the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Road Projects (21 Mar 2024)

Eamon Ryan: There is no intention to delay the project. I do not have any evidence that insufficient funding was provided for any reason. TII has to make the decision on the necessary allocations. There may sometimes be differences between what a council and TII consider should be the next allocation expenditure. TII has the real expertise and responsibility in this area. The allocation was made to...