Results 1,781-1,800 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: Since my appointment last year, I have met with the management of Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus as well as the CIE unions and ICTU and representatives of the private bus industry on the reform of the bus market. It remains my intention to establish an independent national public transport procurement and regulatory body to, inter alia, procure socially necessary bus services, license commercial...

Written Answers — Light Rail Projects: Light Rail Projects (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26, 73 and 131 together. The programme for Government contains a specific commitment to develop a metro for Dublin with a link to Dublin Airport. The Railway Procurement Agency has submitted to my Department a detailed business case for a metro from the city centre to Dublin Airport while Iarnród Éireann submitted proposals last July for an integrated rail...

Written Answers — State Airports: State Airports (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: I welcome the recently announced Aer Lingus results for 2004 which show a solid financial performance for the year at the operational level with an operating profit of €96.3 million. The provision of €102.5 million for restructuring costs gives a net profit of €1.2 million for the year. Significant developments during the year include further reductions in costs, the introduction of a...

Written Answers — Rail Network: Rail Network (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28, 38 and 44 together. Iarnród Éireann has submitted a business case to my Department for the development of a greater Dublin integrated rail network aimed at meeting the projected demand for rail services into the future. Included in the business case are proposals to: construct a new rail station in the city centre; provide an interconnector tunnel...

Written Answers — Rail Network: Rail Network (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: The scheduling and timetabling of trains is an operational issue for Iarnród Éireann. I understand from Iarnród Éireann that commuter business from Carlow and Athy to Dublin is continuing to increase and the company hopes to improve rail service frequency further on the route when additional rolling stock is introduced in stages over the next three years. The planning, design and...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: The planning, design and implementation of national road improvement projects is a matter for the National Roads Authority, NRA, and the local authorities concerned. As consideration by the NRA of the proposal for a Dublin outer orbital route is at an early stage the information requested by the Deputy is not available. The NRA is arranging to carry out further studies on the proposal taking...

Written Answers — Air Services: Air Services (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: The Irish Aviation Authority, IAA, provides air traffic control and communications services to aircraft which pass through Irish controlled airspace —en-route— and aircraft landing and taking off from Irish airports — terminal. Only a small proportion of military flights through Irish administered airspace actually pass through Irish sovereign airspace. Irish administered airspace...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: The planning, design and implementation of national road improvement projects, including a Dublin outer orbital route, is a matter for the National Roads Authority, NRA, and the local authorities concerned. The NRA is undertaking further studies on the Dublin outer orbital route taking account, inter alia, of the national spatial strategy, the regional planning guidelines and the planning and...

Written Answers — Semi-State Bodies: Semi-State Bodies (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 34, 61 and 132 together. Since becoming Minister for Transport, my focus has been to move forward to achieve clarity on the future of Aer Lingus as soon as possible. The key driver for this is to ensure that Aer Lingus continues to make a valuable contribution to the economic and tourism development of the country. To achieve this, I believe that the airline...

Written Answers — Rail Network: Rail Network (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: Iarnród Éireann, in conjunction with Meath and Fingal County Councils, recently completed a feasibility study into the possibility of providing a spur off the Maynooth line at Clonsilla to Pace on the N3 beyond Dunboyne. I understand that the provision of a park and ride site at Pace to cater for Navan traffic has been included in the feasibility study. I am aware that Iarnród Éireann is...

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: I have been informed by Bus Éireann that the company paid over €71 million to sub-contractors in 2004. The bulk of this figure was payment to rurally based private operators who were sub-contracted to provide school transport services nationwide to pupils in rural areas and those with special needs. Bus Éireann is responsible for the management and provision of the school transport scheme...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: The National Roads Authority, NRA, completed a preliminary design and financial study of an eastern bypass of Dublin city in 2002 and a copy was submitted to my Department. The further development of the proposals will be considered in the context of the multi-annual transport investment plan currently being prepared by my Department. Given the likely scale and cost of any proposals —€1.4...

Written Answers — Rail Network: Rail Network (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: Over the last two years my Department agreed with Iarnród Éireann the memoranda of understanding, MOU, which, as well as accounting for public expenditure, provide a reporting structure for performance indicators from the company. They contain targets on service quantity and quality as well as detailed financial reporting requirements. The contents of the memoranda and the targets therein...

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: Proposals have been made recently by the Shannon Airport Authority, Shannon Development Authority and the Mid-West Regional Authority regarding rollout of key infrastructural projects in the Shannon airport catchment area. I am aware also that it is the view of the board of the Shannon Airport Authority that there needs to be a complementary programme of this nature to underpin an independent...

Written Answers — Parking Regulations: Parking Regulations (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: The offence of illegally parking in a disabled persons' parking bay currently comes within the scope of the on-the-spot fines system. The amount of the on-the-spot fine applicable to this offence is €19, which is the level that applies to the majority of parking offences. Where a person does not pay the on-the-spot fine and is subsequently convicted in court of the said offence, he or she...

Written Answers — Ministerial Meetings: Ministerial Meetings (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: I have had two meetings with representatives of NTR — on 17 February 2005 and 5 May 2005. Both meetings dealt with the issue of congestion at the Westlink bridge and the options for a speedy transition to barrier free tolling. In the course of both meetings I emphasised the critical importance of moving to barrier free tolling as quickly as possible. Following the 5 May meeting, at which...

Written Answers — Light Rail Projects: Light Rail Projects (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 47 and 55 together. Responsibility for the development of specific proposals for the expansion of the Luas network lies with the Railway Procurement Agency, RPA. The RPA is currently advancing plans for extensions of Luas to the docklands and Cherrywood and my Department is awaiting business plans from the RPA in order to assist in its evaluation of both...

Written Answers — Aviation Strategy: Aviation Strategy (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: As a result of the full liberalisation of the European aviation market in the 1990s, there are no longer any Government or EU controls on market access in the Irish aviation market. This influences my overall approach to that market. Liberalisation of the European air transport sector has ensured that fares, routes and frequency of services operated by carriers at all airports on the island...

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: I have been advised by Dublin Bus that the total number of buses in its fleet for each year since 2001 is 1,062 buses. In this period, the company has replaced mini and single deck buses with higher capacity double deck buses, thus increasing the passenger carrying capacity of its fleet by nearly 25%. I understand the company intends to purchase 70 new replacement buses in 2005. These new...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (12 May 2005)

Martin Cullen: The Dublin Port tunnel project was developed by Dublin City Council, and the National Roads Authority, NRA. As a major new addition to the road infrastructure in the Dublin area, the port tunnel will provide a high quality access route for heavy goods vehicles getting to and from Dublin Port and will improve traffic flow in the city for freight distributors and other port-related traffic. The...