Vol. 403 No. 2
14 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for the Environment whether he has ascertained the view of the EC with regard to the levying of road tolls on roads which have been constructed exclusively from EC and public moneys; and if it is contrary to EC rules and regulations that following the construction of such roads, a private company be commissioned to administer a toll system.
The EC Regulations governing the Structural Funds permit the payment of EC assistance in respect of revenue-generating investments, including toll roads. The general conditions for such assistance are set out in Article 17 (3) of Council Regulation EEC No. 2453/88 of 19 December 1988, known as the Co-ordinating Regulation.
The Community Support Framework for Ireland provides that roads and other transport projects with a revenue-generating capacity will have to be examined on a case-by-case basis and that an average rate of aid of 50 per cent is estimated.
It will be clear, therefore, that EC rules permit the funding of a road from a combination of State, EC and private sources, with the exact details being decided in each case on its merits.
Will the Minister agree that where the building of the road has derived solely from EC Regional Funds and State moneys, and where there has been no private funding of the road, it is at variance with EC policy that a toll be levied by a private company on a road so built? Will the Minister indicate to the House whether he has informed the relevant authorities in the European Commission that it is his party's intention in Dublin County Council, and the Minister's intention, to attempt to impose a toll on the western parkway route which is to form part of the Dublin ring route, despite the fact that the route was funded solely from public and EC moneys with no private moneys involved?
The Deputy is going into a lot of detail which might more appropriately be the subject of a separate question.
It is the function of Dublin County Council to devise a toll scheme and that is the way it will be. They are dealing with that matter and with any proposal put to them. The matter has been discussed with the EC Commission. As I stated in the reply, it is possible to get EC structural aid towards this, but at a reduced level.
Would the Minister not agree that the funding for this road has been provided by the EC, not at a reduced level on the basis of tolling being envisaged but at what was the appropriate level in the context of public moneys solely going into the building of the western parkway route, and that in those circumstances the tolling of the road is contrary to EC regulations? Could the Minister indicate to the House whether he is now dropping his proposal that this road be tolled and leaving the matter solely to the discretion of Dublin County Council, and that he will not interfere with that discretion in the future?
At a special meeting of Dublin County Council on 5 October that matter was dealt with when they passed a resolution, the terms of which I am sure the Deputy is familiar with. A response to that resolution will be forthcoming in the near future. In so far as the tolling of any road is concerned, even ones that have EC funding attached, we have been in touch with the Regional Policy Commissioner in this regard and he replied that he does not object in principle to tolling, but of course the tolled roads——
Have you been in touch specifically about the western parkway route?
Yes, and it is indicated that tolling is agreed to in principle. Of course it does adjust the level of intervention from the Structural Funds——
Let us proceed now to deal with——
——if and when——
If the Minister has been in touch with the Commissioner, the Minister wants the route tolled. That confirms it.
Please, let us listen to the reply.
——if and when a toll scheme is agreed by the authority responsible, namely, Dublin County Council.
The time for dealing with this is exhausted.
I will conclude on this question. Could the Minister indicate what business he had making inquiries of the EC Commission as to whether tolling was permitted on the western parkway route if at the same time it was the Minister's view that it was not a matter for him to be concerned with and that it was solely a matter for the discretion of Dublin County Council? It seems contradictory to make inquiries when one has no interest in the matter.
Fan róiméad. Our correspondence with the Commission in this connection was as a result of correspondence that took place with the Commission on foot of information they sought from us.
Let us deal with other questions. Question No. 15 to the same Minister in the name of Deputy Gregory.
