Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 May 2024
138. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport the extent to which steps are ongoing to ensure the viability of the transport sector, notwithstanding any challenges from whatever source; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22314/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has overseen and continues to support a number of initiatives which will help to ensure the overall viability of the transport sector into the future.
Supporting National and International Connectivity
For Ireland, the aviation sector is vital and growing. Be this in connecting Irish based firms with suppliers or customers, accessing or providing specialist labour, securing our capability to attract and sustain foreign direct investment, facilitating the growth of our tourism industry, or maintaining connections to our Irish diaspora. In the National Aviation Policy (2015) the Government confirmed its support for the new parallel runway at Dublin Airport – the North Runway - and the development of the Airport as a secondary hub airport with the necessary capacity to connect key existing and emerging global markets.
The North Runway is an investment by daa in a key piece of strategic national infrastructure for current and future generations in Ireland which will ensure that Dublin Airport can meet expected future demand. The project was delivered on time and on budget at €320m with no recourse to Exchequer funding. Opened on 24 August 2022, daa advise that the North Runway will be capable of delivering a 31% gain in connectivity by 2034, underpinning Dublin Airport’s position as a leading European Airport, a key European gateway to North America and a driver of economic growth.
As part of its current Capital Investment Programme, daa has submitted a planning application to Fingal County Council seeking to increase the passenger cap at Dublin Airport to 40m passenger per annum and planning permission for capacity enhancing projects including new aircraft piers and stands which will facilitate its development as a secondary hub airport.
Government recognises that regional airports also play an important role in their areas because of the level of international connectivity that they bring to a region. In recognition of this and in line with the National Development Plan and National Aviation Policy, my Department supports regional air connectivity under the Regional Airports Programme 2021-2025. This Programme provides support for essential safety and security related operations and activities at Ireland’s smallest airports i.e. those that provide scheduled passenger services and handle fewer than one million annual passengers, on average over the two preceding financial years. Since 2021, almost €65m in Exchequer funding has been provided to airports under this Programme. A further €13m is available for allocation to regional airports in 2024.
In addition, marking Government’s commitment to ensuring continued connectivity to the Northwest region, the Programme supports a twice daily two-way Public Service Obligation (PSO) air service. This service facilitates same day return trips from Donegal to Dublin, providing the people and businesses in the North-West with air services to attend medical and other important appointments as well as onward international connectivity from Dublin Airport.
This targeted Exchequer funding has supported the strong rebound in air connectivity witnessed across Irish regional airports (Cork, Shannon, Ireland West (Knock), Kerry and Donegal), with overall passenger traffic in 2023 9% above 2019 pre-pandemic passenger levels. Further strong growth was witnessed in Q1 this year, with passenger traffic 10% above passenger levels when compared to the same period last year.
Government is strongly committed to providing reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. Budget 2024 helps support this objective and is a further positive development for public transport passengers across the country.
My Department has extended the 20% fare reduction on Public Service Obligation (PSO) services and the 50% reduction available for young adults on both PSO and commercial bus services. My Department is also supporting new and enhanced bus and rail services throughout 2024. These are all part of a €613 million funding package to support PSO services and that package is hugely significant in the context of providing accessible and affordable transport options.
In line with National Development Plan (NDP) objectives and National Ports Policy, the State ports are continuing to progress projects under their masterplans to enhance Ireland’s capacity for trade, connectivity and allow the ports to respond to market needs, handle increases in ship sizes and frequency and serve the essential import and export needs of the economy.
National Ports Policy provides the overarching policy framework for the governance and future development of Ireland’s state port network. However, the national and international environment for which the 2013 policy was developed has changed fundamentally. As Minister, I recognise that a new approach is needed to assist our ports with the environmental, technological, demographic, and geopolitical challenges of the next decade and beyond.
To address these new challenges a review of National Ports Policy is underway to take a critical look at the policy framework. I am pleased that my Department has received over 70 submissions in response to a broad thematic Issues Paper published for public consultation last October. The Issues Paper sought stakeholder views on the appropriate policy responses to provide for the future economic, financial viability of our ports of national significance and opportunities in areas such as the development of the Offshore Renewable Energy sector and technological innovation among others. Those responses are under review presently and it is anticipated that a draft policy will be available for further public consultation in the second half of 2024.
With regards to our shipping sector, the major change in trade flows since the end of the Brexit transition period has demonstrated the resilience and responsiveness of the Irish shipping industry. It adjusted swiftly and comprehensively to the changes in demand from business, and provided a range of additional services, frequency and capacity options to transport goods to continental markets. My Department, in conjunction with the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) will continue to monitor available shipping capacity and work with the sector to ensure it can continue to adapt to the changing environmental, economic and geopolitical landscape. My Department is also continuing work with other departments and ports to ensure compliance with any EU trade sanctions that have been introduced due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In December 2022, the Government published Ireland’s Road Haulage Strategy 2022–2031, following two phases of public consultation. The Strategy provides a roadmap on how the Government will support the future viability of the haulage and road freight sector and focuses on generating efficiencies, improving standards, helping to create secure employment and assisting the sector to move towards decarbonisation.
