Results 19,741-19,760 of 26,157 for speaker:Kieran O'Donnell

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Éireann and Bus Átha Cliath: Chairpersons Designate (5 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: And that hedging was done in December 2021.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Éireann and Bus Átha Cliath: Chairpersons Designate (5 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: One must acknowledge prudent management. That was very good management.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Éireann and Bus Átha Cliath: Chairpersons Designate (5 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Does that enable Bus Éireann to maintain fares at the current rates? Does Ms Hughes see fare increases or that they would be maintained at the current rate?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Éireann and Bus Átha Cliath: Chairpersons Designate (5 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Is there any way that Bus Éireann would be able to allow some of its hedged fuels to be used on those routes for school transport? There is a situation where Bus Éireann will run some of the routes. There are quite a lot of school bus services out of Limerick. The staff are excellent. We deal with them virtually daily. They are always trying to be accommodating. There might be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Éireann and Bus Átha Cliath: Chairpersons Designate (5 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Those drivers came before us recently. Guests from the Irish Coach Drivers Association were witnesses to the committee. They are struggling badly with school bus runs and they were looking at particular measures that could be brought in. It is something we are following up on with the Minister. Is there active engagement between Bus Éireann, the bus drivers and the Department?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Éireann and Bus Átha Cliath: Chairpersons Designate (5 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: I would have thought there is something in the fact that CIÉ has been so prudent that it has a contract for school transport. I know Bus Éireann is administering it apart from the Department of Education. Maybe it is something Bus Éireann could look into. One aspect would be to see if some benefit from hedging could be given to the private school bus operators and more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Éireann and Bus Átha Cliath: Chairpersons Designate (5 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: I ask Ms Hughes to repeat that last point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Éireann and Bus Átha Cliath: Chairpersons Designate (5 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: I appreciate that but I suspect that they are all near enough. It is a mechanism that should be looked at.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Éireann and Bus Átha Cliath: Chairpersons Designate (5 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: We have been having difficulties with our connections but I will try to get Deputy Carey or Senator Dooley in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Éireann and Bus Átha Cliath: Chairpersons Designate (5 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Is Mr. Owens there? We cannot get through to him. In the circumstances we will conclude. Ms Hughes has given a good account. We might follow up with her on queries that members may have.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Éireann and Bus Átha Cliath: Chairpersons Designate (5 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Great. I thank the witnesses, particularly Ms Hughes, for attending and for the engagement with the committee. We will follow up and write to the Minister to confirm that Ms Hughes has been before us. We wish Ms Hughes well in her formal application.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Business of Joint Committee (6 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Apologies have been received from Deputy Duncan Smith and Senator Craughwell. I propose that we go into private session to deal with some housekeeping issues. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Infrastructure Ireland Projects and Related Issues: Discussion (6 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: The purpose of the meeting today is to receive an update from Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, on its projects and related issues. On behalf of the committee, I welcome Mr. Peter Walsh, chief executive, and Mr. Nigel O'Neill, director of the capital programme. They are both very welcome and I thank them for their forbearance. All witnesses are reminded of the long-standing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Infrastructure Ireland Projects and Related Issues: Discussion (6 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: There is clearly an issue in this area. In layman’s terms, this is a fixed-price contract for 24 months and there is no inflation link within the first two years of a contract. Typically, how long would a contractor, being the preferred tenderer, put in that tender for the contract prior to starting it? Could one be looking at three, four or five years of, in essence, a fixed-price...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Infrastructure Ireland Projects and Related Issues: Discussion (6 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: June of what year?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Infrastructure Ireland Projects and Related Issues: Discussion (6 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: But TII had a preferred tenderer selected in the previous December.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Infrastructure Ireland Projects and Related Issues: Discussion (6 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: So TII could bring it back six months, to perhaps June of 2021 prices?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Infrastructure Ireland Projects and Related Issues: Discussion (6 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: We are talking about December 2020 if we go to June-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Infrastructure Ireland Projects and Related Issues: Discussion (6 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: To June 2021.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Infrastructure Ireland Projects and Related Issues: Discussion (6 Apr 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Had any physical work started on the N5 contract? Mr. Walsh was talking about December, so let us bring it up to December 2021, so one is then looking at two years from that date, I presume. This then brings one up to December 2024. Mr. Walsh is talking about where the contractor put the price in in December 2020, which ends up as four years fixed.