Results 3,961-3,980 of 7,564 for speaker:Ruairí Ó Murchú

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: This issue has therefore been highlighted since June. Is that the case?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: That is a whole pile of over and back interaction. First, it highlighted it and then gave the information. Is it the case that at no point did anyone have a discussion about there being a problem here and that this is not right? Therein lies the problem. That was a mistake and, although I would say this, that mistake lies with the Government. It is a fair point and I think that the TII...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I accept that. Mr. Walsh has spoken about the cost he is dealing with. He has spoken also about the PPPs, although I am not sure that they are quite offering the great deal that Mr. Walsh indicated them to be earlier. However, at some level, he has what he has in front of him and a huge amount of deviation is not allowed on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: We cannot exactly go back in time to re-tender or to re-negotiate, or whatever the correct term is. That is what it is. I will deviate, rather than repeating the same material. The issue brought to my attention relates to the use of hard shoulders. A hard shoulder is used on the way into Belfast, particularly for buses. We talk about getting more people to use public transport and so...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I am saying this hard shoulder issue is happening and asking if TII is looking at it. What are the possibilities? Could we look at this from the point of view of the M1 into Dublin? We are probably talking about a limited amount of hard shoulder but it could make a major difference.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I appreciate that. Without going into a whole pile of detail, be that a conversation regarding barrier control or whatever, are there any plans to change any of the operations in any of the toll plazas at this point in time?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Again, it is brought up when bus operators or whatever will say that they get stuck at toll plazas at times. There is not the free flow of movement and they get the loss, including environmental factors, which were previously referenced.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: We need barriers, but we would not always need to use them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: All right.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Is the M1 one of those?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: We could all probably get into the ins and outs of every individual toll, and try to find out the ins and outs of what particular level of profit these companies are getting. It is fair to say that some of them seem to be doing very well. That is the bit that sometimes comes up. It is the counterargument to what Mr. Walsh said in the sense of assessing how good these companies are in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Chairman, I am shocked.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Funding for the N53 upgrade from just north of Hackballscross to Rassan is guaranteed into 2023. An oral hearing has not been held by An Bord Pleanála, however. Given that body's problems right now, there is a concern that funding will not be guaranteed if this situation continues. What is the status of the Ardee bypass and the N2 upgrade? TII is in discussions on the M1 toll....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I am just seeking clarity on its funding. As with many projects, an oral hearing at An Bord Pleanála is required. Given that body's difficulties, though, a hearing has not been held yet.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: And the question on the slip road. I assume Mr. Walsh has no further information on the N2.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Yes, and the Drogheda slip road on the M1.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Motorway Toll Charges: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (29 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I realise I am on borrowed time.

Communications Regulation Bill 2022: Instruction to Committee (24 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: This motion is necessary to deal with specific amendments. A fair amount has been put into the public domain by my colleague, Deputy Ó Snodaigh, in particular, on the digital hub and the fear of lost good, initiatives from a part of Dublin and that will need to be addressed. Across the board, we all welcome parts of this Bill in dealing with European directives and codes that need...

Forestry: Statements (24 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: There is an element in this Chamber every day, and seemingly more so of a Thursday, of returning to the scene of the crime. We get an opportunity to probably rerun one of the many single transferable speeches we have at this stage. This is not the first time any of us has dealt with forestry in the House. We all see the issue as what is described as low-hanging fruit, in the sense that it...

Abuse at Certain Educational Institutions: Statements (24 Nov 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: It seems we have been on a rollercoaster since the 1990s with these revelations of abuse involving the church and educational institutions, particularly those educational institutions where the church had control. We all remember how shocking it was when we first heard about Fr. Brendan Smith and it has just continued since then. We have all spoken previously about the many failures of...