Results 1,041-1,060 of 20,758 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Vehicle Licences (18 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry, including the renewal of vehicle licences, is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the provisions of the Public Transport Regulation Act, 2009. I have referred the details of your question to the NTA for a direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within 10...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Bike Schemes (18 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 586 to 588, inclusive, together. The Government is committed to examining the feasibility of public bike schemes in the regional cities, as set out in the Programme for Government. I have tasked the National Transport Authority (NTA) with investigating the potential for extending bike sharing schemes within Dublin and to the regional cities. ...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport Provision (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: There are no regulatory constraints over the use of rickshaws for hire at present.  A rickshaw whether or not mechanically propelled is not capable at present of being licensed as a small public service vehicle. The Taxi Regulation Bill 2012 which is before the Oireachtas provides for a restatement of the offence provision so that, following enactment, the use of mechanically...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rural Transport Services Provision (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the regulation of the taxi industry under the provisions of the Public Transport Regulation Act, 2009, and is also the lead agency with responsibility for implementation of the recommendations of the Taxi Regulation Review Report 2011, including Action 46 concerning the introduction of a local area hackney licence. The...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: I will answer all of the questions but if I missed any we will take a note and get back to members individually. Deputy Dooley asked about the allocation of €10 million. Between €4 million and €10 million is spent on public service obligation air services and contracts for the Donegal to Dublin and Kerry to Dublin routes. The operational expenditure subvention is...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: Yes. The increasing capital costs to which the Deputy referred are for some safety-related improvements that are required in certain places. The question of insurance policies was examined. It has been provisionally included because there was a larger outturn last year, but we expect it will not be 20% over; we believe it will fall back. The non-pay administration costs that arose were...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: I was not.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: Via the European Parliament.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: I will deal with the issue of roads in general. We never have enough money for roads. The general Exchequer situation means that we do not have the allocations we want. We accept that and are trying to do the best we can with what we have. Given the budget constraints and the impact of reduced maintenance spending, the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, and I decided to channel all available...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: As the Deputy is well aware, discussions on that are ongoing and it would not be appropriate for me to prejudge that. Decisions on that and across a range of other related issues-----

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: On my behalf and on behalf of the Minister and the other Minister of State in my Department, I thank the Deputy for being so-----

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: Absolutely, I would love to see it completed. There will be discussions on the matter of the promissory notes. We will discover the implications of that in the near future. As the Deputy knows we will have an early budget this year. Deputy Ellis asked a very good question about the Road Safety Authority, RSA. If this is not viewed in the broader sense, one could imagine there might be a...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: It is mainly to protect the investment through restoration and maintenance. That is the best value for money we can deliver with this funding. There has been a serious investment in roads. We had two hard winters and with every hard winter the impact is increasing all the time. We have asked local authorities to prioritise the roads they feel have suffered the biggest impact because of...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: From a departmental point of view, we would have taken more but, unfortunately, it was not available. We were quite happy that we got the allocation of €50 million. It was discussed at Cabinet and was prioritised as an area that we knew needed extra funding. The figure of €50 million came out of the total financial situation that was there at the time at which the Minister...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: Unbelievable.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: I will deal with the Chairman's question first. It is something I have asked about myself. It is an issue and we will provide the Chairman with the exact figures of how much it costs. We all despise it. Not alone is there a cost impact, but there is also an alignment and co-ordination impact if a real issue arises somewhere else. Much of the time it is difficult to track down these...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: This is a very topical issue and I thank Deputy Ellis for raising it. The Department is working with various sporting organisations. If a ban were put in place, it would be a challenge to replace the amount. This decision will be made at Cabinet in the near future. The health and social benefits must also be taken into account.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: We must consider the health and social benefits with regard to linking alcohol and sport. From the purely balance sheet point of view we are here to discuss today, the obvious answer is that if the funding were withdrawn, of course it would be difficult to replace it. From an overall Government point of view, this must be balanced with the health and social aspects which are also extremely...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: The reason for this increase is because the staff in Coaching Ireland have been incorporated into the budget.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (25 Jun 2013)

Alan Kelly: I must first declare that I was formerly a manager of Bord Fáilte-Fáilte Ireland. I worked in that agency for almost eight and a half years. I take on board what the Deputy had to say. The US market is looking good, as is the mainland European market. We expect to meet The Gathering target of over 300,000 visitors and €170 million in revenue. As a Government, we have...