Results 11,781-11,800 of 19,173 for speaker:Shane Ross

Topical Issue Debate: Transport Infrastructure Provision (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, in which I know he has a great and persistent interest. It has registered on my radar because he has spoken to me about it both privately and publicly. I am grateful to him for doing so. As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport I have responsibility for overall policy and funding for the national roads programme. The planning, design and...

Topical Issue Debate: Transport Infrastructure Provision (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I understand the urgency of this matter and the Deputy's frustration at the lack of progress in addressing it. As he knows, nearly all of the moneys available to us for the immediate future are going on repair works and steady-state investment. It will be 2019 or beyond before moneys will be used for new projects which, although equally important, simply cannot be funded at this time. ...

Topical Issue Debate: Rail Network Expansion (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. He cannot think of a better project to put funding into, but the problem is that there are many competing projects and, in each case, its advocates think there is no better plan. They are all urgent and not every one of them can be fulfilled immediately. The Deputy's points were well made, however, and there is a crying need for a lot of the...

Topical Issue Debate: Rail Network Expansion (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I share the Deputy's impatience but I do not have the kind of cheque book I would need to sort out this problem immediately. I ask him to accept that we have made serious commitments, not just in respect of the DART underground but in respect of Metro north, of which the Deputy will be aware, and the Luas which was an expensive project that will be opened this Saturday. The additional...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Calming Measures (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: As Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme.  The planning, design and implementation of individual road projects  is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.  Within its capital budget,...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Improvement Schemes (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: As Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme.  The planning, design and implementation of individual road projects  is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.  Within its capital budget,...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Parking Provision (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I propose to take Questions Nos. 221 to 223, inclusive, together. The issue raised is a matter for Iarnród Éireann and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply.  Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Tourism Data (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: Officials in my Department make use of tourism statistics from a wide variety of sources to inform tourism policy analysis. Apart from the statistics produced by the CSO, as well as other sources such as the tourism agencies and international bodies, officials also monitor publications from the tourism industry on a continuous basis for information, statistical or otherwise, which may be...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Tourism Data (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: As the Deputy is aware, official statistics on tourism are published by the Central Statistics Office. The CSO does not publish tourism statistics on a county basis. It does, however, publish regional statistics for domestic tourism on a quarterly basis. Whilst the CSO does not currently publish regional statistics for overseas visitors, Fáilte Ireland uses CSO data to estimate...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Tourism Promotion (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I welcome the overall growth in visit numbers to Ireland in the first ten months of 2017. However, the persistent decline in the numbers visiting from Great Britain continues to be a concern. The fall in the value of sterling against the euro following the Brexit vote in the UK has been the primary factor in this. At Government level, the Brexit negotiations continue,...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Departmental Expenditure (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: The information requested by the Deputy since the establishment of the Department of Transport in June 2002 is available on my Department's website at the following link http://www.dttas.ie/corporate/english/expenditure-external-s ervices 

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Civil Aviation Regulation (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: The carriage of munitions and dangerous goods in aircraft, similar to other aviation safety matters, is quite rightly highly regulated in national, EU and international law. The internal review of the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Order 1973 is currently underway and should be completed in the coming months. There are a number...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Road Safety (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this matter, which unfortunately is quite topical. I applaud his concern for road safety, which is one of my primary concerns in this portfolio. As he has pointed out, the death toll in this country is still horrific. I do not intend to use any clichés when I say that even though the numbers are coming down, all road deaths are completely...

Climate Change: Statements (7 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: As the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I am conscious of the challenges we face in tackling climate change in the transport sector. The extent of this challenge and the scale of transformation required for Ireland to move to a low-carbon and climate resilient economy is becoming increasingly evident, never more so than now for our transport sector. Ireland is not unique in this....

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Network (7 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: Last year the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Iarnród Éireann published the Rail Review Report 2016 on which the NTA held a public consultation. Over 300 submissions were received by the NTA in response to that consultation process which have now all been examined and the NTA submitted a report of those submissions to my Department. Since the Rail Review was published,...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Éireann (7 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: The company recently indicated publicly that, since its foundation 30 years ago, it has accumulated total losses of €30m and that about half of this level was in the last two years.  This differs from the detail outlined in the question.  As the Deputy is aware the company and its staff are currently implementing the Labour Court Recommendation that...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Projects (7 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme.  The planning, design and operation of individual road projects is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Noting the above position, I have...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Projects Status (7 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads in Offaly is the statutory responsibility of Offaly County Council, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from the Council's own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Greenways Funding (7 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: My Department awarded €2m to Galway County Council in 2014 to deliver a Greenway from Galway to Moycullen. The funding agreement signed by Galway County Council does not preclude the purchase of land along the route by Galway County Council nor is it a requirement for the Council to seek the permission of my Department in relation to any arrangements which it considers necessary...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Projects (7 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme.  The planning, design and operation of individual road projects is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Noting the above position, I have...