Results 13,081-13,100 of 19,173 for speaker:Shane Ross

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Services (19 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport 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, nor decisions on the issue of rail fares in any part of the country.  Following the establishment of the National Transport Authority (NTA) in December 2009, the NTA is the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport Data (19 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: I propose to take Questions Nos. 310 to 315, inclusive, together. The National Transport Authority (NTA) is responsible for the collection and publication of statistics relating to public transport and I have forwarded the Deputy's questions to the NTA 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: Bus Éireann Services (19 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. Expressway services are operated by Bus Éireann on a commercial basis in a similar fashion to any other commercial licensed bus service. Commercial licensed bus services do not receive any taxpayer funding, in contrast to those socially necessary but...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Noise Pollution (19 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: The work carried out since the Government decision at the beginning of the year has involved officials - from my Department and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government - working on Draft Heads of a Bill.   That work, which I am advised has been very detailed and technical in nature, is primarily focusing on the interaction between the Noise...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Roads Maintenance Funding (19 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of local authorities, 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 the local...

Priority Questions: Road Tolls (24 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: 4 o’clock As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy in respect of national roads. The planning, design and implementation of individual road projects on national roads is the responsibility of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 in conjunction with the relevant local authority. More specifically,...

Priority Questions: Road Tolls (24 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: I understand the Deputy's passion and I understand why she is doing this. I did say that it is with regret that I have decided that this request will have to be turned down. I made a pledge that I would contact Celtic Roads Group, CRG. The Deputy is absolutely right about that. I made a pledge that I would be in contact with TII about this. The Deputy is absolutely right in that regard....

Priority Questions: Road Tolls (24 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: I reiterate that I am sorry we cannot do this for everybody. I am sorry we cannot lift tolls for everybody everywhere all the time. TII tells me that it has received numerous requests for local tolls to be waived when festivals are being held. Such festivals have included the Waterford leg of the Tall Ships Races, Limerick City of Culture 2014, the Dublin leg of the Tall Ships Races in...

Priority Questions: Road Tolls (24 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: What we are talking about is waiving tolls for festivals and creating a precedent. I would absolutely love to do it. I wish there were no tolls in the country at all but we do not live in that sort of a world. I accept Deputy Munster's special pleading for Drogheda. It is fair to point out that Drogheda is the only town which has a tolled slip road leading into it. However, it is also...

Priority Questions: Road Tolls (24 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: From the south, via the M1, one can take the exit at junction 7. From the north, via the M1, one can exit at junction 10. From the north, via the R132, one can come in from Monasterboice and from the west one can come in via the N51 from Slane.

Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (24 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: I thank Deputy Troy for the question. It relates to a matter which is exercising the minds of a large number of active pensioners at CIÉ. He is right to raise this up in the House, even though it is not one with which I am very directly involved. However, I think the information that will come out of this debate will be useful to many of those people involved in the scheme. Issues in...

Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (24 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: It is certainly mine. My understanding is that CIÉ is prepared to fund that, provided it is independent advice, but I will check the matter with CIÉ after Question Time because there is obviously a complete and fundamental difference of opinion there. The question the Deputy asked before that was whether I will investigate the governance of two CIÉ pension schemes....

Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (24 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: Yes, without getting involved in the detail of any dispute between CIÉ and the workforce, which I will not do. Obviously, I want to see this resolved amicably and in a mature way. Any offer of an independent expert advice to the trades unions to help them clarify facts regarding the pensions issues should be welcomed. That offer, as far as I know and am told, is still on the table,...

Priority Questions: Transport Policy (24 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: This is not a new question but it is one in respect of which the reply should be updated regularly. The Deputy is right: there are short-term problems which must be addressed and the medium-term steps are equally important. I know he regularly says we do not have a vision and we should have both a long-term and a short-term vision of what will happen. I think we can offer that to the...

Priority Questions: Transport Policy (24 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: We are going over somewhat old territory but it is probably worth listing some of the short to medium-term measures we will introduce. As the Deputy knows, it is a very ambitious plan. We will have additional Luas capacity, with new longer 55 m trams and lengthened existing trams being introduced on the green line. There will be the introduction of a new service timetable to make optimum...

Priority Questions: Transport Policy (24 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: I certainly cannot interfere with the planning process, and I certainly cannot tell the Deputy when An Bord Pleanála will report.

Priority Questions: Transport Policy (24 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: I will not do that. That is matter for An Bord Pleanála. I hope it does it very quickly. I absolutely share the Deputy's frustration but I will certainly not go in there and tell it to get on with it, if the Deputy is going to suggest that I do so.

Priority Questions: Transport Policy (24 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: I am just telling the Deputy I will not. I do not know and I will not do anything about it. That planning process is something which is sacrosanct and I will not interfere with it. With regard to new buses and BusConnects, there is an investment of more than €750 million. The Deputy said it will not happen until 2027. The public consultation on the core bus corridors will be...

Priority Questions: Driver Test Waiting Lists (24 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: I thank Deputy Munster for this question, which I must say is a fair question. It is one we have to address. The Deputy is identifying a potential problem, which we are addressing in fact, but she is right to bring it up here. The Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2017, currently progressing through the Houses of the Oireachtas, will introduce amendments regarding sanctions for owners of...

Priority Questions: Driver Test Waiting Lists (24 Apr 2018)

Shane Ross: The Deputy and I are on the same side. I think she was in favour of the amendment to the Road Traffic Act that actually tackled the issue of unaccompanied drivers. I think she was in favour of that, as am I. This is certainly one of the unintended consequences but we accept that it is better than having unaccompanied drivers on the road. We are taking the appropriate measures, as the...