Results 14,141-14,160 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: Question 173: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the position regarding an application for carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13268/10]

Road Traffic Offences. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: On this the House is ad idem. I very much welcome the results of the survey from the Road Safety Authority, which shows the profound change over a period of years in public opinion. The voices in this House which have argued for a reduction in the alcohol limit have been proved to be in tune with public opinion. Unfortunately, there are the likes of Deputy Mattie McGrath in this world who...

State Airports. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: That is a disgraceful comment. The Minister has launched an attack on a company that creates jobs. Over 432,000 jobs have been lost in recent times. Deputy Dempsey is the second Minister to indicate that he neither met or sought a meeting with representatives of Ryanair in order to discuss that company's proposals. Is it not a fact that Ryanair wrote to the Department, etc., stating that...

State Airports. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: Ryanair is one of the largest airlines in the world and has 231 aircraft. Aer Lingus, another excellent company, has only 45 aircraft. The difference in scale is massive. It would have been great had we attracted additional Ryanair business to Dublin Airport. I would fault the Minister and the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Coughlan, for not taking action in this...

State Airports. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: It is reducing costs and overheads. The State has an influence through the Government being a shareholder in Aer Lingus. That is the point. However, I accept what the Minister stated. The Aer Lingus company is under excellent management now and it is time for both sides to get together - and most people are together on it - and vote on it, seal the pact and save the airline.

Rail Accidents. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: The key point is that journal 143 of the Irish Railway Record Society, which can be referenced very easily on the Internet, would indicate to Irish Rail, the Minister, me or anyone who cared to look at it, the issue of the Malahide viaduct and how it was constructed. There is a 12 page article on it by a gentleman who works for Irish Rail, Oliver Doyle. I find it entirely unacceptable that...

Rail Accidents. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: Separate to anything else, the Railway Safety Commission has made a finding on the Malahide viaduct and I believe the contents of that report are very significant and I want to know what they are. The key issue is that the Government promised to make the Railway Safety Commission operate under the Freedom of Information Act. The statement of strategy of the Railway Safety Commission, which...

Rail Accidents. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: -----an initial report on safety adequacy found that it was one of the most potentially dangerous locations in the country for a rail accident.

Rail Accidents. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: Will the Minister sign the requisite freedom of information order?

Road Traffic Offences. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: While I accept the Minister has made progress in this regard, cars from Northern Ireland still drive at extremely high speeds on the M1 every day of the week. When will the authorities be able to deal with this problem effectively? The Minister has acknowledged this is a serious matter and I am surprised it has not been dealt with heretofore.

Road Traffic Offences. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: I apologise as I did not hear all of it.

State Airports. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: Question 59: To ask the Minister for Transport the reason for the decision to terminate the facility management procurement process relating to terminal 2 at Dublin Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13065/10]

State Airports. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: It is my understanding that the DAA did not participate in the pre-qualification competition and was not asked to do so. It seems the DAA was effectively taken into the winners' enclosure while others were excluded. Why was the authority not required to take part in the pre-qualification procedures? In respect of those companies that did partake in the process, did the consultants make any...

State Airports. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: The key point is that some of the companies that tendered are multi-billion dollar companies which run airports throughout the world and have larger budgets than the DAA and better qualified staff. Yet they were excluded from this process on technical grounds. The DAA was never in the race until the race was over, and it got the job without having to undergo proper due process. The...

State Airports. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: Was the DAA in a tendering and procurement process? It was not.

State Airports. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: That was the end of the process, not the beginning.

Air Rescue Services. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: Question 61: To ask the Minister for Transport the reason he has decided to downgrade Waterford search and rescue helicopter services to a 12 hour service; the impact this will have on an emergency situation; the savings that will be made; if he will provide details of the new contract for 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13067/10]

Air Rescue Services. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: A 24 hour service at four bases that costs €27 million per annum will be changed for a 24 hour service at three bases and a 12 hour service at one base, which will cost €50 million. That is unacceptable, particularly to the people of the south east. Why is the Minister doing this? Why is the Minister reducing the time cover? Notwithstanding that we will have a different calibre of...

Air Rescue Services. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: The Minister's decision is wasting money and putting lives at risk. If there is a 12 hour service in Waterford, then the helicopter will come from elsewhere for the other 12 hours. No matter how fast it is, it will not get five miles off the Waterford coast by the time a helicopter in Waterford could do so. The south-west coast of the UK is currently served by the AW139 helicopter, which is...

Air Rescue Services. (24 Mar 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: They are being used in the United Kingdom.