Results 301-320 of 349 for speaker:Tom Morrissey

Seanad: Private Bus Licences. (28 Jun 2006)

Tom Morrissey: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy de Valera, for this Adjournment matter. I tabled it because no matter how many debates we have here on transport, we never seem to have enough because there are so many varied issues in the transport area. Bus licensing is an issue the Department has been grappling with for many years. The Department is not ambitious enough about this area of activity....

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Jun 2006)

Tom Morrissey: I ask the Leader to arrange a debate in the House with the Minister for Transport about the more widespread introduction of private operators into the bus market. Every bus that is introduced into that market by a private operator costs the taxpayer and the Government nothing by way of subvention or subsidy. This is a policy the Government should embrace. A number of issues should be...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects. (30 Jun 2006)

Tom Morrissey: I thank the Minister of State for coming at such short notice. I am raising the issue of school needs in north County Dublin because of the vast numbers of houses it is proposed to build in that area in the coming years. It is estimated that the population of Swords will reach over 100,000 in the years to come. The hinterland towns of Rush, Lusk and Balbriggan are also growing at alarming...

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (4 Jul 2006)

Tom Morrissey: Like other Members, I thank the Minister for successfully bringing the Bill through the House, and thank his staff and the Bills Office. We read every day of the shortcomings in trying to bring to justice those who flagrantly blackguard our laws. The Bill will go some way to addressing that problem and will help gardaí to successfully bring criminals before the courts. In that, it is a good...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Sep 2006)

Tom Morrissey: I ask the Leader to arrange with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, a debate on the State Airports Bill and outstanding issues with regard to Cork Airport, the restructuring required in Shannon Airport and the development of Dublin Airport. Passenger throughput at Dublin Airport is expected to increase by 3 million this year. The business plans need to be addressed. I congratulate...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects (3 Oct 2006)

Tom Morrissey: I thank the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Brian Lenihan, for taking this Adjournment matter in respect of an issue concerning the Portrane-Donabate peninsula in north County Dublin, an area which has grown tremendously in recent years. As with the Minister of State's own constituency of Dublin West, it has huge educational requirements, both at primary...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2006)

Tom Morrissey: The Minister for Transport announced last week, after much debate and public comment, that he intends to publish legislation, which will come to this House in time, establishing the Dublin transportation authority. He mentioned during his announcement of the reform of Dublin Bus that the new authority will have the power to dispense the State subsidy that is given to Dublin Bus and to...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (11 Oct 2006)

Tom Morrissey: Last week I called on the Leader to arrange a meeting with regard to the State Airports Act. The Minister for Transport should come to the House as a matter of urgency to discuss the State airports and aviation policy in view of the events of the past week. The implications for the State airports of the proposed takeover of Aer Lingus by Ryanair could be profound in that Ryanair has...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (11 Oct 2006)

Tom Morrissey: Of course, it is what is needed.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Oct 2006)

Tom Morrissey: Last week, the National Consumer Agency published a report, Putting Consumers First, which deals with the issue of management companies established in new housing estates. The report, which contained many excellent recommendations, was the result of research into the functions of management companies, the different types of management companies, the non-existence of an arms length approach...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2006)

Tom Morrissey: At varying intervals in the past few months various taxi unions have tried to hold the commuters of this city to ransom. The most recent threat was before the Ryder Cup on the basis of a change of fee by the Dublin Airport Authority from 70 cent per pick-up to an annual fee of €500. I recently learned from figures supplied by the taxi unions' economist to the taxi regulator that when this...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (19 Oct 2006)

Tom Morrissey: It is not.

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Oct 2006)

Tom Morrissey: In the past few weeks there has been, after many years of procrastination, a successful flotation of Aer Lingus.

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Oct 2006)

Tom Morrissey: I say "successful" because the flotation was intended to bring about a number of outcomes. One was equity for the company. The second was the plugging of its pensions deficit and the third was the strengthening of its balance sheet, which has certainly happened. However, the Government has retained a major shareholding in the company and we need a debate on the present management of Aer...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Oct 2006)

Tom Morrissey: Aer Lingus was not established as a job creation agency, though it might have been used as such in the past. The company should concentrate on the service it provides to its customers. As the Government still retains a shareholding in Aer Lingus, I call on the Minister to come to the House to discuss the future of the company.

Seanad: Public Transport (26 Oct 2006)

Tom Morrissey: I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter, which relates to public transport integration. I wholeheartedly welcome last week's announcement of metro north, which will enhance the lives of the people of Swords and adjoining areas. If commuters who currently use the bus service transfer to the metro when it is completed in a few years, they will save 390 hours commuting per annum,...

Seanad: Housing Policy. (15 Nov 2006)

Tom Morrissey: I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter. The concept of management companies is in dire need of reform and regulation because hundreds of thousands of euro is being collected from householders who have moved into apartment complexes and mixed housing developments. However, there is no transparency in the collection and expenditure of this money and the bank accounts in which it...

Seanad: Housing Policy. (15 Nov 2006)

Tom Morrissey: I thank the Minister of State for his considered reply. However, while the Minister of State has suggested what will be done, there must be a discussion on the issues created by practices that have developed in the past three or four years.

Seanad: Driver Education. (16 Nov 2006)

Tom Morrissey: I thank the Minister of State for attending to discuss the education of learner drivers and the wider driving community. As we all know, alarming numbers have been and continue to be killed on the roads, despite our best efforts, including the penalty points system, the Garda traffic corps and random breath testing. If we are to devote all our resources to enforcement, on which we are...

Seanad: Driver Education. (16 Nov 2006)

Tom Morrissey: The Minister of State said lessons of this nature are not the norm across Europe. However, I am certain that what we are experiencing with young drivers in this country is not the norm. We are mistreating young drivers by pushing them into a system whereby they fail their tests at the first attempt and are then charged large amounts of money for insurance because they have failed their...