Results 31,081-31,100 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Other Questions: State Airports (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: When I talk about state aid I am referring either to Government grants, preferential loans or subsidies. No such aid is envisaged for Shannon, nor would it be permitted under European law. There are good reasons for that. We have had a very bad history across Europe of governments using the people's money to subsidise one business or entity against another. This usually ends up with both...

Other Questions: State Airports (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: The Government owns Shannon Airport and has, therefore, the capacity to make directions in regard to it. We cannot make directions in respect of an airport that is not owned by the State. Shannon will be required to sustain itself; that was the case from day one. It was always made clear that it would have to pay its own way without state aid.

Other Questions: State Airports (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I acknowledge the Deputy's concerns and I am doing my very best in that regard. I am starting on the Road Traffic Bill today, the Minister of State, Deputy Kelly, is finishing off the Taxi Regulation Bill and the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, will be proceeding with the Sport Ireland Bill quite soon. Shannon Development is right up there among the pieces of legislation we want to get...

Other Questions: State Airports (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have the report yet and I am not even sure if it is completed. I know the working group has done a lot of work on it already and I expect to see it quite soon, certainly in the next few weeks. I cannot commit to implementing recommendations I have not seen. I expect that the recommendations will not all be directed at my Department but also at other Departments and other groups,...

Other Questions: Public Transport Issues (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: In part I agree with the Deputy. The objective is to increase the number of people using public transport overall and not to displace them from one bus route to another. Nothing is achieved by this. On this point I certainly agree with the Deputy. To clarify, the Luas is not profitable but it covers its own operating costs and does not require an operating subvention. The fares cover its...

Other Questions: State Airports (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 64, 108, 144 and 643 together. These questions relate to the Shannon group. As the Deputies will be aware, at its meeting on 23 July the Government approved the heads, or general scheme, of the Shannon aviation services and miscellaneous provisions Bill which provides for the creation of the new Shannon group entity, incorporating the Shannon Airport...

Other Questions: Public Transport Issues (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: The model proposed by the NTA, which is very similar to the Transport for London model, does not allow for cherry-picking. These are publicly subvented services and there is no competition. Once they exist, the operators are given a bundle of routes and are effectively given a subvented monopoly on those routes. This does not allow for cherry-picking. One could argue that currently around...

Other Questions: Public Transport Issues (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: As I mentioned earlier, this is a determination to be made by the NTA. The current proposal is that approximately 10% of routes will be tendered, with that contract coming into force at the end of 2016. I cannot predict what will happen beyond that or beyond 2021.

Other Questions: Public Transport Issues (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: This may not be an answer to the Deputy's question, but the whole objective of public transport policy is to ensure that more people have access to and use public transport than currently. We have seen some very good success stories and have seen examples of where things have not worked very well in this country. The most obvious example is the Luas, which requires no operating subvention....

Other Questions: Public Transport Issues (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: When one makes comparisons it is important to compare like with like. Public transport systems that have underground elements to them, such as the Paris Metro or the London Underground, must have more subvention because running underground is so expensive. Had we been able to go down the route of running underground systems, much more subvention would have been required. One must bear in...

Other Questions: Public Transport Issues (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I note the Deputy's comments and in her previous role as transport spokesperson and a member of the transport committee she took a very active interest in this area. The NTMA's proposal is to tender out some contracts from the end of 2016, although they would have to be awarded some time before that. They would run for five years until 2021. I cannot look into a crystal ball and say what...

Other Questions: Public Transport Issues (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 63, 73, 78, 81, 102, 107, 124, 637 and 650 together. These questions relate to the future provision of public service obligation bus services. I refer the Deputies to my response to Priority Question No. 4 today.

Other Questions: Public Transport Issues (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I am aware of one licence application for a feeder service to Malahide DART station which was refused by the NTA. Generally, if there is an existing publicly subvented service, the NTA will not permit another operator to compete with that service. The view is taken that if the service is necessary and socially desirable but not profitable, it is subvented. If another operator were to come...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Transport Provision (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: Like many of these measures, if they are done right, they can work well, but if they are done badly, they can be a fiasco. The NTA's job is to make sure the tendering happens in an orderly and successful manner. It is not a secret to the Deputy that my party proposed that we tender for all services when the contracts end in 2014. That will not happen because this is a coalition Government,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Taxi Regulation Review Report Implementation (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: The taxi regulation review report 2011 which was adopted by the Government contains a recommendation regarding the introduction of a local area hackney licence for rural locations meeting certain criteria. The objective of the licence is to facilitate low cost entry to the hackney market for transport provision in rural areas that, otherwise, would be unlikely to have such services....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Transport Provision (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: The question relates to the future provision of public service obligation, PSO, bus services. The objective of the Government is to ensure a system of public transport throughout the country that is as efficient and as widespread as possible. The award of PSO contracts for the bus market falls under the remit of the National Transport Authority, NTA, which is currently considering...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Transport Provision (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: Lest there be any confusion, I should be clear that there is no proposal whatever to privatise Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus or Irish Rail. That is not on the agenda of the Government at all. There is already plenty of public transport provided by private companies across the State; for example, Transdev operates the Luas system very successfully and will serve 30 million passengers this...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Appointments to State Boards (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate that there are lots of issues facing the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company, including the operation of the company, pensions and industrial relations which the Deputy has mentioned. As part of the Dáil reform procedures which are already in place, chairpersons are interviewed by the joint committee before their appointment by the Minister. The Deputy had the opportunity...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Appointments to State Boards (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: The procedure is prescribed in the Harbours Act. The position was advertised on the worldwide web and a notice may have appeared in the newspapers. As required by the Harbours Act, nominations were sought from interested parties, including business groups and unions. The chairperson in question went before the committee. As far as I am aware, committee agendas are circulated by e-mail to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Appointments to State Boards (1 Oct 2013)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy made a decision to attend a meeting which he regarded as more important. It is clear that other issues are more important to him than Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company, which I appreciate. Other Deputies from the constituency attended the session.