Results 20,161-20,180 of 21,042 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: State Bodies Expenditure (27 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: Both the Minister, Deputy Leo Varadkar, and I, with the Department, are in regular contact with CIE and its subsidiaries on the current and future financial situation of the group. The Department, supported by NewERA, has engaged extensively with CIE on its financial and business planning. CIE's draft annual report and financial statements for 2012...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Taxi Regulations (27 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 47 together. The regulation of the taxi industry, including issues pertaining to vehicle age limit, is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the Public Transport Regulation Act, 2009. The NTA is the lead agency with responsibility for implementation of the recommendations of the Taxi Regulation Review Report 2011. The...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rural Transport Services Provision (27 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: Since 1st April 2012 responsibility for managing the Rural Transport Programme has been assigned to the National Transport Authority (NTA) as part of new arrangements for integrated local and rural transport approved by Government in January 2012. Currently, the Programme is administered by Pobal in conjunction with the NTA as part of the Programme transition. Thirty-five groups covering...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Taxi Regulations (27 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: Earlier this month I met with the Irish Taxi Forum, representing taxi driver’s interests, concerning the Taxi Regulation Bill 2012. At the meeting the Taxi Forum raised a number of matters including an appeals process regarding decisions of the National Transport Authority, representation by the industry on the Taxi Advisory Committee, vehicle licence transfer, and...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rural Transport Services Provision (27 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: Since 1 April 2012, responsibility for managing the Rural Transport Programme (RTP) has been assigned to the National Transport Authority (NTA) as part of new arrangements for integrated local and rural transport approved by the Government in January 2012. The Programme is managed by Pobal in conjunction with the NTA as part of the Programme transition. Thirty-five groups covering...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Taxi Regulations (27 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: The regulation of the taxi industry is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the Public Transport Regulation Act, 2009 and the NTA is also the lead agency with responsibility for implementation of the recommendations of the Taxi Regulation Review Report 2011, including the implementation of the new taxi driver check smartphone app. I have referred your question to...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Taxi Regulations (27 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry, including issues relating to the SPSV driver identification, is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the Public Transport Regulation Act, 2009. I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within 10 working days.

Topical Issue Debate: Driving Licence Issues (26 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: I do not doubt the Deputy's sincerity in raising the issue. Unfortunately, in some cases where modernisation happens, disintermediation occurs in various sectors, of which this is a small example. The RSA which is conducting this process has its own good reasons, from a technological point of view, for wanting to deal with photographs in this way. I will not second-guess it, but I will...

Topical Issue Debate: Driving Licence Issues (26 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: I welcome the opportunity to address this matter, which I am taking on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar. Many Deputies have raised questions regarding photo capture under the new national driver licensing service run by the Road Safety Authority. This is a good opportunity to address the detail of the matter. The factual basis of what...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Taxi Regulations (26 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry, including vehicle standards, is a matter for the NTA under the Public Transport Regulation Act, 2009.  I answered a similar Question on the 12th of March relating to the person in question. I am informed by the NTA that it communicated a response on the 19th of March directly to the Deputy who...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport (26 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility to develop, procure, implement, operate and maintain the integrated ticketing Leap card system in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA). In addition, the Authority’s remit in relation to integrated ticketing has been extended to the rest of the State. I understand that the NTA and the Department of Social Protection...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rural Transport Services Provision (26 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: Since 1st April 2012, responsibility for managing the Rural Transport Programme (RTP) has been assigned to the National Transport Authority (NTA) as part of new arrangements for integrated local and rural transport approved by the Government in January 2012. The RTP is managed by Pobal in conjunction with the NTA as part of the Programme transition. Thirty-five groups covering...

Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Code (20 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: I am taking the debate on behalf of the Minister for Social Protection. Self-employed persons are liable for PRSI at the class S rate of 4%, which entitles them to access long-term benefits such as State pension, contributory, and widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's pension, contributory. Ordinary employees who have access to the full range of social insurance benefits pay class...

Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Code (20 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: I have raised the issue with the Minister for Social Production and as the Deputy is aware, a working group is engaged on the issue. The work in this regard is quite extensive and is being carried out in a structured fashion. Given the financial aid programme in which the State finds itself, consideration obviously must be given for that and therefore a defined structure must be gone...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (20 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: Amendments Nos. 15 and 16 are designed to reduce the rehabilitation period for fines from two years to one year for a fine of €5,000 or less, or, for a fine of more than €5,000, from three years to two years. This is a matter of judgment, similar to many other parts of the Bill, and it may need to be reviewed in years to come. At this point we will not be accepting the...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (20 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: I am aware that some of that work is quite good. It is important to bear in mind that a good deal of this comes down to judgment. We will have to review this in the future based on the empirical data that will arise a as result of the analysis carried out over several years. We will learn from that. There is political coming together on the issue and it is the common-sense thing to do....

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (20 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: Section 2(4), which was inserted in the Seanad, provides for where a person gets more than one conviction in respect of one incident, then it can be treated as one order of conviction. In the case study the Deputy just outlined, Conor will be covered by the legislation.

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (20 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: It means with a spent conviction, they can apply for employment they may not have previously considered. It also gives people a second chance. We all know of cases whereby people have done foolish and silly things when they were young. Within certain conditions, this will give them a clean slate and allow them to operate like everyone else. There are certain provisions which exempt such...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (20 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: Yes.

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (20 Mar 2013)

Alan Kelly: There are different arrangements with different jurisdictions. In the majority of cases, one has to divulge that information. By and large, it depends on what the jurisdiction considers.