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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 9 May 2012

Vol. 764 No. 4

Priority Questions

State Airports

Timmy Dooley

Question:

1Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport when he expects to make a decision on the future of Shannon Airport further to the publication of the Booz Report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23064/12]

Deputy Dooley's question relates to the timeframe for making a decision on the future of Shannon Airport. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that at its meeting yesterday the Government decided in principle that Shannon Airport will be separated from the Dublin Airport Authority and merged with parts of Shannon Development, including its property portfolio, to form a new entity in public ownership.

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and I will revert to Government later this year with detailed proposals. These will include an implementation strategy for the establishment of the new entity and a plan setting out how it will contribute to strong regional development while ensuring the highest standard of enterprise support in the region. This decision is an exciting first step on a new road in aviation development in Ireland and it heralds a new era for the Shannon region.

The Minister, Deputy Bruton, and I will presently establish a steering group tasked with bringing forward detailed proposals on matters that arise from the Government decision. In particular the steering group will make recommendations on the optimum organisational structure of the new entity in regard to best supporting the future development of the Shannon area.  Among other matters, the steering group will assess the feasibility of creating an international aviation centre of excellence at Shannon Airport.  We look forward to working with the key stakeholders to progress the many issues that have to be addressed prior to going back to Government with detailed proposals later this year.

I welcome that the Government has at long last made a decision after procrastinating for the past 14 months. However, the decision puts the cart before the horse. The Minister outlined his plans to set up a steering group to bring forward detailed proposals but I would expect the Government to have a clear understanding of how to proceed with the development of Shannon. Today's statement contains nothing except a cut and paste of existing operations to other entities within the overall State structure. Dublin Airport Authority has been relieved of the burden of the €8 million which the region required.

When will the Government set out a clear strategy for growth in passenger and tourism activity at Shannon Airport? When will it set out proposals that show it is serious about regional development and not solely concerned with protecting the interests of the Dublin Airport Authority? When will it get real about the need to protect investment in the infrastructure that has played a vital role in the region's development and the 7,000 or 8,000 jobs that have been created there? This is a question for the Government as a whole because the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment has taken a wrecking ball to Shannon Development, a State entity that has been responsible for the developing the region, creating jobs and allowing Shannon to pass through its different phases from light engineering to the knowledge economy.

The Government has set out a clear strategy for the region. We intend to recapture the pioneering spirit that existed at the foundation of Shannon Airport and the duty free zone. Shannon will become independent of the DAA and no longer will it have to carry its current debt burden. It will be able to set its own charges and compete properly with other airports. This strategy could work very successfully for the airport, although I understand there are mixed feelings about it in the DAA. Some people accept the decision but others are concerned that its success might threaten the dominance of Dublin. The new entity will combine the land assets around the airport with Shannon Development's skills in product and land development to develop an aviation services hub that creates jobs and investment.

One has to decide in these matters whether to wait until the process is complete before announcing one's strategy or to announce the strategy before putting an implementation group in place. Given the uncertainty that has existed over the past several months, I thought it made sense to go down this route.

Can the Minister confirm that it is his intention to transfer Shannon Airport free of debt to this new entity and that the Government will retain Aer Rianta International as an integral component of the new company?

It is our intention that the new State company will have no net debt. It will either be debt free or it will have a small amount of debt equal to its cash reserves. It may be important for the company to have cash reserves if it needs to make capital investments or absorb losses in its initial years. The reason it will be debt free is to recognise Shannon's contribution to the establishment of Aer Rianta International. The latter will remain part of the DAA group, which will be renamed to reflect its new mandate.

Taxi Regulations

Dessie Ellis

Question:

2Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport the rationale for the reintroduction of the nine year rule on taxis; the evidence used to determine the effectiveness of this policy in terms of improving safety. [23326/12]

Regulation of the taxi industry, including issues pertaining to the nine year vehicle age limit, is a matter for the National Transport Authority under the provisions of the Public Transport Regulation Act 2009.

A public consultation was carried out by the NTA in 2011 on vehicle standards and, in particular, issues pertaining to vehicle age and size. The outcome of the consultation was made available to the taxi regulation review group as part of its deliberations on a wide range of matters of concern to the taxi sector, including the safety of small public service vehicles for the travelling public. The review report sets out the proposals of the review group with regard to vehicle standards.

