Results 15,821-15,840 of 27,080 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Taxi Regulations (12 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 56. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will report on plans in the taxi industry to introduce ride-sharing; his recommendations for regulating same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6721/19]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Taxi Regulations (12 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Before Christmas, a significant number of taxi drivers contacted me regarding their concerns at plans by parts of the taxi industry to introduce a taxi ride-sharing scheme. The taxi drivers believe the scheme could cause significant difficulty, particularly in terms of passenger and driver safety, and would massively disrupt the taxi business. What knowledge does the Minister have of this...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Taxi Regulations (12 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am all for proper regulation of the industry. We should keep Uber out because users of that service do not know who their driver will be or whether the vehicle will be safe or properly regulated. However, that is not the issue I wish to raise. My question regards a proposal by Mytaxi to bring in a ride-share scheme. If there is a big queue at a taxi rank late at night and one proposes...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Taxi Regulations (12 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: What is the role of the Minister in terms of preserving the livelihood of taxi drivers and passenger safety?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Taxi Regulations (12 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It was a throwaway remark.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Taxi Regulations (12 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am glad to hear that. I ask the Minister to look into the matter further and send out a clear message that what would be a very dramatic change with potentially very negative consequences will not be allowed and that any such proposal will be thoroughly investigated and weighed up and the subject of proper public consultation. Broadly speaking, we should not allow ride-sharing because it...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Taxi Regulations (12 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I will take Deputy Gino Kenny's question.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Taxi Regulations (12 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It has.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disabilities Data (12 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Ten years after we promised to do so, we passed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It is good to have an aspiration although, noticeably, we ducked out of the proper option on monitoring. To what extent will the Minister ensure this is made a reality in terms of access to public transport for the disabled and the disability-proofing of public transport?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disabilities Data (12 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Very simply, if a wheelchair user is trying to get on the DART, he or she will face extreme difficulty in many cases. He or she must give advance notice. At some stations, one simply cannot get on. One certainly has to give very significant advance notice. This unfortunate, unequal and discriminatory situation suffered by people with disabilities has been exacerbated by the removal of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disabilities Data (12 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: On one level, that is an improvement. I acknowledge improvements where they exist, just as I acknowledge the belated but nonetheless welcome signing of the UN convention. This is undermined, however, when decisions are made to reduce staff numbers or remove staff at DART stations or other areas. Often, the real assistance needed to ensure access is from a human being working in public...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disabilities Data (12 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: That is why staff are needed in the train stations.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport Fares (12 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 65. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has investigated or plans to investigate a similar move here in view of the decision of Luxemburg to introduce free public transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6722/19]

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Medical Services Scheme (12 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 353. To ask the Minister for Health the reason a person with a full medical card is charged for blood tests in a general practitioner surgery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6328/19]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Emergency Departments Services (12 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 459. To ask the Minister for Health the reason the accident and emergency department in St. Michael's Hospital, Dún Laoghaire, cannot accept an ambulance after 6 p.m. despite the fact it is open until 8 p.m.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6801/19]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (12 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 725. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the steps a person should take who does not qualify for a social welfare payment due to his or her spouse's earnings although they are estranged but compelled to live under the same roof due to the housing crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6749/19]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Children and Family Services Provision (13 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 32. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the fact that there are no assurances of the necessary funding which makes it likely that a service (details supplied) will have to close by April 2019 with the loss of six jobs and numerous clients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7149/19]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Children and Family Services Provision (13 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The Minister is very familiar with this case; I asked her about it several times since the middle of last year. I asked that she would do what she could to secure the necessary funding to avert what is now the imminent closure of the Cottage Home family support service in Shankill, which provides vital intervention and support services for vulnerable families and children to keep them out of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Children and Family Services Provision (13 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I do not doubt that the Minister has tried, but I just do not understand this. Hundreds of millions of euro have been wasted on the national children's hospital, and we are looking for €400,000 to keep a service that we know works. It provides support for 50 vulnerable families and their children, which saves the State a lot of money down the road. If this service is closed, and the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Children and Family Services Provision (13 Feb 2019)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I do not doubt that the Minister has made efforts and I know she knows the value of this. However, in that context, I find it shocking that, although the Minister knows the service should not close, the service is going to close, almost certainly, in April, because €400,000 cannot be found. How many Supplementary Estimates have we had for health in current and capital spending?...