Results 9,721-9,740 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Consultancy Contracts Expenditure (17 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: The total amount spent on external IT consultants by my Department in 2010 was €23,556.28.  There was no further expenditure on IT consultants in 2011, 2012 or in the year to date. No such expenditure is anticipated in 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Departmental Legal Costs (17 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: Under the National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Act, 2000, the management of personal injury and property damage claims against the State, including the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and of the underlying risks was delegated to the NTMA. When performing these functions, the NTMA is known as the State Claims Agency (SCA). I have asked the SCA to furnish details of the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Consultancy Contracts Expenditure (17 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has not engaged in any external IT consultancy contracts since March 2011.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (17 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: There are no cases in my Department of public servants receiving additional renumeration in contravention of longstanding pay policy.   I have asked the State Agencies under the aegis of my Department to provide the Deputy with the information requested.  If you do not receive a reply from the agencies within 10 working days please advise my private office.

Topical Issue Debate: Cabotage Regulations (18 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As he is aware, the area of cabotage is not straightforward and there can be confusion as to what is covered by the cabotage regulations. Furthermore, the continued existence of cabotage restriction with the European Union is to a large extent an anomaly in the context of the free movement of goods and services. Cabotage is the national carriage...

Topical Issue Debate: Cabotage Regulations (18 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I have a few points. It is important to reiterate that the Government's position is that we should not have cabotage and that there should be a genuine single market. The restrictions should not exist provided each country in the European Union has the same safety and social standards. In the meantime, the law should be enforced. I was interested to hear Deputy Dooley's statistics. I...

Topical Issue Debate: Cabotage Regulations (18 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure that is true but if it is, credit must be given where it is due. There is absolutely no way that we will again permit a set of circumstances in which gardaí end up escorting goods against the cabotage laws, whether they realise it or not.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Penalty Points System (18 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: The question of the learner and novice penalty point threshold has recently been discussed in the context of the Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill, in which I had originally proposed a six penalty point disqualification threshold for novice and learner drivers learners.   This issue was considered at Committee Stage in the Dáil last week where I sought the advice and views...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (18 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: The 2011 Booz & Co. Report on the Future Ownership and Operartion of Cork and Shannon Airports found that Cork Airport performs well under DAA ownership and management and operates to a sustainable business model.   Following on from this report the Government decided in November 2012 that the existing ownership of Cork Airport by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) would be...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Licence Applications (18 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: The subject matter of this question relates to the operation of the National Driver Licensing Service, which is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority.  I have therefore referred the question to the Authority for direct reply.  I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Departmental Funding (18 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport.  Following the establishment of the National Transport Authority (NTA) in December 2009, the implementation and development of infrastructure projects in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), including footpaths, comes within the remit of the NTA.   Noting this...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Community Involvement Scheme (18 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: My Department launched a pilot Community Involvement Scheme (CIS) earlier this year for works on regional and local roads.  The scheme is aimed at works on local roads which would usually only be considered for funding towards the end of a Council’s road programme after more heavily trafficked routes had been dealt with.  This is a voluntary scheme and is based on...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Projects (18 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: As Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy 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 (NRA) under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.   Noting the above...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Ministerial Advisers Remuneration (18 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: There is no salary cap for Special Advisers, rather the relevant pay guidelines state that Special Advisers are to be placed on the Principal Officer (standard) scale, which currently ranges from €75,647 to €87,258, except where the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform sanctions a higher salary rate.  This is usually due to the fact that the person concerned was...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Road Safety Statistics (19 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: As of yesterday, the total number of fatalities on the roads in 2013 is 178, an increase of 21 on the same period last year.  There have been 450 serious injuries as a result of collisions in the year to date. This compares to 487 for the full year of 2012. The increase in this year's figures is of great concern.  It is the first reversal of the downward trend of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Road Safety Statistics (19 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I am very concerned about the increase in the number of road deaths this year, which is up by over 20 on this time last year. We do not know what the final figures for the year will be. It is still a possibility that it will have been the second safest year since records began, but we do not know this for sure. Interestingly, the number of road deaths is up, but the number of serious...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Road Safety Statistics (19 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I met the chairman of the RSA and the outgoing chief executive officer six to eight weeks ago and we will meet again in the new year. We did discuss the issue of Garda resources and enforcement. We are both of the view that greater enforcement would be desirable, but we both accept that gardaí are under pressure in terms of resources. We did not discuss anything in terms of a direct...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Departmental Investigations (19 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: Following the High Court judgment of Mr. Justice Michael Peart on 6 August 2013, I received requests from the FAI, IRFU, GAA and Special Olympics Ireland to conduct an investigation into allegations made against certain members of the Irish Sports Council, ISC. Subsequently, I was informed by the chairman of the Irish Sports Council that the national governing bodies,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Departmental Investigations (19 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: On the first part of the supplementary question, the answer is "Yes". I will publish the report once I have to hand the views of the chairman and the chief executive officer. I anticipate so doing in the new year, that is, in January or February. It did not look into the circumstances surrounding the investigation to which the Deputy referred because the court was clear that the Sports...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Departmental Investigations (19 Dec 2013)

Leo Varadkar: That investigation was never really completed because of the court challenge that arose. The recommendations in the report I had commissioned mostly relate to the Irish Sports Council. Two relate to my Department: one on the issuing of letters when somebody is appointed to the Irish Sports Council very clearly setting out his or her role; and the second relating to the communications...