Results 20,421-20,440 of 21,042 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: I understand there was no recoupment of insurance. There was a planning issue with Cusheen station where it was rejected on a technicality. I understand the planning application was resubmitted in September, and that will come through.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: Works have commenced on Oranmore station and we expect that to be completed next year. There was also a question from Deputy Walsh on the 2013 plans for CIE. CIE, as I stated on numerous occasions, is in a perfect storm between loss of revenue, loss of passengers, loss of the fuel rebate, the price of fuel also increasing and the drop in the PSO. As we all will be aware, it is in an...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: No.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: That money is cut off now.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: I will check with the officials. I presume they have been notified.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: As I understand it, yes. That changes with the accession of the new programme. The cut-off has happened. I will check and revert back to the Chairman as regards whether they have been notified. I would presume in normal practice they would have been notified that they had a time period within which to draw down the funding.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: I could not agree more with Deputy O'Mahony. I will check on that and come back to him. If they have not drawn down the funding and if they were planning to draw down funding beyond a certain threshold and then find out that it is over and that has not been communicated, obviously, that would be an issue. I understand from my officials that the funding is no longer available and by its...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: I will come back to the Deputy on it. If there is a particular case about which Deputy O'Mahony is concerned, he might come to me directly and I will ask about it.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: That is a fair question. The position in respect of Irish Rail is quite difficult. The improvements in motorways have greatly affected Irish Rail. It is not just in our area that the rail passenger numbers and revenue are dropping substantially; it is something that is obviously affecting various routes throughout the network. A number of programmes have been introduced to try to improve...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2012
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary) (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: Thank you, Chairman. The term suits you well. This year the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport requires a Supplementary Estimate of €4 million. In addition, a technical adjustment for €32.3 million is also required to reallocate savings between subheads within the Department's Vote 31. Current and capital expenditure savings of €32 million will be reallocated...

Other Questions: Integrated Ticketing (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: That is something we have looked into and we will be looking into it again in future. It would be a worthwhile development. Following the programme we have outlined to get the various services and products on the Leap card we have also investigated in a preliminary way the possibility of the Leap card being used for the bike scheme from a technological point of view and whether this is...

Other Questions: Integrated Ticketing (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: I have no doubt about the sincerity of the Deputy's question but from a practical point of view this will not happen. There is a cost issue, obviously, as well as an equipment issue which would require a complete overhaul of the bus fleet. The bus fleet would have to change, and there is no country in the world which has such a system unless it has doubled its fleet or has a standard fare....

Other Questions: Integrated Ticketing (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: We could introduce such a system if we got down to a common fare across Dublin city and the greater Dublin area. That, however, is not going to happen in the short term. We would have to examine the fleet of buses to allow for tag-on and tag-off. The capital requirements would be so substantial that it would not be practical to introduce such a system. The current system is the best...

Other Questions: Integrated Ticketing (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: In my reply, I outlined how it would not be possible to extend the Leap card scheme within the existing capital requirements. Given the fact that in the next year we will have broken the back of introducing the Leap card across Dublin city and the greater Dublin area, it could then be deployed countrywide, a move that I would very much support. However, it is not going to be achieved at the...

Other Questions: Integrated Ticketing (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 98 and 125 together. The questions relate to the Leap card public transport integrated ticketing system. Responsibility to develop, procure, implement, operate and maintain the integrated ticketing system in the greater Dublin area became the function of the National Transport Authority, NTA, with effect from 30 September 2010 in accordance with section 58...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Transport (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: As I requested, the Deputy might take the opportunity to confirm that he is a user of the Leap card. I encourage every spokesperson on transport to use the card to show leadership from this House. I completely disagree with the Deputy's statement. We are working very closely with CIE which, as the Deputy well knows and as I have outlined to the House on previous occasions, faces a very...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Transport (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: It is ironic that the Deputy raises the issue of fare increases, which are a matter for CIE and the National Transport Authority, when, in preceding years - when times were less challenging than they are now - his party announced large fare increases from this side of the House. CIE is in a perfect storm given the loss of revenue and passengers, the fact that PSO funding has had to be cut...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Transport (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: This question is in regard to the public transport system. My Department and the National Transport Authority are working with public transport operators to increase the efficiency and attractiveness of existing public transport services.  We are not in a financial position to make a significant investment in the public transport network, but we can get a better return from the existing...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Bike Schemes (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: Building on the success of the existing  Dublin Bikes Scheme, my Department has been working closely with the National Transport Authority and has made significant progress both on the expansion of the Dublin Bikes Scheme and on exploring a range of mechanisms to seek to secure public bikes schemes in other cities in the state.    Regarding the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Cycle Facilities (27 Nov 2012)

Alan Kelly: The Government set out its commitment to invest in the National Cycle Policy in the Programme for Government.  The greatest potential for increasing cycling numbers will occur within urban areas as these trips are usually of a distance which lend themselves to cycling.  Bearing this in mind,  my Department has taken a two-pronged approach...