Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Question:6 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Transport if there has been co-operation on a North-South basis regarding the issue of road safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29880/06]
Other Questions.
Road Safety.
Arthur Morgan
Question:10 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Transport if there have been discussions in relation to improving road safety on an all-Ireland basis. [29876/06]
Breeda Moynihan-Cronin
Question:103 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Transport when he expects mutual recognition of penalty points to be introduced on both sides of the Border with Northern Ireland; and the other areas of cooperation his Department is working on currently. [30076/06]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 6, 10 and 103 together.
In December 2000, the transport sector of the North-South Ministerial Council approved a programme for enhancing North-South co-operation on road safety. The council agreed that joint road safety campaigns would continue to be promoted by the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland and the National Safety Council in this jurisdiction, with one such campaign envisaged each year. Joint road safety awareness campaigns are particularly suitable for North-South co-operation. They generate economies of scale in terms of production costs and television and other media exposure. The Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland and the National Safety Council have well-established co-operation arrangements in this area. Nine joint advertising campaigns have been developed by the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland and the National Safety Council since 1999. The campaigns have targeted speeding, seat belt wearing, drink driving, vulnerable road users, motorbike safety, driver and pedestrian inattention and child safety.
The Road Safety Authority has taken responsibility for road safety advertising and promotion. It will continue to co-operate with the Northern Irish authorities in the area of road safety. A further joint campaign relating to child safety and seat belt wearing will be launched in Belfast on 3 October next. The Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, will attend the launch of the joint safety campaign on Monday. The issues of driver disqualification and offences which attract a lesser penalty are being dealt with at two levels. A framework for the mutual recognition of driver disqualifications is contained in the EU convention on driving disqualifications, 98/C216/01. The convention relates to disqualifications arising from a range of specified traffic offences including drink driving, speeding and dangerous driving. Irish legislation to support the application of the convention is contained in the Road Traffic Act 2002.
In advance of the convention fully coming into force and following a ministerial meeting of the transport sectoral group of the British-Irish Council on 9 February 2006, I have formally agreed with the UK junior transport minister to enter into bilateral arrangements on the mutual recognition of driving disqualifications, as envisaged in the EU convention. The UK junior minister wrote to me recently to advise me that the UK and Northern Ireland authorities are working to complete the necessary legislative and consultative processes to enable mutual recognition to be in place by April 2007. The various officials are continuing to work to ensure the necessary administrative arrangements are in place to enable the relevant administrations to recognise and take action on driving disqualifications occurring in the other jurisdiction.
In relation to lesser offences, the North-South work programme, as agreed by the North-South Ministerial Council, includes a commitment to examine the mutual recognition of penalty points between the Republic of Ireland and the North. Not only do separate penalty point systems operate in the two jurisdictions on this island, but the system that operates in Northern Ireland also differs from that applying in Great Britain. Therefore, it was agreed that it would be more appropriate to pursue the question of mutual recognition of penalty points on the basis of the operation of the three systems and that it would be more appropriate to deal with it under the auspices of the British-Irish Council. As Northern Ireland has the lead role for transport matters in the council, the authorities in that jurisdiction are taking the lead in considering this issue. It was agreed at the British-Irish Council meeting on 9 February last that officials should examine the prospects for greater co-operation in the treatment of road traffic infringements where the penalty falls short of disqualification. Arising from the work in this area, I have agreed with the UK junior transport minister the terms of reference which have been proposed for a study of the feasibility of greater co-operation between us on lesser road traffic infringements, with a view to our officials undertaking a study on that basis and reporting back to us next year.
I welcome the Minister's response. The television campaigns that have been promoted by the two road authorities in Ireland to date have been welcome, hard-hitting and quite effective. Road safety goes beyond that, however. Does the Minister agree there is a need to consider the harmonisation of road signs, speed limits, driver education and testing and, as he mentioned, penalty points? Does he agree there is a need to accelerate the recognition of penalty points in the form he outlined? Is there an indicative timeframe for when that will come about? I refer not only to offences which attract penalty points, but also to offences which attract penalties which are less serious than disqualification. Can the Minister indicate when the EU convention on disqualifications will come into effect? He mentioned that he hopes the bilateral agreement will come into effect within a few months. Has any work been done on different road surfaces and signals? It would be practical and effective to introduce measures in respect of a number of different aspects of road safety. All of us on the island of Ireland should benefit from the exact same road safety campaigns, speed limits, road signs and driver testing procedures. We could even bring the criteria used to test cars in our national car test and the test offered by the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland into line with each other.
