Results 3,121-3,140 of 6,809 for speaker:Darren O'Rourke

Cost of Renewables Taskforce Bill 2022: First Stage (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

Cost of Renewables Taskforce Bill 2022: First Stage (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to require the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to establish a cross-departmental taskforce to examine the cost of producing renewable energy in Ireland; to provide for this taskforce to consult with stakeholders and deliver within six months policy recommendations to the Minister on ways to reduce the...

Nationalisation of Energy System: Motion [Private Members] (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank Solidarity-People Before Profit for tabling this motion. It gives us an opportunity to highlight how broken our electricity system is and how the privatisation and marketisation of it has failed our citizens. The failures of energy liberalisation are now widely accepted, but often not in the corridors are power. These failures are exemplified by the decline in the social value,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy: Aer Lingus (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: I apologise that I missed the start of the meeting. I was caught in the Chamber. There is a chance I will go over old ground but I would appreciate if the witnesses would touch on their earlier comments and expand on them. My first question relates to their sense of Dublin Airport's readiness for Christmas. What is Aer Lingus's expected traffic for Christmas 2022 relative to Christmas...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy: Aer Lingus (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: That is short haul. I suppose the numbers for long haul are smaller.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy: Aer Lingus (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: The DAA says it is are working on the basis of comparable figures with 2019 in its engagement with Aer Lingus and other airlines. Aer Lingus is probably as familiar as we are with its plans for Christmas. Is Aer Lingus content and satisfied that things are in hand and will run smoothly?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy: Aer Lingus (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank Mr. O'Neill for that. From the opening statement, I note the piece on sustainability, some agreements Aer Lingus has on the west coast of the US and some planned operations in the North. Will the witnesses give a sense of that environment, the incentives, why the company has to go to the west coast of the United States to secure contracts like that and what it might take to improve...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy: Aer Lingus (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: On the type of engagement, what gives rise to that type of study and that partnership in other jurisdictions from a commercial innovation perspective? Is Aer Lingus driving it? Are other jurisdictions driving it? Is the Government driving it or the department in the North? That is the kind of thing I am interested in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy: Aer Lingus (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: The Dublin Airport capital programme is important to Aer Lingus in respect of its hub operation. Is it satisfied with the capital programme and, more important, with the schedule of delivery? I guess from the perspective of the DAA, there is a particular funding model and assessment of risk. Is there a need for review of that or is Aer Lingus content with the pace and plan of development...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy: Aer Lingus (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: What does Mr. Moriarty think that is related to? If we were to talk to the DAA before this committee, would it point towards constraints it has to live within in terms of regulation or in terms of some of the planning system, as he pointed to. That is fair enough, but there is this issue of authority's funding and how it assesses risk.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy: Aer Lingus (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: It will give them a long enough horizon. Was there a concern that they did not have a long enough horizon?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy: Aer Lingus (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: I would wonder why the airport would not want to realise the same sort of ambition.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy: Aer Lingus (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: I know this was touched on by a number of people, including my colleague Deputy Ó Murchú, but I refer again to the infrastructure to facilitate de-icing. We are in the middle of a cold snap and there has been an impact on flights to and from Dublin. Is that is an issue or what was its contribution, if at all, to the challenges in the past number of days?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy: Aer Lingus (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: What about Aer Lingus's own readiness and preparation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy: Aer Lingus (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: My last question relates to some earlier questions on the decision-making criteria. As part of this process what we are trying to explore as a committee is what the levers that Government or airports have to try to encourage additional routes and additional traffic, and how we might as part of that look at a more even distribution of traffic across the airports in the State. The witnesses...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy: Aer Lingus (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy: Aer Lingus (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: It is about regional economies. Aer Lingus operates in a number of jurisdictions but are there areas, regions or countries that do this well?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy: Aer Lingus (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: There are some common features and characteristics of success, such as strong regional government, strong local tourism boards, strong airports-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Aviation Policy: Aer Lingus (Resumed) (14 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: -----and a clear strategy, plan and business proposition.

Current Issues Affecting the Health Services: Motion [Private Members] (13 Dec 2022)

Darren O'Rourke: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Sinn Féin motion. I commend Deputy Cullinane on bringing it forward. We have recruitment and retention challenges across our health service, and this Government, like previous ones, has not done enough to address them. The motion states that there is a widely held belief among the public that the current Minister is incapable of addressing the...