Results 3,441-3,460 of 8,928 for speaker:Hildegarde Naughton

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: I cannot pre-empt anything that might be decided. What I can tell the Chairman is that I will continue to engage with the IRHA and FTAI on this issue but there are other levers across Government in respect of finance that will need to be-----

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: -----considered as part of this. It is not just a Department of Transport issue. Obviously, the Department of Finance will be involved.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: There is engagement right across the Government. The Minister for Finance and the Minister for Transport will be engaging on this, as will the entire Government. This is part of a broader issue regarding increases in the cost of living. There are certain things we can control but there other things that we cannot control because they are global issues. What we want to do is ensure that...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: Very briefly, some of the other things we are doing in this area include the alternative fuel vehicle grant scheme and the reduction in tolls. A number of things are being done but none is a silver bullet on its own. There is a range of grants and schemes that we are looking at but some of them involve Department of Finance decisions.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: I agree.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: I do not have those figures to hand. The extra €30 million is to be spent by the end of this year on protection and renewal across the country. We were looking at whether there are any areas where there was an underspend where we could spend money while also ensuring that we are not allocating money where the resources are not there. I would hope that the €30 million will be...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: We want to ensure, in the context of road safety, that spending is adequate. That is why the protection and renewal budget is so important. We must keep up the maintenance of our roads because if we do not do so, the problems down the line will be far greater.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: The office is going to help to raise awareness among people who want to change their vehicle at a certain point, giving them information on the grants available to help with the transition to electric. An Post was the first mover in the public sector space in the transition to low-emission vehicles. It is also important to say that in the public transport realm we are investing in...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: The review is currently under way. I do not have the timeline for that but I can come back to the Deputy on it. This comes back to previous conversations around the fact that we are an island nation and we need to ensure that we have that connectivity. We have the difficulty at the moment with Covid-19 and we are currently trying to support the airports that we have as best we can. We are...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: Second Stage was taken in the Dáil yesterday and the Minister, Deputy Ryan, unfortunately, could not take it and asked me to step in; the whole debate wrapped up yesterday rather than continuing on today. Unfortunately, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, was not present and I know that Deputy Carey has asked for a meeting with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, with Government Deputies on some of the...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: Unfortunately, if the Minister, Deputy Ryan, had been there for the wrap up, it may have been more helpful to Deputies so hopefully we can organise something like that. I thank the Deputy.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: That is a very good question on the underspend for cycling and walking infrastructure. We made a commitment in the programme for Government to allocate €360 million every year for walking and cycling infrastructure. The Deputy is correct in his question as to whether the delay is due to Covid-19, which it partly is, or resources, which it also is. It is important to say that this is...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: We need to ensure increased access to these schemes and reduced waiting times. That is very important. A new residential retrofit loan guarantee scheme will be established to facilitate the provision of low-cost loans for residential retrofit projects. In response to energy price increases, there is an energy efficiency national fund of €160 million. That fund will be paid into and...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: The delays with the coastguard station are due to planning and design. I can revert to the Deputy with more information. To cut to the chase, that is the reason for the delay. With regard to the residential retrofit loan guarantee scheme, the Department is in the process of setting up a new financial instrument. This will be a loan guarantee. It will be delivered in conjunction the...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: The funding will be transferred by the end of this year. The extra capacity will be delivered in 2022 and the information point will be available through the one-stop shop. The one-stop shop will provide the public with all the information on what is available and what grants they can avail of.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: The launch of the national retrofit scheme will be early next year.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: It will be the launch of that.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: I would hope it will be in those months, early next year.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: I do not have the details on who will qualify, but the scheme will have two components. The first will be a low-cost residential retrofit loan scheme, based on a loan scheme to be provided to participating retail institutions. It is intended that the loan guarantee will provide risk protection for the participating credit institutions and will offer loans from their own capital with reduced...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary)
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: Yes, and non-corporate landlords which wish to borrow to finance energy efficiency upgrades of their homes. It will target the residential sector. I will give the Chairman more information on this. I will get the Minister to send it to him.