Results 1,861-1,880 of 19,173 for speaker:Shane Ross

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport Safety (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: I thank the Deputy for her question. I take the matter she raised seriously, as I do all attacks of this sort. The safety and security of public transport staff and passengers, including arrangements to deal with anti-social behaviour, are important matters that, first and foremost, must be managed by every public transport company, in conjunction with An Garda Síochána,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport Safety (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: I acknowledge the role the unions have played in this. They have made strong representations and represented well on this issue. They have prompted a response from my Department and the transport companies. I absolutely agree with the Deputy in deploring those incidents to which she referred. I can only quote the statistics which I have given about the attacks. Any attack, however, is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport Safety (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: I am certainly not throwing my hands in the air. It is quite the opposite. I have been hands-on in contacting all the relevant people to ensure something is done about it. Action has been taken as I have outlined. We will not be happy until that action is ultimately and totally successful. There is no utterly foolproof way of stopping people from being violent in any place. However,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport Safety (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: We did it because it was necessary and people's welfare and lives were at risk. We were determined to tackle the problem. The Deputy should not claim I have not directly intervened when I have. I have also urged the companies in question to do what is necessary. They have been responding. I have asked my Department to engage with all the transport companies, as well as the Railway...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: The Deputy was doing quite well up to a few seconds ago.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: I should remind the Deputy that we held a very important conference. Dublin was chosen as the site of the Velo-city conference which was held a few weeks ago and in which I was very glad to participate. The fact that it was held here was an acknowledgement of the extraordinary steps we were taking and our ambitions. I would be perfectly happy to admit that we were behind on cycling up to a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: I thank the Deputy for asking those questions because I can probably answer them in one word. He asked me what radical proposals we had for bicycles and switching people from their car. I can answer that question with one word - BusConnects. The Deputy was referring to Dublin again. I was very glad to point out in this House that he was one of the great supporters of BusConnects and stood...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: Thank God, he did and I am delighted that he continues to support it.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: I am delighted that the Deputy continues to support BusConnects

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: Perhaps the Deputy has done a U-turn, but that is all right.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: To respond to the Deputy's question, BusConnects will take people out of their cars and move them to public transport. That is the objective which will be achieved. The answer to his second question about the radical proposals we have for bicycles is BusConnects. He may not know it, but there will be 200 km of new dedicated cycling lanes adjacent to the BusConnects corridors. Perhaps he...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport Initiatives (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: I will miss Deputy Munster in the weeks and months to come.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport Initiatives (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: I do not doubt that she is going on to greater things. In budget 2019, almost 35% of the total voted expenditure of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport was allocated to supporting sustainable mobility. I fully agree with the Deputy that we need to increase that level of funding in the years ahead. I am sure she will welcome the increases I have secured in the allocations for...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport Initiatives (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: The Deputy will be aware that reducing emissions from cars and public transport and encouraging people to cycle and walk are significant priorities in the climate change programme we have announced. Alternatives to the private car are very important. As the Deputy will be aware, on a daily basis we are trying to encourage people to move out of their cars. That is why we have set demanding...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport Initiatives (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: In recent times, we have done a great deal to improve bus services in rural areas. The Deputy will be aware that along with the National Transport Authority, NTA, we launched a programme last year to improve the rural bus network through the LocalLink services. I think there are 59 such services now. There were 66 services at one stage. As part of an extremely successful pilot scheme...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electric Vehicles (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: I thank the Deputy for his question. 5 o’clock The recently published action plan to tackle climate breakdown sets out a whole-of-government approach to climate action and maps a potential pathway to meet Ireland's 2030 emissions reduction commitments. The plan clearly recognises that Ireland must step up significantly its commitments to address climate disruption. A wide-ranging...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rail Services Provision (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: I thank the Deputy for his question and welcome him to his new role as transport spokesman. I pay tribute also to his predecessor, Deputy Troy, who fulfilled his role extraordinarily well. The Deputy is quite right that due to increased demand, there are capacity issues at certain times and on certain parts of our rail network. I am happy to inform him that additional capacity has been,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rail Services Provision (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: One must realise, as I am sure the Deputy does, that one cannot just go into a shop and order carriages or trains here, there and everywhere. These things have to be considered carefully and procurement procedures must be followed. The Deputy would not for one moment suggest that should not happen. It is very important. The Deputy referred to the 41 additional carriages for the existing...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rail Services Provision (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: We are increasing the number of commuter trains, improvements have been made to the Phoenix Park tunnel and ten-minute DART services have been introduced. We regard with a sense of urgency the short-term difficulties to which the Deputy has quite rightly referred, but he will also know that a successful transport system of this sort will always have capacity issues if demand increases at a...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Trans European Transport Network Programme (9 Jul 2019)

Shane Ross: Under the Programme for Partnership Government, the Government committed to applying to the European Commission for the revision of the TEN-T Core Network, including in relation to the Western Arc. A submission is currently being prepared in this regard, which would seek to facilitate consideration of transport-related project proposals for funding under the Connecting Europe Facility for...