Results 2,141-2,160 of 9,052 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: The Deputy is correct in that it is a priority for the Government to ensure the transfer happens as quickly as possible. A huge amount of work has been done on this in the Department of Transport working with the Departments of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and Housing, Local Government and Heritage to secure that transfer. I do not need to tell the Members that it is...

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

Hildegarde Naughton: All soon as possible.

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

Hildegarde Naughton: This is critical for the long-term viability of those heritage sites. I am probably as frustrated as the Deputy sometimes with the pace of this but every effort is happening across government, between the Departments of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Public Expenditure and Reform and, certainly, Transport, which was the lead on this. We realise the importance of this transferring....

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

Hildegarde Naughton: I assure the Deputy that everything is being progressed as quickly as possible. I would love to give him a date but particularly in relation to Shannon Heritage, a huge amount of work is happening behind the scenes. I will relay those points on the NTA and TII to the Minister. It is under his remit in the Department. I do take the Deputy's points.

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

Hildegarde Naughton: This is the exact reason I wanted to have that mid-term review of the regional airports programme so that those exact points of view can be put forward and feed into this issues paper, which will form part of the consultation process. Yes, we need to look at our regional airports programme as it functions in this new world we are now in and -----

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

Hildegarde Naughton: My door is open. I will not make up policy on the hoof here but we do need to make sure there is a rebalancing of air traffic going into the regions. I am open about how that is done. The issues paper will lay out the terms for the public consultation. By feeding into what needs to be asked as part of that public consultation on the regional airports programme, it will give the committee,...

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

Hildegarde Naughton: The consultation will take six to eight weeks. We would not start the consultation on 1 January, for example. We would go into the month of January and also give the committee time to hold hearings on the issues paper, if it wants to.

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

Hildegarde Naughton: People can do that now.

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

Hildegarde Naughton: I was on the media over the weekend. There is an email address, airportsdivision@transport.gov.ie, to which people can email their ideas.

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

Hildegarde Naughton: Yes.

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

Hildegarde Naughton: We can look into that. I am aware the committee wants to hold hearings and feed into this. I do not want to rush it; I want it to be meaningful.

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

Hildegarde Naughton: I will take those points on board.

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

Hildegarde Naughton: It will.

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

Hildegarde Naughton: On the timing, the Department is looking into how best to proceed. I would like to start with the regional airports programme because the glaring issue for Ireland is the regions. We saw that during the summer.

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

Hildegarde Naughton: They are.

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

Hildegarde Naughton: On that exact point, we have introduced a new eligibility criterion whereby airports get funding, under the regional airports programme, for sustainability projects, including those related to electric vehicles, fire engines and emissions reduction. All that is part of it. This will all feed into a new regional airports programme and, therefore, there are sustainability objectives. This is...

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

Hildegarde Naughton: I have had regular meetings with the RSA on this. We all know about the backlog owing to Covid. Everything needs to be done by the RSA to ensure it is recruiting driving testers. It has to have an open procurement process because it is part of EU law.

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

Hildegarde Naughton: Considerable pressure is being put on the RSA by the Department and me to deal with the backlogs. There is a priority list whereby people can apply to get a driving test at shorter notice if under pressure. However, I too am unhappy about the backlog. The RSA is recruiting. We are in regular contact with the authority.

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

Hildegarde Naughton: Earlier this year, the RSA conducted a review of the current needs of the driving test service. It recommended raising the number of permanent driver testers employed by it from 100 to 130. The Department approved that in June 2022, subject to the condition that the new testers would be recruited by open competition. The criterion on open competition is EU law. The recruitment process was...