Results 6,341-6,360 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (14 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: My Department will shortly engage with the National Roads Authority and local authorities throughout the country with a view to ensuring a nationwide audit of speed limits takes place. The aim of this audit is to examine and improve, where appropriate, the application by local authorities of speed limits and speed limit signage throughout the country, in accordance with my Department's...

Written Answers — Tourism Promotion: Tourism Promotion (14 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: It is the responsibility of every front-line tourism business to ensure its employees provide a first-class customer service to our visitors. This extends to engaging with visitors and sharing knowledge and information with them to ensure they enjoy their holiday to the fullest extent possible. The most recent Visitor Attitude Survey published by Fáilte Ireland for 2010 shows that 95% of...

Written Answers — National Car Test: National Car Test (14 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: Under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 (Conferral of Functions) Order 2006 (S.I. No. 477 of 2006), the operation of the driver testing and national car testing (NCT) services are matters for the Road Safety Authority. I have referred this part of the Deputy's question to the authority for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days....

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (14 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: The provision of services is a matter for Dublin Bus in conjunction with the National Transport Authority. I have referred the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please inform my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.

Written Answers — Driving Test: Driving Test (14 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 757 and 758 together. A review of the estate requirements for the driver testing services, conducted by consultants on behalf of the Road Safety Authority, was completed in 2010. This review was commissioned to analyse the current position, and to examine the future needs of the driver testing service and make recommendations if appropriate for the...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (14 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: Five retired civil servants from my Department who were rehired during 2011 are still working in the Department. Four are Radio Officer grade III and one is an Aeronautical Officer Grade 1. They are working on an ad hoc basis and are paid according to the salary scale applicable to the grade they retired on subject to the standard abatement rules (i.e. the pension is reduced so that when...

Written Answers — Architectural Heritage: Architectural Heritage (14 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: The matter raised is an operational matter for Fáilte Ireland. I have referred the Deputy's question to Fáilte Ireland for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (14 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I take it that the Deputy is asking about grant assistance from my Department for Regional and Local Roads across the Country. Details of the funding provided to each Local Authority are available in the Oireachtas Library. Allocations of less than €250,000 can be made in the case of forestry roads, some urban schemes, completion payments, advance design or land acquisition together with...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (14 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport was established on 9 March 2011. The information requested by the Deputy on the cost of lump sums, pensions and severance payments for the years between 2008 and the end of February 2012 is set out in Table 1, which follows this reply. The information provided is available with respect to the former Department of Transport only prior to March...

Written Answers — State Airports: State Airports (15 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: At present no arrangements have been made for the pre-clearance at Shannon of commercial aircraft carrying U.S. military personnel. This is an issue which is being discussed between Irish and US authorities.

Written Answers — Sports Capital Programme: Sports Capital Programme (15 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I recently announced that the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport will be advertising two new rounds of the Sports Capital Programme between now and 2016. I am currently making the necessary arrangements to launch a new programme early this year.

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (15 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: My Department is funding an ongoing programme for public transport improvements in the four regional cities of Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford, and this programme is being administered on behalf of my Department by the National Transport Authority (NTA). I am informed by the NTA that it has just recently completed, in consultation with Bus Éireann, a review of the bus network operated...

Written Answers — Tourism Industry: Tourism Industry (15 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: The issue raised is an operational matter for Fáilte Ireland. I have referred the Deputy's Question to Fáilte Ireland for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.

Written Answers — Rail Services: Rail Services (15 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: The issue raised is a matter for Iarnród Éireann. I have referred the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please inform my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.

Written Answers — EU Presidency: EU Presidency (15 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: Preparations for Ireland's EU Presidency are well underway in my Department. A separate EU Coordination and Presidency Planning Unit was established last Autumn, with a Dublin-based staff complement of two. A Presidency Planning Group, comprising relevant officials from the Irish Permanent Representation in Brussels together with key Departmental staff, is in place and has already met on a...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (15 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested by the Deputy is being compiled and will be forwarded as soon as possible.

State Airports (16 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy's question relates to the publication of the Booz report on the future ownership and operation of Cork and Shannon airports. As I have advised the Deputy previously, the report contains commercially sensitive information, much of which was provided on a confidential basis. For this reason, it will not be possible to publish the report in full. However, I intend to publish a...

State Airports (16 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: While I appreciate it has been almost 12 months since the Government assumed office, as the Deputy will be aware, Shannon Airport has been in limbo since 2008 when a decision was made to defer taking a decision. The period of limbo commenced in 2008 and I intend to end uncertainty about the airport this year. I appreciate that tourism and employee interests in the region are concerned about...

Road Network (16 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy's question relates to the A5 roads project. In 2006 the Government gave a commitment to co-fund the construction of the A5 through Northern Ireland to Derry, thus improving access to Letterkenny and north County Donegal. Until the end of 2011, funding of £19 million was paid by the Government towards the planning of the project. A further £3 million was paid in February 2012...

Road Network (16 Feb 2012)

Leo Varadkar: The A5 road project is not part of the St. Andrews Agreement but one that arose from the agreement.