Results 5,541-5,560 of 10,460 for speaker:Gerry Horkan

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2021)

Gerry Horkan: Amendments Nos. 8, 10 and 11 are related. Amendments Nos. 10 and 11 are logical alternatives to amendment No. 8 and may be discussed together by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2021)

Gerry Horkan: When is it proposed to take Report Stage?

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2021)

Gerry Horkan: Is that agreed? Agreed.

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2021)

Gerry Horkan: When is it proposed to take Fifth Stage?

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2021)

Gerry Horkan: Is that agreed? Agreed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Merchant Service Providers in the Travel Trade in Ireland: Discussion (23 Jun 2021)

Gerry Horkan: I thank Ms Mannion for her presentation. I am only a new member of this committee so I am not as familiar with the topic as some of the other members but, from what I am seeing, it seems merchant service providers want to have it both ways. If an operator gets into trouble or enters liquidation, the Commission for Aviation Regulation is there, but the MSPs seem to want extra deposits and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Merchant Service Providers in the Travel Trade in Ireland: Discussion (23 Jun 2021)

Gerry Horkan: The commission's role is to provide a service in respect of tour operators, as they were known in the past, operating package holiday arrangements. That is the commission's sole responsibility. Its bonded scheme does not apply to people who book flights separately from accommodation or accommodation separately from flights.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Merchant Service Providers in the Travel Trade in Ireland: Discussion (23 Jun 2021)

Gerry Horkan: If an airline were to get into difficulty, the commission would provide refunds.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Merchant Service Providers in the Travel Trade in Ireland: Discussion (23 Jun 2021)

Gerry Horkan: Okay. The commission's scheme does not cover airlines that get into difficulty.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Merchant Service Providers in the Travel Trade in Ireland: Discussion (23 Jun 2021)

Gerry Horkan: If a customer has paid for a package deal with a tour operator, everything the consumer has given to the tour operator is covered.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Merchant Service Providers in the Travel Trade in Ireland: Discussion (23 Jun 2021)

Gerry Horkan: In the case of a tour operator failing, the commission will repatriate people or make sure people can go on their holidays regardless. Is that the case?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Merchant Service Providers in the Travel Trade in Ireland: Discussion (23 Jun 2021)

Gerry Horkan: With regard to the mechanism, is it the case every travel agent pays into the scheme?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Merchant Service Providers in the Travel Trade in Ireland: Discussion (23 Jun 2021)

Gerry Horkan: Okay, it involves all tour operators licensed here. How does the levy or the scheme work?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Merchant Service Providers in the Travel Trade in Ireland: Discussion (23 Jun 2021)

Gerry Horkan: It is not the case that every tour operator puts money into the scheme so that, if one fails, the others pick up the tab.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Merchant Service Providers in the Travel Trade in Ireland: Discussion (23 Jun 2021)

Gerry Horkan: That happens when there is an issue because of a greater amount than is sufficient from the tour operators bond. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Merchant Service Providers in the Travel Trade in Ireland: Discussion (23 Jun 2021)

Gerry Horkan: Generally speaking, in the past five or ten years has the bond covered the amount? Have the bonds of the tour operators covered the shortfall when something goes wrong?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Merchant Service Providers in the Travel Trade in Ireland: Discussion (23 Jun 2021)

Gerry Horkan: There was a time in the 1980s when we did not have the likes of Ryanair offering independent flights and people tended to go on their holidays with tour operators far more than they do now. Do we have an idea of how the volume of business has changed? How has it fallen over time in respect of the tour operator market?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Merchant Service Providers in the Travel Trade in Ireland: Discussion (23 Jun 2021)

Gerry Horkan: My thanks to Ms Mannion and Mr. Hodnett.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of the Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2019: Minister for Transport (30 Jun 2021)

Gerry Horkan: I thank the Minister for a very comprehensive opening statement. I do not think I ever got a 37-page briefing before from a Minister for an opening statement so I thank him for that. All of the information on road safety is very welcome. I am around long enough to remember when Seamus Brennan introduced the start of penalty points with just three offences, and there was huge reluctance at...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of the Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2019: Minister for Transport (30 Jun 2021)

Gerry Horkan: There is value in that. There is also value in the use of cameras and technology more generally and to a greater degree than is currently the case. Technology is moving very fast. For example, in my area, which the Minister knows well, in suburban estates and on roads we have for years been building ramps which damage the fabric of cars and slow people down. If we had technology within...