Results 6,501-6,520 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: This is a political issue because what it requires, more than anything else, is political commitment at local government level to make hard decisions. The road space reallocation is not easy. It requires budgets, but it is something that is within our control as politicians and within the democratic system through local councils being willing to be ambitious and brave. That is not easy and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I did want to comment on that because the Senator asked if we should do congestion charges now. That is how I heard it. My instinct is "No", we should do the road space reallocation first. The Senator is right that we do need to introduce the E10 fuel because it is a significant component in meeting our climate targets for 2030 and for 2025. There is a time urgency on this. I will look...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: The number of people with cars that are more than 20 years old is very low. It tends to be a vintage car enthusiast type market. That is my understanding.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: We will look at this. There is always the possibility of having specialist stocks, or are looking at specialist stocks for that, but to my mind it will not be mainstream. We are not going to have an entire alternative petrol distribution system in every forecourt right across the country. That would be a hugely expensive way to provide fuel for a tiny percentage of vehicle owners. We can...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I do not know. I know Brittas like the back of my hand. I love it and I know exactly what the Deputy is talking about when this could happen on a warm summer's day. It tends to be Saturdays and Sundays and depends on the weather but I know exactly what the Deputy is talking about. That is a trickier service because typically what we are doing is all-year round-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I was not aware of that service. I will look at that and add to the Deputy's question on whether it is possible for us to provide more seasonal services. I could see the benefits of that in some ways. Brittas is a wonderful place where it would make sense in the summer, because the population expands massively. I will ask about that because I do not have the answer to the question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: What is happening with Connecting Ireland is really significant and it is already working. It only started in 2021 when we introduced two services. The first one was in Leitrim, with the integration of health service bus needs with a Local Link regular public service obligation, PSO, service. The numbers using the service jumped. The second example was around the Dingle Peninsula and Slea...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: We are doing that at scale.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with the Chair. There are several other examples as well as Limerick, such as Waterford, Cork and Galway. The Chair is right. The national planning framework is the correct plan for the future of our country, in stating that we need better balanced regional development. We have excess development in the east coast compared with the west, south west and south east. The development...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I agree. Limerick has four rail lines that can be used. If we were to build them new, it would cost billions and the economics might not stack up, but given that we have the rail infrastructure, every time we have put the stations in and provided new services, we have seen the public flock to them, in spite of the low expectations in terms of usage. Limerick needs to be twice the size....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: The truth is Moyross is not far from Limerick city centre. It was just cut off by the lack of transport infrastructure. We have provided new bus services in Moyross. We will build a high quality active travel connection to the likes of Moyross. We will put a rail station in Moyross. The prize is that it has the potential to use those hundreds of acres of under-utilised State land, which...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with Senator Higgins on the need for reform of our public procurement and public spending code. That is going to happen in the second quarter of this year, so as to ensure we take a wider account of environmental benefits. My understanding is that the shadow price of carbon, which used to be something like €50 a tonne, is going to go over €300 per tonne. There is also...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: Yes, but to finish my point, Dublin Port needs to change. We have an issue with excessive development on the east coast. The vast majority of the roll-on, roll-off traffic comes into the centre of Dublin and goes onto the M50 which cannot take further traffic. It is an area of the city with major potential for, as Deputy Leddin said, transport-led development and good, compact development...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with the Senator that there is a fundamental injustice in the climate justice of the world in that aviation and the maritime sector do not pay their way or contribute and are major causes of greenhouse gas emissions. The resolution of that has to be done at an international level. I am supportive of that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: Will the Senator explain what the subsidy is?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I will have to come back to the Senator on the technicalities of that. My first emphasis is on trying to get agreement on the delivery of the strategic rail review and the TEN-T application, I am sure, will reflect that. I agree with the Senator that the lack of any taxation on international transport fuels needs to be addressed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I do not think the funding of that will depend on the TEN-T funding.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: It is something like 10%, I think. It helps in the planning and development, rather than in the major construction costs.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: That is my understanding.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I understand the question. There is not a direct answer. The critical problem we have concerns getting planning permission for transport projects already in train. We have the metro, Dart+ West-----