Results 10,681-10,700 of 19,173 for speaker:Shane Ross

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: No. It is-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: I thank the Deputy, but I am sorry that he mocked my commitment to rural Ireland. It was not phony. It is a commitment that has been given solemnly, not just by the Government but also by the NTA. The Deputy heard me in the Dáil last night when I stated that it was a top priority. It is. I do not want myself or the Deputy to send out the message that connectivity is in some way...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: I am not going to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: The Deputy should let me finish my sentence. I did not interrupt him, nor would I. I am not going to give commitments in detail on individual routes. However, there is a pledge that there will not be a loss of connectivity. As evidence of this and as members will be aware, the NTA has stepped in previously when commercial operators moved out. The NTA can extend-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: I am not going to micromanage this solution.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: This is very important, given some of the comments that have been made and the vulnerability of the many people around the country whom I have met. They believe they are going to be abandoned because of some of the things that are being said, which are misleading, about their communities. What I am saying is that the NTA will consult local communities, as it has in the past, in order to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: I am not going to get into the details of the statements issued on the industrial relations dispute or ask Mr. Hernan or any trade union leader to set or withdraw certain conditions. I am not going to ask Mr. Dermot O'Leary to withdraw anything he has said and I am not going to ask Mr. Hernan to withdraw anything he has said. I do not want to see the two guy setting preconditions but...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: I really have no comment to make on that suggestion. I cannot do so as it would be inconsistent.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: Off hand, I cannot give the Deputy a figure.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: It is a scenario no one could countenance with equanimity.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: My understanding is he was not actually saying the company would be insolvent by March, but that he did not want to get to that stage. I do not think he is saying it will be insolvent by March.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: Irrespective of the date, it is important.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: We are talking about the immediacy of the issue. The Deputy has said that in 19 days we will face a doomsday scenario. I do not think Mr. Herman was saying the company would be insolvent by March; rather, I think he was saying it would be insolvent much later if things were to continue as they were. I do not know what the cost would be. We could probably have a figure worked out. It...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: I will answer both questions. The Deputy has made some points about insolvency and produced scary figures. I do not know whether his figures are right or wrong, but I can probably give him an estimate. If he likes, I can have his figures looked at and audited. On what he has said and the scenario he has painted, I have no reason to doubt the bona fides. It is very much appreciated that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: It was €49 million.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: Internal revenue is about the same; therefore, the change to the PSO figure has not caused a problem.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: Yes. The revenue figure is not going to change.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: I do not think so.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: That is undoubtedly a role for the NTA. The NTA is engaging with the company about that. If I am not answering the Deputy's question or I misunderstood it, she should interrupt me. The NTA has made it absolutely clear that it regards it as its role to step in if the routes are not viable.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Current Financial Situation at Bus Éireann, the Expressway Service and the Rural Transport Programme (Resumed) (1 Feb 2017)

Shane Ross: The NTA and the company are working together at present to ensure that if that happens, they will step in. It will be prior to that date.