Results 8,781-8,800 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: A key element in improving bus performance has been the provision of quality bus corridors. So far, there are nine QBCs in operation in the Dublin area — Malahide, Lucan, Stillorgan, Finglas, north Clondalkin, Rathfarnham, Tallaght, Swords and Blanchardstown. It is proposed to complete a number of projects in the course of 2005, accounting for a total of about 40 km in length. However, the...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: I assume the Deputy is referring to the concept of a Dublin outer orbital route. Both the strategic planning guidelines for the greater Dublin area 1999 and the DTO's, Platform for Change 2000, identified a possible need for a Dublin outer orbital route linking Drogheda-Navan-Naas. More recently the regional planning guidelines, RPG, for the greater Dublin area 2004 also provide for the...

Written Answers — Toll Charges: Toll Charges (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: I made no request to National Toll Roads to review its decision to increase toll charges at the West Link Bridge. The West-Link toll agreement, approved in principle by Government in October 1984 and concluded in October 1987, provides that the tolls can be increased in line with inflation. The maximum toll that can be charged at West-Link is updated each year by reference to the consumer...

Written Answers — Regional Airports: Regional Airports (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: The programme for Government provides for the continued support of the six regional airports including Knock Airport and my Department provides a range of financial mechanisms in support of this objective. Knock Airport benefits considerably through a range of direct and indirect support mechanisms, namely, capital grant assistance towards essential infrastructural improvements under the BMW...

Written Answers — Light Rail Project: Light Rail Project (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: I assume the Deputy is referring to the procurement process for the substantive contract for integrated ticketing. A 2002 ministerial order gave the Railway Procurement Agency, RPA, statutory responsibility for the delivery of integrated ticketing. Procurement procedures and processes used in the delivery of integrated ticketing are matters for the RPA. The RPA has advised my Department that...

Written Answers — Driving Tests: Driving Tests (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: The technical checks, which form part of the driving test with effect from 14 February 2005, are being introduced to meet our obligations under EU Directive 2000/56/EC on driver licensing. The technical checks involve candidates being asked to explain how she-he might carry out three out of a number of checks on the vehicle. If, for example, a person is asked to show how oil levels should be...

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: Last year CIE applied for a fares increase for 2005 for each of the operating companies averaging 8%. Following a detailed examination of the application and the financial position of each of the companies, I agreed to a fare increase which would yield a 3.5% increase in revenue to CIE. This in effect meant that most Bus Átha Cliath fares increased by 5 cent or 10 cent and a range of...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: The national development plan, NDP, and the national spatial strategy, NSS, provide the strategic framework for the national roads development programme and together with the Economic and Social Infrastructure Operational Programme, ESIOP, sets out the overall development strategy and main priorities to be pursued. The detailed programming of the work involved and the allocation of funding to...

Written Answers — Parking Regulations: Parking Regulations (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: The offence of illegally parking in a disabled persons' parking bay currently comes within the scope of the on-the-spot fines system. The amount of the on-the-spot fine applicable to this offence is €19, which is the level that applies to the majority of parking offences. Where a person does not pay the on-the-spot fine and is subsequently convicted in court of the said offence he or she is...

Written Answers — Toll Charges: Toll Charges (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: The licence fee, also described as the State's share of the gross toll revenues, payable by NTR to the State under the terms of the West-Link Bridge toll agreement was reduced by €2.902 million in respect of 2002 and €3.529 million in respect of 2003. The total licence fee paid to the State in respect of 2002 and 2003 toll revenues was €7.585 million and €8.044 million, respectively....

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: Work is complete or under way on about 45% of the major inter-urban road routes at present, that is, the routes serving Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Dundalk. Work is due to get under way on the final section, Dundalk-Border, of the M1 and on phase 1 of the Kinnegad-Athlone section of the N6 this year. Investment in these routes to date has targeted the removal of major bottlenecks...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: A disproportionate number of cyclists' fatalities are through collisions with heavy goods vehicles. Developments at EU level will result in new heavy goods vehicles, HGVs, having to comply with higher standards in relation to the fields of vision of drivers. In November 2003, the EU adopted Directive 2003/97/EC, which provides for an extension of the field of vision to address the issue of...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: In 2000, an interdepartmental working group, chaired by the Dublin Transportation Office, DTO, was formed consisting of representatives from the Departments of Health and Children, Education and Science and Environment, Heritage and Local Government, National Parents Council, public transport operators and local authorities in order to initiate some pilot safer routes to school schemes in the...

Written Answers — Light Rail Project: Light Rail Project (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 168 together. The Railway Procurement Agency, RPA, is currently developing proposals for extensions of the Luas to the docklands and Cherrywood. This work includes consultation, design and route planning. A particular feature of the work concerns the issue of private sector funding captured through levies, provided for under planning legislation, from...

Written Answers — Transport Projects: Transport Projects (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: The north-west region is served by two airports, Donegal Regional Airport and City of Derry Airport. The Government has a long-standing policy of assisting City of Derry Airport on the basis that the natural catchment area of the airport includes east Donegal. My Department will continue to support both airports, and air access to the region in general, in keeping with commitments made in the...

Written Answers — State Airports: State Airports (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: The Irish Aviation Authority has statutory responsibility for regulating the technical and safety aspects of civil aviation and for the provision of air traffic services. In 2004 the Irish Aviation Authority, IAA, engaged independent consultants to carry out a strategic review of its operations in the areas of air traffic control and management systems covering the years 2005 to 2010. The...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: I am not aware of the research to which the Deputy refers. The effectiveness of the penalty points system can be judged primarily on the basis of the contribution it has made to road safety since its introduction. In the first two years since the introduction of the system in October 2002, the number of deaths as a result of road collisions fell by 116 by comparison to the previous two years....

Written Answers — Private Sector Funding: Private Sector Funding (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 143, 169, 170 and 357 together. I dealt in detail with the future ownership of Aer Lingus in response to a priority question on the matter. On staff shareholding in Aer Lingus, following the allocation of employee share ownership plan, ESOP, shares last August, the staff currently hold 14.9% of the company. In accordance with the terms of the ESOP agreement...

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: I wish to advise the Deputy that Dublin Bus began to transfer buses to Harristown in October 2004 and the depot will be officially opened shortly. Harristown has capacity for 240 buses and the depot will cater for 199 buses immediately. The new garage is required because the Dublin Bus fleet of buses grew from approximately 900 buses in 1997 to 1,062 buses in 2004. Harristown now enables the...

Written Answers — Road Network: Road Network (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: The Exchequer provision for 2005 for national road improvement and maintenance, including a carryover of €42 million from 2004 is €1.415 billion, an increase of 15% on the 2004 outturn. This allows for good progress to be maintained on the national roads programme and will fund 20 major projects, nearly 200 km, in construction, including Kinnegad-Enfield on the N4, Dundalk western bypass,...