Results 5,001-5,020 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Public Sector Pay: Public Sector Pay (19 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: In light of the current economic climate and the need for social solidarity, at a recent meeting in Dublin Castle of all the state agencies and commercial semi-state companies under the aegis of my department, I re-iterated the Government's opposition to the payment of bonuses to Chief Executives. The Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies requires all State companies to include...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (19 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: There is no feasible basis, at present, in Ireland or in Europe for the introduction of a preliminary roadside test for drugs, as testing devices are still in the prototype stages. However, I have indicated to the relevant bodies, including the Gardaí and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS) that I would like to see viable roadside testing for drugs introduced as quickly as possible. ...

Written Answers — Rail Network: Rail Network (19 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: The upgrading and extension of the mainline railway system is a matter for consideration by Irish Rail in the first instance. The Strategic Rail Review (SRR) completed by Irish Rail in 2003 set out priorities for future rail investment in Ireland, with a twenty-year strategic policy framework, and fed into Transport 21. The SRR did not include the development of rail services in Cavan,...

Road Traffic Bill 2011[Seanad]:Report and Final Stages (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: I may be mistaken and I am new to this work but last week the Committee Stage turned into a Second Stage and I do not want this Report Stage to turn into a Second Stage. I understand that an amendment on Report Stage must be moved by the Member in question.

Road Traffic Bill 2011[Seanad]:Report and Final Stages (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: I will comment on the amendments at this stage. I can address the other issues during my Final Stage contribution. I thank Deputy Dooley for the amendments he has proposed. I understand his concerns but I am satisfied that the provisions in the Bill, as drafted, are sufficiently balanced to ensure gardaí have the requisite powers they need to enforce mandatory testing. If a garda forms...

Road Traffic Bill 2011[Seanad]:Report and Final Stages (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: While I appreciate the Deputy's intent and share his objectives, faced with the circumstances he outlines a Garda will have three options. First, if the driver cannot take a breath test because a garda forms the opinion that it would be prejudicial to the person's health to do so, the garda may wait for a period for the person to calm down before administering the breath test. Second, if...

Road Traffic Bill 2011[Seanad]:Report and Final Stages (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: While I understand the Deputy's point, in the scenario he has outlined the garda concerned should arrest the driver. Essentially, the Deputy wants to introduce in law a requirement that a garda arrest someone. Such a provision would be unprecedented as gardaí are always allowed to exercise some degree of judgment in deciding whether to arrest someone, even in the case of murder. In the...

Road Traffic Bill 2011[Seanad]:Report and Final Stages (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: I am happy to give that commitment. If the Bill is enacted within the next couple of weeks, which can be done if we pass it today, we will be able to assess whether there are any problems before September or October, when the (No. 2) Bill is brought forward. The legislation will have been in operation for the best part of six months so we will know how it is working and whether there are...

Road Traffic Bill 2011[Seanad]:Report and Final Stages (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the House for its co-operation in passing the Bill. Notwithstanding any concerns people may have, I am certain the Bill further strengthens existing road traffic legislation and will make our roads a safer place. I look forward to the President signing the Bill into law and having it in action in time for the two bank holidays or, if not, certainly for the summer period when we can...

Road Traffic Bill 2011[Seanad]:Report and Final Stages (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: That is correct. Any measure we bring in has to work in our legal system. Gardaí are being trained in the use of the evidential test for drug use, which involves neurological testing, walking a line, touching a finger to the nose, Romberg testing and so on, which will be admissible in court and can be carried out at the scene of an accident. With regard to the blood alcohol limit, the...

Air Services (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: This question relates to the State's current shareholding in Aer Lingus. The McCarthy report which was published at 2 p.m. recommends that the Government dispose of its shareholding in Aer Lingus as soon as is opportune. During the coming months the Government will consider the recommendations set out in the report in the context of the ongoing budgetary challenge that we face. The...

Air Services (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy can rest assured in that regard. As I outlined in my initial answer, we have the 25.1% stake for two reasons, first, to ensure connectivity from through Heathrow Airport and retain access to the slots and, second, to ensure Aer Lingus is not taken over inappropriately by another airline. The Deputy will be aware that the European Commission ruled that Ryanair could not take over...

Public Transport (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: This is the first time I have taken priority questions, too.

Public Transport (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: Yes, we are. The National Transport Authority is responsible for the implementation of infrastructural projects and traffic management in the greater Dublin area. With regard to transport policy in the greater Dublin area, the major projects, metro north, DART underground and Luas BXD, the cross city line, were all included in Transport 21 as key elements of an integrated transport network...

Public Transport (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: I agree absolutely that these are important projects and I would love to see all of them going ahead so I could see my city, Dublin, looking like any other European city, with an integrated, modern transport system. These projects, however, all cost a lot of money and the reason metro north and DART underground were envisaged as PPPs is that even during the boom, no one thought it would be...

Public Transport (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: This question relates to a Government commitment to maintaining funding levels for CIE. Deputy Dooley will be aware that the fiscal legacy of the outgoing Fianna Fáil-led Government was to leave an expected deficit of €18 billion for this year. This fiscal legacy, coupled to the banking crisis, necessitated the intervention of the IMF and the EU late last year, a measure which...

Public Transport (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy posed a number of questions and I will answer as many as possible. The programme for Government commits us to favouring public transport over road transport in the future. That is what we will do. We will be different from the previous Government in this regard. The latter, perhaps legitimately so, favoured road transport over public transport because it decided to give...

Public Transport (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy will be aware that I have announced a number of significant changes to corporate governance structure in CIE and the CIE companies. The term of the current executive chairman of CIE, Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann and Dublin Bus will expire at the end of June. When his term ends, the position of the executive chairman will be abolished and four non-executive chairpersons will be...

Public Transport (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: It is important to recognise the background to the Baker Tilly Ryan Glennon report. I have not read the entire report, but it is on my reading list for next week when I will read it from start to finish. That is why I am not ruling out the possibility of appointing an inspector. The fraud was detected by CIE which initiated the report. However, the company did not inform the Minister, as...

Public Transport (20 Apr 2011)

Leo Varadkar: I do not know.