Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 30 Nov 2023

Vol. 1046 No. 6

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions

Road Projects

Brendan Griffin

Question:

5. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Transport if he will seek to have the N22 Macroom to Ballincollig project added to the national development plan, and if he will seek to have the project progressed at the earliest possible date; if he recognises the need for this project to enhance the south-west economic corridor from Tralee to Cork; if he is aware of the loss of life and serious injury on this section of road in recent years; if he will provide an update on these statistics; if he will update on the projected loss of life and serious injury in the event of this project not going ahead (as communicated to the Minister previously by TII); if he believes this is an acceptable level of injury and loss of life; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52859/23]

Deputy Brendan Griffin

The question concerns the N22, in particular the section of road between Macroom and Ballincollig on the Cork city side of the newly developed Macroom to Baile Bhuirne bypass. Will the Minister update the House on the progress on this project and whether it will be included in the review of the NDP? It is a vital part of the jigsaw in regard to the Cork to Tralee economic corridor and it is badly needed for the south-west region.

Minister for Transport (Deputy Eamon Ryan)

I thank the Deputy for his question as it raises several important points, including the issue of road safety. I think the Deputy will acknowledge that the focus of the Government needs to be on delivering the national development plan as announced in 2021 and in line with the prioritisation outlined in the approved NDP. In that regard, I have no doubt he will welcome the recent opening of the N22 Macroom to Baile Bhuirne scheme, which provides improved connectivity along the Cork-Kerry economic corridor. This hugely significant project demonstrates the Government’s commitment to delivering the NDP and is one of three national roads projects to be completed this year. These projects are being funded through the €5.1 billion allocated under the NDP for new roads projects out to 2030, with almost €3 billion allocated for the protection and renewal of the existing national roads network over the same period.

The N22 Macroom to Ballincollig improvement scheme has not been identified as a project for progression under the new NDP to 2030. The scheme was suspended in the late 2000s due to funding constraints and it remains suspended. Given the competing demands on funding, it is unlikely that TII will be in a position to progress this project in the near future. However, I understand TII has had discussions with Cork County Council regarding safety concerns in relation to certain junctions on the Macroom to Ballincollig section of the N22, and TII will consider any formal proposals for interventions submitted by Cork County Council.

A safety enhancement scheme is being advanced at Castlemore, at the junction between the N22 and R585, and TII expects that Cork County Council will submit a report on this junction in the near future. I assure the Deputy that such safety interventions are an essential part of TII’s protection and renewal programme for national roads.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

I believe this project has to be in the NDP because it is that important from a regional point of view. It is not even in my own constituency but it is very important for the south-west region and for the economic corridor between Cork city and Tralee. I know it is not a road the Minister would travel often but a hell of a lot of my constituents travel that road every day to work in Cork city. Cork is the main economic centre of the southern economy and many of us depend on Cork for employment, income, healthcare, education and many other things.

The traffic count on that road is enormous. My colleague, Deputy Creed, is also present and will speak on the matter. It is unbelievable that this project is not in the national development plan. While I welcome the improvement measures at some of those very dangerous junctions as it is a very fast section of road, those are short-term measures and what we need is a new road in this area. What has highlighted that need more than anything is the fantastic new section from Baile Bhuirne to Macroom but the next section needs to be completed. It would be a massive investment for many future generations.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I know the road like the back of my hand. I have been on it over the years, time in, time out. I absolutely understand the desire to see it upgraded and improved but we have to be upfront and honest with people. The prospects of getting funding for a completely new road are very slim and it is not in the existing NDP, unless that has changed. That does not mean we should not look at the safety issue, which is a real issue. I am aware it is a road that tends to see quite high speeds and it has quite a wide carriageway, with many entrances, side roads and properties exiting directly onto the road. We cannot ignore that issue. I had meeting with the TII board recently and because I know it so well, I used it as an example. I asked if we could look at a variety of different measures at particular junctions, put in speed cameras on the route, in particular average speed cameras, and look at other technical measures to help to improve safety.

It is a heavily trafficked road. There are huge volumes of traffic and many people commute from Macroom and other places onwards into Cork. I know exactly what is happening on the road but to offer the prospect of a completely new road would not be doing a service to those people because I do not see it coming in the next five to ten years.

Deputy Michael Creed

Like previous speakers, I am very familiar with this stretch of road. It is 24 km long but a lot of it is not as wide as the Minister suggests and there is no hard shoulder on about a third of it. There are 25 significant right-turning junctions on a route that has more traffic on it than sections of the M8 between junctions 3 and 4. I heard the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, make the point earlier that we are an island economy but we are also a regional economy. This is a critical interconnector between the Tralee to Cork hub and it is critical that we invest in it.

Twenty years ago, we identified a route corridor but it has stood in splendid isolation. That was the level of planning we had embarked on in the early part of this century but there has been no progress. We had the economic crash but, fortuitously, we are now in a position where we have funds. The traffic counts on the road are such that it has a greater claim on funding than many roads that are currently under construction. In the context of the mid-term review of the NDP, it is critical that we get back to planning, reactivate the route, provide funding to TII to do design work and try to make progress. We are not asking for construction today or tomorrow, but a sticking plaster is being proposed by TII.

This will not save lives. It will cost lives.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

I concur with what Deputy Creed said. The vision must be there. I am always reluctant to raise road projects, particularly new ones, with the Minister in the Chamber because it has been a recipe for abject disappointment over the past number of years. I know that we are quite different ideologically with regard to our views on these issues but the reality is that as Deputy Creed pointed out, this project will be needed for future generations. This is something that is critical to the regional economy. Public transport services will use this road. It is not all for individual cars. It will incentivise people to take buses between Tralee and Cork and between Killarney and Cork.