The convention will come into place when all signatory member states have ratified it. It allows for member states to move ahead with bilateral arrangements if the opportunity presents itself as it did to us and the Northern Ireland authorities. This was discussed at a recent British-Irish Council meeting and several Ministers agreed with it. We have also been to the fore at European level in the recognition of these issues, particularly the recognition of penalty points on a European basis. It is the logical way to go and will provide the best results for road safety.
In this jurisdiction many advances have been made in the past two years with road and signage quality. Similar road signage and so on would be helpful to all drivers on the island. Currently it is difficult for drivers coming from Northern Ireland into the Republic and vice versa. Road safety strikes me as an issue that could be dealt with on an all-island basis. It would have a good impact on road safety for the benefit of all drivers.
We have moved with our counterparts in Northern Ireland on a bilateral arrangement. There are, however, three different systems between the jurisdictions. It was agreed that the best method would be to have a harmonised approach rather than matching one system up with another and unscrambling an existing one. The Northern Ireland Office is the lead party in the British-Irish Council on this and it is working through a system. It keeps in touch with departmental officials and has a timeframe to report back early next year at the next British-Irish Council meeting.
I welcome such co-operation and joint road safety awareness campaigns. I hope we will move towards an all-island road safety strategy. My principal concern is with penalty points. I do not under-estimate the difficulty in co-ordinating the two systems. Much time, however, has been lost. If we are to move on a trilateral or a Europe-wide basis, it will take forever. The urgency is in respect of Northern Ireland and the South. One only has to drive on the M1 to see what is happening. Invariably, cars that overtake on the M1 at enormous speeds are northern registered cars and similarly, on the northern side of the Border, southern registered cars have no regard for speed limits. The accident statistics will bear that out in the northern regions. There is a definite urgency in reaching agreement on mutual recognition of penalty points between Northern Ireland and the South. Will the Minister consider fast-tracking this? If we are looking to the rest of Europe to move with us, it will take for ever.
I do not disagree with the Deputy. That is why we have moved ahead of the European level. I have raised this matter at the EU transport meetings. It is not a question of some countries being more committed than others. However, getting a harmonised system in place is a formidable challenge. Because of that, we felt our immediate target should be on the island of Ireland. That is why I moved with my Northern Ireland counterparts on this. I am only one party involved in this process. The feedback was that it would have to be done on a UK-Northern Ireland-Republic of Ireland basis.
The Deputy correctly identified that it will be a longer process at European level. However, we have forced the pace in moving ahead. The primary objective is the island of Ireland result. We have in place the mutual recognition of driving disqualifications, which is a major step. When that is properly functioning, the penalty points issue should be resolved. I want one system of penalty points on the island of Ireland and the laws between the two jurisdictions to be harmonised to reflect this. Road safety and issues of that matter lend themselves to an all-island approach. The appetite is there for progress on the matter but one has to tread at a certain pace in these matters.
Energy Resources.
John Gormley
Question:7 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Transport the role his Department played in the development of the new Government Green Paper on energy policy; and the long-term forecasts his Department has for the use of energy in the transport sector to the year 2030. [29916/06]
Substantial work was undertaken by the Department of Transport in preparing input for the energy Green Paper that will be published by the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources shortly. As set out in the Department's statement of strategy 2005 to 2007, a key objective is to secure a sustainable transport network that balances economic, social and environmental considerations. We are mindful, in particular, of the need to reduce the energy intensity of the transport sector.
With regard to long term-energy demand forecasts for the transport sector, Sustainable Energy Ireland prepares forecasts for energy trends. It recently published a report, Energy in Ireland 1990-2004 — Trends, Issues, Forecasts and Indicators, which developed forecasts for energy demand in all sectors including the transport sector up to 2020.
