Results 10,781-10,800 of 11,242 for speaker:Noel Dempsey

Light Rail Project (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I thank the Deputy for his support for the project as it is important. A number of cost benefit analyses have been carried out on this project. The latest analysis gives an indication that the benefit to cost ratio of the project is approximately 2 to 1, when the wider economic benefits are taken into account and to which the Deputy referred, rather than just the provision of the metro...

Light Rail Project (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I welcome the Deputy's statement. The Government will be as forthcoming as possible, subject to information being commercially sensitive.

Road Haulage Transport (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I am not aware of any specific complaints in this regard. If the Deputy has a particular case in mind, I will have it examined. Road transport operates in a liberalised market where good carried for hire and reward are regulated by both EU and national legislation. Decisions on freight movement, including choice of hauliers, are influenced by many factors such as competition, patterns of...

Road Haulage Transport (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: Such information as to the number of foreign road hauliers is not collated by my Department. Therefore, I cannot honestly say to the Deputy that there are more or fewer foreign road hauliers coming into the country. The Deputy is correct that fewer hauliers are operating from Ireland and fewer hauliers have been licensed in Ireland over the past number of years. This is due to the current...

Road Haulage Transport (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I accept what the Deputy is saying, that hauliers like everyone else in the economy are under increasing pressure. We mentioned that the number of hauliers has reduced and the amount of goods being carried has reduced over the past 12 to 18 months. The dip in the economy has hit hauliers hard . From the Department's point of view, we cannot intervene directly to support individual...

Road Haulage Transport (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I take the point made by Deputy Coveney and I will respond directly to him. It is a problem.

Road Haulage Transport (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I can respond briefly on the working time directive because it is subject to new rulings from the EU. It is currently under discussion. We have no proposals for a scrappage scheme. In the current economic climate we will not contemplate that. In the past we have tried to encourage the haulage industry to renew the fleet by increasing the standards and facilitating them in upgrading to the...

Marine Accidents (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I understand that the Marine Casualty Investigation Board is carrying out such an investigation. However, under the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Maritime Casualties) Act of 2000 the Marine Casualty Investigation Board is independent of me in the exercise of its functions.

Marine Accidents (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I do not have that date. Section 8 of the Act states that the board shall be independent of the Minister in the performance of its functions and it is independent of any other person or body whose interest could conflict with the functions of the board. I cannot help the Deputy on this matter. Without being smart, I do not know if the question may be answered if Deputy Coveney raises it...

Marine Accidents (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: Deputy Coveney has more information on this matter that I do. The sail training programme is a matter for the Minister for Defence. The Asgard II was managed by Coiste an Asgard and was owned by the Minister for Defence. The sail training programme ran under that Department.

National Transport Authority (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: The Irish Aviation Authority is responsible for both safety regulation of the Irish civil aviation industry and the provision of air navigation and communications services in Irish controlled-airspace. It is proposed to integrate the safety regulation function element of the authority into the National Transport Authority. The policy to amalgamate the IAA's regulatory functions, as well as...

National Transport Authority (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I accept the Deputy's point about differences in modes of transport. That is always the subject of debate when one talks in terms of getting rid of what some call quangos and regulators, as Deputies on all sides of the House have been saying in recent years. The reason they were set up separately at various stages is because people felt it was better to keep them separate. Now the mood...

National Transport Authority (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: The current practice will stand. The Minister will still remain responsible to the House for questions on matters of policy. The bodies will be directly responsible for day to day operational matters. Members of the Oireachtas who wish to query the day to day operations of any of those organisations will have the opportunity to do so, first, through the Joint Oireachtas Committee on...

National Transport Authority (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I will obey your ruling, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

National Transport Authority (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: Exactly, so if you rule me out of order, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I will sit down. I did follow up with the Irish Aviation Authority specifically and with colleagues in government. It is a matter for the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation under labour law. The Irish Aviation Authority is pursuing this matter in negotiations with the unions involved and in the context of the Croke...

Departmental Statistics (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: The Central Statistics Office has recently published its 2009 Road Freight Transport Survey. This survey covers both licensed operators and other hauliers. In 2009, Irish registered goods vehicles transported 148 million tonnes of goods by road. This represents a decrease of 40% on the previous year and an overall decrease of 9% on the 1999 figure. In light of the current global economic...

Departmental Statistics (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: As I indicated earlier to the Deputy, there was a dip in the number of licences issued in 2009 but I am pleased to report that it has increased again in 2010. Up to 30 September there was an almost 10% increase in the number of licenses issued which may indicate some increase in the business. As I said previously a number of times - I will not try your patience, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle - it...

Departmental Statistics (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: When I get the report to which the Deputy adverts, I am sure the NRA will have taken those matters into account, and I will certainly take them into account. They are reasonable points to take into account if one is talking about charging people for the use of the roads. On the general point, regardless of this morning's newspaper reports, the indications I have currently are that the...

Departmental Statistics (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: From my information, it is lower than that again in regard to heavy goods vehicles because, overall, the advantages in using a motorway right through from one end to the other outweigh the disadvantage of the toll fee. One section of the M50 is tolled at present so people using one part of the M50 pay the toll charge while those that use other parts pay nothing, which is not a very fair or...

Rail Accidents (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 102, 111, 120 and 133 together. The Railway Safety Commission is the independent statutory body charged with responsibility for ensuring implementation of recommendations made to Iarnród Éireann by the Rail Accident Investigation Unit, which is the independent body responsible for accident investigations. On its publication on 16 August last, I acknowledged...