Results 14,241-14,260 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Projects (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 70 and 86 together. Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, tells me it has recently approved funding to Cork County Council for a surfacing contract at Coolcower on the N22. TII understands a contractor has been appointed by the local authority and that the works will be completed this year. A previously proposed N22 Macroom to Ballincollig-Ovens major...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Projects (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: On the Macroom-Ballyvouney bypass, €280 million is not a small investment. It is a huge, significant investment. We have to make sure we get the best return from that. In Ballyvourney and the town of Macroom, we have to work on the public realm and get as much traffic as possible out of the centre of town and create what has already happened in other towns in west Cork such as...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Transport Policy (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I am very conscious of time and want to provide the key information to the Deputy. I will set out the details of very specific schemes to support active travel, particularly for our student population, which is the key consideration in the question. My Department funds the delivery of CycleRight training through Cycling Ireland which delivers cycling training to school children around the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Transport Policy (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: On that last point, the Deputy will be aware of the High Court's decision this summer with regard to Strand Road in Sandymount. I will not go into the specific details of that case but there is real concern that the judgment might have a chilling effect on the delivery of our Safe Routes to School infrastructure, our BusConnects infrastructure and other active travel infrastructure, as well...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Transport Policy (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I expect the review to be concluded very shortly. I have not had a chance to see it yet but I understand a draft version is very close to being presented by the NTA. The first thing will be the NDP review. As I said on radio the other day, and am happy to repeat here today, I expect some €35 billion in our overall capital allocation for the next decade. A lot of the projects we...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: There has been a substantial increase in funding for Local Link services since 2016, going from €12.2 million in 2016 to over €28 million in 2021, comprising rural transport programme, RTP, current and capital funding, Covid-related funding and PSO funding for rural regular services. The additional funding since 2016 has enabled the introduction of 85 new rural regular service...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Bus Services (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I will give the key next steps. We will first have the review of the national development plan, which will come out later this month. That will renew our commitment to the BusConnects projects, not just in Dublin but in the other regional cities as well. Very shortly, I hope, we will then go to Government with a business case for the project. It is a significant investment of several...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Projects (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The following information is the most up-to-date information available to me on TII's delivery of projects on the N71: regarding the Innishannon bypass, the route feasibility study was previously commenced but was suspended. As this scheme is not included in the current NDP, I have been advised by TII that the project remains suspended at this point in time. On the Bantry bypass, a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Projects (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I share the Deputy's concern about the long time our planning system takes. We are all agreed on that and the need for that to be assessed and changed. There was an additional €4 million in grant allocations this year to the N71 route for various improvements. There was a further €325,000 allocated to Cork County Council under the specific improvement grant programme to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Projects (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: What I presented to the Deputy is the best, latest information I have from TII. I have every intention of trying to deliver and improve the bypass options in west Cork. On the reality of where we are with funding, the Deputy says €4 million is nothing. We are spending €1.2 billion to €1.3 billion per year just to maintain our roads. Thus of the €2.5 billion...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Projects (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I mean no disrespect to the Deputy or the residents of Ardee. He is correct, but I wanted to read out the Department's official response so that the full assessment is clear. I will now read the remaining part of that response which, I hope, will give him some of the detailed information he seeks. I will further engage with him in the detail of it. In January 2018, Louth County Council...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Bus Services (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Deputy. BusConnects is a transformative plan to improve and expand bus services in all of our major cities. The programme is initially being rolled out in Dublin, followed by Galway and Cork, and then Limerick and Waterford. Traffic congestion currently costs Dublin city approximately €350 million per annum and this figure is forecast to rise to approximately €2...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Bus Services (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I am very aware. There was a deputation outside my offices on, I think, 20 August. I was away, unfortunately, but I understand the Deputy was in attendance with the 100 plus drivers from Dublin Bus. My understanding is that Dublin Bus drivers have been outside of a pay agreement dating back to 2018-19 and that this agreement, which was on working conditions and pay, was rejected by, I...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Road Projects (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and securing Exchequer funding for the national roads programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, and in line with the national development plan, the planning, design and construction of individual national roads is a matter for TII in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. The proposed bypass scheme to the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Regulations (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy makes a good point. There is real concern. I read recently one of the real concerns of many people on climate change is they do not really know what to do. Our people want to take action on climate but they are sightly uncertain about what is the best thing to do. Our job is to make it easier for people to do the right thing about some of the issues we have discussed here...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: It will take time but I see it tapping into the resource we have, particularly in the north-west. This is inevitable because where we have the really heavy wind resources, off the north-west coast of Ireland, is probably one of the best places on the planet. We have real skill and capability in industrial engineering processing so we can bring it ashore and use it. The most critical...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: Offshore wind energy will help Ireland get to at least 70% renewable electricity by 2030 and supports the drive to net zero emissions by 2050. We have a target of 5 GW of offshore wind power by 2030 in the programme for Government and a further 30 GW in the subsequent decade. Ireland's climate ambitions will see investment of tens of billions of euro in offshore renewable...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with the Deputy. There is significant potential for Mayo in the development of renewable energy power systems. In the auction process we had last year for the first renewable energy support scheme, four projects were successful in the county - three wind farms and one solar farm as I recall. All four are now going to construction. I understand there is another stream of further...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Policy (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I read out similar written responses previously, so I will address the question directly, if I may. In regard to blackouts this winter, a variety of factors have led to the difficult and tight circumstances we are in. As the Deputy noted, there were two amber alerts last week, which occur when the power is less than something like 400 MW or 500 MW. If another large plant came down, we...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Policy (16 Sep 2021)

Eamon Ryan: It is a very significant issue throughout Europe and the world. I addressed it earlier but to reiterate, the primary reason for the higher prices this winter relates to a very dramatic spike in international gas prices. Gas is an internationally traded commodity and a fungible market that is influenced by events throughout the world. There has been a significant boost to the economy in...