Results 34,661-34,680 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: If we do not need it all this winter, we will find an alternative use for it. Older cars are definitely more dangerous than newer cars. While I do not have precise statistics, I understand cars that are more than ten years old are twice as likely to be in an accident as cars that are less than ten years old. I do not know whether the reason is that older cars are more likely to be...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: I must admit that the purpose of the amendment is to correct an error we spotted in the text. Section 5 deals with the failure or refusal of a driver to produce a licence when a requirement is made to provide a breath specimen under sections 9 and 10 of the Road Traffic Act. Essentially, one is required to produce one's driving licence if one is breath-tested under sections 9 and 10. The...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: Road traffic legislation is one of the most heavily litigated areas of the law and that is precisely why we must be so careful about it. I would love to give the Senator that assurance but cannot. It is the job of my officials, of me as Minister, and of Members of both Houses to ensure there are no loopholes. Those are the four locks and one hopes they all work. Unfortunately, there will...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Senator Mullen for tabling the amendment. The message is very clear - people should not drink and drive. That will always be the message we will put forward to the public. It is important to note that the law has always allowed for graduated penalties and still does so. If a person is found to have between 80 ml and 100 ml of alcohol in his or her blood, he or she is banned for...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: Senator Mullen is correct that it is important to make a distinction between graduated penalties and graduated offences. I accept that. The limit will go to 50 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood for most drivers and that is a low limit. As Senator O'Neill noted, it will probably be less than a pint of beer, depending on the size of the person in question and other factors. The evidence is...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: Section 8 contains a number of technical amendments to the Road Traffic Act 2010. This amendment relates to section 12 of the 2010 Act, which deals with the obligations on drivers to provide breath, blood or urine specimens following arrest at a Garda station. The amendment extends the provision so that a driver, following arrest, can be required to provide a specimen at a hospital if a...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: I can confirm that it is an offence not to produce a driving licence. It is the law and practice to allow people time to produce a licence for the reasons suggested by Senator Barrett. People might not be carrying a driving licence. We do not know where the ten-day rule comes from but it has been in place for quite some time. I am open to the idea of having a shorter period but the period...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: That is a fair point. The current situation will remain. A garda will have discretion and could initiate a prosecution, but would have discretion to allow a person to produce a driving licence within ten days.

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (28 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: The European Commission approved the Irish Tonnage tax regime in December 2002. The regime was introduced by the Irish Government as a direct measure that was designed to halt the decline in the Irish shipping industry and prevent the migration of the shipping industry to alternative jurisdictions. The Irish Tonnage Tax is part of the Irish Corporation Tax rules. A qualifying company may...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (28 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 171 and 172 together. The average resurfacing costs for regional and local roads under the Restoration Maintenance Programme in 2010 for each County Council outside of Dublin is outlined in the table: The average resurfacing costs for regional and local roads under the Restoration Maintenance Programme in 2010 for each County Council outside of Dublin is...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (28 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: Since the formation of my Department on 9th March 2011 there have been no promotions in the category referenced by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Rail Services: Rail Services (28 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: I refer the Deputy to my answer to an identical question - Question No. 597 - on 27 September 2011.

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (28 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: The Government decided in June this year to impose new pay ceilings for CEOs of State agencies. These salary arrangements will apply to new CEOs appointed from that date. The Government decision will also apply to incumbents whose contracts are extended beyond the maximum period of their existing contract. The Government recognises that in a small number of cases exceptions may be...

Written Answers — Driving Licences: Driving Licences (27 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: In line with EU legislation, Ireland will be required to move to a standard form of plastic card driving licence by early 2013. On coming into office I examined this matter, and have asked the Road Safety Authority to take charge of the project and expedite it. I understand from the RSA that plastic card licences will be in place by late 2012.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (27 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: A total of 30 staff have in recent weeks requested estimates of their retirement benefits from the pensions section in my Department, as an initial expression of interest and eleven members of staff have formally indicated their intention to retire.

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (27 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme. The implementation of individual national road projects, including the M3, is a matter for the National Roads Authority (NRA) under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007. In particular, the statutory power to levy tolls on national roads, to make toll bye-laws...

Written Answers — Tourism Promotion: Tourism Promotion (27 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: The overall allocation for the Tourism Marketing Fund for 2011 is €41,383,000 and to date €26,836,000 of this amount has been transferred to the Tourism Agencies (Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland). Specific measures are an operational matter for Tourism Ireland Limited, in the first instance, as the body responsible for promoting the island of Ireland as a visitor destination overseas,...

Written Answers — Air Services: Air Services (27 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: In line with the commitments in the Programme for Government, I developed a comprehensive three-pronged strategy to encourage in-bound tourism and announced this as part of the Jobs Initiative in May. The first element was the proposed conditional suspension of the air travel tax, the second was a new growth incentive scheme which has been introduced by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA)...

Written Answers — Coast Guard: Coast Guard (27 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: The Irish Coast Guard conducted a public tender for the supply of replacements boats in 2010. This tender attracted interest from several potential suppliers. On foot of this tender a contract was awarded from which up to 12 craft can be purchased as and when funding become available. Achill Coast Guard Unit is one of the units that will be provided with new Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) in...

Written Answers — Sporting Celebrations: Sporting Celebrations (27 Sep 2011)

Leo Varadkar: I have no function in relation to this matter. Responsibility for matters relating to parade routes in Dublin city centre lies with Dublin City Council.