Results 10,421-10,440 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Licences (1 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Ireland has been progressively introducing a Graduated Driver Licensing System (GDLS) for some time.  GDLS is a stepped approach to the driver learning process which focuses on acquisition of skills and experience rather than solely on passing a driving test. There is no one internationally accepted model of GDLS.  Instead, it consists of a number of components which can be...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Dublin Bus Services (1 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The issue raised is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) in conjunction with Dublin Bus and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply.  Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Tax Code (1 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, the reduction in the travel tax to zero that was announced as part of Budget 2014 will be effective from April 2014. This was designed to generate additional air capacity and services to Ireland for the business and tourism sectors. 2013, the year of the Gathering, was the best year for inbound tourism since 2008. I intend 2014 to be even better...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Regional Road Network (1 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities own resources supplemented by State road grants. Given the current financial position it has been necessary to reduce the grant allocations for major...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (2 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The expert panel was appointed on 3 March following consultations between my Department and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation with IBEC and ICTU.  The panel was asked to carry out an investigation into how a final resolution of the industrial relations issues with the IAS scheme can be secured.  Last Monday, the panel made a preliminary...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (2 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: There is a potential to resolve the problem in the pension scheme. A significant deficit has arisen over the years because the company and former staff did not put enough into the scheme to match the benefits that were expected or promised. Deficits that accrued in similar schemes in the private sector and semi-sector have been resolved by companies investing more money and beneficiaries...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (2 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I am certainly not a hurler on the ditch or a bystander. I have worked with others to establish an expert panel to try to find a solution, but I cannot dictate a solution. I am a player, but I am not in charge. The Deputy is right. I feel we have a responsibility to the workers to ensure they get some security in regard to their pensions. However, I also have a responsibility to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Vehicle Clamping (2 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The programme for Government contains a commitment “to legislate to regulate the vehicle clamping industry”. This builds on the work that my party, in particular my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, carried out in opposition in the form of a Private Members' Bill. I understand that in England, Wales and Scotland clamping is in general banned. However, there...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Vehicle Clamping (2 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: We are both agreed that there is a difference between clamping on a public road or public property and in a private space. It is a judgment call as to whether one prohibits the latter. In my constituency, there are a lot of apartment buildings near train stations and before clamping was introduced in them, those who lived there could not park in their own development and their visitors...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Vehicle Clamping (2 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: We are different jurisdictions. It is up to us to make different decisions if we want to, even if the circumstances are the same. That is the nature of sovereignty. The alternative to clamping, as the Deputy will be aware, is a fines system where one puts a fine notice on a car and one must bring the person through the courts. That is more cumbersome, expensive and probably less...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sports Capital Programme Administration (2 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister of State, Deputy Ring, sends his regrets. He is in Milan promoting the launch of the Giro d'Italia and I am representing him today. All applications received under the 2014 sports capital programme will be assessed by my officials in the Department. Every application will be assessed by one official and then reviewed by another member of staff. Given the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sports Capital Programme Administration (2 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The first step is to see that the applications are eligible, that they have the title to the land, the matching funds, a bank account, tax clearance, etc. After that, only if they are eligible, it is scored based on a certain criteria. It is checked by a second official to ensure the first official did it correctly. The scores do not necessarily determine the decision on funding. One...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sports Capital Programme Administration (2 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The scores are put in brackets. For example, the difference between getting seven out of 50 and eight out of 50 is not much. They are put in categories based on their score. After that, the Minister must have regard to the scores but then must make a decision. As Deputy Dooley stated, it is loaves and fishes. Sometimes one may find, for example, that one has €1 million for a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sports Capital Programme Administration (2 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Under this and the previous Administration, the scoring was done by the civil servants. Under the previous Administration, ineligible and invalid applications were funded on some occasions but that no longer happens. Under this Administration, a particular effort has been made to ensure there is a roughly equal distribution per capita in counties, as that was not the case in the past.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sports Capital Programme Administration (2 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure how this was done in the past. The Minister now gets the scores.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sports Capital Programme Administration (2 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: They are done by officials. The amounts are put against those scores. We should bear in mind that the amounts in question are by and large those requested by clubs in the first place. It is not that an official or Minister decides the amount, as it is the amount requested by the applicant.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sports Capital Programme Administration (2 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: It is the case that clubs get what they request on occasion. For example, there was not enough valid applications from Dublin last time, so any valid application from the county got what it asked for.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sports Capital Programme Administration (2 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Dublin got a fair share for a change.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Private Partnerships Cost (2 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The contracts for the privately-operated toll schemes are commercial agreements between the National Roads Authority, NRA, which has statutory responsibility in this area, and the public-private partnership concessionaires concerned.  The M3 and Limerick tunnel schemes commenced operations in 2010. The NRA has provided me with details of the traffic guarantee payments payable...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Private Partnerships Cost (2 Apr 2014)

Leo Varadkar: For the Limerick tunnel, some €5.2 million was paid in 2013, with €2.659 million being paid for the M3. The amount is increasing. The Deputy is right in that this was a bad deal. Not only did the deal not take account of the possibility of a downturn but it assumed the economy and therefore traffic would continue to grow forever. Much capital development in Ireland was done...