Results 61-80 of 1,094 for at speaker:Martin Kenny

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Gas Safety (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: It is likely they may, if the remit is being expanded. Ms Harte mentioned a licence fee of €200. Will that be adequate to cover the cost? I understand if the witnesses do not have an answer to that question now. That is fine, but it is just something I think that we need to look at in the future. Ms Harte also mentions in her opening statement that this is not coming as a...

Commissions of Investigation (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage [Private Members] (15 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: The commission of investigation process has huge merit and can deliver. Everyone hoped it would deliver. From previous forms of investigations and tribunals that cost a lot of money, ran on for years and so on, we know that this was an alternative way of doing it that would be more succinct, that would hopefully get to the point more quickly and that would cost less. It held all that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (15 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: I thank the Minister. I hope this opportunity will be recognised, particularly with the electrification of lines, with battery power and new technology and developments. I also wish to understand the level of ambition there is around developing more bus links in urban areas in particular. I know there are issues in Dublin with BusConnects and so forth. I am sure the Minister hears about...

Recent Developments in Northern Ireland: Statements (14 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: Long awaited comes at last, and this has certainly been the case with the executive in the North. We all extend our congratulations and our best wishes to the success of that executive. It comes as one of the key factors of the Good Friday Agreement in the hope that it offered of a co-operative Government that would work together for the benefit of everyone and to build a society that would...

Recent Developments in Northern Ireland: Statements (14 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: The difficulties that lay ahead were spoken about. While there is great hope and a great sense of opportunity in all of this, there are real difficulties. Reference was made to the public servants who had been out on strike. The difficulty in the health service in the North is one of the really terrible issues and particularly at the Fermanagh and Enniskillen hospitals. The A3 road...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Large-scale Capital Projects: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (14 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: I thank the witnesses for their presentation and the detail on all the major projects that are progressing. I have questions on some of those. The appendix to the opening statement sets out a number of projects that are moving ahead with some pace and projects approaching planning approval. It mentions in particular the Slane bypass and the Donegal TEN-T improvements. At what point is...

Road Traffic Bill 2024: Second Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: I thank the Minister of State for outlining the Bill. It is something we have all been keen to look at. First and foremost, I am glad he withdrew the part of it relating to time-dependent penalty points. I hope he now accepts that the notion of having penalty points for weekends as opposed to weekdays is not a good idea and is simply inappropriate, in our system or indeed anywhere. The...

Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: .... On the Bill itself, we all recognise there have been serious issues with the Coroner Service, particularly with regard to delays. Dublin has been the victim of many of these problems. This legislation will deal with Dublin specifically or almost entirely. The issue the Minister of State mentioned regarding the Stardust inquest is a key issue that needs to be resolved. I am sure we...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (7 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: I thank the Minister and his staff for the presentation. An issue at the forefront of all our minds after the tragedies in the past month of road deaths is investment in roads. Some of the accidents happening are on roads with stretches that need work. That road in County Carlow is one of those where applications have been made numerous times for works to be carried out on stretches of it...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Revised) (7 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: Few of those projects have been completed or funded, though. There is frustration. I understand that the programme is now closed to applications. Action is required if there is to be enough traction to move this along. Work is under way on BusConnects and other bus projects in Dublin, but many people are frustrated and feel that they are not getting the service they used to. I know...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Role of Chairperson and Future Contributions of Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Board: Inland Fisheries Ireland (6 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: I thank Professor Collins for his opening statement and for taking on the role. I have a few things we might tease out a little. Professor Collins mentioned the report and the prognosis and that there is a set of prescriptions there and a number of actions to be taken. Some are priorities and are urgent. Have any of those been put in place yet? At what stage does Professor Collins expect...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bus Services (1 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: I support Deputy Ward in respect of this. The issues of antisocial behaviour and vicious attacks on both commuters and the drivers of our public bus, train and rail services have been ongoing. It is something we need to deal with. The reality is that if we are to have more people using public transport, there will be centres of community movement. We would want to understand that...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Bus Services (1 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: One of the main frustrations is that the system very often does not connect. Part of the issue is that people were used to the old system and they knew which buses would bring them to a certain place at a certain time, and they find that is not working anymore and that there is not the same connection between other modes of transport, whether trains, buses and so on, as there was in the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Bus Services (1 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: BusConnects is about expanding the network, about putting in new lanes and about delivering a better service, in particular, across the city of Dublin and in other cities. To look at the Dublin situation, I understand there are also issues here in regard to funding. There are difficulties in respect of that. The NTA is also looking to partner with some other group, and it has a list of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Safety (1 Feb 2024)

Martin Kenny: The roads policing unit the Minister of State is talking about has had its numbers cut consecutively every year for the past ten years. Bringing in new laws to reduce speed is welcome and appropriate on many roads. There is no problem with that; nobody is saying otherwise. Nobody is disagreeing with the Minister of State there. The problem is that on most roads there are no gardaí to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Oversight of EirGrid: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: I thank our witnesses for their presentation. I have a number of questions with regard to the capital programme and the investment EirGrid is looking at. We all accept we are looking at a growth pattern over the next decade or more. How we shape up for that and the work that needs to be done around that are the key questions. Dr. Ryan talked about the ability to deliver the network and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Oversight of EirGrid: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: Is there any difficulty with regard to storage? Battery storage facilities have been proposed in different areas and have met some resistance. What proposals is EirGrid looking at in that area?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Regulatory Bodies (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: What plans does the Department have to support ComReg in its responsibility in the communications sector as this continues to grow? We know that regulation of the digital economy is very important and this sector is continuing to grow at pace. The responsibility around the telecoms sector with broadband rollout and ensuring that there is no monopoly present - all of these issues need to be...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Regulatory Bodies (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: We all recognise the vital role that ComReg plays in this. As the digital world continues to grow and expand, we need to recognise that its capability also needs to be expanded to match what needs to happen. Many of the general public are quite fearful and under the impression that our regulatory authorities are not up to match the level of criminal activity that we see going on - people...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Regulatory Bodies (25 Jan 2024)

Martin Kenny: The cyber security aspect of it is something we need to really focus on. As with the HSE in Ireland, when we look at other jurisdictions we see some of these hackers and criminal organisations target water distribution systems and electricity systems. We have had blackouts recently; my own electricity only came back yesterday so we understand what it is like when we have vital services like...