At the moment, this section of road is highly dangerous. We cannot continue to see the levels of fatalities that are happening on that road. The Minister got the figures from TII. Could he give the House those figures? How many people are projected to die on that section of road if it is not upgraded? What does the Minister think is an acceptable number of deaths before intervention and before putting this on the national development plan?

Deputy Eamon Ryan

No death is acceptable-----

Deputy Brendan Griffin

Thank you but how many have-----

Deputy Eamon Ryan

Every Deputy would agree with that contention. The Deputy says he is always disappointed when it comes to road projects. He should recall that we have just opened the Macroom bypass, which is not a small project-----

Deputy Brendan Griffin

That started before the Minister came into office.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I am sure the Deputy is aware-----

Deputy Brendan Griffin

We were there for the signing of the tenders. I was the Minister of State at the time.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I am sure the Deputy will be there during the second quarter of next year when we open the Listowel bypass.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

I will.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I am sure he welcomed and celebrated last week when we announced that we would be building the Adare bypass ahead of when it was originally planned and possible so it is not as if nothing is happening. I would love to address every single one of those concerns, particularly in respect of this road because it is very well known to me but I have to be honest and up-front. Even if there is a review of the NDP, what it will show is that we have €100 billion worth of projects in development, all of which are good projects. How do you magic up the extra €65 billion we would need to pay for all those and then have further money to go to projects that are not in the existing NDP list? That is the reality the Deputy must contend with.

Park-and-Ride Facilities

Catherine Connolly

Question:

6. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Transport further to Parliamentary Question No. 35 of 5 October 2023, the status of the roll out of park-and-ride in Galway city; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52832/23]

Deputy Catherine Connolly

Tagraím do chóras páirceáil agus taistil i nGaillimh. Tá mé ag iarraidh soiléiriú a fháil ó thaobh aon dul chun cinn atá déanta, ag cur san áireamh gur chuir na comhairleoirí, mé féin san áireamh, é isteach mar chuspóir beagnach 20 bliain ó shin. I am looking for an update on the status of the roll-out of park and ride in Galway - east and west - bearing in mind that almost 20 years ago, the councillors did their job and put it in as one of the specific objectives in the development plan.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The NTA is leading the development and roll-out of strategic park-and-ride sites nationwide through the park-and-ride development office.

The NTA established the park-and-ride development office in February 2020, which had been included as an action in the climate action plan 2019. The function of the park-and-ride development office is to enable the delivery of park-and-ride sites by the NTA in collaboration with local authorities and transport operators such as larnród Éireann across the country. Through the park-and-ride development office, full-time specialist resources are now employed on such projects.

The park-and-ride development office has developed a park-and-ride strategy for Galway. That park-and-ride strategy envisages the development of up to five bus-based strategic park-and-ride sites, three for initial development and two for future development, and the expansion of rail-based park and ride at Oranmore station.

Work by the park-and-ride development office is ongoing in relation to proposed bus-based park-and-ride sites on the N6 at the junction 19 Oranmore exit and the N83 just north of Claregalway. Planning for enhanced rail infrastructure to facilitate the expansion of rail-based park and ride at Oranmore station is separately being undertaken by Iarnród Éireann in conjunction with the NTA. Work on the remaining proposed sites will commence at a future date as they are highly dependent upon the delivery of bus priority along the relevant connecting corridors. Overall I welcome these developments and look forward to the projects progressing as the provision of park and ride at strategic locations can help to reduce the distances travelled by car with a corresponding reduction in carbon emissions and congestion and improved road safety.

Deputy Catherine Connolly

I thank the Minister for the clarification regarding the N6 junction 19 proposals, the N83 and the improvements for Oranmore and the railway station. I will return to where I started. Almost 20 years ago, we put a proposal that park and ride be rolled out on the east and west into the city development plan. Twenty years later, we are being told that there is work on the east side. There is absolutely nothing on the west side - the Connemara side - that is being put into the future long-term plans. I know the Minister shares my frustration on this. It is one of the key solutions for Galway. There are others such as the roll-out of a light rail system and the lifting of school transport. I noticed from Deputy Grealish and Deputy Canney in east Galway that there is a certain nuanced difference in asking for the outer bypass to be clarified one way or another to get the decision out of the way so we can focus on sustainable solutions. This is what has happened. No solutions have been implemented in my time because of putting all the eggs in one basket.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I agree with the Deputy. We do need to clarify that and to start focusing on the sustainable transport solutions for Galway. I take the Deputy's point about the west side. One of the five sites being considered is on the Barna corridor on the R336 close to the Cappagh Road and western distributory road junction. The other two are further advanced and include the one at the Oranmore junction - junction 19 - and the one just north of Claregalway. They are quite large. The one at junction 19 has 550 spaces, the one north of Claregalway has some 320 spaces while the proposed Barna one is slightly smaller with 190. I take the Deputy's point about access from the west.

The two sites are very much active in terms of site options being looked at. Regardless of whether you use CPO or other mechanisms, the office will have to decide that but they are quite far advanced. I can understand the Deputy's frustration having waited for 20 years but my understanding is that they are very close to getting decisions on some of those land options. It still has to go to planning and that takes a year or two so construction will likely start in at the end of 2025 or early 2026. With our planning system being as slow as it is, that is a reality but they are at a point where it is close to the application being ready to go into the planning process.

