Results 30,381-30,400 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Improvement Schemes (28 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme.  The planning, design and implementation of individual road projects such as the N71 is a matter for the National Roads Authority (NRA) under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Given that, I have...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Improvement Schemes (28 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme.  The planning, design and implementation of individual road projects such as the N71 road is a matter for the National Roads Authority (NRA) under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Noting the above...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Semi-State Bodies Remuneration (28 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: One of the first actions I took as Minister in 2011 was to inform all Chairpersons and CEOs under my remit that, in line with Government policy, no bonuses would be paid. I can confirm that no bonuses have been paid to the CEOs of the State companies under the remit of my Department in respect of performance for 2011 onwards.   I have already been in contact with all...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Departmental Bodies (28 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Audit Committee in my Department comprises 4 members and operates under an Audit Committee Charter approved by the Secretary General and the Chairman of the Committee. As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport I do not have a role in matters relating to the Audit Committee. There are 2 Executive and 2 Non-Executive members on the Committee – the Chairperson is a Non-Executive...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Consultancy Contracts Data (28 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested by the Deputy on consultants is published on my Department's website and can be found at the following link .

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Yes, the only difficulty is that the NRA can put in the bridges and platforms but a company such as Applegreen will come and operate it only if it is going to wash its own face. There are not as many people using the M9 as there might be.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Touché.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I think it is about €200 million per year. It would be much nicer if it was in legislation that it had to be split equally between sports and culture but that is the way it is at the moment. I should point that even though the sports capital budget is up, there is a small reduction in the Irish Sports Council budget, which is the current side. However, it is not a huge reduction....

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: There is €23 million for sports capital and €15.9 million for the sports campus so it is €38.9 million altogether.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: There is no Gathering this year. The main focus this year will be on the Wild Atlantic Way. Advertisements are now airing in Germany and a few other places and seem to be getting a good reception. The Giro d'Italia Grande Partenza will take place here this May and the American football tournament is back so there is a lot happening this year.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: An application for funding has been received but it has not been adjudicated on yet.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: An application has been received and is being considered by Fáilte Ireland. Many of the festivals and events that took place last year will take place this year. One of the real successes of The Gathering was the fact that quite a number of local authorities around the country, including Clare, really embraced it. We would not like to lose that so we are trying to put something...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: That is being handled by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. It is worth knowing that anyway. Great Britain is still and always will be our largest inbound market. It is not necessarily the largest in terms of revenue because American and European visitors stay longer and spend more as British visitors often just take short breaks but it is the largest in...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The €4.8 million was carried forward because paying for the helicopters is done through a milestone system which we had not yet reached. As work could not be done on Arklow Harbour, these surplus moneys were then carried forward. What used to happen in the past was that if Departments had moneys left over at the end of the year, they would often spend it in a hurry and badly.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: That is not always my call. The Comptroller and Auditor General was critical of this practice and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform changed it. Now, there is much more flexibility allowing Departments to carry moneys forward, so they are less afraid that they will lose funds if they do not spend them. There have been no cutbacks in helicopter services. In fact, they did a...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: It still happens.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The capital spend is up by €15 million. It is worth bearing in mind that, while the increase in the sports budget this year is great, it is a fraction of what was spent in the good days when money was going to the development of Croke Park and Aviva, good investments at the time by the then Government. The sports capital budget is €23 million a year which is split between the...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: With regard to Deputy O'Donovan's comments, the An Bord Pleanála process on roads has been extremely frustrating for me, the Department and the NRA. We have had three significant refusals in recent years in Slane, Adare and Dingle. Not only do I think it made the wrong decision it is very frustrating that so much money was expended and so much time used only for us to end up with...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: We will have to change things on the railway. It will have to be more like airlines so when people book in advance they get a cheaper fare. There is a sense in Ireland that one should just be able to rock up to the station at the last minute and get a decent train fare. One cannot run a modern service like this. We are moving towards cheaper intercity fares if people book in advance and...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 31 - Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Revised) (23 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: It is still early 2014.