Results 2,881-2,900 of 6,816 for speaker:Darren O'Rourke

Special Educational Needs School Places: Motion [Private Members] (14 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this timely and important motion. I commend Deputy Ó Laoghaire on bringing it forward. I also commend FUSS Ireland on its activism on these issues. As Deputy Ward said, its members were out across the country, including in Dublin, on Saturday. I had an opportunity to meet with Rachel Martin of FUSS Ireland in my constituency on Friday. The...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Transport Policy (14 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: 59. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures that he will take to address the challenges in the taxi sector, including rising fuel and running costs and driver shortages; if he has assessed the likely impact of a further exit from the sector due to the ten-year rule; the degree to which he has engaged with the National Transport Agency and taxi representatives on...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Transport Policy (14 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: I ask the Minister of State what measures she will take to address the challenges in the taxi sector, including rising fuel and running costs and driver shortages. Has she assessed the likely impact of a further exit of vehicles from the sector due to the ten-year rule? To what degree has she engaged with the National Transport Agency, NTA, and taxi representatives on these matters? Will...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Transport Policy (14 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: There is a crisis in the sector and I am not convinced from the Minister of State's answer that there is a full appreciation of it. I acknowledge the aspect regarding the fare increase and the weighted element in that regard, but there has been a significant exodus of drivers from the sector. It was reported just this evening that one of the taxi apps had 17,000 requests in a one-hour...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Transport Policy (14 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: How many vehicles will be impacted by the ten-year rule in 2023, for example? How many vehicles are we likely to lose from the sector? My estimation, based on the figures presented to me by taxi representatives, is that the number is greater than 5,300. These are vehicles that have not been used for a couple of years. Most of them are in mint condition. Drivers have been struggling to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport (14 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: 61. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the year-on-year timeline for the delivery of the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan; the budget that he intends to provide in each year to deliver this plan; the routes that will be commenced in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30745/22]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport (14 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: I want to ask the Minister of State the year-on-year timeline for the delivery of the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan, the budget she intends to provide in each year to deliver this plan, the routes which will be commenced in 2022 and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport (14 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: This is an ambitious plan. We have submitted questions on the opportunities to expand on it. I understand there are 23 settlements with populations above 300 that have been excluded from the plan; all of the rest have been included and are promised a service three times daily, which would be a significant improvement. There are opportunities to expand the scheme, and that is something my...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport (14 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: The Minister of State mentioned a number of places. Does she have the figures on how many routes are now up and running? I welcome the services and understand the prioritisation of routes where there is demand from incoming Ukrainian refugees. Of the 40 routes at design stage, does the Minister of State have an indication - I will be parochial about this - as to where in County Meath they...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Aviation Industry (14 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: 62. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when he intends to publish an updated national aviation policy; if he will outline the policy options being considered to deliver a more even distribution of air traffic between Irish airports in order to support the objective of balanced regional development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30746/22]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Aviation Industry (14 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: The Chair will have an interest in this question. When does the Minister of State intend to publish an updated national aviation policy? Will she outline the policy options being considered to deliver a more even distribution of air traffic between Irish airports in order to support the objective of balanced regional development? Will she make a statement on the matter?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Aviation Industry (14 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: A number of members of the transport committee are here. Aviation has been a particular focus of our committee right throughout this period, since the committee was established under this Dáil, whether during Covid or, more recently, in respect of the issues at Dublin Airport. We are undertaking a series of visits to a number of our airports. We have been at Dublin and Shannon...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Aviation Industry (14 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: We are constrained by state aid rules. The lack of State influence in Aer Lingus is a limitation. It is not one my party supported but it is one we have to live with. The transport committee continues to meet with representatives of regional airports. Members of the committee make the case that we want to hear from them and that they need to engage with the review of the national aviation...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Dublin Airport Authority (14 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: Has the Minister raised concerns with the DAA in respect of the high volume of security staff who were let go over the past two years? Has she expressed concern that letting staff go during this period was unfair and opportunistic? Has she raised the likely scenario that this would affect Dublin Airport's ability to deal with a full return to aviation activity?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Dublin Airport Authority (14 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: It is quite clear with the benefit of hindsight, at least, that the DAA cut too deep. I would argue that it should have been better informed and prepared and have had better foresight of what the prospective return to aviation would look like. There is a clear charge, which I think is a logical and substantiated one, that this was opportunistic. The nature of the cuts by the DAA was not...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Dublin Airport Authority (14 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: When we had representatives of the DAA before us, they said they were relying on information from the best sources they could get, including the Minister of State's Department. Therefore, I will ask my question again: did the Minister of State agree with the DAA's analysis of the nature of the recovery? If so and if she was relying on the same evidence from her Department, does it mean its...

Energy Security: Motion [Private Members] (15 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: The Rural Independent Group has identified a problem but, unfortunately, it has looked in exactly the wrong place for the solution. We have an energy security crisis and the Government has significantly contributed to it. We have an energy cost crisis and the Government has significantly contributed to it. The Rural Independent Group suggests, however, that the answer is new fossil fuel...

Annual Transition Statement: Statements (15 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. Although the annual transition statements framework was abolished and replaced with a new process under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, this gives us a good opportunity to reflect on the Government’s progress to date on reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and take on board suggestions from the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: On Monday, Oireachtas Members from County Meath heard that the HSE intends to move imminently into the final stages of implementation, as it calls it, at Navan hospital. By September, the HSE intends to close all intensive care unit beds in the hospital and to close the emergency department and replace it with a medical assessment unit. This clear intention was restated yesterday at a...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Water Services (16 Jun 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this issue, which is of deep concern to residents in Ratoath, as the Minister of State might imagine. There are regular outages there; we had in the region of six significant outages this year and many more instances of low pressure and everything that goes with that in the return, dirty water and the service being unavailable for a period of time....