asked the Minister for Transport if he will make a statement outlining the Government's attitude to the recent NESC study on transport policy.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Transport Policy Study.
37.
The Government's attitude to the study on transport policy prepared by the National Economic and Social Council was outlined in the statement released by the Government Information Services on 11 March 1980. The statement read as follows:
The Government welcome the report of the National Economic and Social Council on Transport Policy. It is an important analysis of the major issues in transport policy in Ireland and will help in the examination of various aspects of transport policy at present being made by the Minister for Transport.
The Minister for Transport expects to receive shortly, from the Transport Consultative Commission, its report on the arrangements for the provision of passenger transport services in the Dublin area. In addition, management consultants have been engaged to carry out a study of the financial position of CIE.
The report of CIE by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on State-sponsored Bodies is another useful contribution to the debate on future transport policy.
The Government recognise the widespread public concern about the transport system and recognise the need for early decisions on the further development of national transport policy.
The Report of the Transport Consultative Commission on Passenger Transport Services in the Dublin Area, which was referred to in that statement, has since been published. One of the commission's recommendations is that a Dublin Transportation Authority should be established with overall responsibility for ensuring the integrated planning and operation of transportation in the Dublin area. As already announced by me, the Government have decided that a Dublin Transportation Authority should be established and I have set up a task force to take the necessary steps to ensure the Authority are set up as quickly as possible.
Pending the establishment of the new Authority, the task force are also being given responsibility for traffic management, for example for securing the introduction of bus priority measures and the enforcement of road traffic regulations, and also for the further evaluation of road and rail investment plans in the Dublin area.
The Minister has a lovely voice but it is a pity he could not speak a little louder, when we could hear him.
Communications are not so good.
I want to ask the Minister two questions and, in so doing, to congratulate him on having taken the decision to set up a Dublin Transportation Authority, much sought by all parties in this House. Could the Minister say what is the status of the proposal of CIE referred to in the report of the Transport Consultative Commission relating to rapid rail and whether or not that is now ruled out? Secondly, does the Minister consider it would be helpful—in order to ensure the most satisfactory working of the new transportation authority—that major decisions by local authorities, say, on infrastructural developments such as motorways or roads for the moment at least, and by that I mean a matter of months, should be deferred until such time as the transportation authority have met and considered how these proposals would mesh with their plans?
The rapid rail transit proposals for Dublin are not ruled out at this point in time. They will be examined by the task force in further depth. Indeed, there is no doubt in my mind that a deeper evaluation must be made of Dublin rapid rail transport, so I would certainly go along with the idea. There are cheaper options that must be looked at.
Could the Minister answer my second question about the possibility of defining certain major proposals?
I have asked the task force to look at that immediately and to come up with some recommendation on it although the Transport Consultative Commission, when they were making their recommendations, took into account the major proposals already on the cards from Dublin Corporation——
They have not decided as yet?
No, not as yet.
The Minister gave a fairly comprehensive reply to the question put down by my colleague, Deputy Horgan. Might I ask him if he would detail or enlarge on the actual statutory or effective powers that the interim task force will have prior to the establishment of the transportation authority? Will this group of civil servants, answerable directly to him be able to over-rule decisions of any of the local authorities in relation to roadway proposals or indeed to over-rule decisions that have been taken in relation to the rapid rail system?
The task force will not be in a position to over-rule decisions because they do not have the statutory power to do so in the interim period. The first major task of the task force is to ascertain the short-term, interim measures that could be put into operation to alleviate some of the traffic chaos in Dublin and, secondly, to speed up the setting up of the Dublin Transportation Authority. As of now they do not have statutory power to over-rule decisions.
In view of the fact that this task force will be dealing specifically with traffic namagement, with items such as the possibility of bus lanes, does the Minister have any proposals to incorporate within their membership, as I understand it, members either from the elected side, or from the administrative side of Dublin Corporation and Dublin County Council?
That is in the next question.
Question No. 38 postponed.