Results 41-60 of 1,061,399 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Damien English OR speaker:Niall Collins OR speaker:James Lawless OR speaker:Robert Troy OR speaker:Paschal Donohoe OR speaker:Bríd Smith OR speaker:Brendan Howlin OR speaker:Alan Farrell OR speaker:Mark Ward OR speaker:Seán Canney) in 'Committee meetings'

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

James Lawless: When the Cathaoirleach refers to a more responsive and agile process, what does he mean?

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

Alan Farrell: I mean in terms of time. A judicial review of transport infrastructure processes can take months. A case can take six months to be heard and the process itself can take whatever amount of time is necessary to hear the case. There is a need for us to fast-track that process in some way. I refer to the establishment of a planning wing, a planning court, within the Judiciary to try to get us...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

James Lawless: I agree, Chairman, but that has effectively been done. A new planning court was launched earlier this year. To my knowledge, Mr. Justice Humphreys, Mr. Justice Simons and another judge are assigned to that. Therefore, there are three judges sitting in that division. The Dublin Airport cap that we discussed at the start of the meeting is a good example of an application that was made...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

Alan Farrell: I want to mention two other items aside from the airport, one of which is the reallocation of funding for the A5, which the Minister of State mentioned in his opening remarks. Could he give us a brief overview as to how that arose? Before I comment on the airport, the Minister of State spoke with Deputy O'Rourke earlier about capacity issues and the responsibility of the NTA and others to...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

James Lawless: Absolutely. The Chairman's first question was about the €29 million from the A5 Border to Derry project. That is part of a wider project to connect the north west. That goes from Clontibret in Monaghan across the Border right through Derry into Donegal and beyond. That is a very significant commitment by Government. It is aligned with the shared island project in terms of...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

Alan Farrell: I thank the Minister of State. I will conclude by taking the opportunity to revisit the conversation we had a little earlier in relation to Dublin Airport, as this is our last committee meeting scheduled before we presume the plug is pulled on the Thirty-third Dáil. It is necessary for me to commend the Minister of State's frankness in his remarks as to how we got here. As I have said...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

James Lawless: There is a lot there. I will probably not respond to all of it in detail but I noted what the Chair said and hear exactly the points he is making. I will make a couple of comments. I have visited the communities around the airport. I have sat in houses in St. Margaret's and areas that are very much affected. I am not sure I was in the exact school mentioned but I certainly was in, or...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

Alan Farrell: Absolutely.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

James Lawless: I know the Cathaoirleach is not saying that it has delayed matters. The issue is more that Fingal County Council has not had things put to it until very recently. For example, the DAA only made a planning application in December 2023.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

Alan Farrell: I understand it took seven months for the DAA to come back with some additional information.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

James Lawless: With some further information, yes. I am not sure whether that has been submitted yet. It may about to be. There have also been discussions about an application for a simplified form of application that would be what is called the operational application, which has not been made yet. That would be beneficial. The sooner it is made, the sooner it will be processed. A planning authority is...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

Alan Farrell: How would the Minister of State characterise something like that, when we are faced with a series of events and the airport operator is telling us we have impediments that should not be in place, even though the operator itself is causing the delays?

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

James Lawless: It is probably not helpful to apportion blame around the table today. I am mindful of ongoing litigation.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

Alan Farrell: To be fair, Minister of State, you did it. You did it in a very indirect way, but you did it.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

James Lawless: The DAA itself has said in recent interviews it should have acted sooner. I welcome that acknowledgement and think it is correct. I have said it on a number of occasions. There are live planning applications and a live judicial process, even though an interim decision has been made. As I said at the outset and in my statement last night, it is important all players in the system are aware...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

Alan Farrell: I thank the Minister of State. We have gone slightly off topic in this Estimates meeting but it is a very worthwhile conversation to have on Dublin Airport and aviation in the country. The Minister of State is quite right about regional airports. I would interlink the all-island strategic rail review with the future capacity of some airports, particularly Shannon.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

James Lawless: Absolutely.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 31 - Transport (Supplementary) (5 Nov 2024)

Alan Farrell: I thank the Minister of State and his officials for their attendance and engagement.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Message to Dáil. (5 Nov 2024)

Alan Farrell: In accordance with Standing Order 101, the following message will be sent to the Dáil: The Select Committee on Transport and Communications has considered the following Supplementary Estimate for public services for the year ending 31 December 2024: Vote 31 - Transport.

Equitable Beef Pricing Bill 2020: Second Stage [Private Members] (24 Oct 2024)

Question put.