Results 121-140 of 31,111 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Minister for his response. I understand the powers of the office he is privileged to hold, and I understand the need to ensure power is sovereign and not diluted in any way. However, he outlined that the structure of the Dublin transport authority being accountable to the Minister and the Minister being accountable to the Oireachtas equalled the DTA being accountable to the...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I move amendment No. 18: In page 18, subsection (9), line 17, after "it" to insert "with specified target timelines for delivery". The Government, in particular, will be held to account by the Opposition in the coming years on the issue of ensuring that where large sums of taxpayers' money are spent on projects, those same projects are delivered on time and within budget. I remember clearly...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I support Senator Ryan's amendment. As I indicated, politicians must be involved in running the Dublin transport authority and holding it to account. The amendment is timely in the light of the proposals for a directly elected lord mayor of Dublin emanating from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. If it were to transpire that the people of Dublin elected a...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: If Dublin Bus proposes to open a new bus route, the Dublin transport authority has the power to reject it and provide the service directly. The reason it is not proposed to appoint persons from these organisations to the board is that many of the powers they have traditionally wielded will be transferred to the Dublin transport authority. One reason for having these organisations...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I agree with what the Minister said about the need to ensure the board is capable of overcoming any vested interests. Therefore, it is probably inappropriate that one would have chief executives from the different organisations on the board.

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: This states at least three. We need to ensure we find a way to retain the expertise in these organisations and that it is not lost in the transition to the Dublin transport authority. The Minister said this was a regulatory body but a later section in the Bill illustrates the potential for conflict. Not only is this a regulatory body but it also has the potential to be the provider of last...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: Will the Chair verify for me that amendment No. 24 is out of order?

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I move amendment No. 25: In page 21, subsection (5)(a), line 23, after "movement," to insert "and representatives from the private sector". I am prepared to withdraw amendment No. 25 so that we can look at the language for that on the next Stage. I want to focus now on amendment No. 26, the objective of which is to find some way of ensuring the passenger has a voice on the board. The...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I have many hurdles to cross before considering any such role. Currently, however, I am a passenger on many of the services represented here. I want to ensure that the Minister is obliged to consider people using the services when selecting members of the board. Many of the representatives of groups such as Platform 21 or the rail users' group have relevant experience of the services and...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I will not press it but I ask that the Minister consider this point. The group that has least mention here is the passenger. I appreciate if the Minister and his Department could examine some of the provisions here on Report Stage and find a way of offering guidance to his successor that the passenger should be represented.

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I move amendment No. 28: In page 24, subsection (3), line 10, after "shall" to insert "publicly". Again, the motivation behind this amendment is accountability. It seeks to ensure that those using the services the DTA will co-ordinate their activities and that those involved in trying to influence it, such as Members of the Oireachtas, have access to the information the board considers when...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I move amendment No. 30: In page 26, subsection (2), line 40, after "Authority" to insert the following: "but shall not exceed a percentage of the annual budget of the DTA to be specified by the Minister in regulations on approval from the Houses of the Oireachtas". We have much experience of outside bodies providing expertise and consulting services to the DTA or other bodies on how their...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I understand the point the Minister is making about the need to avoid imposing massive restrictions on the operation of the organisation. However, this organisation will have much power based on the decisions it will be making in the greater Dublin region. It will be set up and run by good people who deserve to be paid well for the job they are doing. We in the Oireachtas must set an...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I move amendment No. 31: In page 27, between lines 17 and 18, to insert the following subsection: "(5) The Authority shall be required to provide an account of the continuing necessity for the subsidiary to remain in being on the expiration of two years from the date of its establishment.". The Fine Gael Party has over the last number of weeks pointed, correctly, to the explosion in the...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: It is important that we try to make progress on this issue. Amendments such as this are known as sunset clauses. We must find a way of holding organisations that make important decisions to account for the way they spend their money. I appreciate the Minister's response. He stated there might be a problem whereby people would not apply for jobs with companies that may not exist in a...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I move amendment No. 32: In page 27, between lines 44 and 45, to insert the following subsection: "(4) The Minister shall provide an account to the Houses of the Oireachtas on such policy directions and any matters related thereto.". As I have said many times in the course of this debate, the aim of this amendment is to ensure the Houses of the Oireachtas are informed about the policy...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (8 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: The rationale behind this is to find a way to ensure that the Dublin Transport Authority is subject to the full rigour of the Freedom of Information Act. My understanding is that this organisation is going to be set up so that it is not subject to the kinds of FOI requests that members of the public or Members of the Oireachtas may wish to have included. I understand why organisations such...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I ask the Minister, when he is making the amendment he suggested regarding the participation of local authority members, to keep the remit for such members as wide as possible. I am aware that in other parts of the legislation the Minister is quite specific in suggesting that members of the regional authorities or assemblies should be involved in the Dublin transport authority. In any...

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: Will the Minister clarify two points on this amendment? How common is a clause such as this in legislation setting up an organisation such as the Dublin transport authority? When I read the section, it appeared to that this was a blanket cover to the effect that anybody working for the Dublin transport authority would be immune from prosecution for services he or she was not providing....

Seanad: Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: Senator Ellis and I have raised a question about section 43(d). I am not convinced about the need for such a strong immunity for the authority itself. I have, however, a wider concern about whether such immunity should be extended to a third party working for the authority. Will the Minister give an assurance that such a clause is commonplace in enabling legislation establishing new bodies...