That reply tells me nothing. It tells me what Sustainable Energy Ireland has done but nothing of the Minister's views. The report by Sustainable Energy Ireland on energy and transport paints a bleak picture for Ireland in a world where oil is getting more expensive and carbon emissions must be reduced. Our energy use has increased by 150% in the past 15 years. Last year it increased by 8%. Road freight has gone through the roof. Not surprisingly under the Minister's management, rail freight has disappeared.
We are facing two major political challenges. Global oil production is about to peak, making it increasingly difficult for Ireland, one of the most oil dependent countries in the world. We have a moral obligation to tackle climate change. This requires radical cuts in emissions. The fastest growing sector for emissions is transport. What are the Minister's long-term plans to cut those emissions and reduce our use of oil? Future generations will look back and ask what were we doing. Were we asleep? Did we read the signs and not plan for the long term?
Why are we not cutting oil use and transport emissions? Our current policies are heading in the wrong direction. This year, not one public transport project will be opened. Instead, the Minister will cut the opening ribbons on a dozen roads. How will we reduce the 8% annual increase in oil use when oil prices are doubling? The Minister's reply gave me nothing in this regard.
This is the essential dilemma for the Green Party and whoever it might want to be with in Government.
Fianna Fáil.
The Deputy presents all the advances made in the economy as negative. The answers to some of his questions are issues of which we should be proud. For example, our employment numbers have doubled from 1 million to 2 million people and prosperity has come with that. Ireland has one of the most modern, efficient and open economies in the world. Demand for our goods and services has gone through the roof. I will not deny this has placed a heavy burden on our transport system. Ireland, like many other countries, is grappling with the global impact of energy costs on transport and emissions. However, there are no simple solutions to this.
In Transport 21, I did not present a "more roads" solution for Dublin and other areas. I presented a €16 billion investment in public transport, a large commitment to getting people out of their cars with a resulting impact on vehicle emissions. There is clearly a major onus on manufacturers in this regard and some of them are beginning to make serious advancements in terms of better use of fuel economies in cars, lorries, trucks and even buses. As part of our energy policy, I intend that some of the new buses that will shortly begin to come on stream will be more fuel efficient vehicles in terms of the energy sources they use.
The Government has enormous commitment to energy efficiency. As a former Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, I understand the issues involved and our commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. These targets are not easy to achieve because they are, to a degree, in conflict with the demands of the burgeoning, fantastically successful modern economy which this country now enjoys, led by the policies of the Government in the past ten years. There has been a price to pay for this but we should not write it all off as negative. I am interested in whether the Green Party does not want to build roads or have people drive their cars. What does the party want?
The Green Party utterly disagrees with the paradigm the Minister presents of a choice between the economy and the environment. We agree with the views expressed by Al Gore in his recent film on climate change, which outlines the simple realities of the situation and refutes the Minister's image of a weighing scales with the economy on one side and the planet on the other. Without a planet, we will not have an economy.
I agree.
The public has the sense to realise that the solutions that will deliver a new green future are positive for society and the economy. The Luas service, for example, will allow for the development of enterprise, and more rail lines will benefit the economy in the future. It is ridiculous that each time the issue of our emissions and climate change is raised, the response is that the Green Party will wreck the economy. That is not the issue. Unless we reduce our use of fossil fuels, the Minister will wreck our economy because he is leaving us exposed to the future peak in global oil production.
There are a dozen changes the Minister could make tomorrow. As highlighted by this report, the fuel efficiency of vehicles is decreasing. He should ask the Minister for Finance to address this so that we begin to purchase leaner vehicles. The Minister could choose to begin building a rail line to Navan tomorrow morning instead of running a motorway through the Hill of Tara. He could build a spur to Shannon so that air passengers can access the airport by rail.
We are taking all these actions.
The Minister's lack of ambition and delivery is failing the public. The shocking aspect is that he does not even address these questions with any real intent.
It is clear that the Green Party would crush this economy if it were in government with Labour and Fine Gael. I do not know how they will figure this out. They would crush the hopes and dreams of people in this country.
That is nonsense.
It is clear the Deputy has not read Transport 21 because all the projects to which he referred are not only no longer dreams on paper but are becoming a reality. Work has begun on all those projects in terms of design, looking at alignment, land routes and so on. More resources have been provided by this Government than any other in the past. Given the size and scale of this country, the €34.5 billion allocated in a ten-year framework represents one of the greatest investments per capita in public transport development in the world. Neither I nor Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats in Dublin need any lectures from the Green Party about commitment to the environment.
