Results 541-560 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

Road Traffic Offences. (2 Apr 2009)

Noel Ahern: The text of the road traffic Bill, which, inter alia, proposes a reduction in the legal blood alcohol content level for drivers and introduces measures for the mandatory testing for alcohol of drivers involved in road traffic collisions, is currently being drafted and is nearing completion. The Road Traffic Acts already provide that a member of the Garda Síochána may test a driver involved...

Road Traffic Offences. (2 Apr 2009)

Noel Ahern: I might have been a bit over optimistic previously, but I think the Deputy got mixed up in his years. It was October 2008 that the Government——

Road Traffic Offences. (2 Apr 2009)

Noel Ahern: It was in October 2008 that the Government approved the drafting of the Bill.

Road Traffic Offences. (2 Apr 2009)

Noel Ahern: It is not October 2009 yet. We hope to enact provisions so that breath testing can be undertaken as a matter of course, subject to any overriding medical considerations, rather than the current authority where the garda may do it. We want to make that the norm, even though we must allow for some medical issues. Legislation takes a while to prepare and it goes back and forth a bit. There...

Road Traffic Offences. (2 Apr 2009)

Noel Ahern: We are working on it. Drafts of the legislation have been done. I got caught before for being over-optimistic, so I do not want to say that it will happen in two weeks or two months, but a substantial amount of work has been done and we are committed to bringing it in.

Road Traffic Offences. (2 Apr 2009)

Noel Ahern: It could be a month or it could be three months.

Order of Business (2 Apr 2009)

Noel Ahern: What is the point of arguing about it now?

Road Safety. (26 Mar 2009)

Noel Ahern: I thank Deputy Thomas Byrne for raising the matter. The Government already has a policy which provides for priority to be given to safety in our road networks around the country. This is reflected in the significant amounts of funding provided for our national road network in recent years. In the three years, 2006 to 2008, almost €5 billion was invested in capital projects related to the...

Road Network. (26 Mar 2009)

Noel Ahern: The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and funding for the national roads programme element of Transport 21. The implementation of individual national road projects is a matter for the National Roads Authority under the Roads Act 1993 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. The Deputy's suggestion that the roads programme has almost been cancelled is...

Road Network. (26 Mar 2009)

Noel Ahern: The situation has changed. There is a shortage of money. It is important that somebody at the top approves the contracts. That does not mean that work has been stopped. It is a case of the Department of Finance having an overview of the situation. Most of the money for this year is contractually tied so there are no cut-backs there. When the five major inter-urban routes are finished...

Planning Issues. (26 Mar 2009)

Noel Ahern: I shall try to give the Deputy the factual position on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, but if I may, I will keep away from the politics of Dublin South-East. As the Deputy knows, the authority was established established under the Dublin Docklands Development Authority Act 1997, to lead the physical, economic, social and cultural regeneration of...

Planning Issues. (26 Mar 2009)

Noel Ahern: That follows a consultation period of 62 days. The final draft planning scheme will be submitted to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, for his consideration later this year. It is entirely a matter for the authority to prepare a draft planning scheme and to carry out the necessary consultations. In accordance with the Act, once a draft planning...

Planning Issues. (26 Mar 2009)

Noel Ahern: The Minister expects to be in a position shortly to announce the appointment of a new chair of the authority. It will be a matter for the chair, the board and the executive of the authority to ensure that the completion of the drafting of the Poolbeg planning scheme, and its subsequent implementation including development of the IGB site, is closely managed in the interests of the...

Institutes of Technology. (26 Mar 2009)

Noel Ahern: I am taking this adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. Applications have been received from three institutes of technology, namely, Waterford Institute of Technology, Dublin Institute of Technology and Cork Institute of Technology, for designation as universities. These applications raise significant issues regarding...

Company Closure. (25 Mar 2009)

Noel Ahern: The Deputies asked a lot of extra questions to which I might not have the answers. In mid-January the DAA informed the Department that as part of preparations for global restructuring SR Technics had agreed to sell certain hangars back to the DAA——

Company Closure. (25 Mar 2009)

Noel Ahern: Can the Deputy let me give my answer?

Company Closure. (25 Mar 2009)

Noel Ahern: I had better start again. In mid-January the DAA informed the Department that as part of preparations for global restructuring SR Technics had agreed to sell certain hangars back to the DAA and had signed a letter of intent to that effect. The Minister was informed of these developments at the time. The Department and the Minister had been made aware by the DAA in mid-November of contacts...

Company Closure. (25 Mar 2009)

Noel Ahern: The Deputy should hold on a second. I listened to him.

Company Closure. (25 Mar 2009)

Noel Ahern: The Department and the DAA have at all times been sensitive to the employment implications of the SR Technics closure.

Company Closure. (25 Mar 2009)

Noel Ahern: I am trying to answer some of the Deputy's questions.