Results 38,421-38,440 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Local Authority Services (16 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: The Minister will recall the lack of leadership from himself and his Department last January, which surprised many people involved in this area. I am somewhat reassured that plans have been put in place to ensure there is not a repeat this winter. I have two specific questions for the Minister. How much salt, which it is appropriate to put on the roads, is currently in storage here? If...

Local Authority Services (16 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: That is simply untrue.

Local Authority Services (16 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: How much salt is stockpiled?

Local Authority Services (16 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: How much salt is stockpiled?

Local Authority Services (16 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: Will the Minister repeat his answer to the question about whether local authorities ran out of salt last year? Is he suggesting no local authority in Ireland ran out of salt last year during the big freeze when it is a fact that Cork County Council had to supply Kerry County Council with significant tonnage of salt? The Minister should rethink his reply to that. How much salt is stockpiled...

Road Network (16 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: Question 47: To ask the Minister for Transport his plans to proceed with a strategy to place new road toll collection points on motorway and national road infrastructure in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42991/10]

Road Network (16 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: That is convenient. There is a great deal of concern that additional tolls will be placed on our motorway infrastructure and it would be helpful if the Minister clarified whether he intends to use additional tolling to raise revenue, whether that be for infrastructure or for the Exchequer. There is potential for a huge waste of money because he has asked the NRA to put considerable work...

Road Network (16 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: Will the Minister consider whether it makes sense to charge people and, in doing so, discourage them from using the safest, quickest, most direct infrastructure on which we have spent a fortune constructing, thereby increasing traffic on secondary roads and sending it back into towns and villages, which is contrary to the motorway strategy in place? If he is considering introducing new...

Road Network (16 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: This is not about maintenance but the building of new roads.

Road Network (16 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: I can understand the rationale of a congestion charge.

Road Network (16 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: The issue surrounding the tolling of bypasses, tunnels and major infrastructure is that the opposite effect will be achieved, with traffic being diverted into towns and villages. That is the point. If tolls are to be in the form of congestion charges, people should be encouraged on to motorway infrastructure, which makes much more sense.

Rural Transport Services (16 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: I have a number of specific questions. I recognise that rural transport requires a State subsidy and is quite complex in its make-up. Is the Minister satisfied that the €196 million per year currently being paid for school transport, in the context of rural transport, as well as the average €25 million per year spent on providing HSE transport, largely made up of hiring taxis in rural...

Rural Transport Services (16 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: There is a social aspect that probably requires a State subsidy from a road safety perspective. Will the Minister consider clustering services, whether they are for the HSE, school transport or some other rural transport service provision? Will he allow the private sector to compete for the business through an outsourcing tendering process so as to encourage people to come forward with...

Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (11 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: Question 13: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason St. Vincent's Hospital has more radiologists than Tallaght hospital, in view of the fact that Tallaght hospital conducts twice the amount of X-rays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41928/10]

Fifth Report of the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security: Motion (11 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: I congratulate my colleague, Deputy Liz McManus; she and her team have put a huge amount of work into putting together not only a framework document for a climate change Bill but also a Bill itself, and this is what we are debating today. I was in Copenhagen last year, as was the Minister of State, and he will know there is now understanding among all political parties of the responsibility...

Fifth Report of the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security: Motion (11 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: ----- but it would have been unlikely that we would have seen a climate change Bill or a draft Bill next week if it had not been for the consistent and determined work of the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security to force the Government to publish something. That is unfortunate. With no disrespect to the Minister of State, it is also unfortunate that we do not have either of...

Fifth Report of the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security: Motion (11 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: When the Greens were in Opposition.

Fifth Report of the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security: Motion (11 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: That comment from the Minister of State makes it all the more disappointing that he has not taken on board what the Opposition parties are now saying. In many cases the Opposition parties have learned from many of the arguments made by the Green Party five or six years ago and they now accept this should be mainstream opinion. Now that the Greens are in Government, they believe that only a...

Fifth Report of the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security: Motion (11 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: I hope that is the case but I have learned to adopt a wait and see approach with regard to this Government. I hope the heads of the Bill will be published next week and I assure the Minister of State that my party will give it as fair a hearing as I can provide. I look forward to the Bill coming before the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security for a frank and open...

Order of Business. (11 Nov 2010)

Simon Coveney: What is the proposal from the Tánaiste?