Results 501-520 of 1,073,161 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:David Stanton OR speaker:Charlie McConalogue OR speaker:Catherine Connolly OR speaker:Jim O'Callaghan OR speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire OR speaker:Eamon Ryan OR speaker:Matt Shanahan)

Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters with the United Arab Emirates: Motions (6 Nov 2024)

Mattie McGrath: Elect, I said. President-elect.

Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters with the United Arab Emirates: Motions (6 Nov 2024)

Helen McEntee: I thank colleagues who know what we are talking about here for their support, in the most part, for this motion today. We all want the same thing here and the people of this country want the same thing. Where a person has committed a serious crime, where a group of individuals are spreading misery, mayhem, death and destruction across our communities, where they are dragging young people...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Service Performance Report 2023: Department of Transport (6 Nov 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I am pleased to present the public service performance report for 2023 for the Department of Transport. The report contains high-level metrics on the delivery of investment and services in each of the five expenditure programmes published in the 2023 Revised Estimates. Looking at 2023 in its context, since 2020 there have been key shifts in investment into new policy areas, aligning with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Service Performance Report 2023: Department of Transport (6 Nov 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I accept what Deputy O'Rourke says. I do not have detailed information about the particular project. We have something like 1,000 projects on the go at any time. They are not all of that scale, which is a significant project with a €6 million budget. I accept the concern and frustration the Deputy has reflected if there has been a significant overrun in terms of time and budget. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Service Performance Report 2023: Department of Transport (6 Nov 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I accept that. There is significant oversight. The Department has oversight of the NTA, which is the approving authority. We do regular overviews of the broad range of projects going through. The NTA has specific oversight with the local authority at the project level. It is important to be able to measure success and accountability. I will make two other relevant points. One of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Service Performance Report 2023: Department of Transport (6 Nov 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Deputy and I wish him well too.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Service Performance Report 2023: Department of Transport (6 Nov 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Absolutely. First, on what the Cathaoirleach has said about greenways, it is very true that their popularity meets so many different needs. We need to design greenways. I always say to TII, to which we have given the task, that it must remember that this is for local use first and foremost. The local use might be someone cycling, jogging. Its primary care might be for those going for a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Service Performance Report 2023: Department of Transport (6 Nov 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Chair. I will ask Dr. Keith Walsh, my assistant secretary, to come in on the issue of the post offices and the licensing. Before he comes in, I will speak briefly to a number of those other issues. With regard to Portrane to Donabate, the Deputy is right, it is lengthy and also windy and exposed. The Deputy would be surprised; electric bikes are completely changing the range...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Service Performance Report 2023: Department of Transport (6 Nov 2024)

Eamon Ryan: It takes some time. In addition, with any new technology, particularly in the depots, there is the issue of learning the lessons. We were doing it in Athlone and Summerhill. It is about how you change the entire depot around towards electrification. It is a bit like what I was saying earlier about cycling infrastructure. It takes a while to build up the experience in order that it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Service Performance Report 2023: Department of Transport (6 Nov 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I might ask Dr. Walsh to come in on licensing and post offices.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Service Performance Report 2023: Department of Transport (6 Nov 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Sorry, I should have answered that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Service Performance Report 2023: Department of Transport (6 Nov 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Both the grants for new electric vehicles and home charging are largely demand-led and, therefore, it is not something we have complete control over. As I said, the figures showed slightly below what was expected but that is a function of the household decision, rather than any policy choice.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Service Performance Report 2023: Department of Transport (6 Nov 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I thank Senator Craughwell for his very kind words. I would like to have achieved a hell of a lot more but I very much appreciate what he said. I always felt the Senator and I had a very good relationship even though we may have differed on a variety of issues. I always enjoyed my engagement with him both at the committee and around the Houses. Where we did differ most was on the search...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Service Performance Report 2023: Department of Transport (6 Nov 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Exactly. It was from that desire to see the Air Corps take on some of that role that we put a break clause into the contract after three years, I think, to allow for that possibility. That is one example. On rigour, safety is the first priority in aviation and there are so many layers. I do not have details. The Senator said the aircraft being provided for the top cover was 12 years old...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Service Performance Report 2023: Department of Transport (6 Nov 2024)

Eamon Ryan: On the Coast Guard, I agree with the Senator that it is hugely important. I only realised this time in government how embedded the organisation is in communities right around our coast. I had the pleasure of visiting a number of our Coast Guard stations in the past four years. There have been difficulties in particular areas. While I agree with the Senator’s assessment, we have had...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Service Performance Report 2023: Department of Transport (6 Nov 2024)

Eamon Ryan: We should avoid anything that would return all those commuters to the roads. We are going to put the first battery-electric trains into Drogheda and run them south along the northern commuter line. It would hobble the commuter and Enterprise services to provide an airport link, particularly in the absence of all those capacity improvements. We have an alternative. The decision involves...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Service Performance Report 2023: Department of Transport (6 Nov 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Deputy for his friendship as well. We have always got on well. We have disagreed sometimes on various issues, but I have always found him to be most respectful and collegial. On investment in transport, public transport and roads, maybe I will bring them together. I have a perspective looking forward, rather than back to 2023, that the country has never had a more...