Results 29,561-29,580 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Other Questions: Heavy Goods Vehicle Levy (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: In regard to Deputy Wallace, I did not issue a statement. I was asked a question by a journalist and I am not sure exactly which sections of that were played on the radio and which were not. However, I have on a number of occasions expressed my respect for Deputy Wallace in the stance he has taken in pursuing on the floor of this House the issue around penalty points. I believe he has done...

Other Questions: Road Projects (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for funding in regard to the national roads programme.  The planning, design and implementation of individual road projects is a matter for the National Roads Authority under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. The project to which the Deputy refers is the N59 Moycullen...

Other Questions: Road Projects (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: In regard to the overall objectives and benefits of the scheme, I want to put on the record of the House that a full business case has been carried out for the Moycullen scheme, which shows a benefit to cost ratio of 2.2 to 2.6. Between Galway city and the west of Moycullen, the existing N59 primarily serves as a commuter route, while further west it is more accurately described as a...

Other Questions: Heavy Goods Vehicle Levy (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I have much sympathy with Deputy McHugh's remarks. We would like to see Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland taking the same view on this. It would be very helpful for me if the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly went to London and said that they want the A5 to be exempted, that the taxpayers are going to pay for a chunk and that they want trade between Donegal and the Border...

Other Questions: Heavy Goods Vehicle Levy (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: We will keep putting pressure on. One of the solutions may involve adopting the same system as that in the UK. I do not think there is anything ironic about it. In fairness, Deputy Ellis is not the worst of them but this is just a classic example of the two Sinn Féins. If ever there was a party of partition, it is Sinn Féin, which takes different positions north and south of the...

Other Questions: Heavy Goods Vehicle Levy (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I know I have only a minute left and I have much to say. To clarify matters, the local property tax in the North is more than €950 for the average house. That does include water and bin charges but it has been increased every year for the past four years with Sinn Féin in government and it intends to bring in direct charges for water in 2016. That is the truth. What Sinn...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Penalty Points System (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The many people who are members of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, be they disabled or members of an ethnic or other minority, would all agree they must comply with the Road Traffic Act like everyone else and with the rules of the road.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Penalty Points System (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I am sure that even the representative organisations of the disabled and other groups would not advocate that they should have some sort of exemption from the road traffic legislation or be treated differently. If somebody feels he has been treated unfairly over penalty points, he has available to him, at long last, a clear set of rules on requesting a termination from the Garda. He also...

Other Questions: Heavy Goods Vehicle Levy (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5, 13 and 29 together. As the House was informed at the last Question Time, there have been considerable discussions held with my UK and Northern Ireland counterparts on this issue. This issue has been raised by the Taoiseach with Prime Minister David Cameron and it has also been discussed by the North-South Ministerial Council. As the Deputies...

Other Questions: Heavy Goods Vehicle Levy (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Yes, there has. There is now a working group including the two Departments and the Department of Finance. As the Deputy rightly says, road tax for hauliers in Ireland is very high. On the flipside, however, diesel prices are lower than in the North and Britain. In addition, there is a fuel rebate here. All these factors need to be taken in the round. Essentially, that is what we are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Ministerial Staff (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: They are certainly not doing so, at least not during working hours. The person to whom Deputy Dooley is referring is former Deputy Paul McGrath. It is important that Ministers have advisory staff. The key difference between such staff and civil servants is that they must leave their employment when one loses one's job. They operate on a different basis to civil servants, who are always in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Ministerial Staff (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The allocations are made by the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, and signed off by me. In that context, our decisions are informed by advice provided by officials in the Department's sports division. The role occupied by Mr. Paul McGrath does not involve decision making, rather it involves providing advice on tourism and sport and all matters relating thereto. The setting of the criteria...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Penalty Points System (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The fixed charge notice-penalty points system has been a very effective part of the suite of measures to address road safety since it was established in 2002.  The introduction of the system, random breath-testing for alcohol, lower permissible alcohol limits and safety cameras, the establishment of the Road Safety Authority and the Garda Traffic Corps and the enactment of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Penalty Points System (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The matters to which the Deputy refers are ones for the Garda. Clearly, however, I pay attention to such matters in the context of how they relate to road safety. I do not believe that what the Deputy says reflects the actual position. Similar remarks are also often made in respect of safety cameras and GoSafe vans. People often tell me they are just a revenue-raising measure and are just...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate and share the Deputy's concern for tourism. I am delighted to report that since the Government made up of Fianna Fáil, the Green Party and Independents was replaced by this Administration, the number of international visitors to Ireland has increased by 1 million, with further increases expected. There has been a great deal of traffic at Dublin and Shannon airports in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Dublin Port Tunnel (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I join the Deputy in extending my condolences and those of the Government to the Turkish people and the families involved. As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in regard to the national roads programme.  The Dublin Port tunnel is the responsibility of the National Roads Authority, NRA, under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Dublin Port Tunnel (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The key issue when it comes to safety in transport, whether in respect of roads, aviation or the railways, is the need to be always vigilant and never complacent. The NRA has detailed to me the safety measures are in place in the Dublin Port tunnel, which I am pleased to outline to the Deputy. The tunnel is equipped with an extensive range of safety features, including mechanical and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Dublin Port Tunnel (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy's point is well made. When it comes to air traffic control and tunnel safety, the authorities look at what has gone wrong in other locations and the lessons that can be learned from that. I have visited the Dublin Port tunnel control centre myself and, as I said, the Deputy is welcome to do the same and receive a briefing from staff.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Ministerial Staff (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: There are 15 non-Civil Service staff employed in my office and the offices of the Ministers of State, Deputies Michael Ring and Alan Kelly.   In my departmental duties and responsibilities, I am aided by one special adviser, Mr. Brian Murphy, and one press adviser, Mr. Nick Miller. Furthermore, in lieu of a personal assistant, I appointed a policy adviser, Mr. John...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (15 May 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Efforts to address the future funding of the Irish airlines superannuation scheme date back many years and span the terms of several Governments.  As it is not a public sector pension scheme, I do not have the authority to prescribe or impose a solution.  While I want to help, this is primarily a matter for the trustees, the members of the scheme, the companies participating in...