Vol. 549 No. 4
118 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the committees, boards, companies or other bodies under the auspices of her Department which it is proposed to establish; if it is intended that each such body will have a statutory basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7108/02]
The following proposals for the establishment of bodies under my aegis are under consideration. On public transport, the general scheme of a Bill to establish a land use and transport authority for the greater Dublin area is currently being prepared by a cross-departmental team led by the Department of the Environment and Local Government. The authority, which will act as the public transport regulator for the greater Dublin area, will be under the auspices of that department.
Institutional arrangements for the regulation of public transport for the rest of the country are currently the subject of a consultation study. The Railway Safety Bill, 2001 will, when enacted, establish a statutory railway safety regulator to be known as the Railway Safety Commission. The commission will have wide-ranging powers of inspection, investigation and enforcement. The Railway Safety Bill, 2001 will also, when enacted, establish a statutory body to be known as the Railway Safety Advisory Council. The purpose of the council will be to consider matters relating to railway safety and make recommendations to the Minister or the Railway Safety Commission as appropriate.
Under the Communications Regulation Bill it is intended to establish a commission for communications regulation, dissolve the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation and transfer its functions to the commission. The Bill was approved for publication at the Government meeting of 19 February 2002 and it is my intention to have it published this week.
Legislation has been recently passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas called the Sustainable Energy Bill, 2001 which will establish the Irish Energy Centre as an independent statutory body. The centre will be renamed the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. The Bill is expected to be signed by the President in the coming days.
119 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the committees, boards, companies or other bodies under the auspices of her Department which were established otherwise than pursuant to statute or statutory instruments; if there are proposals to have the body in question given a statutory basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7123/02]
The information sought by the Deputy in relation to the areas under my remit is as follows. On rail and road transport, the task force on railway safety was established by the Government on 3 November 1998 to prepare prioritised recommendations to address the issues identified in the 1998 report by independent consultants led by IRMS entitled "A Review of Railway Safety in Ireland". The task force, which comprised representatives of the Department of Public Enterprise, the Department of Finance and CIE, recommended a five year railway safety investment programme entitled the railway safety programme 1999-2003. The Government accepted the recommendation and committed €546.7 million – in 1999 prices – to the programme. It is proposed to reconvene the task force in 2002 to consider railway safety investment requirements post 2003. It is not intended that the task force will be established on a statutory basis.
The interdepartmental committee on the carriage of dangerous goods by rail, established in 1977, is charged with preparing emergency response procedures in the event of an accident involving a train carrying dangerous goods. The committee comprises representatives of the Departments of Public Enterprise, Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Defence, Environment and Local Government and Health and Children and also Iarnród Éireann, the fire and ambulance services and heath boards-hospitals. It is not intended that the committee will be established on a statutory basis.
An interim Railway Procurement Agency was established by me in July 2001. The agency was subsequently established on a statutory basis on 28 December 2001 following the enactment of the Transport (Railway Infrastructure) Act, No. 55 of 2001. The level crossing working group was established in recognition of the safety risks at road-rail interfaces. The function of the group is to monitor safety performance, identify vulnerable-high risk locations or scenarios and the means for achieving appropriate risk reduction. The group comprises representatives of the Departments of Public Enterprise and Environment and Local Government, Iarnród Éireann, Dublin Corporation, the National Roads Authority and the Garda Síochána. It is not intended that the group will be established on a statutory basis.
The following committees-Groups have also been set up public transport accessibility committee; public transport partnership forum; informal working group on the possible use of alternative fuels by Dublin Bus; interdepartmental committee on rural public transport; NDP monitoring committee; NDP communications committee; and quality customer service committee. A top level group of three persons has also been established to assist Iarnród Éireann in facing the challenges of expansion of the rail network and in delivering improved service. There are no proposals to give these committees or groups a statutory basis.
120 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the committees, boards, companies or other bodies under the auspices of her Department which were established pursuant to statutory instrument; the particulars of the statutory instrument in each case; if there are proposals to have the body in question given a basis in statute as opposed to statutory instrument; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7138/02]
The information sought by the Deputy is as follows. On energy, EirGrid plc was established as the electricity transmission system operator under the European Communities (Internal Market in Electricity) Regulations, 2000 (S.I. No. 445 of 2000), which were made on 20 December 2000. The Electricity Bill, 2002, due to be enacted before the end of the year, will have the effect of consolidating all existing electricity legislation, including the European Communities (Internal Market in Electricity) Regulations, 2000.
On transport, the Railway Procurement Agency was established by me on 28 December 2001 pursuant to Statutory Instrument 649 of 2001. This followed the passing of the Transport (Railway Infrastructure) Act, No. 55 of 2001.
