Results 29,521-29,540 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I have been informed that "a company" is defined in the Bill as meaning Cork, Shannon or Dublin airports.

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I fully concur with Senators Darragh O'Brien and Sean Barrett. The Dublin Airport Authority, DAA, was a misnomer from the day the new body was established. It was given this name because it was intended at the time to separate Shannon Airport and Cork Airport almost immediately and sell off Aer Rianta International, ARI, the retail element which consists of shops, duty free operations and...

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Cork Airport Development Council is non-statutory. It has been set up to work with the interests in the area to help us develop the plan for Cork of which the Senator spoke. Much of what needs to be done there is to increase the number of people visiting Cork. People do not go to a city to visit its airport, but pass through the airport to reach a city or region. We need more people...

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The board of the DAA established the Cork Airport Development Council at my request and it had its first meeting in March. Although I do not know when the next meeting is scheduled, the council is supposed to meet at least quarterly and I intend to meet it when I visit Cork next month. Its remit is to pull the interests of the region together, try to develop the airport and give people more...

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Section 30 provides for the dissolution of Cork Airport Authority plc on a day to be appointed by order of the Minister. It also provides for the Minister to re-establish the Cork Airport Authority again in the future. In the interim, provision is made to protect the name – Cork Airport Authority – from being registered by anyone else. Certain consequential amendments to the...

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: We are in broad agreement about what we want to achieve and to avoid. It is best to deal with this again on Report Stage when either the Senators or departmental officials may come up with a revised amendment that allows for transparency without any unintended consequences. In my three years in office I have never issued a direction to a State airport. There is no secrecy in that regard.

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: It occurs to me now that other Ministers might wish to do so and, on balance, transparency is better than secrecy. The suggestion that we return to this on Report Stage is a good one.

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I do not propose to accept the amendment for two reasons. It is not necessary to legislate to establish a committee. Were that desirable we could do that in any case. Nonetheless, this has provided an opportunity to discuss the matter. In 2006 and 2007, a committee was established representing the local authorities, local development interests...

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: For clarity, this relates to the Minister giving directions to the Shannon group and not to the regulator. The power of direction granted to a Minister in respect of State bodies for which he or she is responsible is a normal provision of any legislation establishing a State body. In this Bill, the power is constrained in two ways. The Minister can only make directions to the Shannon group...

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: This amendment arises from a query by Senator Barrett on Second Stage regarding the appropriateness of including as a grounds for disqualifying a director of Shannon Group the making of composition arrangements with creditors. Having reviewed the text and consulted with the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, I am proposing that this provision be removed from the list of grounds...

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Senator for his amendments and for adding to the discussion on this section of the Bill. I have not seen the report that is being issued on Thursday. I think it is a draft determination on the charges for the next quinquennium. I am not sure that it deals with cost overruns in terminal 2 but if it does I will be interested in studying its findings because obviously I have an...

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: This is a technical amendment. It merely makes clear that the terms "airport" and "authorised officer" mean the same as they do in the 1998 Act.

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: This group of amendments relate to the change in the status and the names of Shannon Airport Authority and DAA. Amendments Nos. 2, 10 and 11 relate to re-registering Shannon Airport as a plc rather than a limited company. Essentially, the Shannon Group itself will be a plc but its subsidiaries will be limited companies. That is standard for other semi-State companies, such as Bord...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Proposed Legislation (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Adventure Activities Standards Authority Act, introduced by the Minister for Marine and Natural Resources, was enacted in 2001. It made provision for the establishment by the Minister for Marine and Natural Resources of an Adventure Activities Standards Authority, which would have responsibility for the regulation of adventure centres. However, the Act was not...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Industrial Relations (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 957 and 983 together. The issue raised by the Deputies is a matter for Irish Rail management and their employees and trade unions and has been the subject of lengthy negotiations under the auspices of the Labour Relations Committee (LRC) and the Labour Court. I have had a number of meetings with the Chief Executive Officer...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Currently, the wearing of high-visibility clothing by motorcyclists is not a legal requirement.  The question of whether wearing such clothing should be made mandatory has arisen and been considered a number of times in recent years.  It has been concluded that the wearing of such clothing should not be made compulsory. While high visibility clothing can obviously make a...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Coast Guard Services (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Ballyglass Coast Guard Unit in Co Mayo operates out of an old facility commonly referred to as a Rocket House. The Coast Guard, which is a division of my Department, in conjunction with the Office of Public Works, has been evaluating options for the provision of more modern facilities for the Unit. The current position is that a site has been identified and is the subject of a feasibility...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Authority Inspections (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The operation of inspections on articulated trucks and all other commercial vehicles is a matter for the Road Safety Authority (RSA). I have referred the Deputy's question to the RSA for direct reply and I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a reply has not been received within ten days. 

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motor Tax Collection (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: An inter-departmental working group has been established to examine the feasibility of introducing a pay-as-you-go road tax scheme for HGVs in Ireland, similar to that which has been recently introduced in the United Kingdom.  The group is due to report to Government by the middle of this year with its recommendations.  In the interim reform of the existing motor tax regime is a...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Licence Applications (27 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The operation of the National Driver Licensing Service (NDLS) is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority (RSA), and I do not have a direct role in these matters. I understand from the RSA that the new appointments service will be a permanent feature of NDLS public offices.  This will be more convenient for the public.   There is a high level of demand for...