Deputy Catherine Connolly

I am reluctant to blame a planning system that successive Governments have run down completely. We were in Mayo last week where planning vacancies were pointed out so I am not going down that route. I place the responsibility firmly on the Government.

I cannot describe the frustration. The traffic in Galway has been like this for years. In my opinion, it has been allowed to be left like that because of policy decisions. I know the Minister agrees with me on this. Policy decisions have ensure that no serious action was taken regarding traffic congestion in Galway. It involves the creative extension of school transport, at the very least a feasibility study of light rail and the urgent roll-out of park and ride. It is unacceptable that the Barna site has now gone into a long-term plan. This should all have been done when we identified it almost 20 years ago and said it was urgent that we rolled out different solutions to the traffic congestion in Galway. I ask for the Minister's support on this so that we do something really creative, urgent and serious about traffic congestion in Galway.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I mentioned the planning issues not as an excuse for Government delay but to give the reality for the Deputy's constituents. While some of these sites are pretty much ready to go, the reality as you know is that it will take a period to go through the planning system. I have a certain frustration as Minister for Transport about critical projects such as the cross-city bus service in Galway, which went into planning over a year ago. Our planning process needs to be quicker. I am supportive of what the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage is doing in updating and modernising the planning legislation. We need to do this to ensure we get quicker decisions and solutions to those problems. We are committed to Galway.

As soon as we get those sort of projects through the planning system, they will be given top priority. The Deputy's point is a valid one. Galway has the worst transport problem with significant difficulties of congestion. We need to start providing the solutions. Park and ride is one. BusConnects and, indeed, on the basis of the success of that, the upgrading to Luas for Galway is the right way forward.

Road Projects

Brendan Griffin

Question:

7. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Transport if he will commit to progressing the N22 Farranfore to Lissivigeen and Killarney bypass project at the earliest possible date; if he recognises the need for this project to enhance the south-west economic corridor from Tralee to Cork; if he is aware of the loss of life and serious injury on this section of road in recent years; if he will provide an update on these statistics; if he will provide an update on the projected loss of life and serious injury in the event of this project not going ahead, as communicated to the Minister previously by TII; if he believes this is an acceptable level of injury and loss of life; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52858/23]

Deputy Brendan Griffin

This question relates to the roads project from the Tralee side of Farranfore to the Cork side of Killarney. It is an important part of that Tralee-Cork corridor that we spoke about earlier. It is a highly dangerous section of road at present. It has high fatality figures as well. The Minister might update the House on recent statistics and projections by TII on what will happen if there is not an intervention. The congestion around Killarney, as discussed previously, is only part of this problem. That bigger connectivity issue is the main issue here.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I spent my working life going from Cork to Kerry and around Killarney before coming into this House. I have a particular interest in and understanding of it. I thank the Deputy for his question as it raises a number of important points, including the issue of road safety. Since 2020 this Government has invested approximately €237 million in the road network in Kerry to ensure the protection and renewal of the existing network across the county and to deliver major new projects, such as the Listowel bypass which I mentioned earlier. This investment is supported through the national development plan which has earmarked €5.1 billion for capital spending on new national roads projects from 2021 to 2030 as part of the NDP, with a further €2.9 billion allocated for the protection and renewal of the existing national roads network over the same period.

The proposed N22 Farranfore to Killarney project involves approximately 27 km of road improvements on the N22 between the two towns. The project would link to the N71 and provides for a bypass of Farranfore village, a realigned N22 including a link into Killarney town and an outer bypass of Killarney town. Public consultations on route options were held between May and June 2021 and work is ongoing on the development of the preferred route, with this phase expected to be completed early next year. TII provided a grant allocation of €100,000 to the project in 2023 in this regard. The delivery programme for the project will be kept under review for 2024. The scheme remains part of the NDP and will be considered in terms of the overall funding envelope available to TII in future years. In this year alone, just over €70 million in Exchequer funding has been provided to support the road network in Kerry and I look forward to working with the roads authority in delivering a safe and sustainable network in the years ahead.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

I thank the Minister. This is a important project for my county and for the region. I hope that the Minister will find it in his heart in the coming weeks, when the TII allocations for 2024 are being granted, to provide adequate funding to progress this project. We are looking forward to seeing the preferred corridor, hopefully in the first quarter of 2024, but progress needs to continue after that.

I asked the Minister earlier - he might update the House on this - about the projected fatality figures that TII has given him. I know TII has given the Minister figures. The Minister might inform the House what those figures are because it is not acceptable that we would ignore a warning from TII and allow people to die on that section of road while it awaits upgrading. It is a highly dangerous section of road, and massively trafficked. It is the main artery into Killarney from the rest of the country, other than the Cork road. It is an important tourism route as well as a commuter route. We cannot stand by and allow this project to take years to come to fruition. It needs to be done as soon as possible. If the will is there, it will happen. Deputy Eamon Ryan is the Minister for Transport and we need him to make sure this project happens.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I reiterate that public safety is the number one priority. When I was bringing people into and around Kerry, they were vulnerable road users. Road safety has to come first. I will go back to the earlier discussion, if I can. We have over €100 billion of projects and we have a €35 billion budget. I will put it to the Deputy this way: it is not that one project is always compared against another but that there is a number of different projects in the NDP for progression and there will have to be certain prioritisation. The Abbeyfeale and Newcastle West bypasses, which are at a similar stage in terms of route selection and in terms of real critical investment decisions we need to make, are critically important for the towns themselves and for road safety but they are also critical because everyone gets stuck in traffic, as the Deputy and his constituents will be aware. The Adare bypass will be a huge game-changer in terms of the massive traffic jams one might encounter when one is going to Tralee or Killarney from Dublin, Galway or further points to the west and north west. If we did Abbeyfeale and Newcastle West, it would be transformative on that route. We cannot develop all of the projects at the same time. We must have a certain sequencing and a certain prioritisation. As I have stated on a number of occasions in this House, with regard to a number of different counties and areas, town bypasses that ease gridlock, shorten journey times and improve safety are important as well.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

They are all important projects. It is all relative in terms of where one is and what one is doing.

