Results 30,421-30,440 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport Initiatives (22 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The issue raised is a matter for both Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann in conjunction with the Department of Health. The Second Stage of the Public Access to Defibrillators Bill, which sets out the requirement to provide defibrillators in a range of settings and for events which have a regular attendance in excess of 100 persons per day, was passed in the Seanad in June 2013.  I...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Outsourcing of Public Services (22 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The letter sent by the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in March 2012 sought proposals for alternative delivery mechanisms of areas of work or processes within the Department or the wider sector. My Department identified three areas for alternative delivery models. One of these related to my Department and the other two, to agencies under my...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Departmental Bodies Establishment (22 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Since my appointment as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have created no new agencies. Shannon Airport separated from the Dublin Airport Authority on 31st December 2012. This new body was merged with the restructured Shannon Development to form a new integrated Shannon entity in public ownership.  My focus to date has been on reducing the number of bodies under my...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: That is a good point. There is a good reason for that regulation and I can do it by regulation. It does not need to be specifically included in the Bill. I am not aware of any Garda policy on motorways that is any different to national primary or national secondary roads. It is the case that motorways are the safest roads in the country, so it makes sense that the Garda should focus on...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: That was harsh, but there you go. It is tricky as to how that will work out. Should it be a percentage above the limit or a number? We need to figure that out before we put it into law. I thank Members for their contributions. I do not know when the Bill is scheduled for Committee Stage. I hope we can do it next week or the week after. I was able to accept four amendments in the...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I do not believe they do, so clearly there is an issue there in terms of consistency. I would also have a concern that people are using it to avoid penalty points. When they get to the point where their licence is under threat, they take a chance that they will be able to tell a sob story in the courts and get away without being disqualified from driving. It is a matter about which I have...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: That is one option I will not be proposing and certainly not in Dublin West. Senator Quinn mentioned making it mandatory for cars to have a first-aid kit, a warning triangle and a high-visibility jacket. That is one of the 144 actions in the road safety strategy. It is not covered in the Bill but will be included in a future Bill. The Senator asked about the numbers of staff in the RSA on...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I hope on a farm rather than a bumpy road.

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Senators for their interesting and valuable contributions. I will try to address some of the issues raised. Senator O'Sullivan and others asked about the accompanying driver provisions. It is already the case that a learner must undertake a particular number of lessons before taking the driving test. Following enactment of this legislation, a learner will have to produce a log...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013 will build on the improvements in safety on our roads achieved over the past decade and will introduce measures which will contribute to improved road safety in the years to come. The transformation of road safety and of our expectations for road safety in the past decade has been striking. In 2001, there were 415 deaths on our roads but by 2012, this had...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Roads Maintenance Issues (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads, in its area, is a statutory function of each road authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act, 1993.  Works on such roads are a matter for the relevant local authority (in this case, Dublin City Council) to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State road grants. It is, therefore, a...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Roads Maintenance Issues (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: 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 these roads are funded from local authorities' own resources and are supplemented by State road grants.  The initial selection and prioritisation of projects to be funded is also a matter for...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Roads Authority Projects (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: As Minister for Transport, Tourism & 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 Galway City Outer Bypass) is a matter for the National Roads Authority (NRA) under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned....

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The current Road Safety Strategy 2013-2020, which I launched in March 2013, aims to make Ireland one of the safest countries in terms of road deaths in the EU. The new Strategy sets a specific target for 2020 to reduce the number of road deaths to 124 a year (from 162 in 2012) and serious injuries to 330 per year (from 485 in 2012).  While the Road Safety Authority has overall...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Speed Limits Review which I published on the 21st November 2013 contains eighteen actions which are designed to address a number of matters relating to the operation of speed limits on Irish roads.  I have accepted all the recommendations contained in the Report, which will be implemented over a two year period. I have asked the Chief Executives or equivalents of the bodies...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Consultancy Contracts Expenditure (21 Jan 2014)

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

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Car Test (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The subject matter of this particular question is a matter for the Road Safety Authority and consequently I have referred it to them for direct reply. 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: Rail Services (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 674 and 676 together. I do not set public transport fares. It is the responsibility of the regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), to adjudicate on applications from the CIÉ companies and the Railway Procurement Agency for fare increases or changes to fares. In our dealings with the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Roads Authority Projects (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The planning, design and implementation of individual national road projects 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 position, I have referred the Deputy’s question to the NRA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you don’t receive a reply within...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Penalty Points System (21 Jan 2014)

Leo Varadkar: A breakdown of penalty points incurred by offence type by county is available on the Road Safety Authority website at the following address: