Results 2,761-2,780 of 3,222 for speaker:James O'Connor

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Challenges to Ireland's Competitiveness: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: I have a few questions about the report. What is stated on page 60 is very interesting. It relates to the feedback that has come from employers on the effects of remote working and how it has and has not worked. I wish to delve into that a little. The report states that 44% of managers said it is more difficult to manage their teams remotely compared to those on site, 47% said there was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Challenges to Ireland's Competitiveness: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: That is fascinating. I thank the witnesses.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: I thank Mr. Walsh and his colleagues in TII for coming before the committee, and also Ms Graham and her colleagues from the NTA for being with us. I have had a lot of well-documented involvement with the national development plan process in recent weeks, as I have had some concerns in that regard. First and foremost, I wish to raise the N73 road in north Cork. It is a very significant...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: Is the annual allocation for improvement being used in full this year? Does Mr. Walsh have the funds available to him?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: On page 16 of the document, under national secondary road investment, €1.5 million was allocated at the beginning of this year to commence a €7 million upgrade on the road project. From my conversations with Cork County Council, what happened subsequently, around August-September, is that funding issues arose. What I want to establish is why the €1.5 million is no...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: I must interrupt Mr. Walsh because I am against the clock. He referred to something I wish to pursue with him. He said there is certainty now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: Does that mean this project will advance? Does Mr. Walsh now have the requirement that he needs to spend the €1.5 million that has been allocated and subsequently draw down an additional allocation in the new financial year starting on 1 January 2022?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: What perplexes me is that TII has a budget, it has identified the projects and the people of north Cork thought they were getting €1.5 million spent on upgrades to the N73, which seems to them to have been paused. Everything looked to be on track. Cork County Council had done all the required work that had been requested through TII in terms of preparing the project to go to tender....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: I apologise for being politely blunt to Mr. Walsh, but the time is very limited. In that case, I urge him to please allocate enough money in 2022 for that to be done.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: There is a lot of sensitivity concerning the next question I am going to ask Mr. Walsh, but I must ask it. Has Mr. Walsh been contacted by the Department of Transport on the items I raised in the meetings I had with the Taoiseach, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and the Minister for Transport? Following what happened after my intervention on the national development plan,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: Okay. I thank Mr. Walsh. I will relinquish my remaining time and use it in the next round.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: I thank our guests for the answers they have given so far. I want to ask something quite interesting. It is a matter of importance to all of us whether it is for public transport projects or road projects and Ms Graham and Mr. Walsh, or any of the members of the teams who are accompanying them, may wish to comment. I would like to get their feedback. In 2013, a new set of rules was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: Would Mr. Walsh know off the top of his head how long the process took during the most recent two or three projects with which he was involved?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: We could say, in a hypothetical situation, that if the Castlemartyr and Killeagh scheme was to be put forward by the Government, it could get through the process in approximately six months if all was going to plan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: I will not disagree.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: As a public representative, I would say the perception is nearly that the process can take more than a year, from time to time. I have that impression from conversations at local authority level, with State agencies and other feedback I have received. It is interesting to get that clarification. I will turn to Ms Graham. For key public transport projects, including new rail projects, we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: I was thinking of projects requiring smaller-scale investment. When we are dealing with transport, including public transport, the costs are always in the high hundreds of millions or billions. Many of those sorts of schemes are enormous, for example, metro north. I am thinking of smaller projects that come in under €100 million. Does Ms Graham think those six-month delays are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: That is interesting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Revised National Development Plan: Discussion (3 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: That is definitely the case.

Extension of Part 3 of the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020: Motion (2 Nov 2021)

James O'Connor: I thank the Minister for being here today to discuss the potential for the extension of the emergency powers that were enacted to try to protect people from contracting Covid-19 and to deal with the ongoing crisis that faces the country and the rest of the world. It is important to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of healthcare and other workers who have been working on the front line...