Results 7,381-7,400 of 19,173 for speaker:Shane Ross

Topical Issue Debate: Rail Network Expansion (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I share the Deputy's impatience but I do not have the kind of cheque book I would need to sort out this problem immediately. I ask him to accept that we have made serious commitments, not just in respect of the DART underground but in respect of Metro north, of which the Deputy will be aware, and the Luas which was an expensive project that will be opened this Saturday. The additional...

Topical Issue Debate: Transport Infrastructure Provision (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I understand the urgency of this matter and the Deputy's frustration at the lack of progress in addressing it. As he knows, nearly all of the moneys available to us for the immediate future are going on repair works and steady-state investment. It will be 2019 or beyond before moneys will be used for new projects which, although equally important, simply cannot be funded at this time. ...

Topical Issue Debate: Rail Network Expansion (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. He cannot think of a better project to put funding into, but the problem is that there are many competing projects and, in each case, its advocates think there is no better plan. They are all urgent and not every one of them can be fulfilled immediately. The Deputy's points were well made, however, and there is a crying need for a lot of the...

Topical Issue Debate: Pension Provisions (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I thank the Deputy for raising these matters. I am happy to refer them to the CIÉ board for their comment. I am not prepared at this stage to give a commitment to fund what he asks for just because the Deputy has raised it in the House today. If there is a conflict of interest, as maintained by the Deputy, I will refer it to the CIÉ board for comment along with the other matters....

Topical Issue Debate: Transport Infrastructure Provision (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, in which I know he has a great and persistent interest. It has registered on my radar because he has spoken to me about it both privately and publicly. I am grateful to him for doing so. As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport I have responsibility for overall policy and funding for the national roads programme. The planning, design and...

Topical Issue Debate: Pension Provisions (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Matters regarding the CIÉ pension schemes are, as the Deputy will know, primarily for the CIÉ group, its employees and the trustees of the pension schemes. The employees of CIÉ group companies, that is, Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann and CIÉ, are provided with pension benefits on...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Road Safety (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this matter, which unfortunately is quite topical. I applaud his concern for road safety, which is one of my primary concerns in this portfolio. As he has pointed out, the death toll in this country is still horrific. I do not intend to use any clichés when I say that even though the numbers are coming down, all road deaths are completely...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Calming Measures (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: As Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme.  The planning, design and implementation of individual road projects  is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.  Within its capital budget,...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Improvement Schemes (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: As Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme.  The planning, design and implementation of individual road projects  is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.  Within its capital budget,...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Parking Provision (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I propose to take Questions Nos. 221 to 223, inclusive, together. The issue raised is a matter for Iarnród Éireann and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply.  Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Tourism Data (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: Officials in my Department make use of tourism statistics from a wide variety of sources to inform tourism policy analysis. Apart from the statistics produced by the CSO, as well as other sources such as the tourism agencies and international bodies, officials also monitor publications from the tourism industry on a continuous basis for information, statistical or otherwise, which may be...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Tourism Data (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: As the Deputy is aware, official statistics on tourism are published by the Central Statistics Office. The CSO does not publish tourism statistics on a county basis. It does, however, publish regional statistics for domestic tourism on a quarterly basis. Whilst the CSO does not currently publish regional statistics for overseas visitors, Fáilte Ireland uses CSO data to estimate...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Tourism Promotion (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I welcome the overall growth in visit numbers to Ireland in the first ten months of 2017. However, the persistent decline in the numbers visiting from Great Britain continues to be a concern. The fall in the value of sterling against the euro following the Brexit vote in the UK has been the primary factor in this. At Government level, the Brexit negotiations continue,...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Departmental Expenditure (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: The information requested by the Deputy since the establishment of the Department of Transport in June 2002 is available on my Department's website at the following link http://www.dttas.ie/corporate/english/expenditure-external-s ervices 

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Civil Aviation Regulation (6 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: The carriage of munitions and dangerous goods in aircraft, similar to other aviation safety matters, is quite rightly highly regulated in national, EU and international law. The internal review of the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Order 1973 is currently underway and should be completed in the coming months. There are a number...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Property Ownership (5 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: As the Deputy is aware, Shannon Group plc operates to a commercial mandate and has statutory responsibility to, inter alia, manage and develop its assets and exploit commercial opportunities associated with its land and property and that of its subsidiaries, including its wholly owned subsidiary, Shannon Commercial Properties Ltd. I have therefore forwarded this Question to Shannon...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Parking Regulations (5 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: Section 101(B) of the Road Traffic Act 1961 (as amended) provides the legal vires to a local authority to authorise a person or a class of persons to fix immobilisation devices to vehicles within its functional area. A decision whether or not to introduce such vehicle immobilisation, as part of the parking enforcement measures in its functional area, is a matter for each local authority.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Ship Disposal (5 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: I propose to take Questions Nos. 440 and 454 together. No resources in this Department are assigned for the purpose of the removal of wrecks. The relevant legislation under my remit which applies to wrecks is the Merchant Shipping (Salvage and Wreck) Act, 1993 and in particular ss. 51-52. In sum these set out the duty of the owner to remove or make safe obstructive wrecks and...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Departmental Funding (5 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: My Department does not provide funding to any of the groups mentioned.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport Provision (5 Dec 2017)

Shane Ross: The purpose of providing an new coach park at North Wall was, in part, to address the issue of on-street parking of coaches in the city centre, particularly with regard to the Luas Cross City works and route. The provision of the Coach Park is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA), which has statutory responsibility for the development of public transport infrastructure in the...