Written Answers Nos. 230-239
230. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide details of the tender process leading to the award of the contract for the provision of the new format driving licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4822/13]
View answerUnder the provisions of the Road Traffic (Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness) Act 2012, responsibility for driver licensing nationally has been transferred to the Road Safety Authority (RSA). The new national driver licensing system consists of three outsourced elements: a front office for dealing with customers, a back office to process applications, and a card producer to manufacture the new plastic format licences. All of these are overseen by a 'centre of excellence' in the RSA itself. The tender process for the outsourced elements was entirely a matter for the RSA, and I had no role in it. I have therefore forwarded the Deputy's query to the RSA for direct answer, and would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a reply has not been received within ten days.
231. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 696 of 18 December 2012, if he will answer a specific query from a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [4848/13]
View answerMy Department has had previous correspondence with the person referred to in the question and is looking into the issues raised in his email. A further reply will issue to that person as soon as possible.
232. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide in tabular form the number of organisations or agencies under the aegis of his Department that have vacancies on their board; the length of time any such vacancies have been unfilled; the number of vacancies that have been advertised; the number of applications to fill such vacancies that have been received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4866/13]
View answerThe information sought by the Deputy is in the following table. It should be noted that in total there are 29 agencies under my Department's remit with a total of 236 individuals currently serving on boards. It is important to note that the boards of each body are appointed in different fashions, with some positions being ex officio positions, some worker directors or others directly appointed by me, or by Government or with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. In almost all cases the legislation provides that a Minister may appoint up to a certain number of individuals. There is rarely a requirement that all positions be filled, and as is outlined below, there are good reasons why not all positions may be filled.
My Department advertised new procedures for appointment to boards on Friday 8th April 2011 which provided for any interested party to express an interest in becoming a member of the board of any of the State agencies for which I have responsibility. All appointments from that date have followed these procedures. I have received more than 400 expressions of interest since the new procedures were advertised and more than 40 of these individuals have been appointed to various Boards under the Department's aegis. Given the importance of ensuring the right mix of skills and experience on every board, appointments are not necessarily confined to those who have made an expression of interest. On becoming Minister, I was particularly concerned that on many of the boards appointed under the previous Government there were obvious skills and experience gaps, and in my appointments to date, I have sought to rectify this.
It should be noted that I have, from time to time, decided not to fill all existing vacancies. This is the case with a number of smaller bodies under my Department's aegis, where the scale of the agency's operation would not justify a larger board. Similarly, in a number of cases where the legislation provides for a very large board I have taken the decision not to fill a number of positions. Therefore, where there is flexibility under the relevant Act, I have on occasion appointed less than the maximum number of directors. I have also made considerable efforts to select suitably skilled candidates even if this involved some delay in making the appointment. I believe that when making appointments to positions that carry terms over a number of years, suitable care must be taken to ensure that appropriate individual are appointed.
A decision on the separation of Cork and Shannon airports, as envisaged under the State Airports Act 2004 was not made until 2012. As a consequence, when the terms of appointment of the directors of both boards expired on 31 December 2011, a decision was made then not to fill all vacancies on each board until a substantive decision was made on separation and on the future structure of the DAA.
On 27th November 2012, the Government confirmed its earlier decision in principle to establish Shannon as an independent autonomous airport and to merge it with a restructured Shannon Development to form a new publicly owned commercial entity. In light of this decision vacancies on both the Cork and Shannon Airport Authority Boards will be filled during the course of 2013.
