Results 7,421-7,440 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Transport (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: If the €36 million is required, the PSO will be €278 million, the fifth highest subsidy ever in the history of the State and we must remember that. The subvention increased rapidly in the boom but the subvention of €278 million will still be the fifth highest subvention in the history of the State. There are many people in many sectors who would like 2012 to be the fifth...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Transport (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: There are things that can be done over time. Certainly a move to compress natural gas as a fuel over time would save money. We are in an emergency and whatever is done has to be done quickly. That will involve the sale of assets and other cost savings. Luas is an interesting model. Luas should be expensive to run because it involves electrics, tracks and expensive rolling stock, yet it...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Harbour Authorities (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: This question relates to the remuneration of the chief executive officer of Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company. The annual report and accounts for the company for 2011 disclose that the chief executive officer received remuneration of €188,477 in 2011, an increase of €19,877 over 2010 remuneration. The matter was the subject of a national...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Harbour Authorities (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: The salary is very high for a relatively small company. There are many people running much larger enterprises than this who do not get paid a salary of this scale. For the information of the Deputy, the basic salary is €136,000, plus €12,600 in board fees and a car allowance of €20,000, all of which are contracted and, as a consequence, the chief executive officer is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Harbour Authorities (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I have an open mind on the future place of the harbour company, whether it should remain as a company under my Department, a company under the local authority or be transferred to Dublin Port. I would be interested to hear the views of all the Deputies from Dún Laoghaire on that matter. I accept the rate of remuneration is high. It is not far off the rate of remuneration of the chief...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: The Gathering (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I am pleased to report continued good progress in the preparations for The Gathering Ireland 2013 which will be Ireland's biggest ever tourism initiative. Fáilte Ireland is the lead agency for the implementation of the initiative and has put in place a project executive team to implement it. Tourism Ireland has specific responsibility for promoting The Gathering Ireland 2013 in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: The Gathering (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: Some funding is available through Fáilte Ireland's festival and events programme. The Minister of State, Deputy Ring, made some announcements on that matter recently. There is a top-up fund for festivals with a Gathering dimension. I believe we need to examine the smaller projects at county level to which the Deputy referred. Obviously, the Department is a bit short of cash at the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: The Gathering (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I recently met representatives of the Arts Council, who when deciding on their funding programmes are taking into account how the arts and arts centres can contribute to The Gathering Ireland 2013. However, they do not envisage being in a position to allocate their funding until the new year. Obviously we would prefer to see that happening before the new year, but that is their call and not...

Other Questions: Departmental Agencies (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 83 together. The payment of directors' fees is a matter for Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company in accordance with the code of practice for the governance of State bodies. While the code requires companies to provide details of attendance in their annual accounts and outlines a number of other requirements in regard to the payment of fees, it does not...

Other Questions: Departmental Agencies (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: This issue relates to a person who is not here to defend himself and is no longer a member of the board of the harbour company. I do not believe people who do not turn up for board meetings should be paid directors' fees. That situation must change.

Other Questions: Departmental Agencies (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: We are in the process of appointing a new board and chairman. I am genuinely open to suggestions from people and stakeholders on how the harbour company should operate. However, whatever the final structure, it will need to operate on a commercial basis. Government subvention and taxpayers money is for schools, hospitals, pensions and support for the disabled, carers and the unemployed....

Other Questions: Pilot Training Colleges (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 77 together. These questions relate to the situation at the Pilot Training College, PTC. This issue arose from the failure of PTC, a privately-owned and operated flight training school, to meet its contractual obligations to its students for the completion of their training.   The Irish Aviation Authority, IAA, has...

Other Questions: Pilot Training Colleges (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: There are a few relevant points. PTC's accounts were signed off, without qualification, on 29 August 2011 by professional auditors. The accountants were satisfied that "the group, including PTC, will continue as a going concern" and they stated the directors are satisfied that sufficient financial resources are available to the group from its budgeted profits, banks and shareholders. The...

Other Questions: Pilot Training Colleges (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: It is important to state nobody has been stranded abroad.

Other Questions: Pilot Training Colleges (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: They were but they subsequently came home themselves or were repatriated at the expense of the Irish Aviation Authority on a no-prejudice basis, or on humanitarian grounds. I do not have the exact figures in front of me but I am informed that most of the trainees have resumed their training. Arrangements have been put in place in other colleges to allow the trainees to pay in instalments so...

Other Questions: Pilot Training Colleges (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: It is possible to read sections of accounts but, ultimately, the finding of the auditors was that it was a going concern and would continue as such. If it is the view that the Irish Aviation Authority somehow failed in its duties, it is open to the people concerned to take legal action against the authority. It is then, ultimately, for the courts to decide if that is the case. Based on its...

Other Questions: Tourism Promotion (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 26, 27, 76 and 79 together. These questions relate to the Gathering 2013 project, the resources for same and the role for Shannon Airport in such. With regard to general progress on the Gathering, I refer Deputies to my earlier answer to Question No. 4 on this matter. In terms of resources, this year my Department has allocated a budget of...

Other Questions: State Airports (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 31, 41 and 58 together. These questions relate to the separation of Shannon Airport from the Dublin Airport Authority. As the Deputies will recall, following the Government decision in principle in May to separate Shannon Airport from the Dublin Airport Authority and merge it in a new entity with a restructured Shannon Development, a steering group of...

Other Questions: State Airports (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I do not know what the final proposal of the steering group will be with regard to Shannon Heritage. There are three options. It can either become a company in its own right that is totally separate from everyone else, a subsidiary of the new Shannon entity or a subsidiary of Fáilte Ireland. Shannon Heritage Limited does a very good job and runs the sites very well so wherever it ends...

Other Questions: State Airports (18 Oct 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I agree with Deputy Carey. I am very keen to bring this project to a conclusion. Like most things I have started in this job, it has taken longer than I thought for various reasons, and there are always complications, but we are on target for mid-November. If all goes to plan, it would make sense to appoint a board and begin the search for a chief executive officer sooner rather than...