Action ten of the report proposes that existing vehicles in the fleet prior to 1 January 2009 should be allowed to operate until they are 14 years of age, subject to passing a roadworthiness test and an NTA licence renewal assessment at six monthly intervals for vehicles aged nine years or older. Regulations under section 18 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 will be drafted by my Department in consultation with Road Safety Authority, which has responsibility for NCT testing. This approach will give licence holders time to adjust to the new arrangements and will work out cheaper than replacing the car outright, as was proposed previously. Feedback from consumers indicates that they are concerned about vehicle standards and safety.

It is envisaged that vehicles older than nine years will gradually transition out of the fleet.  In considering these matters, the review group was conscious of the need to ensure an effective balance between the provision of a high quality and safe service to the public and the interests of taxi drivers with a long-term commitment to the industry. It is hoped that the six monthly NCT testing of vehicles aged between nine and 14 years as proposed in the review report will be commenced in tandem with new vehicle standards to be introduced by the NTA in January 2013.

The taxi regulation review has come up with a number of good ideas but I do not agree with some of their recommendations. The main issues that the taxi industry faces at present are oversupply and proper enforcement. The proposals to phase out vehicles that are older than nine years suggests that we operate differently from other countries in Europe and America. Some of the yellow taxis in America are 20 or 30 years old, as are the black cabs in the North and England. These vehicles are subject to a proper testing system. We have a system that includes the NCT and other tests.

These new proposals will create an additional burden for taxi drivers, many of whom are getting on in age. They will be forced to change their vehicles. Once their vehicles are nine years old they will have to be tested every six months. These tests will impose further costs on an industry that is struggling. The various charges that apply to the taxi drivers are pushing people out of the industry. I agree that we should push out the rogues who are messing up the industry by abusing the system. Nobody disputes the importance of health and safety.

I am delighted the Deputy supports the majority of the recommendations of the review group. The extension of the nine-year rule to 14 years in certain circumstances recognises the difficult situation in which many taxi-drivers find themselves. No Minister responsible for this area has met taxi driver representatives as often as I have met them in this report phase. Along with that we need to take into account the requirements of consumer groups. Consumers want to be in cars they recognise as being safe. It is essential that we have conditions that show that these cars are safe. We do not want any issues regarding the safety standards of these cars affecting public confidence in the use of taxis. Taxi-drivers will confirm that. That is why cars older than nine years and up to 14 years are tested at six-month intervals. The majority of the taxi groups were very supportive of the changes recommended by the committee I chaired.

I brought this matter to Dublin City Council a few years ago when I was a councillor and all Labour councillors supported not having a nine-year rule. Action 10, which the Minister of State mentioned, clearly outlines why this is being done. It states that the system was based on vehicle inspection and mileage, and that it was too expensive to develop and operate. We have been operating this system for many years and have not had the complaints or the reason to change the system.

Does the Minister of State intend giving the RSA responsibility for all taxi vehicle testing? Is that part of the future plan? The RSA seems to be taking over everything for which the local authorities previously had responsibility.

On the latter question, no firm decisions have been made in that area but it is being investigated. The Deputy seems to imply that the taxi drivers did not speak about the requirement to change the nine-year rule previously. The drivers we met understood that consumers needed to have confidence in their vehicles. The consumer groups' representatives on the committee stated clearly that they expected a very modern fleet. Bearing this in mind and given the financial difficulties in which the drivers find themselves, this was the compromise reached. It is a compromise that was welcomed by the consumer groups and the taxi industry. It recognises those drivers who have cars and have been in the industry for many years - preceding 2009 - and generally many of them are full-time drivers. They are allowed to hold on to their cars for 14 years. This is a very effective and good compromise. It instils confidence in consumers, who know that they need to pass the standards test and an NCT every six months, which is appropriate.

Public Transport

Joan Collins

Question:

3Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport his views on whether the National Transport Authority licensing regime and the issuing of licences that introduce head to head running of services on inter-urban routes will have a negative impact on Bus Éireann’s commercial revenue and its attendant ability to fund loss making services. [23346/12]

The Deputy's question relates to commercial bus service licensing by the National Transport Authority and the impact on Bus Éireann services. I have no function in this matter. The responsibility for the licensing of public bus passenger services was transferred under Statutory Instrument No. 566 of 2010 from my Department to the National Transport Authority with effect from 1 December 2010.

The NTA published, in November 2010, new guidelines for the licensing of public bus services which set out the basis for a reformed licensing system for commercial bus passenger services in the State. The guidelines identify commercial bus passenger services as a key part of public transport services in the State. These guidelines are available on the NTA's website and include details of the objectives and factors taken into account in considering an application for a licence.