The figures speak for themselves.
It is a challenge for all governments to find a way of harmonising economic advancement with respect for the impact of that development on the environment. I am committed to meeting that challenge.
The Minister can show his concern for the environment by taking one simple action. He must stop the sale by CIE, which it is currently undertaking, of the freight infrastructure and all the equipment associated with the Guinness contract. It is being sold off because CIE failed to secure the contract. I suspect it did not try very hard. It is now selling off the capacity that would allow that service to be recommenced by another operator. If CIE does not want to provide it, somebody else should do so.
The Minister must show his concern in this matter. Our roads are being completely clogged with heavy goods vehicles, HGVs, which are more likely to be involved in accidents and are completely destroying the environment. Per tonne carried, rail freight produces only one tenth of the emissions produced by HGVs. Will the Minister order CIE to stop the sale of not only the infrastructure associated with the transportation of the Guinness kegs but the property and equipment it is selling throughout the State?
It is not doing so.
The Minister keeps telling me that is the case but I can give him chapter and verse on the reality of the situation. He is sitting back and allowing this to happen. We will never be able to bring this equipment back. It may not be economically viable to CIE but it may be so to somebody else. The economics are changing daily given the increasing cost of oil and in terms of the fees we will have to pay to the EU for emissions.
I am the first Minister for Transport in decades——
Will the Minister answer the question? Will he stop the sale of this equipment?
——to restore the rail network and build new rail lines.
Will the Minister say whether he will stop the sale of the equipment?
I am answering the question. On Monday of this week we began the launch of the western rail corridor. The rail link to Navan will be opened and we will develop other commuter routes. It is now open to the private sector to participate in rail freight.
However, CIE is the regulator and while it does not want the equipment, it does not want anybody else to have it either.
I am as concerned as the Deputy that companies are choosing not to use the rail system for their freight. The truth is it is expensive when compared to the road network.
The Minister is subsidising the road network.
If Deputy Mitchell gives me details of the infrastructure that is being sold off, I will be happy to deal with it.
I can give the Minister chapter and verse on that.
EU Directives.
Joe Sherlock
Question:8 Mr. Sherlock asked the Minister for Transport the requirement under EU law to establish a national motor insurance database; the progress to date in this regard; the body or bodies responsible for establishing such a database; the manner in which it will be funded; and when he expects such a database to be operational. [30079/06]
The fifth motor insurance directive, No. 2005/14/EC, in regard to insurance against civil liability in respect of the use of motor vehicles was adopted on 11 May 2005. The directive amends and expands on the previous four motor insurance directives. The fifth directive must be implemented by 11 June 2007. It requires each member state to establish a national motor insurance information centre. The purpose of the information centre is to make available, on request, insurance and other details to involved parties in the event of a motor traffic accident. Persons involved in accidents will therefore have a means to confirm the insurance and vehicle details of other parties to the accident.
The fourth motor insurance directive already requires the establishment of an information centre to provide details of insurance and vehicle ownership in the case of accidents involving foreign registered vehicle which occur in this country. The Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland currently discharges this function and provides this information by accessing the national vehicle file maintained by the vehicle registration unit of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The fifth directive therefore extends the requirements of the fourth directive to cover all motor traffic accidents, irrespective of where the vehicles are registered.
My Department, with the assistance of the Irish Insurance Federation, commissioned preliminary studies into the establishment of the expanded national information centre. The consultants, Aspen Connect and Tekenable, have proposed a technical solution to enable the necessary information to be accessible to the information centre on request.
My Department has primary responsibility for the establishment of the information centre and discussions have taken place with the insurance industry and with the Vehicle Registration Office of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in that regard. Over the coming months, it is planned to run a pilot project before full implementation, with a view to having the information centre in operation by June 2007. The funding requirements have yet to be determined.
