Results 1,921-1,940 of 11,242 for speaker:Noel Dempsey

Rail Network. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: Again, I am not sure whether a question was asked but, in so far as there was one about long-term thinking, I welcome the Deputy's support for measures that will incentivise people to move from cars to public transport.

Railway Procurement Processes. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: Following receipt of the report referred to by the Deputy, I discussed the matter with the chairman of CIE on 22 October and expressed my concern to him on the weaknesses identified and the fact that neither I nor my Department had been informed. The chairman briefed me on the background to the report and indicated that the actual loss was limited to €2.6 million. He informed me that...

Railway Procurement Processes. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: The assurance I have received from the company is that the loss was limited to €2.6 million. I am aware of the speculation on a higher amount, which I have been informed was based on earlier drafts of the Baker Tilly Ryan Glennon report. It is precisely because I wished to ascertain the full facts in that regard that I asked the chairman and the board to provide me with a full report to...

Railway Procurement Processes. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: I am aware there was a delay but we got the ten-----

Railway Procurement Processes. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: I will make that information available to Deputy Broughan as well.

Railway Procurement Processes. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: On the other matter raised by the Deputy, the Equality Tribunal award is nothing to do with misappropriation. It is a totally unrelated matter that is being dealt with directly by the company itself. The information available to me currently is that two or three persons were sacked, cases were referred to the Garda by CIE and the report is being implemented. When that is updated, I will...

Railway Procurement Processes. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: I have asked the board for a full report, not just on the Baker Tilly Ryan Glennon report, which was the immediate focus of the question, but also in general terms in regard to procurement. I have asked the chairman and the board that the report would be made available to me. There is no doubt that the report will go to the board as it addresses all of the issues that would be of concern,...

Railway Procurement Processes. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: I am aware of a recent suspension in senior management in CIÉ.

Road Safety. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: The road safety strategy 2007-12 is being successfully implemented across a range of agencies. We have seen a sustained reduction in the number of people killed on our roads. The core objective of the road safety strategy is to reduce road deaths to no greater than 60 fatalities per million population by the end of 2012. This is an average of 21 road deaths per month or 252 deaths per...

Road Safety. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: I thank the Deputy for his acknowledgement. I am sure he will not mind if I extend the congratulations to all the other agencies involved. He has been very supportive in the past of the enforcement levels by the gardaí. Much of what has been achieved has been achieved by the agencies, the enforcement agencies, education, etc., but also by motorists becoming much more responsible in what...

Road Safety. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: We will have an opportunity to talk about mandatory testing as the Bill goes through the House. As Deputies will be aware, this has been in gestation for some time but it was not only this issue that delayed the publication of the Bill. We had to try to get this right and strike a balance between the need to do mandatory alcohol testing at the scene of an accident and the need to ensure we...

Road Safety. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: I will have to check in regard to motorcyclists. Motorcyclists comprise 2% of the traffic but comprise 12% of road fatalities. It is a serious concern. I believe the Road Safety Authority has completed consultations and that it is now a matter for the Department to finalise some statutory instrument in that regard. As Deputy Broughan rightly said, speed cameras are a matter for the...

Road Safety. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: The questions are tangentially related to the original question. I have not received any reports from Galway on the damage done to roads. The flooding we saw on television will have had an effect. As I said in response to a previous parliamentary question, we will look at that when it comes in. Local authorities are directly responsible for repairing roads. We supplement the grants they...

Performance Indicators. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: The contracts relating to the public service obligation services provided by the CIÉ companies are a matter for the National Transport Authority. The contracts which have been concluded by the NTA with the three CIE companies cover, inter alia, the quantity and quality of services to be provided, payment of compensation for the provisions of these services, performance and reporting...

Performance Indicators. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: Neither the Department of Transport nor the NTA would have any role in the setting of fees for school transport. The companies will make their submissions to the NTA in the normal way, and that will be taken into account.

Performance Indicators. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: That is a commercial matter for the company. The NTA will be able to specify in the contracts it signs the services required, the frequency of such services and if consumers have particular views and so on apart from raising a matter with the company, they will have the power to write to the NTA. The authority will have the right and obligation to take into account those matters in...

Performance Indicators. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: I expect the NTA to be a champion for the consumer and passenger. It is there to regulate services and to set standards to ensure transport companies deliver on their commitments under contract. The Deputy also raised the matter of fleet standards and, as I indicated, the health and safety aspects will be dealt with under legislation for the road transport operators' licence. The reality of...

Public Transport. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: The National Transport Authority was established on 1 December last. Membership of the authority comprises a chairperson, three ex officio members and eight ordinary members. The chairperson and eight ordinary members must be persons who, in the opinion of the Minister for Transport, have wide experience of transport, industrial, commercial, financial, land use planning or environmental...

Public Transport. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: I asked Mr. John Fitzgerald if he would undertake what I regard as a very onerous task because of his experience in local government and his ability to get things done. I do not have the figure off the top of my head but he is only getting the same as any other chairperson of a non-commercial State body. It may be around €16,000. He will not be overpaid for the work he must do. The...

Road Safety. (9 Dec 2009)

Noel Dempsey: I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in regard to the national roads programme element of Transport 21. The planning, design, implementation and maintenance of individual national road projects, including the Dublin Port tunnel, is a matter for the National Roads Authority under the Roads Act 1993, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. I am required under the...