Results 8,841-8,860 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Éireann Services (26 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: The provision of bus services and the routes they take are operational matters for Bus Éireann in conjunction with the National Transport Authority (NTA).  I have referred the Deputy's question to both the company and the NTA for direct reply.  Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days. Under the Public Transport Regulation Act...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Projects Issues (26 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: Firstly I would like to explain that the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads, in its area, is a statutory function of each road authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act, 1993.  Louth County Council and its project partners submitted the Narrow Water Bridge project for Interreg IVA funding and the project was approved for...

Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: Without wishing to digress further from the debate, it seems Deputy Niall Collins has identified the new Fianna Fáil party line, namely, that its leaders were not knaves but merely fools. I assure him that I never considered Brian Cowen or Brian Lenihan to be knaves, but their capacity to believe everything they were told by the banking sector shows they were very much fools. When...

Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: That is something one learns very quickly in politics. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate and articulate my support for the Bill. This legislation is not about suicide, which I will address in detail in due course. Rather, it is about protecting women whose lives are threatened during pregnancy and assuring doctors that they can do their job without fear of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Road Improvement Schemes (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads are the statutory responsibilities of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on these roads are funded from local authorities' own resources and supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded are also matters for the local...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Road Improvement Schemes (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: A separate local improvement scheme deals with laneways and roads not taken in charge. It is open to local authorities to use a portion of their discretionary grants on that scheme. The community involvement scheme is aimed at local and regional roads taken in charge by the local authority. The background to the scheme is that funding for road maintenance works has decreased, whether from...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Road Improvement Schemes (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: Taxes are in the purview of the Minister for Finance, of course. I think there is some merit in the suggestion that people should be allowed to offset against tax any contributions they make to help to repair a public road. We are considering it as we prepare our annual submission setting out the things we would like to see included in the finance Bill. I have not yet done due diligence on...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Roads Authority Expenditure (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. These questions are about the M50. As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall maintenance and funding in relation to the national roads programme.  The planning, design and implementation of individual road projects is a matter for the National Roads Authority under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Roads Authority Expenditure (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: It may be projected that the M50 will be congested in ten years' time, but I am not sure it can be described as "a fact" given that it will depend on many things, not just the level of growth in the economy but also the modal split between vehicles and public transport. A number of the proposals that are made in the report, including the introduction of variable speed limits, the provision...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Roads Authority Expenditure (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I accept there needs to be a joined-up approach to the management of traffic in the greater Dublin area and in all our cities and towns. That approach needs to take account of things like bicycle and pedestrian access, investment in public transport and demand management. I am not part of the lobby in this country that thinks we should persecute the motorist. I do not think we can put...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Roads Authority Expenditure (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: The work the Department is doing in regard to the integrated transport strategy is exactly that. Rather than just using a projected growth figure, given these are always wrong one way or the other, which is the nature of these things, we are looking at different scenarios, for example, a low growth scenario, a middle growth scenario and a high growth scenario, and examining what bottlenecks...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Harbour Authorities Appointments (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: The question relates to the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company. I expect to bring a memorandum to Government in the coming weeks in regard to the appointment of a chairperson for the harbour company. Following this, the individual will be required to appear before the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications prior to their appointment being confirmed. The occasion of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Harbour Authorities Appointments (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: The procedure is that the chairperson will be nominated by the Government. While there has been some delay in doing that and it has not been entirely under my control, I intend to nominate a new chair before the recess. The committee will then have an opportunity to question the chair, and I am sure Deputy Boyd Barrett will take an opportunity to do that with vigour. The exact mechanism...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Harbour Authorities Appointments (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: By and large, my preference is to retain the corporate identity of these companies and to have them as companies of the local authority. As I said, I will be guided by the views of the company, the local authority and the local representatives on that issue. Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company is a State-owned enterprise. Like many State-owned enterprises, there are problems with some of...

Other Questions: Roads Maintenance (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 6, 27, 46, 51, 55 and 67 together. This question is about the maintenance of regional and local roads. The Deputy will appreciate that this is a statutory function of each road authority to be funded from its own resources which are supplemented by State road grants.  I announced the 2013 regional and local road grant allocations to local...

Other Questions: Roads Maintenance (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Griffin for his comments and I look forward to the Killarney cycle. Hopefully the weather will be good and I will be able to raise lots of money for Kerry Mountain Rescue which is the reason I am doing it.

Other Questions: Roads Maintenance (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: The issue of safety is very important. The vast majority of road collisions are caused by driver behaviour and only a small proportion - well less than 15% - are caused either by vehicle defects or road conditions. However, road conditions are, none the less, important. One of the factors worked into the additional money allocated to councils in recent weeks is if the local authorities...

Other Questions: Roads Maintenance (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: As Deputy Heydon said it is a pilot scheme and we need to see how it works out and what we will do next year. I do not have particular information about Kildare with regard to the discrepancies. However, discrepancies usually relate to the number of applications. Approximately 400 applications were received and some 300 were funded. By and large, all the valid applications were funded....

Other Questions: Roads Maintenance (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: In reply to Deputy McEntee, the short answer is "Yes", we are open to that. It is a pilot scheme and we want to see how it works. If Meath has specific proposals in that regard we would be well disposed to facilitating them. In reply to Deputy Lawlor, unfortunately the short answer is most likely "No". The strategic investment fund is still a fund so the money has to be repaid. It will...

Other Questions: Roads Maintenance (27 Jun 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I do not accept that view. Every Member is elected and has an equal mandate and right to ask questions. The questions which have been asked by Government Deputies have been valid ones. They have not merely been valedictions of my performance as Minister. The Opposition has Priority Questions and no one is allowed to take a second off it. Other questions are for all Deputies. Deputy...