In terms of the reality of the situation here, I have asked the Minister on a number of occasions this morning for the projected road fatalities and he has avoided the question. With all due respect, we have to be real about things here. The Minister has been given those figures. I know he has. Why can the Minister not address that in the House? What is the issue? Why can the Minister not face up to the fact that TII has given him these figures? This is the reality: because of the Minister's ideological position, the reality is that these people will die on the roads. It is something we should have a mature debate on in his House but the Minister cannot seem to even answer the question when I ask him.

I ask the Minister how many road openings has he been at. He has listed projects that are going ahead, but many of them started before he came into office. The Minister has an ideological disposition and that is the reality here. Am I just beating my head here against the benches when I ask the Minister about roads projects because it is quite clear he does not have the will? When I asked the Minister about the Tralee-Killarney road, I did not get any detail. I did not get any impression from the Minister that this is something he wants to see happening. It is an ideological position, but the Minister has to be aware that there is a cost to that ideological position and that cost is human life. As Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan has to stand over that.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

When I went to the TII board, I explained to them that my emphasis on road safety comes from very personal experience. Like a lot of people in this House, I went into politics to try to protect people on our roads having seen the tragic consequences of people being killed after being knocked down in front of me. My first priority is to save people on our roads and improve road safety through the use of speed cameras, through the use of better design and through the better design of roads. The Deputy can call that ideological, but it is a human response to the tragedy that road deaths bring. That is what motivates me to get up in the morning to come in here to do every day what I am doing.

I do not have the exact figure for that thing. It was not given within my supplementary figures.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

The Minister should have.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

Maybe I should. I will provide it for the Deputy.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

It was in the written question.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

It was in the written question but I do not have it here in front of me.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

That is not good enough. We are talking about people's lives here. We are talking about roads projects and the cost involved. The Minister does not have those figures and I put it in the written question on both questions.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

That was not provided in the response. I will provide that directly to the Deputy, but will the Deputy accept, on this ideology that he refers to, that we all have the shared concern about road safety?

Deputy Brendan Griffin

The Minister has to acknowledge there is a cost.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

Would the Deputy accept that?

Deputy Brendan Griffin

There is a cost, though, with that ideology.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

But would the Deputy accept my bona fides in that regard?

Deputy Brendan Griffin

I absolutely accept the Minister's bona fides but he has to acknowledge the cost.

Driver Test

Emer Higgins

Question:

8. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Transport if his Department has considered instructing driving tests to be completed on weekends as well as weekdays to reduce significant waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52814/23]

Pauline Tully

Question:

18. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Transport the actions he has taken to speed up driver testing in counties Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52805/23]

Deputy Brendan Griffin

The Minister will be delighted to know that I am substituting for Deputy Higgins on this question, which relates to the waiting times for driving tests. In 2020, Covid created a massive problem in this area and massive backlogs, but we have not seen the type of progress that we would have liked to have seen in clearing those backlogs. The regular issues that I have to deal with in my office are from constituents who badly need to have full licences for work, for education and for other reasons. We do not have the public transport links, particularly in rural constituencies, that we need to have. People need to be able to drive. They need to have their full licences. They need those backlogs cleared.

Deputy Jack Chambers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 18 together.

I thank Deputies Griffin and Tully who have raised this important issue.

The Deputy will be aware that the Road Safety Authority, RSA, has statutory responsibility for the operational aspects of the national driver testing service, including in the context of test applications and scheduling matters. I assure the Deputy, however, that my Department is working closely with the authority to address driver testing waiting times, which is an issue of great concern. The length of waiting time for many, particularly young people, has been unacceptable. The current national average waiting time for an invitation to test is 25 weeks, far above the service level agreement of ten weeks. The service has been under significant pressure to meet unprecedented demand, which has increased by 28% compared with 2021 figures. Contributing factors to this rise in demand include an increase in the number of learner permits in circulation, increased capacity in the context of the driver theory test and an increase in the capacity of approved driving instructors to deliver lessons to learner drivers.

Anticipating ongoing demand pressures, the authority reviewed the capacity of the service and, following a request for additional resources, my Department gave approval for the recruitment of up to 75 additional driver testers in March of this year. This brings the total number of sanctioned driver tester posts to 205, which is more than double the 100 sanctioned posts in June 2022. The first new recruits were deployed in September. It is expected that before the end of the year, there will be a net increase of 42 driver testers. These new recruits are being allocated across the driver testing service, with a focus on geographical areas with the longest waiting times and highest demand for tests. There is also a requirement for flexible deployment that balances demand for tests with local supply of testers. In the Dublin area alone, there will be an increase in the number of testers of 14 bringing the total number of testers in the county to 52. Cavan has been allocated an additional driver tester. I am also advised by the RSA that it will be examining the other regions in the context of that flexible deployment.

Overall, the authority is providing an average of 4,000 tests per week nationwide, up 25% on this time last year. Driving tests are offered on Saturdays. However, testing on a Sunday is not offered as the authority needs to be mindful of working hours rules for driver testers. Therefore, Sunday overtime would not add any additional capacity to the driver testing service.