The problem is that nobody has agreed to fund the database. The Garda faces a major difficulty in dealing with road traffic offences, particularly those involving injury and loss of life, because it has no way of discovering information on whether a particular driver is insured. There is no national database accessible to the Garda. That information should be available on the hand-held computers of gardaí. This lack of access to adequate information is part of the reason it is so difficult to enforce road traffic legislation.
The Minister is ultimately responsible in this regard. My understanding is that a turf war is ongoing between the relevant Departments and the insurance companies in regard to who will pay for this service. It is the Minister's responsibility to cut through that and to ensure we comply with the directive and, more important, that access to vital information in respect of motor insurance is available to the Garda in processing cases. Does he intend to take action in this regard by living up to his responsibilities to put a database in place as promised and required under the directive and, if so, when does he propose to do so?
As I said in my reply, this database must be in place by June of next year and I intend that to be done. I have obtained solutions from the technical experts and they are currently working out the detail of that. A pilot scheme will commence early next year and the full system will be in place by June. The funding implications will be finalised on the basis of the working solution that is established. This is an issue we need to have in place which is why I have decided to deal with it and meet the timeframe I am obliged to fulfil.
Is the Minister committed to funding this?
The funding arrangements will depend on the solution reached. However it is funded, the funding agreement will be finalised in time to allow this system to be in place for June 2007, as agreed.
It seems late in the day to agree on the basic issue of funding. Can the Minister commit to saying it will be publicly funded or that an arrangement will be in place well before June 2007?
Others have responsibilities also. I am not convinced that all the costs should be borne by the taxpayer exclusively. I am sure the Deputy would agree on that point.
My concern is that these delays will continue and we will not meet the June 2007 deadline.
We have a timeframe and an objective and we must tackle this.
Rail Services.
Billy Timmins
Question:9 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Transport the changes which have been made to the rail service to Greystones, County Wicklow since 1 January 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30080/06]
There has been significant investment in infrastructure and services on the DART network and on the Dublin to Rosslare inter-city railway route serving Greystones in recent years. Notably, Greystones has benefited from expansion in the DART fleet, with the number of carriages almost doubling from 80 to 154 since the year 2000. In conjunction with the €176 million DART upgrade project, which delivered longer platforms and station improvements to cater for eight-carriage trains, major peak time capacity benefits have resulted.
Improvements have also been delivered on the Arklow commuter service serving Greystones and now extended to Gorey. The Dublin to Rosslare line track renewal was completed in 2004, with almost 80 miles of track upgraded from old jointed track on timber sleepers to modern continuous welded rail on concrete sleepers, yielding safety and journey time benefits. Combined with the introduction of new commuter railcars in 2003, these investments have resulted in higher capacity and reliability improvements on the route.
I understand from Iarnród Éireann that since December 2005 the number of daily services to and from Greystones has increased from 55 to 58 services. As part of the planning process for next December's timetable, Iarnród Éireann is considering improvements to the morning peak service from Greystones and also providing some additional off-peak services.
Further safety and efficiency benefits to inter-city services serving Greystones will be delivered through a €15.8 million resignalling project which is under way. However, the benefits of all investments to date will culminate and be apparent to passengers with the deployment of some of the 150 inter-city railcars on the route during 2007 and 2008. These will deliver the highest standards of quality, comfort and reliability and will also allow Iarnród Éireann to make further frequency increases on the route.
I thank the Minister for his detailed reply. I tabled this question for two reasons. The evening peak time service from Dublin to Gorey was reduced from six carriages to four. However, I have had correspondence from Iarnród Éireann since I tabled the question that this has been restored to six.
Also, Councillor Mitchell, the local mayor, had written to the new chief executive of Iarnród Éireann, Mr. Fearn, who I wish well in his new appointment, seeking to organise a meeting that would also be attended by Councillors Jones and Killilea and a Mr. Dwyer of a local action group. He sought an enhanced rail service to be provided during December. The Minister mentioned in his reply that this is under consideration and I hope it proceeds.
