Results 441-460 of 11,242 for speaker:Noel Dempsey

Regional Airports (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 95 together. The core airport management operational subvention scheme provides for an annual subvention to regional airports. The amount payable is based on projected losses by the airports in providing core services, after taking account of any surpluses from commercial activities or other income. This is in line with the view underlying the...

Regional Airports (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: The figures I provided refer to the operational subvention and capital expenditure, which was the area referred to in the question. I will get the information on the PSO for the Deputy.

Regional Airports (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I will get the figures for the capital expenditure, CapEx, the operational expenditure, OpEx, and the PSO. With regard to the PSO, the airports are not dependent on the PSO alone. The PSO to which the Deputy referred is paid directly to the airlines rather than the airports. Obviously, it is a help to the airports because once there are passengers flying in and out, there is an income from...

Regional Airports (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: The Deputy is right. However, I am sure it has not escaped his notice that there were severe cuts in the two budgets in 2008, the budget in 2009 and that we will have severe cuts in 2010. The transport budget was cut by €60 million last year and while some of that cut fell on the regional airports, I tried to protect them as best I could. A major portion of the cut was applied to local...

Regional Airports (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: The Deputy asked whether the money provided is all that is available. At the moment, that is all I have available for the airports. We try in so far as we can to pay it out as early as possible to assist the airports in meeting payments. Like in every other area, we must cut our cloth to suit our measure.

Regional Airports (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: We have replied to Ryanair's letter about withdrawing and breaching its contract at Kerry airport. I do not want to elaborate on the basis that it may have to go further but we have made our views known on this. There is a procedure in the contract whereby six months' notice should be given by either side and that has not been respected in this case.

Regional Airports (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I can only spend money that I have or that I get. If I do not have it, I cannot give it to airports or other bodies. I have to divide the cake I have among the various areas of responsibility.

Regional Airports (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: No, it is not.

Regional Airports (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: We have conducted a value for money review of the regional airports. We took all their values and otherwise into account and recommendations, which have yet to be considered by the Government, were made on foot of that. I assure both Deputies that all aspects of the value of such airports and what they mean to local areas were fully analysed, as they were in the provision of greatly...

Taxi Regulations (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I understand that the Commission for Taxi Regulation's new reform programme seeks to achieve a 10% target of wheelchair accessible taxis and hackneys. Since June 2010 new small public service vehicle, SPSV, licences are issued only in respect of wheelchair accessible vehicles and a new category of wheelchair accessible hackney was introduced. I have been advised by the commission that...

Taxi Regulations (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: This matter comes under the remit of the Commission on Taxi Regulation. The recently announced regulations in this regard provide for the 10% target and provide that new licences will only be issued for taxis that are wheelchair accessible. This will increase the percentage of wheelchair accessible taxis. In addition, the taxi regulator made a proposal for a scheme to assist those who want...

Taxi Regulations (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I accept that the Commission on Taxi Regulation has endeavoured to put a scheme in place. The first scheme it put forward was not acceptable or workable and the second is being considered. I will consider it as urgently as I can in light of the finances available over the next few months.

Light Rail Project (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: Since 1 December 2009, the implementation of metro north has been a matter for the National Transport Authority. However, as the business case will inform the final Government approval for the project, it is appropriate to address this issue. My Department's policy on the release of cost and economic information on transport projects is designed to protect the taxpayers' interest but a...

Light Rail Project (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I thank the Deputy for his support for the project as it is important. A number of cost benefit analyses have been carried out on this project. The latest analysis gives an indication that the benefit to cost ratio of the project is approximately 2 to 1, when the wider economic benefits are taken into account and to which the Deputy referred, rather than just the provision of the metro...

Light Rail Project (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I welcome the Deputy's statement. The Government will be as forthcoming as possible, subject to information being commercially sensitive.

Road Haulage Transport (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I am not aware of any specific complaints in this regard. If the Deputy has a particular case in mind, I will have it examined. Road transport operates in a liberalised market where good carried for hire and reward are regulated by both EU and national legislation. Decisions on freight movement, including choice of hauliers, are influenced by many factors such as competition, patterns of...

Road Haulage Transport (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: Such information as to the number of foreign road hauliers is not collated by my Department. Therefore, I cannot honestly say to the Deputy that there are more or fewer foreign road hauliers coming into the country. The Deputy is correct that fewer hauliers are operating from Ireland and fewer hauliers have been licensed in Ireland over the past number of years. This is due to the current...

Road Haulage Transport (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I accept what the Deputy is saying, that hauliers like everyone else in the economy are under increasing pressure. We mentioned that the number of hauliers has reduced and the amount of goods being carried has reduced over the past 12 to 18 months. The dip in the economy has hit hauliers hard . From the Department's point of view, we cannot intervene directly to support individual...

Road Haulage Transport (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I take the point made by Deputy Coveney and I will respond directly to him. It is a problem.

Road Haulage Transport (6 Oct 2010)

Noel Dempsey: I can respond briefly on the working time directive because it is subject to new rulings from the EU. It is currently under discussion. We have no proposals for a scrappage scheme. In the current economic climate we will not contemplate that. In the past we have tried to encourage the haulage industry to renew the fleet by increasing the standards and facilitating them in upgrading to the...