Results 8,821-8,840 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

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

Martin Cullen: The Road Traffic Acts 1961 to 2004 provide powers to the Minister for Transport to prescribe maximum speed limits for classes of vehicles and to regulate for the driving of such vehicles on the public roads. The EU speed limiter directives require that goods vehicles having a design gross weight exceeding 12,000 kg be equipped with speed limitation devices that must be set so that the vehicle...

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

Martin Cullen: The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which administers the national driver file, on which driving licence records are held, has advised me of the number of provisional licence holders as at 31 December 2004. These are set out in the following table: Series of Licence Number of Provisional Licence Holders First 177,808 Second 107,466 Third or Subsequent...

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

Martin Cullen: Proposals being developed by my Department for the regulation and quality assurance of driving instruction will involve a test of the competence of individual instructors. A working group comprising representatives of my Department and instruction interests has formulated the design of the standards that a driving instructor must meet. I am considering what arrangements will be put in place...

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

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 328, 331, 342, 348 and 365 together. The proposed Shannon rail link was examined in the course of the Strategic Rail Review, which my Department published in 2003. The cost benefit and multi criteria analyses carried out as part of the review showed that the proposal did not perform very well in terms of net economic benefit and, therefore, it was not included...

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

Martin Cullen: Iarnród Éireann, in conjunction with Meath and Fingal county councils, recently completed a feasibility study into providing a spur from the Dublin to Sligo railway line at Clonsilla to Dunboyne. It is now a matter for Iarnród Éireann to decide how to progress this matter. While there are no plans, at present, to extend this line beyond Dunboyne, I understand that the provision of a park...

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

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 330 and 333 together. The Railway Procurement Agency, RPA, is developing proposals for an extension of the Luas to 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 developers who own land...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: I have not received any formal submissions from Iarnród Éireann regarding charging customers for the use of car parks at Dublin suburban rail stations. I understand, however, that the company is giving consideration to such proposals.

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

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 334, 338 and 339 together. Iarnród Éireann considers the development of the infrastructure and the use of particular rolling stock on a route in the light of the demand for services and the likely return on the investment required. Iarnród Éireann informs me that it has upgraded all the trackwork on the Rosslare line in the past two years. More modern...

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

Martin Cullen: Last year, my predecessor as Minister for Transport, Deputy Brennan, appointed a working group to carry out an examination of the proposal to re-open the western rail corridor. The group is under the chairmanship of Mr. Pat McCann, group chief executive, Jurys Doyle Hotel Group. The group comprises county managers, directors of the regional authorities, representatives of city and county...

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

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 336 and 346 together. The following table sets out the number of applicants waiting for a driving test at each test centre at 14 February 2005. The average waiting time nationally for a driving test at 14 February 2005 was 30 weeks.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: It is not possible to give a breakdown of the level of key rail expenditure in the west and the eastern seaboard region on the county basis specified in the Deputy's question. The provision of public transport, including rail, is by its nature, a trans-regional business. Much of the public transport investment in the five-year period 2000-04 is spread across both the Border, midlands and west...

Written Answers — Rail Services: Rail Services (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: As part of Iarnród Éireann's plans to reshape its loss-making operations, the company has restructured its rail freight operations to refocus on the more profitable elements of rail freight and seek out new business in those areas where the rail mode is best suited to the traffic. I understand from the company that it has had some success in this regard and that its efforts are continuing....

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

Martin Cullen: The allocation and deployment of locomotives is a matter for Iarnród Éireann. The company has assured me that it has sufficient numbers of locomotives in its fleet to provide for the demands of the 2005 sugar beet season. I also understand from the company that it operates a pool of locomotives with Northern Ireland Railways which are used from time to time by both companies. These...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: A working group was established by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment last year to consider options for how Shannon Development and the Shannon Airport Authority can best contribute to the development of the mid-west region. While consideration has been given to a range of options, no decision has been taken on a possible merger of Shannon Airport Authority and Shannon Development.

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

Martin Cullen: I refer the deputy to my earlier answer to Priority Questions Nos. 91 and 93.

Written Answers — Rail Services: Rail Services (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: It is my policy that Iarnród Éireann should remain in the rail freight business and I am aware that the company has made great strides in restructuring this element of its operations. As part of an overall plan to address its difficult financial position, Iarnród Éireann is undertaking a restructuring of its rail freight business. Its strategy is to develop the profitable traffic it...

Written Answers — Airport Development Projects: Airport Development Projects (15 Feb 2005)

Martin Cullen: The zoning of land is a matter for the planning authorities. On the ERM report into public safety zones, I understand that Fingal County Council is fully aware of its contents, having been consulted directly by ERM a number of times as part of ERM's work on the report. The recommendations in ERM's report permit a number of different kinds of new developments up to specific densities in the...

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

Martin Cullen: I understand that in the late 1960s, in the context of drafting a county development plan, a scheme showing restrictions that were considered necessary for the purposes of air safety was forwarded to Clare County Council. I am advised by the Dublin Airport Authority, formerly Aer Rianta, that the scheme took account, inter alia, of possible future extensions of two runways at Shannon Airport,...

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

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 352 and 353 together. The Deputy seems to be referring to early drafts of ERM's report into public safety zones which were sent to the Departments of Transport and the Environment, Heritage and Local Government by ERM. The draft report on Dublin Airport, dating from 2001, and the draft reports on Cork and Shannon, dating from 2002, were amalgamated by ERM and...

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

Martin Cullen: The Dublin Port tunnel, when completed, will have an operational height of 4.65 metres. It is the view of Dublin City Council and the National Roads Authority that the Dublin Port tunnel will facilitate almost all of the HGV traffic using Dublin Port. Two vehicle height surveys of HGVs using Dublin Port — one by the Dublin Port Company and one by the National Institute of Transport and...