Results 26,221-26,240 of 32,960 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Seanad: Public Transport Bill 2015: Second Stage (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Senator asked if the legislative basis for congestion charge already exists. This Bill does not create the ability to do it. Most of the discussion on congestion charging and multi-point tolling focuses on the M50. I have said that until we substantially expand our public transport capacity, we would not be in favour of changing that and introducing a new tolling regime. Given that, I...

Seanad: Public Transport Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Representatives of the NTA and Bus Éireann appeared before the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications in recent weeks to discuss the current provision of services. I am not aware of the specific issue the Senator has mentioned. I will ask the NTA and Bus Éireann to provide me an update as to what is happening and I will furnish that to the Senator.

Seanad: Public Transport Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I am well aware of the Senator's point.The challenge we have is that the cost of the buses to which the Senator refers is multiples of that relating to the vehicles we can access which are diesel-powered but which are considerably cleaner and more efficient than they have been in the past. I have engaged with Dublin Bus on this matter and it is considering all kinds of measures to make its...

Seanad: Public Transport Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: It would amount to multiples of the cost. We are considering the matter very closely with Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann to see what further progress can be made. With regard to the overall public transport network, the answers are obvious but still worth stating. We must try to make our buses as environmentally friendly as possible. Services such as the Luas and a metro could have a...

Seanad: Public Transport Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The short answer is that it absolutely is being considered.

Seanad: Public Transport Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The Senator mentioned the latter point on Second Stage. I have worked with the National Transport Authority on this and the Senator makes a fair point in saying that the greatest use of transport services occurs in the evenings and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. We cannot deal with this legislatively but it is a matter of making the right resources and funding available directly to...

Seanad: Public Transport Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I have not yet received the correspondence but I will inquire about it. I am sure it is on its way to me. I assume the funding referred to by the Senator is the TEN-T funding stream. In my experience of dealing with TEN-T funding, the criteria tend to be carefully set by the European Commission. When I receive the letter, I will respond to the committee. The State faces a challenge in...

Seanad: Public Transport Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank Senators for their contribution to this debate and for facilitating the speedy passage of the Bill. This legislation is very broad and contains many different pieces but experience has taught me that unless one takes the opportunity to update items of legislation as experience demands it, one inevitably pays a larger price later on. This Bill seeks to do so and I again thank all the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Departmental Staff Retirements (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: ​As my Department has not received any objections from civil servants who were retiring on reaching age 65 years, I cannot provide any of the detailed information requested by the Deputy. I have asked the non-commercial State Agencies under the aegis of my Department to provide the Deputy with the information requested. If the Deputy does not receive a reply from the agencies within...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motor Insurance Regulation (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 193 and 194 together. My responsibilities, as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, with respect to motor insurance, are limited to the requirement under the Road Traffic Acts relating to compulsory insurance for drivers of mechanically propelled vehicles.  I have no role regarding legislation concerning the matter raised, or for the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Roads Maintenance Funding (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: ​The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources supplemented by State road grants.  The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2016: Committee Stage (26 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Senator for tabling this and other amendments. I acknowledge the point he has made, which follows on from the issue he raised on Second Stage in respect of his concern about legislation that has been enacted by the Houses of the Oireachtas but then not commenced, often for many years. The reason the Road Traffic Acts generally state that provisions "commence on the day or days...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2016: Committee Stage (26 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Senators for their different points. On Senator O'Neill's last point, NG is an anagram. As regards the prescribed substances that are there at the moment, the consequence of this law, if it is enacted, is that for those particular drugs the presence of the drug within the system means the users should not drive. The purpose of this law, therefore, is only to look at road...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2016: Committee Stage (26 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank Senators for their contributions. I agree with most of what has been said. As Senator Mooney said, 20 km/h is slow. I offer my continued sympathy to Jake Brennan’s family. When the Jake’s Legacy Campaign began, it sought mandatory implementation of this speed limit via a directive from the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. I believed then, as I believe now,...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2016: Committee Stage (26 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Just to pick up on something the Senator has said for the record of the House, he made the point that the UK is looking at miles per hour, whereas we of course are looking at kilometres per hour. It is a really important distinction as there was a campaign in place more broadly about the concept of "20 is plenty". That figure of 20 referred to miles per hour whereas we are implementing...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2016: Committee Stage (26 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Senators. I admire the ability of Senator Barrett to look at all the different pieces of legislation that are coming through and to see if there is an opportunity to progress matters about which he feels strongly.Of course he is correct, as is Senator O'Neill, to be concerned about the fact that insurance premia are going up. As Minister who has responsibility for road safety it...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2016: Committee Stage (26 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: The power to which the Senator refers already exists under section 40 of the Road Traffic Act 1961. The Senator is correct to say the Garda need to have the power to require production of a driving licence but that power already exists under section 40 of that Act.

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2016: Committee Stage (26 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: I would not say to the Senator that this is always a matter that is addressed because it is always something we have to keep under review. The provision is in the 1961 Act giving the Garda the power required for the production of a driving licence. I should say in regard to the Senator's amendment, sections of the Bill focus primarily on cyclists. An unintended consequence of this would be...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2016: Committee Stage (26 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: Ireland's commercial vehicle road worthiness testing, CVRT, regime is fully in compliance with European Union roadworthiness testing directive 2009/40/EC and operates within a framework of EU legislation which stipulates the testing standards for member states in regard to various categories of vehicles. In accordance with current EU requirements, not all trailers are required to be...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2016: Committee Stage (26 Jan 2016)

Paschal Donohoe: In regard to Senator Mooney's question on cycling, it is in recognition of the risks outlined by the Senator that last year, I made the decision to allow fixed charge notices to be applicable to a number of offences relating to the use of a bicycle. Two of the offences relate to a cyclist riding a pedal cycle without reasonable consideration and with having no front lamp or rear lamp being...