As the new driver testers have been deployed, average wait times have been declining since September. This reduction will accelerate as all of the new recruits enter active service. The RSA estimates that the agreed service level of average wait times of ten weeks will be restored in the middle of 2024.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the fact that this issue is now on his radar and that measures are being taken to address the problem. I remember working as Jimmy Deenihan's parliamentary assistant back in the early 2000s. At that stage, trying to get driving tests for people who needed their licences for the purposes of work was a real problem. It improved for a while, but it has greatly regressed in recent years.

I acknowledge the efforts which have been made. Deputy Higgins's question related to the possible use of weekend testing to clear the backlog. If the Minister of State is confident that the measures which have been taken will address this issue, however, that is well and good. I look forward, hopefully, to acknowledging that in the Chamber in the months to come. I ask the Minister of State to keep a very close eye on this matter because it affects people in a significant way in the context of their everyday ability to take up employment and to be able to get from A to B. Obviously, there is also a significant road safety element involved. The efforts being made are encouraging. I hope that they will be effective. If they are not working, I ask that the Minister of State intervene to ensure that they do work?

Deputy Pauline Tully

I am approached on a regular basis, especially by young people who cannot get affordable accommodation near their place of study. There are no reliable public transport systems in place in many areas. These young people rely on driving and are looking for tests. Previously, the average waiting time was 30 weeks. It has come down in Cavan. It is down to probably 18 or 19 weeks now, which is very welcome. This is because there is an extra tester in place. However, we need Monaghan and other areas to be looked at. The question that arises is whether this is a permanent appointment in Cavan. Is it just to clear the backlog, which happened previously when there were backlogs to be cleared. After the backlogs were cleared, the number of testers was reduced. Recently, the number has increased again. We know that there has been a 28% increase in the number of people seeking tests.

Are there sufficient testers to cover unexpected absences, such as holiday leave, jury duty and all of that sort of thing? There are often cancellations at last-minute, within 24 hours, and there is no really fast way of looking for reimbursement. I know people who turned up for tests not knowing that they had been cancelled at very short notice. Also, driving instructors who give their cars to the young people involved to take the test are not being compensated for loss of earnings on the relevant day.

Deputy Jack Chambers

I thank both Deputies. As Deputy Griffin said, we will be monitoring this very closely in order that we do not yo-yo back into a situation that is just unacceptable.

On Deputy Tully's point, when I entered the Department earlier in January, part of the challenge was that it was clear there was a total mismatch between demand and the capacity of the system. Increasing the number of testers from 100 to more than 200 provides a degree of resilience and the capacity to deal with the other consequences that might arise, as Deputy Tully correctly said, whether that be due to illness or unexpected absences.

It is about having flexible deployment of testers in different regions; it is not about allowing the waiting time for any area or region to go back up to where it was. We want to ensure that we have a wait time of ten weeks, which is the service level agreement, which is being requested of the RSA in the context of its operational responsibilities. We want to ensure that that is met in the middle of 2024 and maintained in order that there will be certainty for people who hold learner permits, and for those who know the demographic of our population. There are many people, apparently teenagers, from whom there will be ongoing demand for driving tests in the years to come. It is important that we maintain and have that capacity to intervene as required. We must have a public service that has the capacity to address wait times in order that they are not more than ten weeks. That is our target. It is about building a resilient service which can meet that demand.

There are also the wider road safety considerations and concerns, particularly among many of the victims' groups, on the issue of learner permits. We have to ensure that we bring as many people to the point of getting a test, getting the lessons, and ensuring that they are brought through the system in a way that also promotes road safety. I thank both Deputies for raising this issue.

Deputy Pauline Tully

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I know that testing is actually scheduled now for 27 and 28 December in Cavan. This has been brought to my attention. It has not happened before. The testers were not made aware of this and some of them had plans made for the Christmas period. They are just asking if communication from the RSA to the testers could be improved. It makes sense to have testing when young people are out of college and not at work and it might be possible to deal with quite a number of people who are waiting. That is a good idea, but it is just that the communication was very late.

Deputy Jack Chambers

As I said, the RSA manages the contractual position between itself and prospective testers. As the Deputy has said, we should be using every day, where possible, to ensure that people can get tests. Obviously, my Department will reflect on what the Deputy has said. I am not aware of the specific instance to which she referred. I will ask the Department to reflect on what she has said in the context of communicating that information earlier to the people deployed to do this work.

Rail Network

Rose Conway-Walsh

Question:

9. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on the western rail corridor; the consideration he has given to carrying out a detailed engineering and track survey of the rail line from Claremorris to Collooney; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52785/23]

Alan Dillon

Question:

51. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Transport for an update on the all-island strategic rail review and the impact of the western rail corridor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52774/23]

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

61. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Transport if he intends sanctioning money immediately, as happened with the Limerick to Foynes line, to reopen the rail line from Athenry to Claremorris; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52623/23]

Rose Conway-Walsh

Question:

280. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Transport for an update on the western rail corridor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50158/23]

Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív

This question to the Minister relates to whether he is going to progress the redevelopment of the railway line from Athenry to Claremorris immediately? Ancillary to that is to ask the Minister for an update as to when he intends to publish the strategic review.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I thank the Deputy for the question. As he may be aware, the national development plan, NDP, contains a commitment to the western rail corridor being considered as part of the all-island strategic rail review. This review, which I announced in 2021 in partnership with the Minister for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, is considering the western rail corridor in the context of a more strategic framework for investment in our rail network. This review is the first such Departmental-led review in two decades and the first ever to be conducted on an all-island basis.

