Results 32,841-32,860 of 32,999 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: Yes.

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Minister for his response. I understand the importance of this section of the Bill. The lack of a policy body has been one of the reasons the integration we are looking for has not taken place. I accept the Minister's comment that information will be available under another section of the Bill. I will examine the matter in advance of Report Stage.

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I move amendment No. 58: In page 51, between lines 48 and 49, to insert the following subsection: "(9) The Authority may require private bus operators to provide off street parking for their vehicles.". I am proposing this good amendment on behalf of my colleague, Senator Norris. Like the Senator, I live in a part of Dublin that is heavily used by private bus operators for the purposes of...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: This is a good amendment. Some of the biggest changes that will affect the Dublin region concern the location of port facilities and what could happen if those port facilities were moved elsewhere. Many of the examples the Minister cited in support of this amendment concerned work that could take place at Drogheda Port. Can he confirm that the implementation of this clause would allow...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I want to ensure I heard the Minister correctly. Is he proposing to delete this section?

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I am looking for some guidance. I do not have a particular amendment for section 103, but do I still have the opportunity to question the Minister?

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: The Minister has acknowledged that one of the main pieces of advice that he was given by the expert committee which drafted this legislation was that two organisations should be dissolved and integrated into the new Dublin transport authority. These were the Dublin Transportation Office and the Railway Procurement Agency. In the Minister's address to the House on Second Stage he explained...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Minister for his comprehensive response to my point. I support his rationale, which is the principle of a regulator and service provider being different organisations. That is why in the section dealing with the provider of last resort, I tabled an appropriate amendment, which the Minister surprisingly accepted. The principle of one organisation regulating and another...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: Many small land plots in my constituency are owned by CIE and other organisations. I understand the intent behind the section; that if CIE wishes to dispose of a piece of land that it must get the consent of the Dublin transport authority. However, I suggest to the Minister that it might be worthwhile to assign a threshold or monetary value below which the clause would not kick in. Does...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: The work that will take place on St. Stephen's Green is probably a symbol of the kind of change that Dublin will undergo in the future in order to get ready to meet the demands of a rising population and given the environmental demands placed upon us due to global warming. The debate that will begin regarding St. Stephen's Green will be long and emotional. The level of emotion raised on the...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I am conscious of much of the debate that took place recently regarding a draft plan that arose from the Oireachtas transport committee of which I am a member. Many people responded to that plan in respect of cars being taken out of the city centre and the effect of that not only on residents but on businesses also. The Minister is already aware of this point but I must take the opportunity...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I ask the Minister, when he is making the amendment he suggested regarding the participation of local authority members, to keep the remit for such members as wide as possible. I am aware that in other parts of the legislation the Minister is quite specific in suggesting that members of the regional authorities or assemblies should be involved in the Dublin transport authority. In any...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: Will the Minister clarify two points on this amendment? How common is a clause such as this in legislation setting up an organisation such as the Dublin transport authority? When I read the section, it appeared to that this was a blanket cover to the effect that anybody working for the Dublin transport authority would be immune from prosecution for services he or she was not providing....

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: Senator Ellis and I have raised a question about section 43(d). I am not convinced about the need for such a strong immunity for the authority itself. I have, however, a wider concern about whether such immunity should be extended to a third party working for the authority. Will the Minister give an assurance that such a clause is commonplace in enabling legislation establishing new bodies...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I move amendment No. 43: In page 38, subsection (10), line 24, after "Authority" to insert the following: "but must in the first instance be open to competitive tender to all public transport operators". We have had full discussions about amendments of this kind already. The Dublin transport authority should play a more active role in stimulating competition for new routes and modes of...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I move amendment No. 45: In page 42, before section 52, to insert the following new section: "52.—(1) The Authority shall issue additional public service contracts where it can be shown by any person or body corporate that- (a) there is a requirement for such service in the general economic interest; and (b) a public service operator has the capacity to provide such a service. (2) The...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: The Minister's response indicates clearly that this is one of the pivotal sections in the Bill, which I acknowledge. I also take on board his point regarding the language of my amendment. The concern we should all share with regard to the Bill is that we might get a phrase or clause wrong in such a way that creates vulnerability for an organisation in determining future transport policy in...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Minister for his response. He has clarified that within the greater Dublin area, the DTA will be the competent local body while elsewhere it will be the Department of Transport. I am teasing out this point because it is of pivotal importance to this legislation and how the authority will work. Will the Minister explain the position on routes that do not originate within the...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Minister for his clarification. I will withdraw my amendment, particularly in light of his points. However, this area is ripe for confusion or exploitation in that the Department of Transport will be the national deciding body on transport policy while the Dublin transport authority will be operating in the greater Dublin area. The Oireachtas and those involved in the provision...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I move amendment No. 50: In page 43, subsection (5)(b), line 23, after "services" to insert the following: "in objectively justified cases and in a proportionate manner".