Results 34,061-34,080 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (19 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme. However, the planning, design, construction and maintenance of individual national road projects, including Public Private Partnerships, are matters for the the National Roads Authority (NRA) under the Roads Acts 1993-2007. The assessment and...

Written Answers — Railway Stations: Railway Stations (18 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. Matters relating to improvements at individual railway stations are day-to-day operational issues for Iarnród Eireann in the first instance and I have no function in such matters. In the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), funding for Public transport infrastructure...

Dublin Airport Authority (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: To clarify, the position of CEO was advertised in the press in recent weeks. In general, the search for a CEO to head up a company of this size and nature can take up to nine months. The chairman designate who was approached in November is soon to be appointed. As the Deputy stated, he appeared before the joint committee earlier in the week. I understand he gave an extremely good account...

Dublin Airport Authority (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I reassure Deputy Dooley that there will be an acting chief executive in place during the interregnum and the acting chief executive will have a great deal of experience of running airports. The chairman-designate stated that he believed the salary cap would inhibit the DAA in its search for a new chief executive but he made his position clear. He stated that the board and the chairman of...

Jobs Initiative (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 11, 29, 53 and 259 together. The jobs initiative introduced a reduced 9% VAT rate from 1 July on a range of services, including hotels and restaurants. The Government also halved employers' PRSI for those on modest wages and introduced a visa waiver scheme that makes Ireland more accessible for tourists from important new and emerging markets. These...

Jobs Initiative (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Corcoran Kennedy for her comments and I concur with everything she said. Tourism is a product in terms of marketing Ireland abroad and it is the aim of Tourism Ireland to increase the number of visitors to Ireland back to 9 million by 2016. This would recover the position to where we were some time ago.

Jobs Initiative (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: As Deputy McLellan will be aware, the UEFA European Championships will be in Poland, so I do not believe it will bring many tourists to Ireland. With regard to the Olympic Games, the visa waiver was designed to allow people who will visit the United Kingdom to come to Ireland afterwards. I hope that will work. Quite a large number of people will avoid the south east of England and London...

Jobs Initiative (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: The number of tourists coming in from Australia and the developing markets - mainly India, China and the Middle East - has seen double digit growth in 2011. Growth was at 18% up until the middle of the year, albeit coming from a very low base, and the overall figure was 10%, which is really good. Our biggest growth was from those new emerging markets, albeit a small part of the tourist...

Jobs Initiative (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: Growth has been quite bumpy. Growth was very high in the first half of the year, which probably reflected the fact that the ash cloud depressed the number of tourists coming to Ireland in the second half of the previous year. Growth was slightly negative in some of the later months of the year, but if the airport figures area anything to go by, December is very good. There was an 11%...

Jobs Initiative (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: There has not been a big fall off in domestic tourism. There has been a big fall off in the number of people flying domestically, which is a different thing. That is because people can drive on motorways to almost anywhere in Ireland in two hours. Why would someone get on a aeroplane when he or she can travel quicker and cheaper by car? There has been some contact with the North. Tourism...

National Sports Campus (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy's question relates to developments at the Sports Campus at Abbotstown in Blanchardstown in Dublin. At its meeting on 21 June, the Government approved my proposals for the development of the National Sports Campus at Abbotstown in Blanchardstown on an incremental basis. In particular I have asked the National Sports Campus Development Authority, NSCDA, to proceed with the...

National Sports Campus (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: The Irish Sports Council is working from rented offices in Blanchardstown and it is proposed that it will move to Abbotstown House. No decision on this has been made for certain because we need to examine the house and work out how much it would cost to refurbish it so it would be able to take the Irish Sports Council. We must also work out when the lease where it is ends to ensure any move...

National Sports Campus (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for his comments and I agree with him wholeheartedly in this regard. I must be fair to the previous Government. I also agree with Deputy McLellan as I am also glad the Bertie bowl was not built. I do not think it was necessary as the Aviva is a great stadium, as is Croke Park. One thing the previous Government did was to build the National Aquatic Centre and...

National Sports Campus (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: -----it is an outstanding facility. In fairness to the previous Government it was a good decision and quite visionary to go ahead with the project when people were critical at the time.

Departmental Bodies (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 34 together. The question relates to the issue of expenses by a board member of Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company. I previously responded to Deputy Boyd Barrett's questions on this matter on 29 September and 14 December last. Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company confirms each year that it complies with the relevant travel and subsistence regulations. As I...

Departmental Bodies (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have day-to-day involvement in the running of the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company. It is a semi-State body governed by its board and managed by its CEO. However, I am advised in writing by the chairman that the director in question has made a written commitment and that he will repay the cost of the flights and that such payment will be made in full by mid-2012.

Departmental Bodies (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: The fees paid to the chairman and members of the board are modest and much less than what the staff are paid.

Departmental Bodies (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: I do not know his remuneration package off the top of my head but I can provide those details to the Deputy by correspondence. I imagine the figures are much lower in 2012 than they were in 2010, in line with reductions in CEO pay and remuneration. I am very sad that workers have lost their jobs at Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company but this has come about because of a loss of business. People...

Departmental Bodies (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: There is a dispute which is being dealt with by the Labour Relations Commission.

Rail Services (12 Jan 2012)

Leo Varadkar: Under the new capital investment programme for transport to 2016 the priority for funding is to ensure that investment made to date is protected and safety standards are maintained. Beyond that I have provided funds to advance a small number of projects which will add value to the existing network and support economic recovery. In this regard I have provided funds to allow the commencement...