Results 12,661-12,680 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy is right. We live on one island. We do not have a physical border and never will again, to my mind.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: People crossing over and back is a part of everyday life. In those circumstances, we need to have complete co-operation between our health services, North and South, to make sure the risk of infection is minimised. At the recent North-South Ministerial Council, the administration from Stormont came down to Dublin Castle and it was a good meeting. A large part of it was made up of a...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: Bus Éireann came to us with its proposed reallocation and redeployment. The company has to manage its resources and we agreed to it. They were various caveats or conditions related to that. One is that they are looking to redeploy bus services in Cork to improve the services into and in the city. I was aware a number of years ago that the same issue was arising in Fermoy,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Legislative Measures (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: Telecommunications service providers are regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), which operates independently of my Department.  The telecommunications regulatory framework, which ComReg implements, requires each telecommunications services provider to establish and operate a code of practice, including requirements for complaint handling and means of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Air Pollution (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: From 1 September 2020, I established 13 new Low Smoke Zones (LSZs). The effect of this latest important step is that all Irish towns with populations in excess of 10,000 are now LSZs within which the marketing, sale and distribution of bituminous coal is prohibited. This will have a positive impact in terms of reducing particulate matter and sulphur dioxide levels in the areas selected,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Air Quality (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I am aware of the findings of this report.  As part of the ongoing work to reduce overall levels of nitrogen dioxide (NOx)  in certain areas, my Department has been working on a number of measures. Firstly, implementation of the Climate Action Plan 2019 will help ameliorate transport-related NOx, and also Non-Methane Volatile Organic Compound (NMVOC),...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action Plan (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: The first call for  applications for Climate Action Fund support was launched in 2018 with applications being accepted between 17 September 2018 and 1 October 2018. The application form, available at this link - - sets out a range of information relevant to an application, including the types of projects eligible for support, the mandatory requirements, the terms and conditions, and the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Air Pollution (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: The Programme for Government commits to extending the "smoky" coal ban to new towns and, over the term of Government, move towards a full nationwide ban. As the full nationwide ban is not yet in place, it will remain legal to sell, market, distribute and burn bituminous coal in areas outside of Low Smoke Zones after 31 December 2020, and to import such coal from Northern Ireland or...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: EU Legislation (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: My Department launched the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy on 4 September 2020. The new plan contains a specific chapter on plastics and packaging waste, which outlines a number of measures to achieve optimum results in this area. The action plan confirms that we will work with packaging suppliers to ensure they play their part in reducing primary, secondary and tertiary...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: As the Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. However, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The Road Safety Authority (RSA) monitors compliance with and enforces driver hours' legislation and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the RSA for attention. I have also forwarded...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including BusConnects. Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for their consideration...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Airport Policy (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 80 to 82, inclusive, together. With regard to the Deputy's question on the status of European proposals for a tax on aviation fuel the EU’s Green Deal outlines a number of policy reforms that will deliver on the ambition of making the EU climate neutral by 2050. As part of the Green Deal Package, the European Commission is proposing to revise the Energy...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Taxi Licences (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: Licences for vehicles to be used as small public service vehicles (SPSVs) - including licences for taxi, hackney and limousine vehicles - are issued and renewed by the National Transport Authority (NTA), which is the independent regulator for the SPSV industry under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013.  I am not aware of changes by the NTA in...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Policy (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I note that the same question was asked of the Minister for Health in May, and he had no plans at the time. I am not aware of any change in that position. My Department also has no plans for use of dogs in the detection of Covid-19 in Airports and Ports. Under the plan for living with Covid-19, it is proposed that Ireland will broadly support consideration of the European Commission...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Network (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: As the Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. However, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The issue raised is an operational matter for Iarnród Éireann and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. I ask the Deputy to...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Licences (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: It is not my intention at this time to further extend the validity of driving licences. The existing extension of 7 months for licences that expired between March and August will ease the pressure on the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS), free up appointment slots and make it easier to find those slots at local centres. The extension brings Irish national law in line with EU...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Test (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: The Driver Theory Testing Service, in line with many other state agencies, has seen an increased demand for its services since resuming operations following its temporary closure due to the COVID emergency. In addition to this, the service saw its capacity reduced by 50% to comply with occupational and public health requirements. Inevitably, there is now a backlog of theory tests. The...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Departmental Correspondence (1 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: Both the National Transport Authority (NTA) and my Department have been engaging directly with commercial bus operators to help inform policy decisions in relation to the public transport sector as we continue to deal with the impact of Covid-19.   From the Department's engagement with industry representatives and indeed from the NTA's regular...

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: Rail Services Provision (6 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to address this issue. The short answer to the question is "Yes" in that every option regarding level crossings on the new DART+ line to Maynooth should be given due consideration. I will start by taking the opportunity to update the House generally on the progress of the DART+ programme. The programme for Government commits to a fundamental change...

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: Rail Services Provision (6 Oct 2020)

Eamon Ryan: It is true, as the Deputy says, that in looking at any project, the preference is to be able to sit down with the engineer, to have the maps laid out and to be able to engage, which is the way public consultation is increasingly being done in this city and elsewhere. It is important to allow close contact and detailed debate. Unfortunately, that is not possible in the current environment....