Results 1,241-1,260 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Taxi Hardship Panel: Taxi Hardship Panel (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: The taxi hardship payments scheme is based on the recommendations and parameters set out in the taxi hardship panel report, as approved by the Government. The report recommended establishment of a scheme to provide payments to individual taxi licence holders who fall into one of six categories that the panel assessed as having suffered extreme personal financial hardship arising from taxi...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: The Comptroller and Auditor General has informed my Department of his intention to commence a preliminary review of the West Link Bridge toll agreement with a view to determining whether a full value for money examination is warranted. The original agreement was approved in principle by Government in October 1984 and concluded in October 1987. This was a time when the economic outlook was...

Written Answers — Rail Services: Rail Services (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: The programme for Government contains a specific commitment to develop a metro rail service for Dublin with a link to Dublin Airport. The Railway Procurement Agency has submitted to my Department a detailed business case for a metro from Dublin city centre to Dublin Airport, while Iarnród Éireann submitted proposals last July for an integrated rail network in the greater Dublin area. These...

Written Answers — Rail Network: Rail Network (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: Iarnród Éireann, in consultation with Meath and Fingal county councils, has, in recent days, completed a feasibility study into the development of a spur off the Maynooth to Dublin line at Clonsilla to a location at the N3 beyond Dunboyne. While a copy of the feasibility study has been forwarded to my Department, it is now a matter for Iarnród Éireann to decide how it wishes to proceed...

Written Answers — Air Services: Air Services (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: It is Government policy to encourage as wide a range as possible of safe, reliable and competitive air services to and from Ireland. The central tenet of this policy is the belief that strong, competitive and efficient networks of air links are vitally important for developing our trade and tourism sectors, particularly having regard to our island status and peripheral location. The operation...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: In his recent Budget Statement, the Minister for Finance agreed in principle that an extended ten-year capital envelope was appropriate in the case of investment in transport. This reflects the reality of the long lead-in times required for design and planning, as well as the substantial construction periods required for major capital projects in the transport sector. It also provides clear...

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 123 which I replied to earlier.

Written Answers — Road Traffic Offences: Road Traffic Offences (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: The statutory basis for the use of cycle tracks is set out in the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997 and 1998. The regulations prohibit parking in a cycle track. The offence of illegal parking in a cycle track comes within the scope of the on-the-spot fines system and the amount of the on-the-spot fine currently applicable to the offence is €19, which is the level that...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: Although some information has been supplied to me in respect of the aggregate expenses of directors of State bodies, in no case have I detailed a list of the expenses paid to individual directors. This is a day-to-day matter for the bodies concerned

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: Worker directors appointed to State boards of bodies under the aegis of the Department of Transport are remunerated on the same basis as other directors and are paid rates as approved by the Department of Finance. They are required to devote to the performance of their duties as a member of the board so much of their time as may be necessary in addition to the efficient discharge of their...

Written Answers — Rail Network: Rail Network (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: I refer the Deputy to my response to an identical question on 29 September last. The situation since then is unchanged. The location of stations on the rail network is a matter for Iarnród Éireann. The company informs me that it has examined the case for reopening Dunleer station on a number of occasions in the past. A review of the Dublin suburban rail strategy, conducted on behalf of the...

Written Answers — Traffic Regulations: Traffic Regulations (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: The Road Traffic Acts 1961 to 2004 provide powers to the Minister for Transport to prescribe maximum speed limits for classes of vehicles and to regulate for the driving of such vehicles on the public roads. The EU speed limiter directives require that goods vehicles having a design gross weight exceeding 12,000 kg be equipped with speed limitation devices that must be set so that the vehicle...

Written Answers — Driving Licences: Driving Licences (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which administers the national driver file, on which driving licence records are held, has advised me of the number of provisional licence holders as at 31 December 2004. These are set out in the following table: Series of Licence Number of Provisional Licence Holders First 177,808 Second 107,466 Third or Subsequent...

Written Answers — Driving Tests: Driving Tests (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: Proposals being developed by my Department for the regulation and quality assurance of driving instruction will involve a test of the competence of individual instructors. A working group comprising representatives of my Department and instruction interests has formulated the design of the standards that a driving instructor must meet. I am considering what arrangements will be put in place...

Written Answers — Rail Network: Rail Network (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 328, 331, 342, 348 and 365 together. The proposed Shannon rail link was examined in the course of the Strategic Rail Review, which my Department published in 2003. The cost benefit and multi criteria analyses carried out as part of the review showed that the proposal did not perform very well in terms of net economic benefit and, therefore, it was not included...

Written Answers — Rail Network: Rail Network (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: Iarnród Éireann, in conjunction with Meath and Fingal county councils, recently completed a feasibility study into providing a spur from the Dublin to Sligo railway line at Clonsilla to Dunboyne. It is now a matter for Iarnród Éireann to decide how to progress this matter. While there are no plans, at present, to extend this line beyond Dunboyne, I understand that the provision of a park...

Written Answers — Light Rail Project: Light Rail Project (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 330 and 333 together. The Railway Procurement Agency, RPA, is developing proposals for an extension of the Luas to Cherrywood. This work includes consultation, design and route planning. A particular feature of the work concerns the issue of private sector funding, captured through levies provided for under planning legislation, from developers who own land...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: I have not received any formal submissions from Iarnród Éireann regarding charging customers for the use of car parks at Dublin suburban rail stations. I understand, however, that the company is giving consideration to such proposals.

Written Answers — Rail Network: Rail Network (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 334, 338 and 339 together. Iarnród Éireann considers the development of the infrastructure and the use of particular rolling stock on a route in the light of the demand for services and the likely return on the investment required. Iarnród Éireann informs me that it has upgraded all the trackwork on the Rosslare line in the past two years. More modern...

Written Answers — Rail Network: Rail Network (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: Last year, my predecessor as Minister for Transport, Deputy Brennan, appointed a working group to carry out an examination of the proposal to re-open the western rail corridor. The group is under the chairmanship of Mr. Pat McCann, group chief executive, Jurys Doyle Hotel Group. The group comprises county managers, directors of the regional authorities, representatives of city and county...