Results 3,901-3,920 of 32,569 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I thought it would be mutually helpful for everybody if I did that.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I am delighted to appear before the select sub-committee to recommend this Supplementary Estimate of €162 million in additional capital funding for my Department. This will bring my overall capital envelope and investment in land transport for this year to over €1.14 billion, which is something I hope will be sustained in the future. This additional funding will address three...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: There was an interesting article in today’s Financial Timesby Larry Summers, a former United States Secretary of the Treasury, in which he spoke of the need for developed economies all over the world to invest in public transport and infrastructure projects. I did not have an opportunity to include it in my text but he made the point similar to Deputy Dooley’s, namely, that if...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I will do my best to ensure all clubs have the opportunity to access equipment. I am aware there may be a need for specialist equipment in some sports and that is something we must look into. I will engage with the sailing organisation about this and I will copy the Deputy into the communication.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I understand the high-performance needs of people in that sport because of the nature of it and the expensive equipment. They have a particular need and as we get into the detail of the money will be spent, I will bear in mind the Deputy's point. I will ensure he is made aware of anything that happens.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: With regard to the Deputy's question on the roads programme, we must continue to rebuild investment in our local, national roads and regional roads. The programme we announced continues investment in a wide variety of roles across the country but I acknowledge that in the coming years the investment must be maintained and, in some areas, increased. In the multi-annual capital plan that the...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I will respond to the points made by Deputy Ellis. Of the €160 million, €40 million is stimulus funding and the balance of the funding has been made available from savings in other Departments or in relation to how the economy has performed. Specifically, the Deputy asked about where the money for roads will go. Some €20 million of the roads money will be for local and...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: What that comes from is that the President of the European Commission, Mr. Juncker, has announced an initiative to try and make more funding available to the EU for important infrastructure projects, out of which an amount of funding would be made available from the European institutions that would then be leveraged up. We have sent a list of options to the European Commission, but we have...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I will begin with the Deputy's point about new buses. I agree with him. As he well knows, buses carry more people that any other form of public transport in Ireland and what we are doing here is modernising the fleet of our two main public bus companies. I expect and believe this will lead to an improvement on the quality of service people see in the future. As regards the public...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: Is the Deputy referring to the community improvement schemes?

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for his questions and I will come to each in turn. His first question pertained to the allocation of capital funding for regional and local roads. I entirely take his point that one must be aware of the more local roads or, shall I say, the non-national roads or tertiary roads in respect of where money is going and how it is spent. This is something of which I have been...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for her questions. On the issue of congestion, one of the major issues I have stressed in my work to date is the need to decrease congestion and increase growth. This feeds into all the decisions I am presenting for the committee's approval today in relation to where I want to put the money I have and additional money. The Deputy has raised the needs of her county with...

Topical Issue Debate: Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (10 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. I know other colleagues have sought to have it selected. In responding to the points I will begin by stating I am deeply aware of the impact of the proposed changes on many people. I have met them and read a huge amount of correspondence from them. I have heard at first hand the personal consequences of this crisis for them and their prospects...

Topical Issue Debate: Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (10 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy asked me a direct question about a trustee which I cannot answer. The Deputy asked about the responsibility of the different individuals who have been involved in this. The implementation and management of the pension fund in the first place is the responsibility of the trustees and I have to recognise that. The Deputy asked me what had happened. Nearly four years of work has...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Tourism Promotion (10 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: While the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport provides funding for capital investment in tourism, the allocation of these funds are a matter for the board and management of Fáilte Ireland. My Department has no direct role in supporting individual tourism attractions. Fáilte Ireland administers the Tourism Capital Investment Programme (TCIP) but funds are fully committed...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Licences (10 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: The operation of the National Driver Licensing Service, including the location of front offices, is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority. I have therefore referred the question to the Authority for direct response. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a reply has not been received within ten days.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Car Test (10 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: Changes to the penalty points regime which came into effect on Monday last, 8December, were legislated for under the Road Traffic Act 2014.   These changes relate to a range of measures, including the National Car Test (NCT) system.    It has, for some years, been an offence to use a vehicle on public roads without a valid NCT certificate. Prior to the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driving Test Regulations (10 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I presume that the Deputy is referring to a previous situation involving people - not only farmers - who had held a full licence before November 1989.  The situation was that, before that time, there was no separate category of licence for drawing a trailer.  Anyone who had a car licence was automatically licenced to drive with a trailer.  In November of 1989 there was a change...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: VAT Exemptions (10 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I am aware of the measure the Deputy is referring to which was announced in the UK Autumn Statement 2014. However, as the Deputy will be aware and as Minister Varadkar has advised the House previously on this subject, exemption from VAT is entirely a matter for the Revenue Commissioners and my colleague the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan. In exchanges with representatives from mountain...

Seanad: Restructuring of Pensions at Aer Lingus: Statements (10 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: As I stated on 18 November when I last made a statement to the House on this matter, resolution of the IASS funding difficulties is primarily a matter for the trustees, the companies participating in the scheme, the scheme members and the Pensions Authority. The difficulties in this scheme have increased to the extent that the deficit is now in the range of from €700 million to...