The population of Greystones is 16,000 and has increased by 33% since 2002. The Minister stated that the frequency of the rail service has increased, which it has, but it has not kept pace with the growth in population. The station in Greystones is also used by people further south in Wicklow, Arklow and down the Wexford coast. I understand that the DART track between Malahide, Howth and Bray uses double track and that south of Bray this is not the case due to technical difficulties involving Bray Head. However, a report, the name of which I cannot recall, recommended double track be laid down south of the tunnel in Bray. This could be done, allowing trains to meet on a small section with an area for one train to pull in, and would greatly enhance the service to Greystones. The costs would be in the region of €1 million. I ask the Minister to consider raising this issue with Iarnród Éireann, because a small amount of money could facilitate the improvement of this service. It is reasonably good and has served the people well, but there will be increased demand for it.
I thank the Deputy for his acknowledgement of the investments made and the increases in services in the area in recent years. However, Iarnród Éireann faces capacity problems in trying to enter Dublin from commuter routes, DART routes and inter-city routes. We are bursting at the seams. The planning involved in the new docklands station in Dublin is an example of how this is being approached. We are trying to create more options for traffic in Dublin so we can further increase capacity. I believe Iarnród Éireann is considering increased peak and off-peak traffic for the Deputy's area during December and I hope it can deliver. I am not familiar with the last point raised by the Deputy but I will raise it with Iarnród Éireann on his behalf.
Question No. 10 answered with QuestionNo. 6.
Dublin Transport Authority.
Ciarán Cuffe
Question:11 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Transport when he expects the new Dublin transport authority to be established; the powers the authority will have over other transport agencies within Córas Iompair Éireann, the Railway Procurement Agency and the National Roads Authority; the implications the establishment of the new authority will have for staff within existing agencies such as the Dublin Transport Office. [29911/06]
Ruairí Quinn
Question:36 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Transport his plans in relation to the establishment of a Dublin transport authority; the transport functions it will have; the planning and development functions it will have; the bodies or authorities it will replace; and the bodies or authorities that will sit on its board. [30048/06]
Richard Bruton
Question:44 Mr. Bruton asked the Minister for Transport when a Dublin transport authority will be established. [29711/06]
Pádraic McCormack
Question:50 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Transport if he will report on the recommendation he received from a person (details supplied) on the putative transport authority which he requested from them in November 2005. [29698/06]
Paul Connaughton
Question:69 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Transport the progress towards the setting up of the transport authority for Dublin. [29701/06]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 36, 44, 50 and 69 together.
As the House will be aware, I established a team, following the launch of Transport 21, to make recommendations on the establishment of a transport authority for the greater Dublin area. The team reported to me earlier this year. Since then, my Department has undertaken significant preparatory work and the matter has been considered by Government. As a result, the drafting of legislation establishing a Dublin transport authority is now at an advanced stage of preparation.
In my earlier reply to one of the Priority Questions, I indicated that the Government has decided that the regulation of the bus market and future decisions on the allocation of public subsidies for bus services in the greater Dublin area will be undertaken by the new Dublin transport authority. I will make an announcement on the other functions of the Dublin transport authority soon.
The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Purcell, issued a report yesterday on integrated ticketing. The cost to the taxpayer of this issue has been around €9 million so far, and it has been almost as many years in the making. We have nothing to show for all this, not even a smart card, except that the cost is rising on a daily basis. The Comptroller and Auditor General did not blame the operators and actors involved, including CIE, Dublin Bus, the Railway Procurement Agency and the private operators. He blamed the Government because there was nobody to co-ordinate the integrated ticketing system. He detected uncertainty in all those involved regarding the scale and nature of their roles in the Dublin transport network. The lack of a Government decision or anyone to co-ordinate critical transport issues in Dublin is creating traffic chaos. We discuss it every year but it has now reached the point where the suburbs of this city are unbearable.
When can we hope to see a transport authority in place? I see it is down for publication this term. If it does not have a statutory basis, will the Minister set up an authority that can co-ordinate the major traffic issues facing this city on an interim basis? This includes the port tunnel, the upgrade of the M50, integrated ticketing, buses and all the elements that need to be examined in this city. Can the Minister give the House a timescale, if not for a legislative procedure, then for an interim body?
The issue of integrated ticketing came to my attention shortly after I joined the Department of Transport. I found trying to deal with it deeply frustrating. It was not possible, for whatever reasons under the structure that was in place, to get the agencies to co-operate with each other. This was apparent, although I am not laying any blame.
There was a reason for this: bad governance.
Bad leadership.
