Results 10,921-10,940 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: I want to try to keep order. I have no issue with that, and I am happy to have the members taken in whatever way they want. I will come back to Senator Ó Céidigh.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Ach an ceist seo a bheith as Gaeilge.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Or professional advice.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Transcripts are available anyway so we can send them to the-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Especially when the see that a sports field is gone in their school. I believe that is what has happened.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: If it is in order, I will take the members and then we will go to our guests. I will try and keep it separate. Deputy Rock wants to come in, followed by Deputies Ellis and Shortall.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: I hear a telephone. Who is doing a live broadcast on Facebook?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Does the Deputy want it all gone?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: If it is in order, after Deputy Ellis contributes, I will ask the community groups to make a further round of contributions if they wish to do so. I will make a point arising from Deputy Lahart's contribution. Given that the cost of MetroLink will be €3 billion, I do not see any reason the community should not benefit from professional advice, by which I do not mean legal or planning...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: I thank the witnesses for their heartfelt words. I am sure they are echoed not just in this room, but in many other places. I think the key message they are giving me is the same as what I believe myself, namely this must be our project, not their project. The witnesses are at the heart of the project and they have to have ownership of it. Without being disrespectful to anybody here, what...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: I want to get through all the people who are here. I will call on Mr. Michael Dowling to give his address and then move on in the order in which the witnesses are sitting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Go raibh maith agat. Do Ms Marcella Nic Niallaigh or Mr. James Hart wish to speak now?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: I will ask the NTA and the TII to respond. I hope Home Farm wins its match, by the way. I believe Mr. Hart has summarised it all there. We must engage, listen and communicate and make it our metro. That is the real message. Nobody in this room at this moment sees it as their metro. They see it as the metro as belonging to TII and NTA, and that is what is really wrong. I would ask the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: We found out about this development, like others, from a television report. I appreciate what the witness has just said but the committee was not informed. . There is no link and is that not the point?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: I am not nitpicking here, I respect everything that the witness has said. Could I ask or would it be reasonable that when we do agree to visit, when we get the date, that maybe the witness might accompany us as well, so that we can all get an impression, a feeling of exactly what the needs are?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Would Mr. Nolan like to finally comment?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Can I ask the witness to respond to Mr. Hart's letter from his group as well to build up goodwill from this meeting?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed MetroLink: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: That is good. On that positive note, we will adjourn our meeting now. My thanks to everybody for attending. When we get the date for the site visit we will circulate it and hopefully the witnesses will be able to attend with us.

Public Private Partnership on Capital Infrastructure: Statements (26 Apr 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: This issue is very important and the Minister of State's speech identified and recognised a number of the points made by Opposition Members. As the economic situation has improved, the Government has prioritised significantly increased direct Exchequer investment in capital infrastructure. That will grow to 4% of our national income by 2027. This is a huge reliance on State capital, not on...

Order of Business (1 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: I welcome the debate on the CervicalCheck screening programme but I feel the time is too limited, particularly for backbenchers. As this is the most important issue this Dáil may ever have to deal with, every Member who wishes should be able to speak on it, I respectfully propose to the Business Committee that we extend it tonight as a matter of urgency and sit till midnight if we have to.