Results 31,181-31,200 of 34,778 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Written Answers — Department of Health: Home Care Packages (29 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: To ask the Minister for Health when a home care package will be recommended for a person (details supplied) in County Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4187/13]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Local Authority Funding (29 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if an application for funding has been received from Laois County Council (details supplied); and if he will approve such a request; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4343/13]

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Does the authority deal with roads as well or is it just rail and public services? What is dealt with in conjunction with local authorities? Is it just public transport?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Issues such as park and ride are important. It is fabulous when park and ride facilities are provided at train stations for commuters but if CIE can treble the parking rate for a week from €1 a day to €3 or €4 a day, it defeats the purpose. Does the authority have a role in agreeing the CIE fees to be charged in its park and ride facilities and car parks? It has a role...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: The authority has some planners in the organisation. Does it have many accountants, not to deal with its accounting function, but to deal with the financial effects of the type of issue I raised, for example, when CIE proposes a fare increase? Does the authority have to hire a consultant for the purpose or does it accept the figures given to it blindly? Are there financial accountants to...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: On page 49, there is a figure to do with the NTA's pension scheme. It is a figure at which in this day and age people will be intrigued. They give a detailed description of the NTA's defined benefit scheme on page 49, and the entire pension scheme is based on expected future pensionable salary increases of 3.5% per annum. I certainly hope staff did not get a 3.5% increase last year and I...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: The model must be based on what they assume will happen.

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: If there was no increase last year or this year in the public service, they are budgeting for a 7% increase in some other year. If there was zero increase this year and it is average of 3.5%, Mr. L'Estrange is assuming there will be a 7% salary increase.

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Given that there was zero increase last year, the year before and this year, that 3.5% is an average figure. If there was zero increase for several years in a row, the NTA must be assuming 7% some other year to make up the average of 3.5%.

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Is it the underlying assumptions that are the issue?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: On page 50 of the accounts, there is a detailed note on the integrated ticketing system. Earlier we spoke about the cost of it and the Chairman asked Mr. Murphy to send the committee a note. It is intriguing that the cost of the integrated ticketing system in the accounts on 1 January 2011 - on page 50, it is a separate item which is depreciated each year - came in at €40.592...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Going back to 2001.

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: The NTA has a role in seeing whether all of these companies providing a proper service. The appendix to the NTA's accounts contains figures on the DART, Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann. The intriguing one is that for the Luas service, on page 59. The NTA has standards of punctuality and delivery of service. The accounts states that Luas measures punctuality in terms of the total number of...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: How much did they pay?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Would it be significant?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: I ask Mr. Murphy to flesh out that for us. It seems to be six minutes. How is it calculated? On the following page, there is more about Luas which states that there is a penalty if a service does not run. If they miss a service and they know they will incur a fine, is there an incentive to run one at an odd hour merely to state that they ran a service. Would they explain how that works?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: My last point relates to something that was not touched on at all. On the final part of the appendix, the NTA has a role in regional planning guidelines, local planning and land use in transport. Anybody who has been involved in a local authority will be aware that public transport is an issue. I note that in the year under review the NTA made submissions to approximately 30 develop plans...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Can they bypass the local authorities and go straight to the NTA?

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: The NTA pays a public service obligation to the CIE group of companies, which also receives a subsidy in respect of travel passes from the Department of Social Protection. The amount of the latter is between €60 million and €70 million, which is significantly less than the NTA pays. What level of co-ordination exists between the NTA and the Department of Social Protection in...

Public Accounts Committee: National Transport Authority - Financial Statement 2011 (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: In the context of its financial statement, I was intrigued to discover that the NTA earned bank interest of €534,941. Its balance sheet indicates that on 31 December 2011 it had a bank balance of over €20 million.