Results 2,041-2,060 of 8,928 for speaker:Hildegarde Naughton

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: I will come back to the Deputy on that. Is that okay? It is the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan's side of the house.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: Is the Chair referring to the open recruitment?

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: After considering the RSA's request, the Department gave its approval in June 2022, subject to the condition that the new testers were to be recruited as part of an open competition. Under EU law, they had to be recruited through an open competition.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: I know but we have to adhere to EU law.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: I will double-check whether the RSA came back to the Department in respect of the 30 testers following that open competition and revert to the committee on the issue. I acknowledge members' concerns. I am not here to defend the RSA in any shape or form. There are high-level meetings in which the Department and I put pressure on the RSA to ensure it can reduce the backlog. I commit to...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: I am following up on that. I have been working on licence exchange agreements between different countries. A substantial amount of work has been done behind the scenes with Argentina, North Macedonia and Moldova. Prior to the war in Ukraine, we were looking at Ukrainian haulage drivers. As a result of work at EU level, there is now a training course Ukrainian HGV drivers can do to be...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: We will have a similar scheme to help licensed hauliers with their fuel costs. As the Deputy said, €15 million was allocated for a temporary support scheme earlier in the year, and I am planning something similar. Those details are being worked out. I am in regular contact with the IRHA on how that will work. I hope to make an announcement on that before Christmas.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: Just before the Deputy came in, I made the point that I am carrying out our mid-term review of the regional airports programme to do just that. We have opened up consultation on how we can have more balanced regional development. That is about driving more traffic through our regional airports with a focus on the regions. I got some feedback from the Chair on the closing date. I am doing...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: I appreciate the point about giving the committee time. I do not want to rush this, but I do not want to put it on the long finger either.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: Yes, that is a good compromise. I take the point that the committee wants to hold hearings and it makes good sense.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: Yes, I will extend it for the Chairman. I appreciate the feedback and I want to work with the committee. I want this to be a robust and useful review. Any input that the committee has if it wants to submit a report or anything-----

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: As of 6 November 2022, 43,292 people were awaiting a test, of whom 3,000 received an open invitation in the past ten days but have not yet used it. Some 15,934 tests have been booked, while a further 24,071 are not eligible to take the test because they have had their permits for less than six months or have not completed their mandatory 12 pre-test driving lessons. Some 47,510 candidate...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: I will have to revert to the Deputy on that point.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: I do not have exact figures but I know that a number of cars will need an NCT come January. There will be no immediate rectification of the NCT waiting list. My Department is meeting on a weekly basis with the RSA in that regard. It is hiring people from Spain to conduct NCTs. It has hired domestically. It is also hiring in the Philippines. In conjunction with the office of the Minister...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: I agree with the Deputy. That is the position of the Government in respect of the timing of these toll increases. The setting of tolls is the statutory responsibility of TII and is not a ministerial responsibility. That said, there is regular engagement, as I am sure the Deputy understands, between the Department and TII on a range of issues. The issue around the tolls would have been...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: I am sure it would have been verbal communication between the Department officials and TII. They engage regularly on a number of issues and that matter would have been raised.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: It would have alerted Department officials.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: It did.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: This is a statutory function of TII. It is not a ministerial responsibility. It was certainly not something I wanted to see during a cost-of-living crisis, when all these measures were being introduced and we were planning a budget. The focus was on putting in place measures for the budget. The focus now is on the three party leaders who are dealing with TII. There is complexity...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Hildegarde Naughton: No. The relevant toll by-laws set out the basis for calculating tolls. It is based on the consumer price index. The Minister has no statutory role in the setting of tolls. The Roads Act sets out that the setting of tolls is the statutory function of TII.