Results 1,441-1,460 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Éireann (4 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The questions raised by the deputy in relation to Bus Éireann routes 103 and 109 is an operational matter for Bus Éireann. I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to the company for...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport (4 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services (4 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. The NTA also has national responsibility for integrated local and rural transport, including TFI Local Link services and the rollout...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Policy (4 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: An investment allocation of €35 billion was agreed with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, as part of the revised National Development Plan in 2021, for the period 2021-2030, the highest amount ever allocated to transport. From this overall envelope, a total of €13 billion was allocated to the Department's Vote for the period...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Prices (4 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Council Regulation (EU) 2022/1854 on an emergency intervention to address high energy prices provides for a temporary solidarity contribution on unexpected surplus profits (“windfall gains”) in the fossil fuel production and refining sectors as a result of the Ukraine war. The temporary solidarity contribution was implemented in Ireland through the Energy (Windfall Gains...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Acting Chair. I am glad to be joined, from the Department, by my assistant secretary, Mr. Caoimhín Ó Ciaruáin, Ms Denise Keoghan, Mr. Maurice Harnett and Mr. Andrew Ebrill. They may be able to contribute and answer questions in addition to my own contribution. I thank the committee for the opportunity to consider this important and potentially pivotal strategy for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with the Deputy. This is an example of how we can turn things around into a win-win. When that school transport issue is addressed, the journey for those who have to drive is much quicker. It is not about being anti-car; it is about recognising that in Dublin, for example, and I am certain it is the same in counties Clare and Limerick, during morning rush hour in school time, 30%...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I absolutely agree with the Deputy. I will check up on this. I would be disappointed if we were to lose that bus service to Loop Head. I know the area well. I presume the good people of Kilrush, Kilkee, Carrigaholt and so on are very concerned. What has happened with those local services is that young people and local people are flocking to them. I will follow up and look at that. As...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy reminded me, and it is appropriate, that the committee should mark the terrible loss of life on our roads in recent days. There were two deaths in County Mayo yesterday and there have been other fatalities. It is something that is our primary concern. Everything we need to do involves thinking about how to reduce that pattern. I am not aware that any of those recent accidents...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I thank Deputy Kenny for his kind words at the beginning of his contribution. Local Link is part of Connecting Ireland. It is not just Local Link, Bus Éireann runs a number of the services as well. This is an NTA-led scheme. The first phase was designed as a five-year programme. We are about halfway through that. It has had an incredible start. We were rolling out a new or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Certainly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Deputy. I will come back on all those points. First, on the western rail corridor, I should have articulated the answer to this query. I am very supportive of us reopening the section from Claremorris to Athenry because I believe it can be part of a strategic switch not only to passenger journeys along that western rail corridor but also to rail freight. This is vital to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: We have a project to address this problem. I could think of a list as long as your arm of many other examples of towns we are looking to revive by taking out the through traffic. Now, for the county council in each of these areas, and Leitrim County Council in this case, if we are going to provide this bypass to remove the through-traffic, would it not do the devil and all in terms of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Perhaps not. My concern is that, as we have seen in the likes of College Green, when you start putting in conditions like that, you sometimes weaken the real benefits that come from proper traffic management design. This is a matter for local authorities. The city manager and, I would argue, the council, have to have a central role. Going back to what I said, we will not tell every...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I believe we will switch to all battery electric vehicles within a decade. I see all new cars being such a mode for a variety of reasons. They cost less to run. They are much simpler in engineering terms. One benefit of battery electric versus plug-in hybrid electric is that there are far fewer moving parts and components. With the plug-in hybrid system, there are basically two drive...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with Deputy O'Rourke. I hope we can sort that issue in Stamullen. It is the Department of Education and Bus Éireann that can deal with it in the short run. I agree with Deputy O'Rourke. Last year we sat down with the Department of Education to review the school public transport system. I strongly advocated for greater integration between scheduled public services and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with what Deputy O'Rourke has said. My sense is that one of the reasons it may be the case is with regard to the underground wires, pipes, electricity cables and telecommunications cables. Something might look like a simple enough project but once we open a road what lies underneath is the biggest challenge. Co-ordinating this is often the best way to make sure we get speedy...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I was involved as chair of the Dublin Transportation Office in the early 1990s. I have been working on this in a public way since then. I would argue the biggest impediment to progress is when various agencies of the State do not row in the same direction. I do not want to give examples but going back to the mid-1990s we had the issue of the metro. CIÉ was touting a rail link from...