Results 1,381-1,400 of 13,253 for speaker:Pat Gallagher

Seanad: Aviation Bill 2005 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (28 Mar 2006)

Pat Gallagher: It is relevant. Senator Burke raised the question of retrospection. Even if we had not amended the legislation, things would not change for those who will own the shares in the trust. When we took advice from the Attorney General and the officials in my Department, it was felt this should be written into primary legislation. It provides for the relevant parts of the Aer Lingus Act 2004 to be...

Seanad: Aviation Bill 2005 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (28 Mar 2006)

Pat Gallagher: I thank the House for taking the Bill this evening and for accepting the amendments. I am particularly grateful to Senators for their support and understanding, and for accepting the amendments put forward concerning the employee share ownership scheme for Aer Lingus, and the appeals process regarding decisions of the Commission for Aviation Regulation. As some Members of the Opposition...

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (29 Mar 2006)

Pat Gallagher: I congratulate Deputy Olivia Mitchell for introducing this Bill. She stated there was an absence of effective cross-departmental and interagency action on road safety. A high level group on road safety, comprising representatives from various Departments and agencies, has been working for some time to promote full co-operation on cross-cutting issues and an integrated approach to the...

Rail Services. (4 Apr 2006)

Pat Gallagher: I thank Deputy Ring for raising this issue and giving me an opportunity to outline what the Department is doing. The strategic rail review commissioned by my Department contained a comprehensive examination of the rail freight business and its realistic potential to support economic development and contribute to sustainable development. Iarnród Éireann, in responding to the challenges...

Seanad: State Airports. (5 Apr 2006)

Pat Gallagher: I thank Senator Cox for raising this issue and giving me an opportunity to respond to her comments. As the House is aware, the Great Southern Hotels group is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Dublin Airport Authority. The chairman of the authority informed the Taoiseach and the Minister for Transport last February that the board of the GSH group had decided that it had no option, in the best...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (25 Apr 2006)

Pat Gallagher: The number of current road passenger transport operator licences issued by my Department, as of 19 April 2006 — the latest date for which figures are available — is 1,811. There is a statutory obligation on all licensed operators to ensure that all of the vehicles in their fleet comply fully with the appropriate licensing requirements. Any bus operator who acquires new or replacement...

Marine Accidents. (26 Apr 2006)

Pat Gallagher: I thank Deputy Stanton for raising this issue. I also thank Deputy Ned O'Keeffe, who has just spoken, and Deputy O'Donovan and the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ahern, who contacted me in this regard. I take this opportunity to offer my sincere condolences to the families of Glen Cott and Jan Sankowski who tragically drowned with the sinking of the fishing vessel Maggie B off Hook Head on...

Seanad: Aviation Emergencies. (26 Apr 2006)

Pat Gallagher: I thank Senator Browne for raising this issue. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, and I are aware of the general circumstances surrounding the recent hoax bomb scare on a Ryanair aircraft flying from Paris Beauvais to Dublin Airport on 12 April 2006. Ryanair has furnished an initial report to the Department and the airline has also been in touch with the UK Department of Transport in...

Seanad: Aviation Emergencies. (26 Apr 2006)

Pat Gallagher: The reason for the investigation is clear in that the aircraft was flying in UK airspace. While I am not an expert I always understood the pilot had authority but immediately the aircraft landed it appears the UK authorities took responsibility. There are lessons to be learned.

Seanad: Aviation Emergencies. (26 Apr 2006)

Pat Gallagher: If the position is different I will keep the Senator informed.

Port Development. (3 May 2006)

Pat Gallagher: Current Government policy regarding the port sector is outlined in the ports policy statement which I launched while serving as Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources in January 2005. This document identifies important policy issues to be addressed in the short to medium term. The policy statement aims to better equip the port sector and its...

Port Development. (3 May 2006)

Pat Gallagher: The Deputy's question was a general one relating to ports and the Government policy thereon. Dublin is included in that. As an indication of the importance of Dublin Port, while 99% of goods goes through all our ports, approximately 59% of our lift on-lift off traffic goes through Dublin, as does almost 80% of our roll on-roll off traffic. Dublin Port accounts for approximately 50% of both...

Port Development. (3 May 2006)

Pat Gallagher: No decision has been taken on that. It will be interesting to see from the report which will be made available to us by Fisher Associates what the demands on and proposals for Dublin will be. We should await the outcome of that, which should not take more than two or three months, and then establish what Dublin will require in the future.

Port Development. (3 May 2006)

Pat Gallagher: Regarding the ports policy statement, we must consider the macro situation and the capacity of the State and the entire island. Some of our goods are imported and exported through Larne and Belfast. It is not as simple as one might think to take a decision on these 52 acres. It is all integrated. I do not want to give the impression that nothing happened in Dublin during the past eight years....

Road Safety. (3 May 2006)

Pat Gallagher: Directive 2003/97 lays down new standards for the type approval of certain categories of vehicles, especially lorries, on the field of vision of drivers and requires that all new vehicles meet the new standards. The directive was transposed into Irish law by the European Communities (Mechanically Propelled Vehicles Entry Into Service) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2004 as regards type...

Road Safety. (3 May 2006)

Pat Gallagher: I recognise the role played out by the Irish Road Haulage Association, IBEC and SIMI. I met representatives of the Irish Road Haulage Association today, specifically the director of the association, and it is very happy with the progress that has been made. Before dealing with the Deputy's supplementary question, I point out that on 12 April 2006 the European Commission published a...

Road Safety. (3 May 2006)

Pat Gallagher: I do not want the impression to be given that we can achieve this measure at the stroke of a pen. It involves a technical standard and requires approval from Europe. The EU is progressing the matter, although perhaps not as quickly as we would like. I assure the Deputy that we are taking ownership of the matter.

Road Safety. (3 May 2006)

Pat Gallagher: The technical solutions adopted by the member states to which the Deputy referred, namely Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, do not fully comply with the retrofitting requirements of EU Directive 2003/97. The matter is being pursued vigorously and we want to deal with it with the European Commission. Progress has been made. I have taken every opportunity to discuss the matter with...

Road Safety. (3 May 2006)

Pat Gallagher: I assure the Deputy if there are any further delays, a unilateral measure will then be considered.

Written Answers — Port Development: Port Development (3 May 2006)

Pat Gallagher: Dublin Port is a State-owned company established under the Harbours Act 1996. It is the country's premier port in terms of throughput and turnover, and as such is of vital strategic importance to our trading economy. The Act provides that the principal objects of the company include the provision of such facilities, services and lands in its harbour for ships, goods and passengers as it...