Results 1,041-1,060 of 1,041,614 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Steven Matthews OR speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett)
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)
Steven Matthews: Under the legislation at the moment, under a Part 8 process to do interventions, for instance, or under Road Traffic Act section 38 interventions, it is within the gift of the local authority to make that time-bound decision and say that it will do these interventions for 18 months and then make an assessment. On assessment, one gets plenty of anecdotal information from people when you meet...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)
Steven Matthews: I was at a planning conference some years ago at which Fáilte Ireland was presenting. It said if one builds towns and town centres in places for the people who live there to make it nice for them, then one develops places that people want to come and visit. We often see that when we go on holidays to Europe where we think it is great when we are in a town centre with car-free zones and...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)
Steven Matthews: I would be supportive of it going into the Department of Transport. It has that expertise. Then there is one issue in that school bus system, and it is probably a legacy issue. Once people over 70 years of age, there is an issue on driving the school buses. That might be a Bus Éireann contractual requirement.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)
Steven Matthews: Yes. It is just out of date and antiquated, and one of the biggest pressures we have on providing public transport is drivers at one end to operate, and good mechanics at the other end to keep that fleet maintained as it operates for 18 or 20 hours a day.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)
Steven Matthews: Absolutely.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)
Steven Matthews: Without putting anybody on the spot, I am a firm believer in research and evidence to direct how we do things. If the evidence suggests that is not a good idea, I would accept that but if the evidence suggests it is worth exploring, that is something we should look at as well. My time slot is up now, and I am going to welcome the real Chair of the committee, Senator Horkan, who is going...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)
Steven Matthews: I will be brief because I know we have to finish by 3.30 p.m. We spoke earlier about the Luas and the success it has been. When the Luas was being proposed, there were many detractors who said that it would be chaos for Dublin and that Dublin would be ruined by it. We know it has been a success. Similarly, as regards the DART, which is 40 years old now, there were many detractors at the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Moving Together: A Strategic Approach to Improving the Efficiency of Ireland’s Transport System: Minister for Transport and Communications (3 Jul 2024)
Steven Matthews: It could have been the Hague. I thought it was Amsterdam. I do not know. There is a lovely old VW bus in the footage as well. They had those conflicts at the time, but anybody now who goes to any of those cities - Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Utrecht or anywhere like that - sees the cycling infrastructure in place. That takes time to deliver and takes people to be brave and say, "This is what...
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (3 Jul 2024)
Simon Harris: I am pleased that Deputy Smith, the Cathaoirleach Gníómhach and others met the delegation from the Ukrainian Parliament yesterday. I had the opportunity to meet President Zelenskyy in Brussels last week and, two weeks previously, at the peace summit for Ukraine in Switzerland. I have also had the opportunity to speak to him by telephone twice since becoming Taoiseach. In...
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (3 Jul 2024)
Paul Murphy: They are not really socialist governments.
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (3 Jul 2024)
Simon Harris: The Spanish Prime Minister is clearly a socialist.
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (3 Jul 2024)
Paul Murphy: He is a socialist in name only.
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (3 Jul 2024)
Simon Harris: Let us not have a debate on the meaning of socialism. We can have that discussion another time. I am pointing out that across the political spectrum represented at the European Council, there was backing for President von der Leyen. There is an important democratic point to consider in regard to the lead candidate system. Ursula von der Leyen was the lead candidate for the European...
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (3 Jul 2024)
Cormac Devlin: I was going to ask the Taoiseach to conclude but I will allow a little extra time.
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (3 Jul 2024)
Simon Harris: I will do my best to be quick. It is fair to say at this stage that the conversations that are happening at a European level on security and defence are in the provisional and preliminary space. By that I mean we are yet to see proposals tabled. There are a lot of views, particularly from countries in eastern Europe, which are much closer to the front line in terms of Russian aggression,...
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (3 Jul 2024)
Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (3 Jul 2024)
Seán Haughey: 6. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent telephone call with President Biden. [26831/24]
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (3 Jul 2024)
Brendan Smith: 7. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent telephone call with President Biden. [26829/24]
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (3 Jul 2024)
Bernard Durkan: 8. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent conversation with President Biden. [27033/24]
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (3 Jul 2024)
Paul Murphy: 9. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent telephone conversation with President Biden. [27045/24]