Bus Éireann's Expressway services are subject to this licensing regime. It is important that the company responds to the challenge of increased competition and the drop in demand for public transport services by continuing to enhance the passenger experience including through service improvements, such as the introduction of new and modern Wi-Fi enabled vehicle and improved customer information.

I am raising the issue owing to the concerns of Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann workers who are members of the NBRU who see an increasing privatisation of public transport. The concern is the issuing of licences by the National Transport Authority to the private operators to compete with Bus Éireann on intercity routes, including Dublin to Cork etc., and the commercially viable routes upon which Bus Éireann depends to help subsidise loss-making routes.

The Government's action plan for jobs proposed to examine opening public service obligation routes after 2014. Does the Minister agree this contravenes section 10 of the Public Transportation Regulation Act 2009, which states that consideration be given to the impact proposed new services would have on existing PSO services?

I will first answer about Expressway. As the Deputy is aware Expressway covers interurban services. It is already deregulated and is fully competitive. Bus Éireann has made profits out of its Expressway services in the past. While Expressway is not currently profitable, it could become profitable again. The NTA adjudicates on whether licences are given on those routes. Bus Éireann has expressed concern to me and to the Minister of State regarding the number of licences granted on some of those routes. At the same time the NTA is the regulator making that decision on Expressway and decides the number of routes that are viable. There are differing views among Bus Éireann, the private operators and consumers as to what the appropriate number of services should be.

The Minister should take into consideration the impact of this on the revenue, jobs and service of Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann. It would lead to increased fares, increased subvention, less service and fewer jobs. That needs to be taken into consideration before any further licensing that is granted.

I agree that needs to be taken into consideration. CIE and the CIE companies are State-owned companies. We always take in mind that we want State-owned companies to be successful. It is also important to bear in mind that some of the new intercity private bus services are very popular. Passengers like the quality of service to be very good and find them relatively inexpensive. Of course jobs are created by those services, which means the net number or people employed may be much the same.

On the Deputy's other question, while I do not know that particular section of the Act, the PSO licences for Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann expire at the end of 2014. In line with the action plan for jobs and the programme for Government, the NTA, in conjunction with the Government, is exploring options for offering out those contracts or parts of those contracts to tender, but no decisions have been made in that regard.

Parking Regulations

Timmy Dooley

Question:

4Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport if he will refuse any application to raise clamping charges in view of the increased pressures already felt by motorists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23142/12]

The Deputy asked if I will refuse any application to raise clamping charges in view of the increased pressures already felt by motorists. The programme for Government contains a commitment to legislate to regulate the vehicle clamping industry. In this regard, I presented a discussion document to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Environment, Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht in December 2011 in which I outlined the principal issues to be addressed in regulating the industry and my proposals on the shape of appropriate legislation, and I invited their views. This was the first time a committee was asked to participate in the drafting of legislation at the pre-heads of Bill or principles stage.

The committee, of which the Deputy is a member, responded to me on 28 March in a comprehensive report which contained a number of recommendations, many of which will be reflected in the resulting legislation. In its report, the committee made specific recommendations on the level of de-clamping fees, to which I will give careful consideration when framing the legislation. It is my intention to bring my proposals for legislation on vehicle clamping to Government in the coming weeks.

The current maximum de-clamping fee that may be charged by public authorities for parking offences on public land was set by statute in 1998 at £65 which, with the introduction of the euro, converted to €80. I have received no formal application to have that fee increased and I have no proposals to do so.

I welcome the clarification. Motorists in this city had expressed some concern over a Dublin City Council report, which seemed to suggest it was interested in increasing the charge to €130.

It was also expected that a request to the Minister might come in advance of him having had an opportunity to have the final legislation drafted. I welcome the fact that it is not the Minister's intention to address clamping or any changes to it in advance of the legislation. Will the Minister confirm that is his intention and will he confirm that in the event of any application from Dublin City Council or any other local authority, he will refuse those applications pending the outcome of the publication and enactment of the legislation?

I can confirm that. I have not received any application from Dublin City Council or any other council. I can increase the cap by order, but I am not going to do so if asked. I want to build on the recommendations made by the joint committee and bring legislation to the House. The recommendation made by the joint committee was that the release fees should be reasonable and that clamping should not be used as a profit generating exercise. The committee recommended the prescribing of a band of release fees, ranging from a minimum to a maximum amount and that it should be a reserved function of local authorities to set the release fees most appropriate to their administrative are. That is probably a good proposal and the appropriate time to put that proposal into law is when we have the new legislation. In the meantime, I will not be granting any requests to increase clamping fees.

