Results 1,201-1,220 of 2,988 for speaker:James O'Connor

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Local Authorities (19 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: I acknowledge the presence of Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan, for whom this matter is of huge importance. I am sure he will also raise it in his own right. I would like to discuss the significant and troubling work that the Office of the Planning Regulator, OPR, has been undertaking over the past 18 months in respect of the ongoing development plans of local authorities in Ireland. I...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Local Authorities (19 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: I thank the Minister of State for the information he has brought before the House but wish to raise the fact that the manner in which the OPR has dealt with the attempts of Cork county and city councils to provide a retail outlet centre in their development plans raises serious concerns about its judgment and understanding of its role in this particular process. The OPR's attempt to quash a...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (20 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: I wish to ask the Minister about the national development plan. We recently saw a major project effectively being delayed or shelved in Galway with the announcement on the ring road. Is the overall plan worth €165 billion in capital spending at significant risk due to new climate targets and what happened with An Bord Pleanála? As Senator Crowe asked, is green the new red tape?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Engagement with Road Safety Authority (12 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: Putting this problem into perspective is important. I will give the witnesses an indication of it. I am from Cork East, which is a large area. I will take us through the NCT centres that people in my constituency use. My home town is Youghal, where the next available NCT appointment is 4 April. In Charleville, which is in Cork North-West, it is 22 March. In Waterford, it is 9 February....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Engagement with Road Safety Authority (12 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: I will wait to see what Mr. Waide has to say, if he does not mind giving us some information.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Engagement with Road Safety Authority (12 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Engagement with Road Safety Authority (12 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: I will be direct.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Engagement with Road Safety Authority (12 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: I am talking about the ordinary NCT that is required for every vehicle after a specific time. The car used in this case was a Ford Focus that was over the limit for the NCT. That is the reference. If someone is booking a six-year-old second-hand car in for its ordinary NCT in east Cork, the options are 22 January in Little Island, 10 March in Cahir, 3 February in Blarney, 9 February in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Engagement with Road Safety Authority (12 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: Why not?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Engagement with Road Safety Authority (12 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: Is Mr. Walsh telling me that the RSA is holding back slots?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Engagement with Road Safety Authority (12 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: I wish to clarify because this is important. If I log on today, does it mean that the earliest possible date for the NCT in one of my local centres is on offer today?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Engagement with Road Safety Authority (12 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: It is a very clear question. If I want to book an NCT for a car today, is the earliest possible date on offer today? Mr. Walsh mentioned that the slots were being released in blocks. Does that mean that, if I waited until mid-November, another block of dates would be released that could be closer to this date?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Engagement with Road Safety Authority (12 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: That is insane. It makes no sense.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Engagement with Road Safety Authority (12 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: You would not see this in Westminster.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Engagement with Road Safety Authority (12 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: From an efficiency point of view, I cannot see the merit of that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Engagement with Road Safety Authority (12 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: There are shortages in every walk of life. Whether someone is in the hospitality sector or transport - you name it - there are issues with hiring staff. It is just the way things are at the moment. To me, that system is innately flawed in terms of what it is offering people. If someone goes in any day of the week and wants to book an appointment, surely the fairest way is to give them the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Engagement with Road Safety Authority (12 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: Mr. Waide is doing a very eloquent job of winding the down the clock. I think that is a fantastic initiative, it is brilliant, and every single one of us in the Oireachtas welcomes that. If what I am about to say to Mr. Waide was not so serious, it would be entertaining. Mr. Waide referred to the closest centre. If I wanted to get that lovely Ford Focus in for the NCT in Youghal, the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Engagement with Road Safety Authority (12 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: It would want to drive a little faster. This is a huge concern.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Engagement with Road Safety Authority (12 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: I will conclude on this as the RSA has a lot of work to do and we do not want to keep the witnesses. We are also dealing with amendments that have been made to the criminal offences involved in driving. It is proposed that fines be increased and we are engaging today with the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Naughton, in that regard. What concerns me is that because...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 3 - Vote Accounting and Budget Management
Chapter 4 - Reallocation of Voted Funding (20 Oct 2022)

James O'Connor: I welcome the Department. First and foremost, I want to ask about the public spending code relating to major public capital projects being undertaken, including the one that is relevant here today. Has that ever been used to stop a project from happening?