Results 3,581-3,600 of 34,778 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: I would have assumed that the amount in question related to the internal financial audit. I am pleased to discover it does not, particularly as the figure involved is so high. There are one or two other small points. Would Mr. L'Estrange explain the last line of page 52 of the accounts, that there is outstanding VAT repayable to be offset against future integrated ticketing scheme capital...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: On page 49, there is a figure to do with the NTA's pension scheme. It is a figure at which in this day and age people will be intrigued. They give a detailed description of the NTA's defined benefit scheme on page 49, and the entire pension scheme is based on expected future pensionable salary increases of 3.5% per annum. I certainly hope staff did not get a 3.5% increase last year and I...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: The model must be based on what they assume will happen.

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: If there was no increase last year or this year in the public service, they are budgeting for a 7% increase in some other year. If there was zero increase this year and it is average of 3.5%, Mr. L'Estrange is assuming there will be a 7% salary increase.

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Given that there was zero increase last year, the year before and this year, that 3.5% is an average figure. If there was zero increase for several years in a row, the NTA must be assuming 7% some other year to make up the average of 3.5%.

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Is it the underlying assumptions that are the issue?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: On page 50 of the accounts, there is a detailed note on the integrated ticketing system. Earlier we spoke about the cost of it and the Chairman asked Mr. Murphy to send the committee a note. It is intriguing that the cost of the integrated ticketing system in the accounts on 1 January 2011 - on page 50, it is a separate item which is depreciated each year - came in at €40.592...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Going back to 2001.

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: The NTA has a role in seeing whether all of these companies providing a proper service. The appendix to the NTA's accounts contains figures on the DART, Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann. The intriguing one is that for the Luas service, on page 59. The NTA has standards of punctuality and delivery of service. The accounts states that Luas measures punctuality in terms of the total number of...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: How much did they pay?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Would it be significant?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: I ask Mr. Murphy to flesh out that for us. It seems to be six minutes. How is it calculated? On the following page, there is more about Luas which states that there is a penalty if a service does not run. If they miss a service and they know they will incur a fine, is there an incentive to run one at an odd hour merely to state that they ran a service. Would they explain how that works?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: My last point relates to something that was not touched on at all. On the final part of the appendix, the NTA has a role in regional planning guidelines, local planning and land use in transport. Anybody who has been involved in a local authority will be aware that public transport is an issue. I note that in the year under review the NTA made submissions to approximately 30 develop plans...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Does the authority deal with roads as well or is it just rail and public services? What is dealt with in conjunction with local authorities? Is it just public transport?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Issues such as park and ride are important. It is fabulous when park and ride facilities are provided at train stations for commuters but if CIE can treble the parking rate for a week from €1 a day to €3 or €4 a day, it defeats the purpose. Does the authority have a role in agreeing the CIE fees to be charged in its park and ride facilities and car parks? It has a role...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: The authority has some planners in the organisation. Does it have many accountants, not to deal with its accounting function, but to deal with the financial effects of the type of issue I raised, for example, when CIE proposes a fare increase? Does the authority have to hire a consultant for the purpose or does it accept the figures given to it blindly? Are there financial accountants to...

National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (29 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the National Lottery Bill 2012 as I had looked forward to doing, based on everything this Minister and other Ministers had stated and on what was contained in the programme for Government, namely, that part of the funding from the proceeds of the sale of the lottery licence would go towards funding the national children's hospital. This is what was...

National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (29 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: I understand that and will not say more on last week's discussion. In his statement today, the Minister reiterated it is the intention that part of the up-front payment will be used to help fund the building of the proposed new children's hospital. Two minutes ago, in his last sentence, the Minister stated he would issue the lottery licence to raise significant up-front payment for the...

National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (29 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: It is not in the legislation where we wish to have it. My party will be happy to support the legislation if there is a mechanism to ring-fence the proceeds on that basis. The Minister will have to explain this to us. People have issues about selling State assets but I believe most people would accept this sale without quibbling too much if the funding could be ring-fenced.

National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (29 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: I know that but the Government could have assuaged the views of the public. I have given several direct quotations from the programme for Government-----