Rural Transport Services

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

Question:

5Deputy Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport if the National Integrated Rural Transport Committee will be prioritising the integration of the stakeholders and their transport needs to provide integrated transport services on the ground; the progress to date on this initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23397/12]

This question relates to proposals for integrated rural transport. Following a Government decision  last January I allocated responsibility for the rural transport programme, RTP, and for the integration agenda to the National Transport Authority, NTA. I also announced the establishment  of the national integrated rural transport committee, NIRTC, chaired by the NTA to oversee a more focused and coherent approach to the integration of local and rural transport. The committee is drawn from organisations representing key stakeholders including rural transport groups, Bus Éireann, the HSE, Pobal, local authorities and policy makers from relevant Departments.

At its meeting last Friday, the committee established sub-groups to examine four key areas including health related transport services; schools transport service integration; logistics such as trip-booking systems, ticketing and information; and appropriate structures to support integration, including the key role of local authorities. These groups will involve other stakeholders in their work and will seek input from appropriate sources.

The NTA, in conjunction with the committee, will manage a partnership approach to implementing integrated local and rural transport in order to achieve greater synergies, meet identified transport needs and deliver value for money for the Exchequer. A key to progressing this agenda is the decision to develop proposals for a number of model areas. These model areas  will, with an evidence based approach, test how integrated local and rural transport services can best operate and how savings can be achieved across the various transport services. The outcome of the model  areas will inform the wider national roll out of integrated rural transport services on an incremental basis. The NTA, in  conjunction with the committee, will select the models and submit them to me for approval. I expect to announce these in the near future.

This new approach, which is endorsed by the Government, is the first time that a national focus and coherence has been brought to the delivery on an integrated rural transport service. This reflects the importance that the Government attaches to the contribution that a carefully designed and efficient rural transport service based on local needs will make to overcoming social exclusion in rural areas.

That is good news. It will be even better news if the talk turns into action. The Minister of State lives in rural Ireland and as he knows, a proper integrated rural transport system would be a huge boon to rural areas. It would help people with disabilities in particular to live more independently. When I was canvassing for the 2009 local elections I was struck by the frequency with which the issue of rural transport arose, particularly when I visited a house where there was an English person or someone from outside the country, although this was an issue that had not arisen much in the previous five years. It struck me then that as someone living in rural Ireland, I was not ambitious enough for the service we had. These people seemed to think the provision of rural transport services should be the norm.

It is clear there are significant resources. We have school buses that are idle when school is closed and when pupils are not being brought to and from school and we have services paid for by the HSE that are duplicated and unco-ordinated. For example, we might have two people travelling on a bus on a 20-mile journey and two other people on a similar bus going to the same place at the same time, all paid for by the HSE. I am pleased to hear a committee has been set up to consider an integrated approach, but we need action. That would bring about a good situation.

I thank the Deputy for his comments. As the Deputy knows, mine is a very rural constituency and this issue is something about which I am very passionate. I thank him for his support for the initiative. Much of this is common sense. The issue should not be about rural transport, but about transport in rural areas, which should not be a different issue than for other areas. People who live in rural areas deserve transport as much as people in urban areas. However, there are huge challenges. We need to face reality. We cannot continue with a situation where the level of spend on taxis on non-acute HSE services increases every year when that money could be utilised better in an integrated approach to transport. Nor can we continue with the situation relating to school transport, where we have buses left parked on the side of the road for a number of hours a day and left idle over the summer months.

However, there are larger issues. Local authorities need to be involved in this because of the issues relating to co-ordination. We also need to be aware of what other issues outside of transport we need to deal with when we try to integrate the services so as to ensure that transport services can be delivered. For example, we need to look at the issue of the scheduling of medical appointments in hospitals in order to develop a coherent transport policy that will allow us ensure people can travel on the one bus. All these issues are being examined. The group is considering the model areas and I hope to be able to announce them in the near future. These will look at the issues raised by the Deputy and myself here.

This is a very good idea but we need action. We have had plenty of good ideas that have never been followed through. It seems to take years to develop programmes and the sooner this is done the better for me, the Minister of State and all those living in rural areas.

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