Implementation of the short-term actions contained in the Strategy has progressed well since the Strategy’s publication, and their progress is being monitored by the Road Freight Forum, which consists of relevant stakeholders from Government, relevant agencies, academia and the haulage and road freight sector.
A global and longstanding shortage of drivers continues to impact the road freight sector. The Logistics and Supply Chain Skills Group, established in 2019, oversees the implementation of actions to address the issue, including recruitment of drivers from abroad and the development of entry, educational and career pathways for new drivers.
Two temporary haulage support schemes were run by my Department in 2022 and 2023, with €31.2 million paid out across both schemes to 3,084 and 2,828 operators respectively, representing approx. 81% and 74% of the overall road haulage operators licensed in the State.
The Schemes assisted hauliers to deal with historic high diesel prices following the invasion of Ukraine, which represented a risk to the liquidity of those businesses. Both haulage support schemes operated under the EU Temporary Crisis Framework (TCF) on State Aid, adopted to address the economic impacts, in particular on energy prices, of the war in Ukraine.
Climate Action and Adaptation
The Climate Action Plan 2023 (CAP23) sets out Ireland’s transport decarbonisation pathway. This was informed by detailed transport modelling undertaken with the National Transport Authority to identify a pathway that could achieve a 50% reduction in transport emissions by 2030, while improving accessibility and supporting Ireland’s growing economy.
It incorporates key recommendations of an in-depth OECD review - ‘Redesigning Ireland’s Transport for Net-Zero’ - which found that Ireland’s existing transport systems embedded car-dependency and increased emissions by design.
It was identified through this work that compliance with Ireland’s transport sectoral emissions ceilings would only result through a systemic change in transport planning and behaviour, and from an integrated combination of measures that are premised on an ‘AVOID-SHIFT-IMPROVE’ framework to achieving greater transport sustainability.
The decarbonisation pathway that was set out in CAP23 has been retained in the draft CAP24 (published December 2023 and which is currently being finalised following its public consultation for the purposes of Strategic Environment Assessment and Appropriate Assessment).
As in other European countries, Irish transport systems and infrastructure are increasingly experiencing the challenges posed by the now unavoidable impacts of climate change, caused by historic greenhouse gas emissions. These impacts range from more frequent severe weather events - such as winter storms and increased flooding and summer drought - to slower impacts such as sea level rise. Through the statutory Transport Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation Plan (SAP) under the National Adaptation Framework, my Department is progressing the implementation of resilience building and climate change adaptation actions for Transport under three priority objectives. These priority areas reflect international and national science and best practice and include:
• targeted research and cross-sectoral engagement,
• integration of adaptation into appraisal and investment frameworks and allocation of funding for resilience works,
• the publication and delivery of adaptation strategies and supporting stakeholders in adaptation capacity-building and planning.
Pre-planning and preliminary stages of the revision of the next Transport SAP were carried out in 2023, in line with the indicative Q2 2025 timeline for publication as set out in CAP23, and under the revision of the NAF. These stages included engagement with Transport infrastructure stakeholders and analysis of optimal monitoring, evaluation and reporting structures for adaptation actions.
In 2024, the core content of the revised plan will be undertaken, involving a climate adaptation risk, impact and priorities assessment, and development of actions in consultation with stakeholders, with a view to a draft plan for public consultation, in line with Climate Action Plan 2024. As we face into the next decade on our path to Net Zero Carbon, the Transport sector will continue to address vulnerability and build resilience to climate change impacts:
• through implementation of the new Sectoral Adaptation Plan,
• in collaboration with other national sectors, and
• in alignment with Climate Action Plan objectives, Climate Change Advisory Council analysis, and national and international best practice.
Given the key role of sustainable aviation fuel will play in decarbonising aviation, I also tasked my officials late last year to establish the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Task Force. This Task Force will assist in the devising of a SAF policy roadmap and provide a forum for stakeholder engagement to evaluate the deployment of SAF within the Irish context.
Emergency Planning
An increasingly complex global risk landscape has required a consistent focus on emergency management and preparedness matters across my Department and its agencies. The development of the Department’s capacity to respond to emergencies, as well as the resilience of the sector remains critical. My Department’s dedicated Emergency Planning Division - established in 2022 - continues to lead coordination on these matters, representing the Department at meetings of the Government Task Force (GTF) on Emergency Planning and developing and refining integrated response plans for national emergencies where the Department is the designated Lead Government Department. In addition, agencies regularly exercise their Emergency Plans, often as part of exercises conducted under the Major Emergency Management Framework.
