Results 5,861-5,880 of 7,604 for speaker:James Bannon

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: We should have law and order. What the electorate wants from any Government is honesty but we have not got that from this Government because it has reneged on all its promises.

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: Recognising that HGVs in particular are potentially hazardous to vulnerable road users, the Irish Road Haulage Association — I declare an interest in that association as I was nominated by it to contest the Seanad election——

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: That association, the National Safety Council and the National Council on Ageing and Older People have launched a joint safety campaign to highlight the existence of a danger zone or blind spot around HGVs. Their valid contention is that if a person cannot see the driver of such a vehicle, the driver cannot see the person. According to the National Safety Council, there was a total of 3,360...

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: They are reviewing the entire county when the kilometres per hour signs are already in place.

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: It will cost money to put up the new signs and that is happening in every county. The Government had an opportunity to alert local authorities to this and it did not happen.

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: It did not happen. Elected representatives were not consulted. There must be reform of the driving test system and driving instructor techniques. I have received numerous representations from people who have had to wait up to ten months for a driving test, a process that the Minister of State should speed up. Fine Gael calls on the Government to produce a White Paper on aviation policy. We...

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: The Leader of the House will also support me in this regard. We must establish an accident investigation unit to investigate the cause of all road accidents. There are reports on accidents but this investigation unit is essential because when we find out the cause of accidents, we can act to eliminate them. There are often blackspots in countryside locations where up to ten people have been...

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: There are serious problems with the quality of school transport that must be addressed but the Government has not made any provision for it in the past decade. On the day the Kyoto Agreement comes into force the emissions from some of these buses are shameful. The Government should fund the rural transport initiative and ensure it is a lifelong process — we are all heading for old age and...

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: This Government has been in power for almost a decade and has done nothing about it.

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: I am talking about the €60 million that was squandered on e-voting that could have been spent on public transport.

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: We would not squander money.

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: The Minister of State does not jump the gun.

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Callely, to the House. The Minister, Deputy Cullen, must have run for cover. His absence in this House prior to and since Christmas, and since the debacle on the e-voting project, has been noted.

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: The poor man is lost in his tracks somewhere along the line.

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: If it were April fools' day, we would smell a rat. What better day to debate transport policy than in the wake of the Minister of State's pre-emption of the Minister, Deputy Cullen's, hardly credible announcement on transport initiatives? There is an old saying that if we all pulled in the same direction, we would topple over.

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: The Minister of State should be congratulated on having world stability on his mind but I am not sure about the Government parties. The Minister, Deputy Cullen, must watch his back because Opposition Members are not the only ones after his job. The Minister of State gave a clear indication today that he is after his job and he wants to bury him sooner rather than later in the area of...

Seanad: Regional Transport Policy: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: A team effort how are you. The Ministers are all pulling in different directions. I used to see goats in my part of the country doing that.

Seanad: Development of BMW Region: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: I compliment the Leader of the House for facilitating us with a debate on the mid-term review of the BMW region and I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I wish the Minister for Finance, the Taoiseach and the entire Cabinet were here to hear Senator MacSharry relate the neglect by the Government of the BMW region. He listed statistics in a range of areas from infrastructure through...

Seanad: Development of BMW Region: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: I am not surprised by Senator Leyden's statement. He always speaks nonsense, not only here but also in the constituency.

Seanad: Development of BMW Region: Statements. (16 Feb 2005)

James Bannon: What happened to Roscommon?