Results 1-20 of 1,061,895 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Damien English OR speaker:Eoin Ó Broin OR speaker:Ivana Bacik OR speaker:Cathal Berry OR speaker:James Lawless OR speaker:Fergus O'Dowd OR speaker:Gary Gannon OR speaker:Claire Kerrane OR speaker:Eamon Ryan)

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

James Lawless: This is my second time appearing before the committee. I took a Bill through Committee Stage recently. I would have liked a greater opportunity to engage with this committee, as it is a good one that does important work, but I have engaged with each of the members individually on transport issues in the short time I have had this brief and I thank them for their diligence and interest in...

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

James Lawless: That is an important question. As the Deputy said, I am very familiar with it, representing Kildare North in my role as a TD. I also know the Deputy’s area. Councillor Caroline O’Reilly has been very vocal on those issues as well - bus services to Ratoath and Ashbourne, the ones the Deputy mentioned - and I met with her on that recently. The Deputy is right that there are...

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

James Lawless: I am very familiar with the issues the Deputy has raised, both as a Minister of State and as a TD. I see them in my constituency as well as seeing them across the country. We will be introducing revised contracts from 1 December. We are a month away from that. Key performance metrics will be included as part of the criteria for those contracts to outsourced services and will be a...

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

James Lawless: There is one other point that is related. I have asked my Department and the NTA, and will be asking the NTA again today, to ensure that the TFI real-time app is improved. It is a source of frustration for people when they are waiting for a bus. I have done it myself. You go onto the app to see if the bus is due and it says it is, but actually it is a ghost bus that does not turn up. I...

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

James Lawless: It is not an item relating to the Estimates but I am happy to give a short comment on it. I do not think there is any aviation estimate in the current pack but given it is a very topical issue, I am happy to briefly engage with the Deputy on it. On yesterday's decision, and I have said this many times but it is useful to say it on the public record, the passenger cap at Dublin Airport is...

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

James Lawless: Absolutely. If it was not for the imminent election that we all expect to be called in the next couple of days, it is a topic that I may have well invited the committee to have a dedicated session on. It would have been helpful. It is a pity we did not have it. Time is ahead of us and all that.

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

James Lawless: Sure.

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

James Lawless: The young adult card is a scheme that is being rolled out to private operators as well as the public operators. That has been very popular. It has had a great take-up. The 20% fare reduction has not been applied to private operators to date and it is not envisaged it will be in the current year either.

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

James Lawless: This is a bit wider than the Estimates and is more a policy decision but I am quite happy to engage on it. It is important. In the first instance, before I get into the fares piece, I have always had a very strong view that public transport should be the primary default choice of commuters or travellers for whatever reason. It should not be the car first and people saying "Oh maybe there...

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

James Lawless: That is a very helpful and insightful comment. The Chairman is correct. We need to take a little bit of inconvenience - I will not say "pain" - to get to the final goal, which is a far more streamlined, efficient and effective public transport system. BusConnects is not just a few buses and a few routes. It is actually public transport corridors and quality bus corridors, which involve...

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

James Lawless: I would like to be associated with the condolences to Deputy Crowe. On Sunday morning the Tánaiste informed me what had happened. We are all in shock in the wider party and in the wider system. My condolences to Deputy Crowe and his family.

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

James Lawless: I thank the Cathaoirleach. I will deal with the building programme first. With regard to the figures I mentioned on the Coast Guard spend being carried over, the building programme has not moved as rapidly as we might have hoped. There has been some transition of certain projects to the OPW. They have been devolved to the OPW. There were some administrative handovers that probably...

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

James Lawless: There are slightly more than there were before. We will have an increase in aircraft. Possibly six, although I do not want to put a figure on it today. There will be more than there were previously.

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

James Lawless: I can certainly provide a note for the committee on that. I understand they are using that spare. The Dutch as well as other jurisdictions may use them in search and rescue. I think Bristow was operating helicopters in the North Sea in the 1980s so it has some pedigree in this service for this line of work. It is a very reputable and established company which has been around for...

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

James Lawless: I will stay with helicopters and the coastguard. On the Defence Forces capacity, there is a provision in the contract that the Defence Forces could begin to play a greater role over the lifetime of the contract. Certain technical specifications and so on would have to be met on both sides for that engagement to proceed but it is something that is envisaged as a possibility. This means the...

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

James Lawless: I hear the point the Chairman is making and agree with it. I would also be disappointed if I thought the greenways were not progressing. For the reassurance of the Chairman and anyone following this, that funding is being reallocated within the same subhead, so while it is technically coming from the greenways, it remains within active travel. It may not be for a greenway per se but it is...

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

James Lawless: Every transport project has its own challenges in terms of securing planning, going through Part 8, community consultation, the tender and then the issue of construction companies being available. I am sure the Chairman sees, as I do in my constituency, that the sequence does not always flow as quickly or as smoothly as we would like. There have been a couple that just did not-----

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

James Lawless: As a councillor for the Sallins-Naas area, I tabled a motion at the first council meeting of the 2014 term for the greenway from Sallins to Hazelhatch to be performed. I was delighted to open it in January of this year, so that took ten years. It is up and running and it is great. It was not yesterday.

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

James Lawless: They are both done now at least.

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

James Lawless: I thank the Cathaoirleach. I will take the second half of the question first, in terms of the plan for the whole country and island. We recently unveiled the all-island strategic rail review. It is a blueprint and map for the Thirty-two Counties of the island to have a connected strategic infrastructure corridor crisscrossed with railways. That is the starting point for the ambition. ...