The review will inform the development of rail on the island of Ireland in the coming decades to 2050 in line with net-zero targets in both jurisdictions.

The review is considering the potential scope for improved rail services along various existing and potential future corridors of the network, and that scope includes the potential afforded by disused and closed lines such as the western rail corridor.

Work on the review is now at an advanced stage. A draft report was published for a strategic environmental assessment, SEA, public consultation in July. The review recommends that reinstatement of the western rail corridor from Athenry to Claremorris via Tuam be commenced by 2030. This is a significant project, with the review estimating that it could cost between €400 million and €600 million in 2021 prices. The public consultation phase of the SEA process concluded on 29 September and submissions are now under review by officials from both jurisdictions. Following this process, it is expected that a final report will be submitted for ministerial approval and ultimately the approval of the Government, as well as to the Minister of Infrastructure in Northern Ireland if in place. Obviously, we need the Administration in the North back.

This is a vital project. I have asked Irish Rail to answer Deputy Ó Cuív's question directly to see whether we could start clearing the line this winter in the same way we did on the Shannon-Foynes line. That can only be done in the winter period and we need speed and urgency. It can play a central, critical role not just in the economic development of the west of Ireland but also as part of a national revival of rail, particularly rail freight. I am getting an incredible response from businesses right along the west coast that are looking for such solutions, because they have to reduce their scope through emissions and have a low-carbon transport solution. This link is so strategically important when seen in that strategic context as part of an Atlantic rail corridor running all the way from Ballina to Rosslare in Wexford, with connections to some of our main deepwater ports for export and import. I have asked Irish Rail if it can start clearing the line. That obviously requires certain budget provisions. The timing would be difficult. It has to be completed before March. I have asked Irish Rail to do that because it is important that we give a signal to businesses in the west of Ireland that we are in business on the western rail corridor.

Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív

That is welcome news. As the Minister knows, work was done by Iarnród Éireann in clearing the line near Tubbercurry, on the section from Claremorris to Collooney. It would be good to get the line cleared. I fully agree with the Minister on that. At the same time, could engineering surveys be carried out in order to discover exactly what work will need to be done to replace, for example, farm gates, etc., and to draw up an engineering plan in order that we get an idea of the real cost of this project and how frequently the trains would run?

Will the Minister approach TII, which gave a firm commitment that it would replace the bridge at Ballyglunin, which was demolished as part of the building of the M17 motorway? Will it now proceed to rebuild the bridge? It was made clear by TII that it will come out of its funds and that funds had been set aside to do that work. Those are two further things that could be done immediately to progress this project. Neither will cost much money. It will not cost the Minister anything because it will come out of TII funds. Would the Minister be favourable towards doing those three jobs and really giving a signal to us that this will happen, not by 2030, but by 2025 or 2026?

Deputy Eamon Ryan

The bridge will cost something. The project will be paid for from the same budget that we need for a range of other projects. I have asked officials to contact TII. I have also asked them to look at that issue, because I was informed of it. We need to get clarity about the planning. I understand that it may have been a condition of the planning that the bridge would be reinstated in the event of the line being restored. We would have to adhere to the planning conditions.

In answer to the Deputy's fundamental question, we need to start looking at all the engineering details. My understanding is that the line is not in as degraded a condition as the Shannon Foynes to Limerick line was. It had been cleared over the years. It is reasonably intact. We need to look at all the engineering aspects so that we can start to prepare a business proposal for this. It is not in the existing NDP. It is not budgeted for. This will require shifting money around so that it can be afforded. I believe the shift to rail freight is key and will unlock the economics of this project. It is not just Athenry to Claremorris. It is about reopening the Rosslare line, about Dublin Port having to shift towards rail freight, and the same in Shannon Foynes. That is happening. The wider world is going in this direction. We can revive our rail system and the west of Ireland on the back of it.

Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív

It is a good thing that I provided money for clearing that railway line when I did, back in the day, under CLÁR funding. I was always conscious of the fact that we needed to preserve rights of way that the State owned, whether dry canals, railway lines or any other infrastructure owned by the State. It should be kept free of encroachment by anybody.

The draft report of the strategic rail review stated that the railway line did not exist from Charlestown to Collooney. The Minister is aware, from pictures he has seen, that Ianród Éireann would totally disagree. It was actually cleaning that line recently. Does the Minister agree that the draft strategic rail review was incorrect in its assessment of the railway line from Claremorris to Collooney? Will he preserve the entire route in order that not only will it be connected to Ballina, it will also connect to an even bigger town or city, namely, Sligo?

Deputy Martin Kenny

I concur with Deputy Ó Cuív about the situation on the part of the line from Collooney to Claremorris. For a long time we have sought funding to preserve that line to ensure that it is in place. I note the Minister's comments about freight and everything else. We all agree that investment in rail is an investment that requires much lower funding for a much bigger return for the public. It provides public transport, which is not available, by and large, across vast areas of the west of Ireland. The western rail corridor can be a game-changer in reviving communities, connecting economies, communities and regions across the west. If that part of the rail line is done, it will connect to Ireland West Airport Knock and Galway. It makes sense that if people fly into Ireland West Airport Knock and get off the plane, they can get a train to either go north towards Sligo or south towards Galway. That is not there at the moment. Strategically, it is vital that we put the investment in place to develop the rail line along the entire western rail corridor.