This is a statement of fact. Following on from that I invited an independent group in to advise me on the best way forward and——
Resulting in more delays.
——under the Department of Finance guidelines a peer review was conducted on the project. The review group suggested setting up this establishment board, on which I have already moved, following its report. The board is under the chairmanship of a former Secretary General. It involves the chairman and all of the chief executives——
Is the Minister answering the question on integrated ticketing or the Dublin transportation authority?
One leads into the other. The Deputy spoke for five minutes about integrated ticketing and I am giving her the answers with regard to what is already happening.
I was using integrated ticketing as an example of the need for a co-ordinating body.
In response to the Deputy I have moved ahead and am not waiting for legislation. I have put an establishment board in place already. I will do the same with the Dublin transport authority. Once the legislation on it is published, I will put it in place, at least in shadow form, as I have done with many other bodies, so that it can get on with the work that is clearly required over a range of areas. Much of the work the authority will deal with is already happening. There are very good people already dealing with many of the areas. What we need now is a co-ordinated approach to some of the overlapping issues affecting the different bodies.
With regard to the issue of buses, integrated ticketing and many other areas, the procrastination surrounding the Dublin transport authority has been incredible.
The Deputy is being unfair. I am making all of the enormous decisions.
The authority was first promised in the programme for Government.
I can only speak for my two years as Minister.
A year later it was scrapped. The Minister was in Government at that time.
I know that and I am delivering.
The Minister is delivering promises, not action.
The Minister was serving in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
The Deputy will have nothing left to talk about by the time of the election. That is what is bothering her. It will all be done.
Deputy Cullen was in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and had direct responsibility for the promised Dublin transport and land use authority. The authority was a joint initiative between the Departments of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Transport. When that became too difficult, it was scrapped. Nothing happened for another two years and then, as an afterthought to Transport 21, the Minister came up with this idea.
It has been glaringly obvious for more than a decade, if not as far back as the 1980s——
Why did the Deputy's party not do something about it when it was in Government for three years?
When it was first proposed, the Labour Party took steps to——
It did not. It did nothing. It simply talked about it, as usual.
Its efforts were stymied by a Fianna Fáil led Government. We are now in a position where the Minister announces a major investment programme of €34 billion but there is no body to implement it. I have never heard such nonsense.
As a complete afterthought, the Minister then came up with this idea.
Deputy Shortall is being silly.
Under pressure, the Minister decided that he needed a body to implement the investment programme. He set up a high level group under Professor Margaret O'Mahony, which was fine. We all recognise her expertise in the area. The Minister received the group's report last March. It is now almost October and there has been no movement on it.
In an earlier reply, the Minister said that the second tranche of 100 buses for the Dublin market is to be allocated by the new authority. Bearing in mind that additional buses were needed yesterday and given that we have not even seen the promised legislation, will the Minister give us some idea of the timescale involved with regard to the publication and passage of the legislation and the establishment of the new authority? When will the authority be in a position to deal with the issue of the additional 100 buses? From the point of view of the passengers waiting for a bus on the side of the road this evening, it does not matter who is running the buses. They just want more buses but it seems that under this long-fingered proposal, it is likely to be at least the end of next year before the proposed Dublin transport authority is in a position to deal with the additional buses. Therefore, I ask the Minister to set out the timescale he has in mind.
I fundamentally disagree with some of the assertions made by the Deputy but I will leave that for another day. I am trying to get greater capacity in all modes of public transport and buses are a very important element of that. Following the Government meeting yesterday, we have made €30 million available immediately to Dublin Bus to acquire 100 new buses for next year.
I ask the Minister to tell us the timescale he has in mind rather than repeat what he has already said.
I said earlier, in response to another question, that the legislation based on the report on the Dublin transport authority is well advanced and almost complete. I have talked to the various bodies concerned and will continue to do so to bring it to a conclusion. In the meantime I will move to set up a board for the Dublin transport authority, in shadow form, as I did with the Road Safety Authority and other bodies, to allow it to get on with the process of dealing with some of the issues.
I agree with Deputy Shortall and want to see the opening of the market move very quickly. I want to see a smooth process of getting another 100 buses on to the market in Dublin through the private sector. I will do that over the coming months.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.