Results 1-20 of 5,083 for speaker:Seán Canney

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Bus Services (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: I will get to the good part for the Deputy. Many communities have benefited from the first direct connection to the likes of UCD from the Long Mile Road, Crumlin hospital, Ballyfermot, Cherry Orchard, Rathgar and Milltown on the S4, and Firhouse Road, Cherryfield and Templeogue on the S6 route. The Deputy asked about the S6. It will move to a high-frequency timetable to improve...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Taxi Regulations (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: As I mentioned in my opening statement, the regulation of the SPSV industry, including the setting of fares, is a matter for the independent transport regulator. It is also important to say that taxi fixed price is a new trip option recently introduced by Uber in Ireland, whereby passengers see a single maximum price for a trip before requesting it. I understand the Uber fixed price is also...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Taxi Regulations (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: It is but I do not think that whatever is being done at present is breaching regulations. It is using the pricing structures to bring down the price a bit, which customers will think is great but in the long term we need to have a sustainable taxi industry. This is why we set increases through the regulator, so that people can make a living from it. Being a taxi driver is not the easiest...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Bus Services (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: I thank Deputy Ahern for raising this important issue. It is following the theme of lots of tonight's priority and oral questions during Question Time. I am taking this issue on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, who is in Brazil. I want to clarify that the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. However, neither the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Taxi Regulations (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for raising this. Neither the Minister for Transport nor his Department are involved in the day-to-day operation of the small public service vehicle, SPSV, sector. The National Transport Authority, NTA, the independent transport regulator, has responsibility for setting taxi fares under the provisions of the Consolidated Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016. I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Transport Policy (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: I thank the Deputy for asking this very important question. Based on large-scale surveys and analysis from the NTA's Walking and Cycling Index 2023 for Ireland’s five metropolitan areas - Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick-Shannon, and Waterford - active travel is delivering significant environmental benefits nationally. Walking, wheeling and cycling in these metropolitan areas remove...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Transport Policy (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: As I said, large-scale surveys were carried out in 2023. That is what we have at this stage. When we are investing money in active travel we want to make sure before we start that it will actually deliver what it says on the tin and we want to see afterwards if we got the necessary outputs. That is the same for every infrastructure project we carry out. There is an assessment carried out...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Transport Policy (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: From the surveys and data I have given the Deputy, I am convinced we are reducing CO2 emissions. In my own opinion, having been talking about this issue for the past hour and a half, when we put in active travel measures we need to talk about having effective public transport. We have an integrated transport travel system that will give an experience to pedestrians, cyclists and people...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rail Network (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: I thank the Deputy for the question. It is important we discuss the all-island rail review, for which I have overall responsibility. I have a passion for rail and think it is important we restore as many of the lines as possible and do as many of the connections we can, especially in the west and north west where rail is lacking, and in the Deputy's constituency. I met some people in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rail Network (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: I accept what Deputy Heneghan is saying in that we have to have public engagement when we are carrying out works so people know what is going on. The Deputy might send to my office what the issues and problems are and what the stations are. He mentioned Kilbarrack there. It says here line-marking and nosing of stairwell and it talks about surface repairs but, if the Deputy sends me the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rail Network (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: I thank the Deputy very much for raising the question. I assure him my Department and the agencies that work under it are all fully aware of the need to ensure we have a transport system designed for all users and accessible to everyone. We have made progress in this regard in recent years, but still there is a lot to be done. We are committed to that work in the years ahead to deliver on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rail Network (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: I am just looking here at information for the Howth station. Some general maintenance and cyclical work are being carried out, including line marking and nosing on stairwells. An anti-slip surface will be placed on all stairwells. Access to all platforms via lifts or stairs is the accessibility element. On the Deputy's specific question of what Iarnród Éireann did before it...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: State Bodies (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: My Department has 19 agencies in total, 12 commercial and seven non-commercial, which have either a CEO or commissioner running the organisation. All CEO and commissioner contracts under the aegis of my Department have terms and conditions based on sanction received from the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. All CEO salaries and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: State Bodies (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: First, the salary increases are in line with the aegis of the Department of public expenditure and reform and the guidelines set out by it. It is important to say that salaries of CEOs are in line with the responsibilities they take on. They vary from agency to agency, depending on the responsibility they have, the number of people working in the organisation and all that goes with that....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: State Bodies (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: The Deputy talked about the minimum wage but the minimum wage was increased in the budget. It is important to keep a balance on the discussion. When it comes to people at senior management level, you are trying to make sure that we get the best value for money. In the context of the Department of Transport, as billions of euro are being invested in transport, that is important. Every...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Transport (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: With next generation ticketing, there is much to take into account, since the scope of what it will deliver covers all public services, buses, trams and train stations, including bus validators, ticket machines, ticket vending machines, station gates, tram and train platform validators, and an account-based ticketing solution delivered on modern cloud-hosting technology. It is important to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Transport (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: I will have to check that out for the Deputy and see what plans there are. When we are introducing a new system like this, as has often been seen in the past, if it is not done right, it can cause huge problems and there can be significant anxiety and frustration when the system is not working right. The idea is to introduce a small number of bus, tram and train validators, test them and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: I thank the Deputy for his support and offer because working together is how we will improve safety. I will be talking to my officials about the evidence that has come back since the regulations were brought in in 2024 to see whether patterns have been seen. However, I believe there is a huge lack of understanding of what an e-scooter can do, the power it has and the speed it can go at. We...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: The Department of Transport's annual capital allocations from 2026 to 2030 were confirmed in the review of the national development plan published by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation in July. In recognition of the importance of advancing projects in the transport sector, of the €102.4 billion allocated across Government...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Development Plan (18 Nov 2025)

Seán Canney: The PSO has been increasing. Why? It is because public transport services are increasing, demand is increasing and we are providing more services. Under the national development plan review, there was a reset of the money available for the PSO. I am satisfied that there is enough money there to meet the existing PSOs and for further development when we publish the new scheme. It is...