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

I echo the sentiments expressed by other speakers about utilising, to the greatest extent possible, the extensions of the western rail corridor to Sligo, which will cover a huge territory. In the interim, a survey could be carried out of the obstacles that are currently present. Bridges are being realigned and I agree with Deputy Ó Cuív that they are being realigned wrongly, because they are public rights of way which have been established for many years. To curtail them now would be wrong, but to curtail them into the future would be worse. I ask that, if at all possible, a survey be carried out to identify the obstacles that are already in place with a view to removing them.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

The strategic rail review did a good job. There were further proposals for rail lines, particularly in the Border counties, running from Mullingar, through Cavan and Monaghan, towards Portadown. That is a strategically important route. We have to go back to the particular case from earlier. We have to be careful. We cannot do everything. While I would love to see a railway line reopen from Collooney to Claremorris, the review did not recommend it. I do not think we should give false promises. I do not see that coming. The preserving of the line is a separate matter, whether that is in the form of a greenway or making sure, as Deputy Ó Cuív said, that if there was a change in subsequent years where the line became viable, that the capability to use it is retained. That is not an easy issue in my mind with regard to the Collooney to Claremorris line. We will look at that with regard to how the line might be preserved.

Building new rail lines is incredibly expensive.

Deputy Martin Kenny

There is already a line.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

Upgrading an existing line can be at some point become akin to building a new line. The national investment framework for transport guides our spending decisions in the Department and uses existing assets as much as possible.

Deputy Martin Kenny

There is an existing asset.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

That is where one can deliver more quickly. It underpins the strategic rail review.

An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach (Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Bogaimid ar aghaidh anois go dtí an chéad cheist eile.

Question No. 10 taken with Written Answers.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland

Richard Bruton

Question:

11. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if he is aware of the difficulties with the access and the underground car park at Clongriffin, which is a vital hub in the new public transport strategy for Dublin, and if he will convene the key stakeholders to seek to broker a solution. [52816/23]

Deputy Richard Bruton

The Clongriffin station is to be a strategic transport hub serving a very rapidly growing area. Indeed, it is an area where the Land Development Agency plans to develop more than 2,000 homes. At present, it has no park-and-ride facility, the underground car park is shut, the access to the Dart station from the Fingal side is in private hands, the lift is not working and the area is not in charge. I ask that the Minister's agencies, the NTA and Iarnród Éireann, get involved in resolving some of these very difficult problems.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I thank the Deputy. I wish to advise the Deputy that I have been made aware of the ongoing issue of access at Clongriffin train station. It is my understanding that the current access from the east side of the station in Baldoyle is a stairwell and lift connecting to a bridge over the railway. This was built some years ago by a private developer and is not in the ownership or responsibility of Iarnród Éireann. I have been informed that a meeting has taken place recently between Fingal County Council, Iarnród Eireann, the NTA and the private developer to facilitate a discussion on the opportunities to improve general accessibility, including improved access to the railway station from the east and improved access over the railway line. As agreed by these parties, the NTA has recently engaged with a consultant to prepare a feasibility and options selection report to examine options for access solutions that provide safe, reliable and robust access to Clongriffin train station, pedestrian access to bus services and improved connectivity between the growing residential areas of Clongriffin on the west side and Baldoyle on the east. This will incorporate the principles of universal access. This initiative should progress the issue of station access, and subject to any planning considerations, I hope improvements can be implemented as soon as possible.

The car park under Clongriffin Station was constructed over a decade ago by a private developer. However, this car park was closed during the Covid-19 pandemic and has not reopened due to damage as a result of vandalism. It is understood that this underground car park is owned by another private developer. It is not yet known whether it is intended to bring it back into use.

Deputy Richard Bruton

The Minister will understand the sense of abandonment by people in this rapidly growing area where this has been designated a strategic hub. As the Minister has fairly outlined, two of the key strategic assets to enable it are in private hands and are not working. If we want to go ahead with these higher-density, more sustainable developments, which we do, we need to put some money on the table to fix these problems. There do not seem to be planning conditions in the armoury of either Fingal County Council or Dublin City Council. As the Minister knows, the station is on the border of the two local authority areas, which makes even harder. We are stuck here with these assets lying inaccessible. While I welcome the Minister's reply, there is a need for him to intervene personally in order to drive this forward with whatever funding is needed to enable progress to be made.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I absolutely agree with the Deputy. I commit to taking a personal interest in this, because it is not acceptable in the public realm and the fact that this mixture of assets is not being maintained or accessible. This is a 400-space car park that is not being used at a time when we are talking about using existing assets. The fact that various different developers are now in ownership of some of the assets is also unacceptable. I am glad that meeting took place on 24 October to try to bring everyone together. I absolutely accept that it is intolerable and that it cannot remain in the current state. A resolution is needed and I commit myself and the Department to pushing all the agencies involved, from Iarnród Éireann, the NTA, and the private developers, to come to a resolution. What is happening at present is not acceptable.

Deputy Richard Bruton

I warmly welcome the Minister's commitment. This really needs to move on. The success of BusConnects and so on all hangs in the balance of getting a hub like this working properly.

