Results 5,721-5,740 of 10,977 for speaker:Timmy Dooley

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: What the Minister is saying is that the functional management structure that existed at Shannon and Cork Airports is no longer in place and that there is now more hierarchy within the organisation than heretofore.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: Is it envisaged that it will be provided with an annual budget?

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: Am I correct that the Minister is saying it will not have its own budget?

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: On the basis of the Cork Airport position within the DAA, I would have thought that like any business unit within a large multiplicity of entities it would be assigned a budget on a annual basis based on its own projections and that, if necessary, it would receive the support of Dublin in the context of the considerable borrowing referred to by the Minister which has to paid down, I presume...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: I accept that.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: I accept that at DAA board level it is a separate business entity.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: A view previously expressed is that Shannon and Cork Airports had been retarded to some extent in their potential for growth because of the manner in which the DAA monopolised the entire aviation activity in the country. The view was that it retained all of the activity for itself and left only a small amount of business to the other airports. The notion of independence would allow more...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: I oppose this section which again proposes to substitute "Dublin Airport Authority" with "DAA". Concern has been expressed in Shannon and Cork about the entity that has effectively controlled the three airports. I know the history of the establishment of the Dublin Airport Authority. The expectation at the time of its establishment in 2004 was that separation of Shannon and Cork Airports...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: I am disappointed that the Minister has reached this conclusion. It is not a case of the workers not believing they have a legal case. Rather, they do not have the wherewithal to take on the State with the Attorney General defending. Recognising that they are pensioners and their pensions are meagre compared with what they might have had had they remained in the employ of the Civil...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: We oppose the section on the basis that people in Cork had a legitimate expectation for an independent entity similar to what was established at Shannon. A certain part of the business community is concerned that Cork does not have the same ability to chart its destiny. Cork is a significant city and has a regional presence. There is a belief that its airport could manage its affairs well...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: The Minister talks in general terms about the conferral of additional functions on the Shannon Group. What does he have in mind? What is in the minds of those who have sought this provision?

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: This committee participated in the discussion around the heads of the Bill when it was first published. At the time, we sought the views of different stakeholders. In that context, we had a number of submissions. I recall there was concern in a number of quarters about the borrowing potential, which I think is set at €100 million. The concern was that there might be a need to...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: That came from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform?

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: We would never accuse the Minister of that.

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: On Second Stage, I outlined my concerns about a particular group of employees of Shannon and Cork airports. They are people who from 1969 onwards transferred from the Civil Service to Aer Rianta on the urging of the Department and with the expectation that it would not involve any worsening of conditions of employment. This was circulated by way of office notice 4/68. That assertion was...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: On the ruling of out of order of amendment No. 2, will there be an opportunity to discuss it in general terms or will I have to raise it on the discussion on the relevant section? Will we be going through the Bill section by section?

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: During Second Stage, I discussed with the Minister the position on cross-subsidisation between the two companies that will sit under the overarching company. The Minister was at pains to point out in his Second Stage statement that the companies would not be in a position to cross-subsidise. At the time I was somewhat confused because, as I set out for the Minister, the reason for the...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: That creates some concern. Notwithstanding the fact that the airport was largely given the independent status in a debt-free way, the best advice from Booz was that if it was to be made independent, it would need external support to deal with potential shocks. I recognise the good work the management, staff and chairperson, Ms Hynes, have done in increasing the through-put of passengers. I...

Committee on Transport and Communications: Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: The Minister is right that the Booz report was not a definitive document informing all Government thinking. It would have been wrong to suggest that any one consultancy report would form the basis for the entire thinking of Government. The business plan I recall indicated a necessity to reach approximately 1.9 million passengers by the end of 2014. That would have taken numbers to...

Order of Business (3 Jul 2014)

Timmy Dooley: The Minister is aware the State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014 Seanad will reach Committee Stage in this House. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, has tabled a number of amendments, which if as I expect are passed, will require the Bill to go back to the Seanad. Is there any indication whether it is intended that the Bill will be passed into law by the...