Results 15,401-15,420 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

International Travel and Aviation: Statements (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The Minister of State and I thank the House for allowing us this opportunity to address the matter of international travel and aviation. The impact of the Covid 19 pandemic, coupled with the emergence and spread of variants of concern, has resulted in one of the most sustained and deepest periods of suppression of international travel. Globally, aviation is experiencing its most challenging...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I will pass on to the Minister for Education the case the Deputy made regarding the needs of the Gaelscoil in question. On Deputy Stanley's question, motorcycle testing is returning. As the Deputy said, the physical reality for doing the test is now very different. We provided for an additional 42 driving testers. The direction I gave was that if further testers were needed, an...

North-South Interconnector Review Group Bill 2021: First Stage (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: No.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The key argument represented to my engineers and the Department is that investing in ongoing maintenance saves in the long run. If we let a road go and it goes below a certain standard, getting it back to standard is very expensive and difficult. There is a real case for what is called steady state investment, or investing in the steady state characteristic of our roads. Cork is the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I am sure the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, will benefit from meeting the various Deputies who have expressed an interest in this matter. We have schemes in place and the question is whether they are working effectively or what changes may be required. For anyone involved, it is clearly the worst disaster that can befall a person because the house is fundamentally damaged. We must help...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I know those roads well and they are absolutely a real priority, as they are in every other county. If the evidence in the report is that Cork is left behind, I would be surprised, to be honest. The engineers and managers in Cork County Council are not slow or shy about asking for funding or in their ability to spend.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: There is good work done at a local government level in Cork. I will look at the report and if there is any disparity, or if west Cork in particular is falling behind, I will be happy to try to address that.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: This goes back to the discussion I had with Deputy Ó Broin earlier. We need a multifaceted response and we must use the stick as well as the carrot. This must apply particularly to the use of underdeveloped lands and sites and further action must be taken. The vacant sites levy has not delivered the scale of urgency or action one would have wanted so yes, it must be part of a new,...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I commit to trying to find exactly when it will be published and will have that information transmitted to the Deputy. She is right about the whole issue of domestic and sexual violence not receiving the right level of attention. On a separate but related issue, following the recent cyberattack, the Deputy may have read in the newspapers that the information from some of the assault units...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I share the concern about the resources that are needed. We keep looking at the housing crisis, which, obviously, must be our primary focus, but we have housing without public transport, local shops and local schools. There is a real issue in County Kildare. In that context, I recall a Dáil debate on the number of school places in County Kildare. It is not just crèches, it is...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: As we return in June and measures are relieved, critical within that, and almost my first priority, would be allowing people to come back to have theory tests.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: For younger people, in particular, in terms of accessing work, that is going to be critical and it will be our top priority.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: Such respite services are a huge relief to families. I will ask the relevant Minister to consider the case for the restoration of seven-day services in the Seaview centre in Mountcharles, as the Deputy requests.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy and I share a belief in public transport and the potential role of the metro in extending not just to Ranelagh but further south. Whether it goes south west to Terenure, Knocklyon, Firhouse and on to Tallaght, up the green line, which I think is less likely given the disruption it would cause, or runs to the south east, to Donnybrook, UCD, Stillorgan and Sandyford, is going to be...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I expect it to go for planning approval this year but, even then, it will take many years to build, such is the project. By thinking long term, we can get the overall planning of the area right, including Terenure and Rathfarnham.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: Most of the emails I get are probably on this issue. The Ceann Comhairle would be aware of this from his contact with the public. It is a huge issue, as I said earlier. The solution will be an early return to tests, but we have to take that in the context of public health advice. The job of public health, rightly, has been to minimise all social contact, particularly anything indoors....

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I expect Government will be able to give legal clarity very shortly. I will certainly pass that on to the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and look forward to presenting the case.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I was glad to be able to talk to some of the pilots who were protesting outside the convention centre today and give them a similar commitment I will give to the Deputy, which is that we will do everything to see the aviation sector return and with it all the range of different benefits that accrue to our country. To be clear, Shannon Airport will see flights returning. I expect Aer...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: Every different section of our society has suffered in this Covid-19 pandemic and we must think of each of them. I would argue, however, that our younger people are the ones to whom we must be particularly attentive. They will be the last to be vaccinated.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 May 2021)

Eamon Ryan: They have suffered most in terms in their education and work. They have lost most jobs, and within that, they are the ones who particularly suffer from the lack of a theory test or the delay in getting a driving test. We will put all the resources of the State into reducing that waiting list, including the use of online theory tests.