Results 6,101-6,120 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Seanad: Road Transport Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Nov 2011)

Leo Varadkar: Amendment No. 8 would require that any certificate issued by the Department certifying that a particular operator was or was not licensed on a particular date would have to be accompanied by actual proof of the signature of the person in the Department who signed it. Currently, subsection (3) uses the standard wording for the provision in these kinds of certificates and legislation...

Seanad: Road Transport Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Nov 2011)

Leo Varadkar: The maximum fine is €500,000. I cannot see anybody being fined that amount. The current penalty for this offence is only €1,905 which is very low considering the savings that can be made by a person using unscrupulous or illegal operators. The intention of this provision is not to catch people out but to allow us to prosecute customers who willingly and knowingly hire illegal...

Seanad: Road Transport Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Nov 2011)

Leo Varadkar: The Senator is correct that EU regulations governing this area allow member states to exempt types of slow vehicles from the licensing requirements. As I understand it, the central amendment would only apply to passenger vehicles that travel at speeds under 40km/h and the Senator's amendment would exempt them from the licensing process. I have two issues with this. First, it has never...

Seanad: Road Transport Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Nov 2011)

Leo Varadkar: Do the vehicles jarveys drive count as passenger vehicles? That is a good question. It would not be a good idea to allow vehicles that travel at speeds under 40km/h to be exempt. From a competition point of view it would be unfair. One would be saying that this entire class of vehicle that can travel very slowly does not need a licence but that anybody who has a modern bus or coach or...

Seanad: Road Transport Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Nov 2011)

Leo Varadkar: I must take that request under advisement. I cannot really give such an undertaking because I seek a well-regulated, competitive road haulage industry. One cannot put in place all these licensing criteria, regulations, safety requirements and requirements of good repute and state that while they apply to hauliers, if one uses agricultural vehicles it does not matter and one can do whatever...

Seanad: Road Transport Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Nov 2011)

Leo Varadkar: There are a number of exceptions. For example, there are exemptions if one is operating on one's own account. Moreover, there are exemptions for a wide range of things, encompassing everything from mail to corpses to milk and various other items. However, it would not be appropriate to have a blanket exemption for agricultural vehicles. It would be really unfair to the haulage industry to...

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (1 Dec 2011)

Leo Varadkar: The issue raised is a matter for the National Transport Authority. I have referred the Deputy's question to the Authority for direct reply. He should inform my private office if he does not receive a reply within ten working days.

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (1 Dec 2011)

Leo Varadkar: As part of plans to reduce Government costs, this Government decided, on coming to power, to set an example by withdrawing State cars from all members of the Cabinet except the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence. It is estimated that this will result in an annual saving of €4m per annum to the State. Other members of the Government, and the Ceann...

Written Answers — Penalty Points System: Penalty Points System (1 Dec 2011)

Leo Varadkar: Officials from my Department are continuing to work with the relevant authorities in Northern Ireland towards the longer term objective of introducing mutual recognition of penalty points for driving offences. Unlike the bilateral arrangements between the UK and Ireland, under Article 15.4 of the 1998 EU Convention on driving disqualifications, which came into operation in January 2010, there...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (6 Dec 2011)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has given €7,407 in grants to the Galway Mountain Rescue Team to date in 2011. The chairperson is Brendan Noonan, the Secretary is Jarlath Folan and the Treasurer is Dermot Hughes. Also included are the details of the Sports Capital Programme payments to grantees in Galway (city and county). Almost all such grants are on foot of applications made over a number of previous...

Written Answers — ^^ Departmental Staff ^^ Departmental Staff: ^^ Departmental Staff ^^ Departmental Staff (6 Dec 2011)

Leo Varadkar: My Department was established on 9th March 2011. Based on the average increment value per grade the cost of increments in the period from 9th March 2011 to end year 2011 will be approximately €129,000. I anticipate that the cost of increments in 2012 will be in the region of €194,000. It should be noted that increments are not paid automatically. The decision to award an increment to...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (6 Dec 2011)

Leo Varadkar: The estimated cost to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport of a 2% increase in the standard rate of VAT is €217,000 approximately, based on the Department's expenditure for 2010.

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (6 Dec 2011)

Leo Varadkar: The statutory power to levy tolls on national roads, to make toll bye-laws and to enter into toll agreements with private investors in respect of national roads is vested in the National Roads Authority (NRA) under Part V of the Roads Act 1993 (as amended by the Planning and Development Act 2000 and the Roads Act 2007). Noting the above position, I have referred the Deputy's question to the...

Written Answers — Air Accident Investigations: Air Accident Investigations (6 Dec 2011)

Leo Varadkar: The Final Report into the fatal accident of the Irish Air Corps 265 Pilatus PC-9 aircraft, at Crumlin East, Cornamona, Connemara, Co. Galway on 12th October 2009 was issued by the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) to all interested parties on 11 October 2011, with a planned publication date of the 8th Nov 2011. One interested party has exercised their right, as provided for under the...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (6 Dec 2011)

Leo Varadkar: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme. The construction, improvement and maintenance of individual national roads, is a matter for the National Roads Authority under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Noting this I have referred the Deputy's question to the NRA...

Financial Resolutions 2012: Financial Resolution No. 13: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2011)

Leo Varadkar: I wish to share time with the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, and the Minister of State, Deputy Kelly, by agreement of the House.

Financial Resolutions 2012: Financial Resolution No. 13: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2011)

Leo Varadkar: As the Minister for Finance recalled in his speech, yesterday was the 90th anniversary of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the restoration of Ireland's independence as a nation. This time last year, Ireland lost her sovereignty and was forced to enter into a programme of financial support provided by the IMF and EU following a decade of greed, excess and misgovernment. The task...

Financial Resolutions 2012: Financial Resolution No. 13: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2011)

Leo Varadkar: I took the decision that because we could not afford to bring projects to construction, it was better to be honest and upfront about it, rather than stringing people along by spending millions on planning and the design of projects which we did not have the funds to construct. Unfortunately, Fianna Fáil still wants to play that old game. When it was in power, it spent more than €200...

Written Answers — Air Services: Air Services (7 Dec 2011)

Leo Varadkar: My Department and the Irish Aviation Authority has responsibility for implementing European legislation relating to noise emissions from civil subsonic jet aeroplanes, which are large commercial jet aircraft. These regulations/directives apply to civil airports that have more than 50,000 movements of civil subsonic jet aeroplanes per year. As the aircraft using the airfield in Kilkenny are...

Written Answers — Air Services: Air Services (7 Dec 2011)

Leo Varadkar: The Government has considered the various options open to it in terms of generating revenue from the sale of state assets – including the recommendations of the State Assets Review Group (McCarthy Report). That Report had recommended that the Government dispose of its shareholding in Aer Lingus "as soon as is opportune" but no decision has yet been taken by the Government on a disposal of...