Results 7,521-7,540 of 74,100 for speaker:Bernard Durkan

Order of Business (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: Legislation has been promised to provide for the creation of indictable offences for breaches of enforcement measures imposed by the Commission for Communications Regulation, to provide ComReg with powers to investigate overcharging and various other matters, and to provide for the establishment of an emergency call-answering service. Would it be possible to broaden the scope of the Bill...

Order of Business (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: Given the information we have, this anticipates what may not be in the Bill.

Order of Business (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: I am finding it now. Given the history of Bills that have come before the House in recent times, it is more than likely the proposed Bill in respect of electronic communications (miscellaneous provisions) will be inadequate. We should ensure against fallout——

Order of Business (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: —— such as the large-scale disconnections, including disconnecting the few people who were fortunate enough to have broadband. Will the Taoiseach elucidate further on that?

Order of Business (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: The Taoiseach wants to answer the question.

Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: A declaration of intent.

Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: Hear, hear.

Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: Absolutely.

Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on and support this Bill. It is timely to focus on issues that are brought to mind on a daily basis. Throughout the country serious accidents often take place that cause us to ask why they occurred. Over recent years, I have asked repeatedly by means of parliamentary question for an explanation of the reason we do not have some correlation of...

Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: I cannot understand why we go from month to month and year to year——

Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: It is not done and if that is the Minister's attitude, he is seriously at risk——

Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: I will do so. Unfortunately, the Minister is seriously out of sync with the situation. We have had the same situation for years. When will we have the correlated reports?

Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: The Minister should listen instead of shooting his mouth off every five seconds.

Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: The Minister generates more hot air than anybody. He should have responsibility for energy in his Department as he generates enough hot air to keep the whole country going. The Minister should know that a series of reports——

Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: The Minister's problem is that he knows every damn thing.

Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: Over the past ten to 15 years, for nine of which the Minister and his party have been in Government, reports on the numerous accidents throughout the country have lain in county council offices and various other places. It would be simple to bring the reports together and produce the information so that we can learn what happened over the past ten years. That is what I want to know, not...

Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: I do not know what the Minister is playing at, but he should cease playing and do his job. A peculiar system operates here with regard to penalty points. I know a number of constituents who travel through Newtownmountkennedy and some of them exceeded the speed limit there. It is a strange situation because the limit changes as one approaches and changes back again. On technical and legal...

Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: The Minister has been drawn enough already. I have raised the matter of the numerous accident black spots around the country on many occasions. The Minister has said we will have cameras that will photograph the accidents. This is crazy. Why do we not have some proposals to improve the roads at these known accident black spots where accidents occur again and again? Why does he not...

Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: I will tell the Minister what happened. It is because in 1977 the Fianna Fáil Party abolished rates and motor tax which meant road maintenance disappeared from the agenda. That is what happened and it is time the Minister recognised that fact. The Minister does not listen. Instead of taking photographs of accidents, will he please do something about the condition of our roads and find...

Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (17 Oct 2006)

Bernard Durkan: Baden-Baden is a place and some of our towns are twinned with it. The Minister should listen rather than sneer. This Minister has a problem, a lack of concentration. The number of conflicting road signs vying for our drivers' attention is significant and a serious distraction. These signs are a problem. Ministers are not competent to comment on driving or road conditions because they do...