Results 9,521-9,540 of 19,173 for speaker:Shane Ross

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: I am going to ask that there should be a free vote in the Dáil on this issue. It would be a very fair thing if all parties and groups had a free vote. If the Dáil decides otherwise I will of course accept that, but I am going to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: I have not put my head on the block at all. I am putting a piece of legislation, in which I passionately believe, before the Dáil.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: That is up to the Dáil to decide.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: Can I answer that Chairman?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: The Road Safety Authority and I are working together extremely effectively on this Bill. The authority has been very supportive of the Bill. Members of the committee will have received a letter from them supporting this Bill and the measures therein. It is evidence-based. The chief executive of the Road Safety Authority supports this Bill and has written to the committee. The chairman of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: I think myself and probably the rest of the board would certainly. I think the chair has a different view, and that is a common view among a lot of semi-State bodies. My view is that boards should probably be smaller than they are, including the Road Safety Authority. I also think that boards should be selected in a very different way to how they have been in the past. I am of the view...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: The RSA is looking for several more people on the board.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: I am not quite sure why, to be honest. I do not know whether it is necessary because a lot of these State bodies have people on their staff who have a great deal of expertise. The RSA has done some fantastic work as a result of having that expertise on its staff. A lot of State bodies, however, want to have very large boards when it is not necessary.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: Yes, that is right. That is one as well, when it is not necessary to have-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: They have six members at the moment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: They are going to have more members shortly. They are going through the pass process to have more members and they will have a board, not necessarily of 12 or 13, but a board which will be bigger than what they have at the moment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: Not necessarily.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: What we will do is meet the expertise which we think is necessary. We will also appoint people who have other expertise. One of the problems, particularly in the area of road safety, is that they do not have enough people who have actually suffered. What I would very much like to do is to appoint-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: Can I finish? I would like to appoint people who have experience and who have campaigned and crusaded for road safety. If they have had a personal experience in that way, that makes them an even strong advocate for road safety, and a strong person on the board.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: No, go ahead.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: That is perfectly reasonable. I do not know anything about it but I am perfectly happy to look at it or ask my officials to look at it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: Will the committee be able to do that next week?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: I am keen to get the Bill into the Dáil as-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: Could the Chairman give me a timetable for when the committee will be finished?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (5 Apr 2017)

Shane Ross: I am looking for a slot in the first week.