Results 4,081-4,100 of 24,308 for speaker:Jerry Buttimer

Seanad: Flood Risk Management: Motion (19 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I commend Senator Garvey and the Green Party on tabling the motion. The Minister of State has been love-bombed by the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, on a cruise in the Seanad and there is a party that wants to love-bomb him to Cork to ensure our flood defence scheme will be put in place. To be fair to him, we commend him on his work,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: I join Senator Ahearn and other Senators in calling for a debate prior to next week's Cabinet meeting on the reopening of the country. I ask the Leader to convene the House early for such a debate. There is a rising number of Covid cases and, to paraphrase, the virus is on a new trajectory. It is important that all of us use appropriate language. Statistics do not lie. Dr. Anne O'Connor...

Seanad: Finance (European Stability Mechanism and Single Resolution Fund) Bill 2021: Second Stage (14 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: I welcome the Minister to the House. This is actually a very important debate. I commend Senator Higgins on her contribution. The backdrop is that the European Commission will publish next week its economic impact statement on the effect of the pandemic on the European economy and its implications for member states. I am acutely conscious that there are differing ideologies in this debate...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (14 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: Could I endorse what Senator Murphy and Deputy Devlin said about the promulgation of the work of the committee and about making the committee more accessible to members of the public via the submission of petitions? Ours is an important committee that can give frustrated citizens an avenue for having their voices heard. They may not like the answers to their petitions, but it gives them a...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: I pay tribute and join my colleagues in lamenting the loss of Paddy Maloney. He was an extraordinarily talented person and musician who brought music to a new level. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis. I join my colleague, Senator Conway, in his remarks on the budgetary process. Budget day is now redundant. In this House, we created a budgetary oversight committee for the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: It was extraordinary no members of the Opposition were in the House for the budget speech last night. Nobody was here.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: The Opposition benches were idle. They were empty for the budget speeches yesterday.

Seanad: Budget 2022: Statements (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council described this budget as a prudent path. That is probably what we need to see today. We acknowledge the many challenges that we face as a society. This morning on the Order of Business, I commented that our budgetary process should be amended. I said that in three contexts. Almost everything that was in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Mobility Policy: Department of Transport (13 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank Mr. Spratt and his officials for engaging with us today. The opening paragraph of his statement states that we all must go on a journey in facing the challenges in terms of reducing emissions. How would he describe the engagement with the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, SIMI, the Irish Road Haulage Association, IRHA, and the Irish Farmers' Association, IFA, on bringing about a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Mobility Policy: Department of Transport (13 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: How would Mr. Spratt describe the level of engagement and the conversations with the different interest groups?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Mobility Policy: Department of Transport (13 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: In regard to the budget and the provision of 50% discounted travel in respect of urban, intercity and rural services for the 19 to 23 year old cohort, why was that cohort chosen, as opposed to the 16 to 23 age cohort or the age cohort which Deputy Cathal Crowe and I are in, who would use public transport if there was an incentive for us to do so? Taking the Cork to Dublin route as an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Mobility Policy: Department of Transport (13 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: Surely, we could have adopted the policy of incentivising people of my generation who use the car to shift our mode of transport to public transport. It is about incentivisation, but it is about education as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Mobility Policy: Department of Transport (13 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: I will move now to the overarching context of the sustainable mobility policy. My father often has a great debate with me about the person living in Tarelton or Kilmichael in Cork, who has no chance of getting a bus. What do we say to those people in rural Ireland in terms of developing a sustainable mobility policy for them? We should look at the prohibitive cost of trains because there...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Mobility Policy: Department of Transport (13 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: I commend Iarnród Éireann for the intercity service between Cork and Dublin, which is quite good. The commute time has reduced and the frequency has increased. My final comment concerns the active travel initiative relating to schools and the Safe Routes to School programme. I am a big advocate of this and I hope the Department of Transport with An Taisce will expand it. What...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Mobility Policy: Department of Transport (13 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: I hope Mr. Spratt will come back to us on a separate date to discuss the national development plan, the very important projects involving connectivity, particularly between Cork and Limerick, and the aviation sector, which is important for regional and international connectivity.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Mobility Policy: Department of Transport (13 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: No, I am happy enough. We might come back to a discussion on the taxi industry and how we can engage with it on the sustainable mobility policy. To be fair, some taxi drivers feel there is a disconnect. I hope Mr. Spratt could reach out to the taxi industry to feel sure it is part of the conversation and the modal shift in that regard. I thank him for being here today.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Mobility Policy: Department of Transport (13 Oct 2021)

Jerry Buttimer: I endorse the remarks made by the Chairman and Senator Horkan. I asked about this earlier. This is probably one of the most important issues under discussion today. The Chairman and Senator Horkan are right. We need to elaborate on and develop this part of the debate further in future meetings.