Results 661-680 of 3,996 for speaker:Martin Kenny

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: I thank the witnesses for their submission and the detailed account. We all recognise that rail lines around the country have been used, in many cases, in a positive way for greenways. Indeed, placing them along canals and other level pathways is the secret to it. That is what rail lines offer. I disagree that the rail line will never happen. I believe a railway can and will happen. I...

Committee on Public Petitions: Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: People have a view of that. That is fine. I am sure people talked to Monsignor Horan when he started to build the airport and told him he would never succeed. You can laugh if you like, but at the end of the day we have to have ambition to improve our country and improving our rail network across the entire island is part of that. This may well be part of it. I am not saying it will be,...

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: Many of my colleagues have discussed the security conclusions of the European Council meeting and indeed the issue with regard to Gaza and what is happening there. The complete inaction of Europe in respect of that is deplorable. I also want to focus on another major issue we have around the world, climate change. We have seen the impact of it in recent weeks, particularly the storms we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: I thank Mr. Meade for his contribution and the work he and all the staff across the whole network do. Starting locally, on 10 December Iarnród Éireann announced increases to services across the country. Unfortunately, living in the north west, we did not seem to get any such increases. The Sligo-Dublin line did not get any additional services or investment. I would like an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: Yes, but when we get into government, it will be much faster than that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: You can try your best but it will be hard for you. We want to see something that is progressing and can happen soon. What is Mr. Meade’s view on delivering something in that area?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: Does Iarnród Éireann have a timeline as to how fast that could happen?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: It would take five years.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: What would be the cost?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: Is there a track, or does Iarnród Éireann have something in mind, for the route it would take to do that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: The frequency of trains is one of the main issues people have a difficulty with, not least in the case of late-night or late-evening trains. Are there ambitions to do that throughout the State and when will that happen? What happened in early December was clearly welcome but an awful lot of the trains, even from the west, which has a poor enough service some of the time, are very...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: Will there be a problem providing security on later trains?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Capital Projects and Operations: Iarnród Éireann (24 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: Mr. Meade mentioned freight and, in his opening statement, pointed out the ambition Iarnród Éireann has around that. Are there issues with regard to yards and so on? A lot of them were closed and the facilities taken away. Would a lot of investment be required to get back into freight to make it profitable in future?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Large Energy Users Rebalancing Subvention: Discussion (23 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: I thank the witnesses for their contributions so far. Based on the evidence we have heard so far, the Government made this decision in June 2009 and it was communicated to the regulator. Ms MacEvilly mentioned that there was a lot of collaboration and that there was an industry. How big a lobby was there for this to happen? Was the Minister lobbied by industry to get this change? While...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Large Energy Users Rebalancing Subvention: Discussion (23 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: That is difficult to say. I assume the Department is where that would have to start.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Large Energy Users Rebalancing Subvention: Discussion (23 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Large Energy Users Rebalancing Subvention: Discussion (23 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: Are there grounds for the decision? On what basis was it made? Where is the evidence that this was needed in the public interest?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Large Energy Users Rebalancing Subvention: Discussion (23 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: I accept that and I am not disputing that industry can put forward a very valid argument for making changes at any time. It is its entitled to do that, to lobby and to seek relief wherever it can. The question here is about how appropriate it was to put this in place and that it would recur every year, with very little opportunity for review of its impact. Even when we produce legislation...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Large Energy Users Rebalancing Subvention: Discussion (23 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: Perhaps the regulator could respond as to whether or not any reviews were done in those years. The mistake that occurred is the mistake we hear about. One of the core issues is around how valid this process was in the first place and whether reviews were done.