Deputy Sorca Clarke

I support Deputy Bruton in the context of what he said. It may sound really peculiar that a TD from Longford-Westmeath is speaking about Clongriffin, but I was at that train station at 6.30 a.m. It is an area I am very familiar with. I utterly concur with the sentiment of feeling abandoned. It is grossly unfair. The Minister spoke of the access from the Baldoyle side. I recommend that he visit the area and takes a look at this hub. Certainly, in my constituency, we are green with envy that this type of station exists there, but it has not reached its potential. That potential could have a huge impact on the residents in the immediate area, but also those in surrounding areas. It was quite late yesterday evening as I was existing Clongriffin train station and I counted six cars parked on the road outside the train station. They were at the entrance to the train station. The station has gone through a very turbulent period, particularly in the context of antisocial behaviour and vandalism, but there is work being done to address that. Access is a real issue. There is also an issue regarding the walk from the train station down to where the buses park. The walkway is incredibly dark. The street lights do not work. The steps are there and the wheeled access is already in situ, but it strikes me as somewhere where there has been a lack of joined-up thinking. It is quite close by. I advise the Minister to get the DART out to the station and to have a look at what the potential of this area could be. At the moment, it is not reaching that potential and it is very unfair for those who live in the immediate area.

Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

I support what has been said. We would very much appreciate a visit by Minister. The problem is that nobody is taking responsibility for the issue. People's capacity to have faith in the public transport system is being completely undermined by the situation regarding access. It feels unsafe, the lifts do not work, etc. This is a major issue in that part of the world. If the Minister were to bring both his presence and the weight of his office to the area, people there would feel as if the matter was being taken seriously. As others have said, the situation cannot continue.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I support what all three Deputies have said. We are all agreed on this and I will ensure we make it a top priority to come to a resolution between the various parties.

Question No. 12 taken with Written Answers.

Rail Network

Bernard Durkan

Question:

13. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport the extent to which it might be possible to ensure the availability of extra carriages to meet commuter demands affecting the towns of Kilcock, Maynooth, Leixlip, Confey and Celbridge, Hazelhatch, Sallins and Newbridge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52780/23]

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

This question relates to one of the most rapidly expanding population centres in the country. It covers both the various commuter towns and the urgent necessity to ensure adequate capacity is urgently added to the train lines in question.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I thank the Deputy. As part of Government’s continued investment in improving our rail network, the DART+ programme will extend and enhance the current DART system and services west to Maynooth and Celbridge-Hazelhatch. The DART+ fleet project will also introduce electric and battery electric units to the DART network over time, and may allow for the introduction of DART services in County Kildare in advance of the electrification of lines.

While the existing Iarnród Éireann operational fleet is already fully deployed on scheduled services, delivery of an additional 41 intercity railcars, ICRs, commenced late last year. I am pleased to confirm that these will begin entering service early next year. As the ICRs are intermediate carriages, they will facilitate the lengthening of existing train sets and will serve to enhance passenger capacity across the rail network. A further two initial orders, totalling 185 electric and battery-electric carriages for the DART+ fleet, were placed in December 2021 with 95 carriages ordered. A further 90 carriages were ordered in December 2022, with up to 750 carriages in total to be ordered over the coming decade. The first 95 carriages will arrive from mid-2024 and will enter service from 2025. Decisions on the deployment of the ICRs will be made in the coming weeks and months, and will be based on current and projected passenger demand and infrastructure capacity, subject to the approval of the NTA. The ICRs will increase Dublin area capacity, and see commuter and intercity carriages currently in use on commuter services allocated to other routes, to increase the capacity and frequency of services. I agree with the Deputy that the growing demand across the network must be accommodated, and believe that these new carriages and redeployment of existing carriages will greatly help to address the issues in the coming years.

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

I thank the Minister. By way of a supplementary question, when is it expected that the impact of this provision will be visible and available to commuters who use the stations to which we already referred, that is, Maynooth, Leixlip Confey, Celbridge, Hazelhatch, Sallins, and Newbridge? Right now, the traffic, made up of people who are ordinarily ready to accept the use of rail services, is being forced onto the roads which are heavily over-trafficked and in need of upgrading. To what extent is progress being made to bring about the earliest possible date?

The Minister has indicated when this is expected. Could we send a message to the providers or the manufacturers with a view to possibly accelerating the speed at which provision is to be made?

Deputy Eamon Ryan

The most immediate matter is the deployment of those ICRs. That will happen next year, as I said, and I will look for them to be deployed as quickly as possible.

We have a budget issue in that we have so many different new public transport services to be put in place that we have to make sure we have the budget allocation for all of them. I am confident we can do that.

Iarnród Éireann is best placed, with the NTA, to look at where the locations where we have the most constraint and capacity issues are. I am confident that some of the Kildare services to which the Deputy referred already have very high patronage and that we will deliver in that regard.

The bigger, more medium-term issue is that we await planning decisions from An Bord Pleanála on both DART+ West and DART+ South West, but I am hopeful decisions on both will come in the new year. The really big job is the major upgrade of the DART service and the new terminal to the west of Maynooth, which will be the real game-changer. In the interim, the ICRs will start rolling out next year.

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

The Minister understands this very well. The people in the catchment area involved understand it equally well. They are at the mercy of the traffic on the roads on the one hand and the shortage of capacity on the rail lines on the other hand. They are betwixt and between. It would be hugely helpful if the Minister were to use his good offices to follow up and to impress on those involved in the provision of the extra facilities the importance of doing so at a more rapid pace than we have seen heretofore. While the promise is gratefully appreciated and accepted, delivery on that promise is of huge importance at present in this particularly sensitive and rapidly growing population area.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I very much accept the Deputy's comments. He represents his constituents well. There is an urgent need for us to switch. The M7 motorway in is completely jammed. The M50 is at full capacity. We have no additional road capacity. We have to start switching people to public transport, especially on the likes of the Kildare line, where the numbers and the demand are so large.