Results 9,921-9,940 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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: The IIA is a commercial semi-State body which makes a profit and pays a dividend. As the Deputy stated, the dividend goes straight to the Exchequer, not into the Department's accounts. Even though it is a commercial semi-State, it also has a regulatory role. It is a hybrid in the sense that it does some work on behalf of the Department, particularly in the area of safety.

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: That is under consideration as part of the policy. We more or less follow the American model of the FAA where safety, security and regulation is in with air-traffic control. Some take the view that we should split it, make air-traffic control entirely commercial and put safety and security in with the aviation regulation. I have been of both minds on that on a few occasions and I am not...

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: -----is that the €170,000?

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: That relates to a refund to the IAA for an advanced payment it made in respect of an aviation audit where the expenditure there was less than anticipated overall. The provision that my Department has made for consultancy next year is €599,000. It would be a significantly lower level than we have seen in other entities in other places.

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: On the regional airports, for clarity, Shannon is no longer eligible for subsidies. The regional airport budget is in three parts. There is the PSO, which is the subsidised flights to Kerry and Donegal. Those are up for review this year as to whether they remain necessary. There is also operational expenditure, OPEX, which covers the losses where a regional airport makes losses. The...

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: Donegal did not require it either.

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: Mainly, Waterford is the airport that gets the most subsidies under OPEX because it is the one that is losing the most money. There are only two or three flights a week from it at this stage. There is also provision for capital grants for security and safety improvements only. The question of regional airports is always a tricky one. Of course, the budget can always be reviewed, but the...

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: Responsibility for maintaining national roads and motorways lies entirely with the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. With regard to local and regional roads, all our grants do is supplement the local authorities' own resources. It is worth bearing in mind that they get almost two thirds of the motor tax revenue paid to them through the local government fund. They have commercial...

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 will answer the questions on capital projects together. There are big and little ones. The biggest include the Luas cross-city project. There is to be an increase in public transport investment this year to take account of it. Other projects include updating the Dublin Bus fleet. Approximately 65 new buses are being bought every year, and they are pretty expensive. With regard to...

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: With regard to Deputy O'Donovan's comments, the An Bord Pleanála process on roads has been extremely frustrating for me, the Department and the NRA. We have had three significant refusals in recent years in Slane, Adare and Dingle. Not only do I think it made the wrong decision it is very frustrating that so much money was expended and so much time used only for us to end up with...

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: We will have to change things on the railway. It will have to be more like airlines so when people book in advance they get a cheaper fare. There is a sense in Ireland that one should just be able to rock up to the station at the last minute and get a decent train fare. One cannot run a modern service like this. We are moving towards cheaper intercity fares if people book in advance and...

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: It is still early 2014.

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: It is, but it is a PPP and involves various parties, contractors, builders, finance houses, Government agencies and banks. They all have different credit committees, legal departments and boards and there is always someone with a problem. We will get there.

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: The €4.8 million was carried forward because paying for the helicopters is done through a milestone system which we had not yet reached. As work could not be done on Arklow Harbour, these surplus moneys were then carried forward. What used to happen in the past was that if Departments had moneys left over at the end of the year, they would often spend it in a hurry and badly.

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: That is not always my call. The Comptroller and Auditor General was critical of this practice and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform changed it. Now, there is much more flexibility allowing Departments to carry moneys forward, so they are less afraid that they will lose funds if they do not spend them. There have been no cutbacks in helicopter services. In fact, they did a...

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: It still happens.

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: The capital spend is up by €15 million. It is worth bearing in mind that, while the increase in the sports budget this year is great, it is a fraction of what was spent in the good days when money was going to the development of Croke Park and Aviva, good investments at the time by the then Government. The sports capital budget is €23 million a year which is split between the...

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 think it is about €200 million per year. It would be much nicer if it was in legislation that it had to be split equally between sports and culture but that is the way it is at the moment. I should point that even though the sports capital budget is up, there is a small reduction in the Irish Sports Council budget, which is the current side. However, it is not a huge reduction....

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 is €23 million for sports capital and €15.9 million for the sports campus so it is €38.9 million altogether.

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 is no Gathering this year. The main focus this year will be on the Wild Atlantic Way. Advertisements are now airing in Germany and a few other places and seem to be getting a good reception. The Giro d'Italia Grande Partenza will take place here this May and the American football tournament is back so there is a lot happening this year.