Results 10,981-11,000 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd

Working Group of Committee Chairmen: Matters of Public Policy: Discussion with Taoiseach (10 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: People's daily commutes are getting longer as the economy grows extremely fast. This morning thousands of commuters were held up because of an accident near the port tunnel. The Joint Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport is considering how to attack the issues which delay transport unnecessarily. There should be far more thinking in local government and transport companies to ensure...

Working Group of Committee Chairmen: Matters of Public Policy: Discussion with Taoiseach (10 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: I fully agree with the Taoiseach that public transport is the solution and locating infrastructure near transport corridors is the only way forward. As Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport, I can confirm that my committee is considering this matter and we have met the National Transport Authority, NTA, and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications Administration (15 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: 107. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if concerns raised by a person (details supplied) in relation to a passport application will be addressed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21113/18]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Business of Joint Committee (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Apologies have been received from Senator Ned O'Sullivan. I remind members to switch off their mobile telephones as they interfere with the recording equipment. I propose that we go into private session to deal with some housekeeping matters. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Business of Joint Committee (Resumed) (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Before we commence our main business I wish to deal with the correspondence. No. 2018/269 is an email from Mr. Ciaran Delaney requesting the timeline for a meeting on easier accessibility to public transport for people with intellectual and acquired brain injuries. It is proposed to schedule this meeting in the near future in the context of what we discussed earlier. Is that agreed?...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Business of Joint Committee (Resumed) (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: I welcome the Deputy's suggestion. I ask that she submit the names of possible witnesses whom she might like-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Business of Joint Committee (Resumed) (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: -----to have brought before the committee to the clerk. Does anyone else wish to add anything? I call Senator O'Mahony.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Business of Joint Committee (Resumed) (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: We will arrange that as soon as possible. I ask Deputy Murphy to liaise with the clerk. If it is a committee priority, we will deal with it as soon as possible. We may need to look for a second date in one of the weeks because we have a lot of business backing up, but the Deputy's suggestion is very useful.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: We now turn to the purpose of today's meeting, namely, consideration of the issue of traffic congestion in the greater Dublin area and other related matters, including persistent irregular congestion in Dublin. Last Thursday, there was a meeting of the committee chairmen with the Taoiseach. I made sure I would have at least an hour to spare before the meeting began and I spent that hour...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: I thank Mr. Nolan. I call on Mr. Hugh Creegan, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, National Transport Authority to make his opening statement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: I thank Mr. Creegan. Before Senator Feighan commences I wish to ask two questions about BusConnects. I welcome all of the proposals and the very significant capital investment. Like the delegations, it is the interim period that we are worried about. When will BusConnects be operational after the consultation period? How quickly can the service be commenced?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Yes, of course.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: The end of next year is a long time away. I appreciate that the NTA must follow the statutory or due process. It seems to me that traffic journeys by car are ever increasing and that traffic gets backed up everywhere in the city.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Journeys by car take longer. No matter how early people rise they reach their workplaces late. I must travel on the M1 motorway in order to get home. At present I can only drive at 100 km/h regardless of the time of day that I travel due to a huge amount of traffic congestion. Perhaps other members have had the same experience. I call Senator Feighan and he will be followed by Deputy...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: On the last point of traffic relating to construction, the reports indicate that such traffic has not reached the level it was at during the boom. As the economy progresses and gets better, there will be a significant further increase in construction traffic, which is not yet accounted for in figures, if I read the report correctly. Deputy Rock is next.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: He is a full member.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: The Deputy was just not at the meetings to find that out.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: We agreed to stick to committee members by rotation so I call Deputy Munster. I apologise if Deputy Lahart feels left out. Deputy Rock has been a member of the transport committee for two months and has been at all the meetings.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: I support Deputy Munster on the need for regulation of rickshaws. I am advised by the clerk that the Minister has been invited to appear before the committee on 30 May to discuss the issue.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Fergus O'Dowd: Everybody has a role to play. I agree with the Deputy that this is a hugely important issue and it is a priority for the committee. I would like to make a couple of points before I call Deputy Catherine Murphy. There are various authorities doing excellent work in the transport area but is there a need for an overall tsar, somebody to whom everybody would be accountable? In other words,...