Results 4,261-4,280 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd

Railway Procurement Processes. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: It is a shame that this report, which was published by Iarnród Éireann on 10 June last at a cost of almost €500,000, never saw the Minister's desk. He did not ask for it because, like many of his colleagues, he does not hold the State companies under his remit, such as CIE, Iarnród Éireann and the National Roads Authority, to account. The hidden agenda of CIE was to use a veil of...

Railway Procurement Processes. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: Ask and you shall receive.

Railway Procurement Processes. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: The key point is that €1.1 billion of taxpayers' money has been given to CIE companies in the recent past. Will the Minister ask for any other audits that may exist in those companies to be brought to his attention and that of the Oireachtas? Will he ask for an exercise to be undertaken setting out the top ten procurement contracts that have been awarded for rolling stock and buses, etc.,...

Railway Procurement Processes. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: I asked about the top ten contracts.

Railway Procurement Processes. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: The Minister should ask for a list of the top ten procurement contracts to be compiled.

Rail Network. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: Question 3: To ask the Minister for Transport the additional resources he has given to CIE to repair the viaduct at Malahide, County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39932/09]

Rail Network. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: Issues arise from the accident at Malahide, where 20 m of railway line fell into the sea. I am thankful that due to the action of Keith Farrelly, the train driver who spotted the collapse of the tracks, hundreds of people did not face their death in over 3 m of water. This is a fact and everybody acknowledges it. Were it not for the sea scouts, nobody would have walked the line at all....

Rail Network. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: That is not the point.

Rail Network. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: In 2006, a review of railway safety and the role and function of the Railway Safety Commission pointed out that there were significant issues still outstanding, notwithstanding the reports in the years 1998, 2000 and 2001. Page 8 of the review states a programme of thorough inspections of Iarnród Éireann's structures should be commenced by the company. What Iarnród Éireann is saying, as...

Rail Network. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: The report, produced by Arthur D. Little in 2006, states the scour safety management systems were not in place. It states it was a serious issue that was not being addressed adequately by Iarnród Éireann. There is a systems failure. Some €1.1 billion was invested in Iarnród Éireann and other CIE companies over recent years, yet the companies did not address significant safety issues...

Road Safety. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: Question 4: To ask the Minister for Transport when he will legislate for mandatory alcohol testing at road accidents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39933/09]

Road Safety. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: I welcome the introduction of mandatory testing. On Wednesday, 17 October 2007, on foot of the Fine Gael motion on the issue the Minister changed his mind and agreed to introduce the provision. At that time it was expected that we would have the legislation within three months but it has taken more than two years to get to this point. I support what the Minister is doing. One of the issues...

Road Safety. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: The figures are from between 2003 and 2006 and I acknowledge that random testing has been introduced since then. However, the key point is that while the Garda traffic corps is dedicated primarily to traffic duties, it is not solely employed for that purpose and given the cutbacks in Garda overtime gardaí are not as available as they would like to be, especially at weekends when much...

Road Safety. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: Question 5: To ask the Minister for Transport the progress made in implementing the commercial vehicles testing review report in 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39934/09]

Road Safety. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: The key point is that the overhaul of commercial vehicles roadworthiness testing commenced following the tragic crash in Navan where, sadly and tragically, five teenagers lost their lives. Following that, the first task of the Road Safety Authority was to do that report. The Minister's colleague, the then Minister for Transport, Deputy Martin Cullen, was responsible for that. In April...

Road Safety. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: I would go further than the Minister. They should be sacked. The Minister cannot accept that after two years this transfer has not happened. According to the report, testing standards were not applied uniformly throughout the country, there is considerable scope for unscrupulous or careless operators or test centres not to be compliant with current regulations and test results could be...

Road Safety. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: No, that the problem still persists because the Road Safety Authority is still not in charge.

Road Safety. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: It is in the report.

Road Safety. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: I am reporting it to the Minister.

Road Safety. (5 Nov 2009)

Fergus O'Dowd: It is in the report.