Results 14,901-14,920 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The problem I see in Limerick-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: If I could finish my family story: we set off from the Caravansary in the Glen of Aherlow and we ended up in the Limerick city in the Glentworth Hotel, which is only a stone's throw from the railway station.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: Yes, it is now Pery's Hotel, but it was the Glentworth when our family stayed there. Perhaps I am biased, but that Georgian city is spectacular.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: Let me put it this way; first, the historic core of Limerick city has 3% of the population. If we do not bring it back, we will lose it. That would be seen as a terrible historic loss. We have options and difficult choices. We have €20 billion worth of a road programme and approximately €40 billion worth of public transport projects, so we are going to have to prioritise....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: Yes, but none of the projects in the NDP had a price on them. The price of the Limerick to Cork motorway would be €2 billion to €3 billion.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: That is what the price would be.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: No.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: That is what I am told.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The bypass of Macroom cost €250 million. The Castlebar to Westport upgrade of the existing road cost another €250 million.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I will make one last point if I can. This is interesting because it is the core of the debate. One of the reasons Dublin has grown so much is because of the motorway network. What it tends to do is bring everything back to the centre. If we have a western corridor motorway from top to bottom, my fear for Limerick is that investment would head to Cork or to Galway. In truth, that is happening.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: Let us look at it another way; whatever is the preferred solution, the M20 is a long way away as it takes time. The upgrading of the twin track from Limerick Junction to Colbert Station can be done within two to four years.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: Yes. Running the railway to Shannon Airport will cost, because we have to go through Cratloe and Sixmilebridge and it is expensive when one is building on new ground. We have discussed putting a station in Corbally and Moyross and, to my mind, the 100 plus ha that one could develop around the railway station, close to Thomond Park and Limerick Institute of Technology would provide the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I guess at some stage I had better finish up, Chairman.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy may be correct. We do need to look at review of the National Transport Authority, NTA, and TII. I have always found the sort of inter-relationship between those organisations to be slightly strange. TII is very efficient at delivering infrastructure and, to my mind, it should, therefore, get on with it in terms of the various roads programmes we have discussed but also,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: It does have to be reviewed constantly to ensure there is no overlap or false synergies. On the issue of the 51% targets, they are challenging beyond compare, as I stated, because transport emissions have been increasing historically and the distance travelled has increased. We could go further with electric vehicles but that would require incredible change in terms of purchasing habits....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I think it is possible but it will require change beyond compare, particularly in terms of a modal shift and the reduced amount of travel we will do.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I presume the Deputy is referring to the former Minister, Deputy Naughten. There was a press release in that regard which has informed the Deputy of our latest thinking on that issue. I was not sure whether I could mention it earlier. I agree with the Deputy there is a real issue. There was an interim agreement between the post offices and An Post. As I mentioned, Turlough O'Donnell...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: It is about looking at a variety of public services, particularly State services that we could develop to assist the business case of post offices.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Consultation on the National Development Plan (Resumed): Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport (9 Mar 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I have not, but I think the western rail corridor will feature in the wider rail review. Going back to the Chairman's remarks in respect of connectivity on the west coast, I see the western rail corridor running, in effect, from Waterford right the way up to Ballina. To get to Letterkenny would be another step, but why not think big? We have the line running up to------