Results 3,361-3,380 of 26,014 for speaker:Kieran O'Donnell

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: The Minister of State needs to give us dates. We know all of this.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Give us dates. Give us a timescale.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: The Minister of State needs to give us the timescale.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Before going to the next speaker, I welcome Mulcair Men's Shed here with my fellow-Limerick representative Councillor Michael Murphy from Castleconnell. Mulcair Men's Shed is from various areas of east Limerick. Deputy Carey is next and he has ten minutes. I will be flexible.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Will there be a public call for submissions for the position paper and when will that go out?

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Will there be a public call on the website?

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: The Department or the Minister of State through the Department should put a public call on the website to let people know that this position paper is under way. I also suggest 31 December is too soon a deadline. We are coming up to the Christmas period. I would have thought that should be 31 January. The Minister of State not talking about going out to public consultation until the first...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: She will be aware that is the key here. I am worried that 31 December is very tight.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: A month is very little time. A deadline of 31 January would be infinitely more manageable for the public than 31 December. A period from 15 December or 16 December, which is only a little over two weeks away, is too short.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Before we proceed, I welcome the group from Mulcair Men's Shed. It is a good group. It is the second group to have come in. Its headquarters are in Abington but it really covers all of east Limerick, right into the city. I welcome our visitors and hope they enjoy the proceedings. Many of us here, including me, Deputy Carey, Deputy Lowry and others, are from the mid-west. I will take...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: The Minister of State said there that the RSA-----

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: The point I am making is that the RSA came to the Minister of State in June 2022 to say that it needed 130 driver testers. It had 100 and within that 100 were more than 30 experienced driver testers who it let go only a month or two later. It made them reapply on the open market. It is madness. Did the RSA make a request to the Minister of State's Department to keep on these 30 plus...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: We are in a crisis.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: With due respect, we were not asking for these people to be given permanent posts. We were asking for them to be rehired on a contract for a specified period of time to get through the backlog. There is chaos out there at the moment. Has the RSA come back to the Minister of State seeking to rehire these 30 people? If not, that means it has had to go to the open market to hire more than 60...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Before we continue, I wish to welcome the group from Mulcair Men's Shed that is visiting Leinster House. It is great to have them here.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: Certainly. Better still, they are from east Limerick. I am delighted to have them here.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: The regional airports may be the conduit to deal with the rebalancing of passenger numbers. However, the terms of reference will be key. I ask the Minister of State to ensure that matters will not be rushed. The deadline of 31 December for a position paper is too short, given the time of year. I ask the Minister of State to extend that to 31 January. I also ask her to issue a public...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: A deadline of 31 January is a good compromise.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: We are holding hearings. I was reflecting on it and when it comes down to it in looking at aviation policy and rebalancing the passenger numbers, the conduit maybe the regional airports programme. Deputy Carey made reference to the 3 million passengers. At the moment, Cork Airport would not qualify. We need to think outside the box. Dublin is growing too fast. As Deputy Carey said, we...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2022)

Kieran O'Donnell: The Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, are due to appear before the committee on 7 December. We will take it from there. I was just afraid that the deadline of 31 December would be set in stone. I welcome the flexibility on the part of the Minister of State.