Results 5,941-5,960 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: Perhaps the Deputy should table a question to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. All I can do is tell the Deputy about the arrangement.

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: Deputies raised the issue of the smart card driving licence. As far as I am concerned, the sooner we can get it in place, the better. In fairness to previous Ministers who wanted to move on this process, only in recent weeks have we reached agreement at European level to move to a European smart card driving licence. Many of the large countries in Europe were against this proposal because the...

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: The licensing authority in each area.

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: Can I reply?

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: I do not disagree with the Deputy. I faced this problem when I was the Minister for the Environment and Local Government but have the opposite problem as the Minister for Transport. The motor taxation system is linked to this matter. It is a part of local government's core funding, which is a difficulty when addressing this issue.

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: While that is not unfair to me, it is not a fair reflection on the system. It would be wrong to send the message that the system is a shambles. There is no evidence to suggest such.

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: We will judge the situation then.

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: This was not for want of trying. In fairness to Deputy Shortall's party leader——

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: Both parties commented on this matter over the weekend.

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: The Deputy should not tempt me into stating who was responsible for putting this system in place.

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: The answer to Deputy Eamon Ryan's last point on the authority's role is "Yes". Moreover, the road safety authority will represent Ireland in Europe and will deal with technical issues. Hence, I will assign the entire gamut and remit to it from an Irish and a European perspective, in order that it will lead the debate in setting standards, both nationally and internationally, and in trying to...

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: Yes, that has been done.

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: The public is openly measuring our performance, as are the Opposition and the media. Hence, performance measurement cannot be avoided. The issues are quite clear. People's perceptions of the success or otherwise of our performance is clear. I agree with some, if not all, of their points. It is becoming difficult to have no more than 300 deaths on our roads in 2006. Given the bad start to the...

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: I do not disagree with much of what the Deputies said because it is already included in the Bill. However, while there appears to be a different approach on how to frame the Bill, we all know what we are talking about. The function of the road safety authority has been made abundantly clear. The reason the programmes have been included is that I was strongly advised by the experts that...

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: There is no rocket science in this. I am telling you what he will do.

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: I do not write into legislation everything someone will or will not do.

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: Does the Deputy want people sitting in their offices and asking what they will do on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday?

Leaders' Questions (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: The Deputy would see it closed with his philosophy. That is the rubbish we heard in the 1960s.

Leaders' Questions (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: I will not hide. The Deputy will never find me hiding. I stand my ground.

Leaders' Questions (Resumed). (5 Apr 2006)

Martin Cullen: That's an old song. You should get something a bit more original.