Results 3,081-3,100 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Industrial Relations: Industrial Relations (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: Industrial relations issues in Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus are matters for the management of the companies. I do not propose to meet with the management and workers on matters where there are agreed internal and State mechanisms to resolve such issues.

Written Answers — Road Traffic Offences: Road Traffic Offences (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: The Road Traffic Act 1994 provides that a member of the Garda Síochána may, where he or she is of the opinion that a person in charge of a mechanically propelled vehicle in a public place is under the influence of a drug or drugs to such an extent as to be incapable of having proper control of that vehicle, require that person to go to a Garda station and further require that person submit...

Written Answers — Integrated Ticketing: Integrated Ticketing (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 75 and 92 together. The Railway Procurement Agency, RPA, is the statutory body responsible for integrated ticketing. Following an inconclusive procurement process earlier this year, the RPA submitted proposals for a revised procurement strategy to my Department. These proposals are under discussion and will determine a revised target implementation process and...

Written Answers — Road Traffic Offences: Road Traffic Offences (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 150 on the 19 October 2005. 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 point systems operate in the two jurisdictions on this...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: The NRA has undertaken to provide, on a regular basis, information to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport on the national roads improvement programme. The last NRA report to the committee was in May 2005. The NRA proposes to submit an updated report to the Committee shortly. In the circumstances a request to the NRA, as suggested by the Deputy, is not considered necessary.

Written Answers — Railway Stations: Railway Stations (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: I understand from Iarnród Éireann that having examined a number of options, the board will decide shortly the preferred location for the construction of a new docklands railway station. I expect to receive proposals from the company, including construction cost, soon after board consideration. Transport 21 provides that the Exchequer will fund construction of the new station. Subject to...

Written Answers — Driving Tests: Driving Tests (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: Proposals developed by my Department for the regulation and quality assurance of driving instruction will involve a test of the competence of individual instructors. A working group comprising representatives of my Department and of instruction interests has formulated the design of the standards that a driving instructor must meet. The standard will set out criteria for entry to the driving...

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: Transport 21 provides for significant investment in increased bus capacity in the greater Dublin area. Substantial demographic changes have taken place in Dublin in recent years, and there has also been a significant increase in rail capacity, Luas, commuter rail services and the DART upgrade. For these reasons, it is necessary to identify what should be the response of bus to these and...

Written Answers — Traffic Management: Traffic Management (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: Traffic management in general is a matter for the appropriate local authority. By agreement with the other local authorities and the National Roads Authority, NRA, the day-to-day traffic management on the M50 is the responsibility of Dublin City Council. The tolling of the West Link bridge and agreements relating thereto are matters for the National Roads Authority, NRA, and the toll...

Written Answers — Driving Tests: Driving Tests (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: In order to reduce the current unacceptable and exceptional backlog of persons awaiting a driving test, my Department and the Department of Finance developed a package of measures to deal with the problem. The package includes a bonus scheme for driver testers, the recruitment of additional testers as well as the outsourcing of a block of tests. The package has the potential to deliver up to...

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: As outlined in the recently published Abridged Estimates 2006, the 2006 Estimate for the Department of Transport amounts to €2,180 million of which €1,394 million, 64% relates to roads and €750 million, 34%, relates to public transport. The amount available for roads in 2006 is unchanged on 2005 while the amount available for public transport is up 3%. In keeping with what has now...

Written Answers — Driving Tests: Driving Tests (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: I refer the Deputy to my previous answer to Parliamentary Question No. 168. The future gender balance and promotional arrangements for the driver tester posts will be a matter for the Road Safety Authority to consider once established.

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: Responsibility for the procurement of new buses rests with the bus companies concerned and I have no function in the matter. Transport 21, however, includes funding for a range of sustainable transport initiatives over the period to 2010. The purpose of these initiatives is to facilitate the mainstreaming of sustainability criteria into transport investment decision-making and to make...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: The Government Road Safety Strategy 2004-06 sets a primary target of a 25% reduction in road collision fatalities by the end of 2006 over the average annual number of fatalities in the 1998-2003 period. Achievement of the target would result in no more than 300 deaths per annum by the end of the period of the strategy. This is an ambitious target and one which will require the continued...

Written Answers — Air Services: Air Services (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: Earlier this year, I announced the award of public service obligation, PSO, contracts for the operation of air services on six regional air routes. Following an EU procurement process, Aer Arann was awarded the contracts to provide services on routes linking Dublin with Kerry, Galway, Sligo and Donegal, while Loganair was awarded the contract for the Dublin to Derry and Dublin to Knock...

Written Answers — Light Rail Project: Light Rail Project (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 95 and 100 together. Having announced a new transport investment programme, Transport 21, on 1 November 2005, I received, on 7 November, an application from the Railway Procurement Agency for a railway order in respect of the proposed Luas extension from Sandyford to Cherrywood. I have directed that a public inquiry be held into the application and an...

Written Answers — Cross-Border Projects: Cross-Border Projects (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 193 of the 3 November 2005. The framework for the mutual recognition of driving disqualifications imposed in Great Britain or Northern Ireland and this State is contained in the European Union Convention on Driving Disqualifications. Legislation to support the application of the convention is contained in the Road Traffic Act 2002. The convention...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: Operation Freeflow has been conducted for ten years now and involves contributions by a variety of organisations. These include the Garda Síochána, the Dublin Transportation Office, the four Dublin local authorities, Dublin Bus, Iarnród Éireann, and, in more recent years, the Railway Procurement Agency, RPA, as well as private organisations. Costs for the operation of these agencies are...

Written Answers — Light Rail Project: Light Rail Project (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: Transport 21 includes a metro line from the city centre to Swords via Dublin Airport, metro north, and an orbital metro route, metro west, linking Tallaght with Clondalkin, Blanchardstown and Ballymun. Metro north and west will be developed as public private partnerships, PPPs. It is likely that the infrastructure will be procured on the basis of a design, build, finance and maintain, DBFM,...

Written Answers — Air Services: Air Services (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: The Air Navigation and Transport (Indemnities) Act 2005 is a precautionary measure that allows the Government, in exceptional circumstances, to make an Order declaring that a state of difficulty exists in aviation insurance such that essential insurance is not generally available. This is not a decision that the Government will make lightly. It will be necessary to take into account the...