Results 1,741-1,760 of 26,666 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Staff (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I can confirm to the Deputy that the number of WTE legal advisors employed by my Department in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025 is as set out in the tables below. 2023 Grade WTE Principal Solicitor 1.00 Advisory Counsel 4.00 Total 5.00 2024 Grade WTE ...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Funding (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Community Energy Grant Scheme supports cross-sectoral, partnership approaches that deliver energy savings to a range of building type including public, commercial and community buildings with a particular focus on using the projects to deliver home retrofits, encompassing energy-poor, private, rental, and approved housing body homes. Last year, 683 home energy upgrades were supported...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Schemes (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) operates the Warmer Homes Scheme on behalf of my Department. Individual applications to the Warmer Homes Scheme are an operational matter for the SEAI and, as Minister, I have no role in such matters. The SEAI has established a dedicated email address for queries from Oireachtas members so that such queries can be addressed promptly. The...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Staff (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I can confirm to the Deputy that there were no secondments from consulting firms to my Department since 2020. Secondees to my Department since 2020 were drawn from the civil service, the public sector and semi-state companies.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Contracts (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has not entered into any contract, held discussions on or received any offers in respect of the use of the hotel referred to in the question. My Department does not own or lease any property. All premises occupied by my officials are either State owned or leased by the OPW on behalf of the Department.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Tax Yield (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The table below shows the amount of motor tax collected from 1 January 2022 to 1 December 2024 for Tipperary. The amounts do not include receipts for registration books, trade plates, trailer licences or refunds. - 2022 2023 2024 TIPPERARY €34,544,094 €34,648,937 €34,934,278

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Information and Communications Technology (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The total number of copper based communication lines used by the Department of Transport is 100. This number continues to reduce as we move services away from using copper lines to fibre optic based media.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Test (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 226, 235 and 238 together. Under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Driver Testing Service and the information requested is held by them. Given the RSA's responsibility in this matter, I have referred the Deputies questions to the RSA for direct, detailed reply. Please contact my...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Electric Vehicles (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: EV Charging Infrastructure at the state's airports is mainly provided at the discretion of the airports at these locations. daa announced 20 environmental sustainability initiatives being rolled out at Dublin and Cork Airports last year which will accelerate both airports’ climate and sustainability related ambitions. This includes the completion of work on over 20 additional...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Policy (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including ticketing and technology projects. The NTA's Next Generation Ticketing project is to provide for an upgraded ticketing system to facilitate a...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Tax Rebates (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Motor tax refunds are only issued in Motor Tax Offices. As Motor Tax Offices are part of the local authorities and do not record the financial transaction on the National Vehicle and Driver File, this data is not available to my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Tolls (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993-2015, the operation and management of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Therefore, matters relating to the day to day operations regarding...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Anti-social behaviour is a broad societal issue, to which public transport is unfortunately not immune, and it is those passengers and staff who regularly use and work within our public transport network who are most directly impacted by any safety or security incidents that may occur on the network. There is a strong commitment under the Programme for Government to create a Transport...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Licences (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The driver certificate of professional competence (CPC) process is based on European Union Directive 2022/2561, which concerns the initial qualifications and periodic training of drivers of vehicles carrying goods or passengers. The Directive was transposed into Irish law by the European Communities (Vehicle Drivers Certificate of Professional Competence) (No. 2) Regulations 2008 (SI 359 of...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Licences (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I can confirm that verification of a licence is not sought by the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS), where it was previously verified within six months of the driving licence exchange application as part of a work permit application. I have been informed by the Road Safety Authority that applications for exchanges of South African driving licences are processed in a timely manner...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Departmental Staff (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Secondments to the Department are only available to established Civil or Public Servants and there have been no secondments from consulting firms to this Department in this period.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Air Navigation Orders (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The examination, by my officials, of the current legislation in relation to the carriage of munitions of war on civil aircraft in Irish sovereign airspace is ongoing and I expect to be briefed in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Test (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Driver Testing Service. This includes restoring the service to its service level agreement target wait time of 10 weeks and developing the plan for doing so, which, as the Deputy notes, was a condition of the September 2024 staffing sanction. I am informed that the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including ticketing and technology projects. The NTA's Next Generation Ticketing project is to provide for an upgraded ticketing system to facilitate a...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Sector Pensions (20 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: From the outset I would like to clarify that I, as Minister for Transport, have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. However, issues in relation to CIÉ pension schemes are primarily a matter for the trustees of the pension schemes, the CIÉ, Group and their employees. As a commercial semi-state body CIÉ are responsible for the provision...