Results 9,221-9,240 of 11,242 for speaker:Noel Dempsey

Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: The Commission for Taxi Regulation will be merged in the new National Transport Authority and its staff will transfer to the new body and continue to enjoy the same rights. The commission's income will become part of the resources available to the new authority. The Commission for Taxi Regulation generated significant revenue because the number of taxi licences issued increased...

Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: Yes.

Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: Amendment No. 37 refers to geographical areas. I addressed this issue on Committee Stage and in response to amendments Nos. 2, 6 and 7, so the Deputy will understand if I do not go back to it again. Amendment No. 38 refers to the accessibility of standards. We have had a fair amount of discussion on this. The important issue on such standards is that the authority may apply conditions to...

Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: To clarify, section 20 already provides for the continued operation of all existing commercial bus services, whether they are provided under licences granted under the 1932 Act or are being operated by Bus Éireann or Bus Átha Cliath. It covers the point made by the Deputy. The continued operation of funded bus services by the State companies has already been addressed through section 52 of...

Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: No, it is in the legislation.

Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: The appeals system established in section 22 provides that officers specifically appointed for that purpose by the chief executive officer of the authority will determine the appeals, and those appeals officers will act independently in the performance or functions set out in the section. It is not unusual and the Deputy referred to the social welfare appeals process, where medical card...

Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: Amendment No. 60 is not appropriate to the Bill as it has no direct relevance to the licensing of public bus passenger services. Under Part 2, exclusive rights have been afforded to Bus Éireann with regard to the continued provision of the public bus services currently being provided by the company, as outlined in section 52(1)(b) of the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008. That right is...

Order of Business (26 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: It is covered under the Charities Act.

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (26 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 150 and 154 together. Legal and contractual matters are in the course of being resolved in order to allow the group in question to move into the facility referred to. The party concerned has assured my Department that the outstanding issues will be dealt with in the appropriate manner as quickly as possible.

Written Answers — Light Rail Project: Light Rail Project (26 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: I refer the Deputy to my answer to Dáil question no. 284 on 24 November 2009. The table, containing the start and end location points, was contained in the application for Ten-T funding for the DART Underground project. START POINT INTEM. POINT 1 INTEM. POINT 2 INTEM.POINT 3 INTEM. POINT 4 INTEM.POINT 5 ... INTEM.POINT N END POINT Long (X) 6 18 West 6 14 West Lat (Y) 53 20 North...

Written Answers — Taxi Regulations: Taxi Regulations (26 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 152 and 153 together. The regulation of the taxi industry, including measures to improve taxi services for people with disabilities, is, in accordance with the Taxi Regulation Act 2003, a matter for the Commission on Taxi Regulation. I understand from the Commission that the total number of wheelchair accessible cabs has increased from 840 in 2000 to 1,600 at...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (26 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: Dublin Port Company currently has a board with seven directors and one vacancy. There is no Ministerially appointed chairman at present. However, in the absence of such a chairman, the Articles of Association provide for the board to select a chairman from among the directors. The board continues to follow all the usual corporate governance procedures. I hope to be in a position to fill the...

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (26 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: The individual referred to in the correspondence submitted by the Deputy wrote directly to me and I received the correspondence on the 20th November. I will respond to the correspondence in the normal manner and I will copy my reply to the Deputy for his information.

Seanad: Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (26 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: Section 10 outlines general provisions for the consideration of the applications for the grant of bus licences. Amendment No. 1 relates to section 10(2), which was discussed at an earlier sitting of this House. Some suggestions were made which we took on board. Section 10(2) allows the authority to consider submissions for or on behalf of a licence applicant to invite submissions of...

Seanad: Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (26 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: The Senator is correct in that the word "or" does not appear in the amendment, but it is still in the main body of the Bill.

Seanad: Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (26 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: There is no specific timeline for receiving the views of any local authority. That will be left to the discretion of the authority itself. It may seek the views of a local authority in whatever timescale it deems necessary.

Seanad: Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (26 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: Section 13 allows the authority to apply conditions to the grant of licences. Subsection (4) has been amended following consideration of issues raised both in this House and in the Dáil. The subsection now provides that the authority shall require the details of a licence to be displayed in the vehicle providing the service, save where the authority deems it not to be appropriate....

Seanad: Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (26 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: The legislation is now worded such that the default position is that the licence must be displayed. That is the normal position and how it should always be. It is only in exceptional cases that the licence will not be displayed. The argument for displaying timetables is not as strong because we are referring to different kinds of services. It is not necessary to display them for once-off...

Seanad: Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (26 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: This group relates to section 23 of the Bill, which provides that the authority shall prepare and publish guidelines on the licensing regime established under Part 2. The section establishes requirements for broad public consultation on the draft guidelines and the submission of written representations to the authority for consideration prior to finalisation and formal publication. Amendment...

Seanad: Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (26 Nov 2009)

Noel Dempsey: There is absolutely nothing in the Bill that prevents any other committee or any other member of a committee from making a formal submission. The provision as it stands, which is appropriate, gives the power of consideration specifically to the Joint Committee on Transport. It is the committee that will be focusing on transport issues. I take the Deputy's point on the Joint Committee on...