Results 9,901-9,920 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013 will build on the improvements in safety on our roads achieved over the past decade and will introduce measures which will contribute to improved road safety in the years to come. The transformation of road safety and of our expectations for road safety in the past decade has been striking. In 2001, there were 415 deaths on our roads but by 2012, this had...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I hope on a farm rather than a bumpy road.

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Senators for their interesting and valuable contributions. I will try to address some of the issues raised. Senator O'Sullivan and others asked about the accompanying driver provisions. It is already the case that a learner must undertake a particular number of lessons before taking the driving test. Following enactment of this legislation, a learner will have to produce a log...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I do not believe they do, so clearly there is an issue there in terms of consistency. I would also have a concern that people are using it to avoid penalty points. When they get to the point where their licence is under threat, they take a chance that they will be able to tell a sob story in the courts and get away without being disqualified from driving. It is a matter about which I have...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: That is one option I will not be proposing and certainly not in Dublin West. Senator Quinn mentioned making it mandatory for cars to have a first-aid kit, a warning triangle and a high-visibility jacket. That is one of the 144 actions in the road safety strategy. It is not covered in the Bill but will be included in a future Bill. The Senator asked about the numbers of staff in the RSA on...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: That is a good point. There is a good reason for that regulation and I can do it by regulation. It does not need to be specifically included in the Bill. I am not aware of any Garda policy on motorways that is any different to national primary or national secondary roads. It is the case that motorways are the safest roads in the country, so it makes sense that the Garda should focus on...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: That was harsh, but there you go. It is tricky as to how that will work out. Should it be a percentage above the limit or a number? We need to figure that out before we put it into law. I thank Members for their contributions. I do not know when the Bill is scheduled for Committee Stage. I hope we can do it next week or the week after. I was able to accept four amendments in the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Licences (22 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The main reason people are asked to return old licences when renewing their licence is to provide assurance that the old licence is no longer in circulation.  Given the fact that driving licences are used for identification in many contexts, it is important to minimise the risk of identity fraud.  The best way to ensure that old licences cannot be amended in some way and...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport Initiatives (22 Jan 2014)

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, such as Real Time Passenger Information, comes under the remit of the NTA....

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport Initiatives (22 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The issue raised is a matter for both Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann in conjunction with the Department of Health. The Second Stage of the Public Access to Defibrillators Bill, which sets out the requirement to provide defibrillators in a range of settings and for events which have a regular attendance in excess of 100 persons per day, was passed in the Seanad in June 2013.  I...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Outsourcing of Public Services (22 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The letter sent by the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in March 2012 sought proposals for alternative delivery mechanisms of areas of work or processes within the Department or the wider sector. My Department identified three areas for alternative delivery models. One of these related to my Department and the other two, to agencies under my...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Departmental Bodies Establishment (22 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Since my appointment as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have created no new agencies. Shannon Airport separated from the Dublin Airport Authority on 31st December 2012. This new body was merged with the restructured Shannon Development to form a new integrated Shannon entity in public ownership.  My focus to date has been on reducing the number of bodies under my...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Consultancy Contracts Data (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested by the Deputies is published on my Department's website and can be found at the following link .

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Improvement Schemes (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: 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. Works on such roads are a matter for the relevant local authority to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State road grants.  The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Climate Change Policy (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 247 and 248 together. My Department launched a public consultation process on the preparation of a low carbon roadmap for the transport sector on 17 December 2013.  This roadmap is being prepared in anticipation of obligations proposed under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill. The National Roadmap will be coordinated by the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I would like to thank the Deputy for bringing this correspondence to my attention. In the context of developing road safety policy, I will, in consultation with the Road Safety Authority and all other relevant State agencies, take into account the views expressed in the correspondence.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Licence Renewals (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The operation of the National Driver Licensing Service is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority.  I have therefore referred this 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 Bodies (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The issue raised is a matter for CIÉ and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to CIÉ for direct reply.  Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the members of the select sub-committee for allowing me this opportunity to present the 2014 Revised Estimate for the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport for their consideration. This will be a very important year for all five divisions in my Department - tourism, sport, land transport, maritime transport and aviation. I have published a list of 24 priorities which touch...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: There has been quite a lot of storm damage and the Government does not yet know its extent. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government is heading up the operation and will check to make sure the figures are accurate. The most badly affected roads were in County Clare, in which approximately €7.2 million worth of damage was done. It was followed by counties...