Results 601-620 of 3,119 for speaker:James O'Connor

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (27 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: 75. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps being taken to reduce waiting times for passport applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3931/22]

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: I thank the Chairman. I welcome the NTA to the committee. I have a couple of questions on the budget the authority has at the moment. I begin with a question around Bus Éireann services, the price of which the NTA obviously has a role in controlling. The fact is we have a private bus system operating under the umbrella of Bus Éireann through Bus Éireann Expressway. How...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: As the CEO of the NTA, is the irony not lost on Ms Graham that the NTA is putting a very significant amount of public money into trying to improve public transport services, and even though the NTA is subventing these services, they are still double the price of what Bus Éireann is able to provide through Expressway?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: How is Bus Éireann making a profit?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: Who owns the Expressway service?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: Does the NTA not provide the price setting capacity on behalf of the State?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: How is that allowed to happen?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: As CEO, what does Ms Graham think of that structure?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: Ms Graham will not express an opinion on it.

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: Does Ms Graham think that policy is improving public transport services across Ireland? There is an Expressway service owned by the State and funded by the State, which the NTA is not subventing, and that is fair enough, but it is subventing Bus Éireann PSO services on the same route that operate at twice the cost.

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: That is not right.

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: In the example I provided, they operate in tandem. That is just one example of countless others around the country, I imagine. I cannot see how it is in any way sustainable when the NTA is providing hundreds of millions in PSO funding on an annual basis if Expressway can come in and, frankly, undercut the NTA. The other point I want to make is that the prices the NTA is charging rural...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: In the limited time I have, I want to switch to more Dublin-based questions, which are important to ask. With regard to rapid transit systems, it is fair to say Ireland has had a lot of issues with the availability of public transport, particularly in high density areas and in particular in Dublin, because it is a primate city - let us call a spade a spade. Does Ms Graham think the board of...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020 (27 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: That work is welcome. However, taking the facts and figures that we know, Dublin is one of the most congested cities in the world per capita, which is obviously disturbing. How does Ms Graham feel the organisation is doing with regard to tackling that issue? What plan does the NTA have for the next ten years to lower that statistic and to bring us out of the bracket the city is currently...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: I welcome the Minister and his officials. I will surprise him by not being as parochial as I usually am. I have a few national issues to raise. I am worried about NIFTI because I feel it is another fence in a process that could outdo the Grand National when it comes to building infrastructure. I have been through this with the Minister before, particularly at the meeting in October. It...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: I want to stop the Minister. I want to be very focused. I appreciate the European relief funding is being directed towards the metropolitan rail network in Cork. That is €184.7 million, if my memory serves me. I am talking about a multibillion euro investment in a Cork- Belfast line. Joining up the network would involve tunneling under Dublin, the electrification of the entire...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: With the protection of the Chair, I ask the Minister to hang on for a second, please. It is an area we should look at and I say that because of the congestion coming into Dublin. At the moment, for somebody living in Cork who wants to drive to Dublin, and there are thousands of such journeys every day, the rail journey time does not compete with the road journey time. That is also the case...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: How does investing in those cities----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: It is a point that needs to be made. I have limited time, and the Minister knows that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

James O'Connor: I have interrupted the Minister on this point already. I want to add one sentence.