Results 7,001-7,020 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Public Transport. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: At the launch of Transport 21, I said I was convinced that we needed a new approach to transport in the greater Dublin area, delivered through a single authority with the power to ensure joined-up thinking and delivery across all transport modes. In pursuit of this objective I have appointed a team chaired by Professor Margaret O'Mahony to finalise the remit, structures and human resource...

Public Transport. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: The Deputy is correct about what I said some months ago but that was related to a structure proposed a few years ago for a greater Dublin authority. What I am now proposing has no connection with it whatsoever.

Public Transport. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: The proposal of my predecessor, which he ultimately decided against, was to set up to a greater Dublin land use authority. I will not go down that road.

Public Transport. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: I am answering the Deputy's first question about a question I answered some time ago.

Public Transport. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: It is consistent with what I am now saying. The Deputy is correct to say there is a range of bodies involved in all aspects of the delivery of transport services in Dublin. Everybody was agreed it was time to rationalise that state of affairs. That is why I invited somebody with the skills and international standing of Professor Margaret O'Mahony to look into it. She has discussed many of the...

Public Transport. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: All of the issues about which the Deputy has asked me and more are being looked at by Professor O'Mahony and her team to see if all the bodies involved can be amalgamated into one. This may or may not be possible but Professor O'Mahony rightly asked not to be circumscribed in what she could look at. There are many inter-connecting issues in trying to deliver an integrated public transport...

Public Transport. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: I am committed to opening the market in Dublin and have made this clear to all stakeholders. In fairness to them, they all accept that the time has come for the market to be opened. To give further weight to that statement, over €529 million will be provided for the acquisition of additional buses in Dublin alone, with some €250 million being provided for the rest of the country. A...

Rail Services. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: The rail freight market is to be opened to competition from 1 January 2006, in the case of international freight, and from 1 January 2007 for domestic freight operations. Liberalisation is in accordance with the terms of Directive 2004/51/EC on the development of the Community's railways. Significant progress has been made on the transposition of this directive and I will be finalising the...

Rail Services. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: While the Deputy made a great speech, I am not sure what he asked me.

Rail Services. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: The Deputy misunderstands how rail freight operates. There is a problem in this country in this regard. In terms of freight going onto rail, it usually works over long distances carrying heavy bulk, which is not Ireland. This is part of the problem. I will give the Deputy an example. In the past 12 months, a major shipping company persuaded Iarnród Éireann to put on extra rail journeys to...

Rail Services. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: By EU agreement and under law, the market is being deregulated. In 2006, the international services carriages will be deregulated, and from 2007, the Irish market will be deregulated. A significant player has already indicated that it is interested in entering the Irish market, which I welcome. My role is as a regulator. I would not like to have that role in the future, whereas Iarnród...

Road Network. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: Transport 21 is primarily about connectivity. As the Deputy will be aware, there has been substantial investment in recent years in upgrading the national roads network in the Limerick, Shannon and Ennis region. Major projects completed include the Limerick southern ring road, phase 1, the N20 and N21 Adare-Limerick and N18 Newmarket-on-Fergus bypass. The N19 to Shannon has also been...

Road Network. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: I agree that Shannon faces many challenges but I do not agree that there is not sufficient focus; there is a massive focus in Transport 21 on infrastructural development for Shannon. Work is well under way on the Atlantic corridor, as the Deputy well knows, and it will be complete in its entirety within the ten-year framework of Transport 21.

Road Network. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: The Deputy can take it from me that is what it means. Ten years in anyone's language means ten years for total completion.

Road Network. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: It is not in my language.

Road Network. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: I accept that there are challenges for Shannon but Cork sees the future in a positive way, with all sorts of benefits accruing in international airspace. Knock sees it the same way and welcomes open skies. Those airports are confident about the opportunities presented by open skies. Shannon is in pole position, so it has an even greater opportunity than airports that are less well known...

Road Network. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: A feasibility study is being done on the connection to Shannon. It is extraordinary that both Deputies, who, along with their party leaders, seek value for money every day, would suggest that we should put a rail link in place without any economic assessment of the value for money on behalf of the taxpayer.

Road Safety. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 71 together. I refer the Deputies to my reply to Question No. 3. Work on establishing the road safety authority is well advanced in my Department. It was originally intended that the new body would be called the driver testing and standards authority and would deliver the driver licensing and driver testing service only. The Government decided in July to...

Road Safety. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: I do not accept that the Deputy is being asked to buy a pig in a poke. I have appeared before two committees and explained in detail what I am doing. I have here laid out, in broad but direct terms, the responsibilities of the authority. I have also stated that the National Safety Council will become part of the authority to create, on a statutory basis, one body that will have responsibility...

Road Safety. (24 Nov 2005)

Martin Cullen: I am doing this and we are waiting because the Labour Party asked me to do it on Second Stage of the Driver Testing and Standards Authority Bill.