|
State Board |
Vacancy Dates From: |
|
National Roads Authority |
7 October 2012 |
|
National Roads Authority |
31 October 2012 |
|
National Roads Authority |
31 October 2012 |
|
Bus Átha Cliath |
1 June 2012 |
|
Bus Átha Cliath |
1 June 2012 |
|
Iarnród Éireann |
17 May 2012 |
|
Iarnród Éireann |
17 May 2012 |
|
Railway Procurement Agency |
1 January 2013 |
|
Railway Procurement Agency |
6 August 2012 |
|
Railway Safety Advisory Council |
16 May 2011 |
|
Railway Safety Advisory Council |
11 May 2010 |
|
Taxi Advisory Committee to NTA |
9 August 2012 |
|
Dublin Airport Authority plc |
6 December 2012 |
|
Dublin Airport Authority plc |
31 December 2012 |
|
Shannon Airport Authority plc |
31 December 2011 |
|
Shannon Airport Authority plc |
31 December 2011 |
|
Shannon Airport Authority plc |
31 December 2011 |
|
Shannon Airport Authority plc |
31 December 2011 |
|
Shannon Airport Authority plc |
31 December 2011 |
|
Shannon Airport Authority plc |
31 December 2011 |
|
Cork Airport Authority plc |
31 December 2011 |
|
Cork Airport Authority plc |
31 December 2011 |
|
Cork Airport Authority plc |
31 December 2011 |
|
Cork Airport Authority plc |
31 December 2011 |
|
Cork Airport Authority plc |
31 December 2011 |
|
Cork Airport Authority plc |
31 December 2011 |
|
Cork Airport Authority plc |
31 December 2011 |
|
Irish Aviation Authority |
12 November 2012 |
|
Marine Casualty Investigation Board |
29 December 2012 |
|
Port of Cork Company |
30 September 2012 |
|
Drogheda Port Company |
12 June 2012 |
|
Drogheda Port Company |
14 December 2012 |
|
Dublin Port Company |
18 September 2012 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company |
30 September 2012 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company |
12 June 2012 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company |
3 December 2012 |
|
Shannon Foynes Port Company |
29 August 2012 |
|
Port of Waterford Company |
12 June 2012 |
|
Galway Harbour Company |
21 November 2012 |
|
New Ross Port Company |
24 April 2012 |
|
New Ross Port Company |
12 June 2012 |
|
New Ross Port Company |
12 June 2012 |
|
Wicklow Port Company |
12 June 2012 |
|
Wicklow Port Company |
12 June 2012 |
|
National Sports Campus Development Authority (NSCDA) |
15 November 2010 |
|
National Sports Campus Development Authority (NSCDA) |
23 March 2012 |
|
National Sports Campus Development Authority (NSCDA) |
23 March 2012 |
|
National Sports Campus Development Authority (NSCDA) |
23 March 2012 |
|
Irish Sports Council (ISC) |
14 January 2013 |
233. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason funding has not been provided for the replacement of the Spiddoge Bridge, Beaufort, County Kerry on the L7515 in the 2013 specific improvement grants allocation to Kerry County Council; if he will take into consideration the fact that the closure of this bridge is of great inconvenience to the local community, if he will now make funding available in order that work may commence on this important piece of infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4903/13]
View answerThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads in its area, is a statutory function of each road authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act, 1993. Works on such roads are a matter, for the relevant local authority to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority. In July last year, the National Roads Authority (NRA) on behalf of the Department issued a circular to all local authorities inviting applications for consideration for funding in 2013 under the Specific Improvement Grants Scheme. Kerry County Council submitted 9 projects for consideration for funding in 2013. Spideog Bridge was not, however, included in the Council's submission. It is open to Kerry County Council to fund these works from its Discretionary Grant or alternatively from its own resources.
234. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will give consideration to allocating resources to the completion of the N21 project at Barnagh west of Newcastle West, County Limerick in view of the fact that the contractors are on site and phase one is nearing completion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4924/13]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme. The planning, design and implementation of individual road projects is a matter for the National Roads Authority (NRA) under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Within its capital budget, the assessment and prioritisation of individual projects is a matter in the first instance for the NRA in accordance with Section 19 of the Roads Act. Noting the above position, I have referred the Deputy’s question to the NRA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
235. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will outline the specification for photos to accompany an application for the new-format driving licence; if he will confirm that applicants will not have to travel to a central office to have the photo taken but can have it taken locally to the required specification; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4951/13]
View answerUnder the Road Safety Authority (Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness) Act 2012 these are matters for the Road Safety Authority (RSA). I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the RSA for direct reply, and would ask her to contact my office if a reply has not been received within ten days.
236. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will justify the cost anomalies where a person aged 65 years or over may only apply for a driving licence for a three year period, at ages 67 to 69, at a cost of €35 or a five year period, at 65 to 70, at a cost of €55, when a ten year licence costs €55; and the action he will take to deal with this pricing structure. [4970/13]
View answerRecently, in conjunction with the introduction of the new plastic card driving licence and the centralisation of driver licensing nationally under the Road Safety Authority (RSA), I introduced a new fee structure for driver licensing. This represents the first time that fees have been increased since 1989. Driver licence fees have not been keeping pace with inflation since 1989 and, as a result, the driver licence service has been under funded for many years and has had to rely heavily on the Exchequer. I made the decision to increase fees from 1 January to allow for the service to become self-funding in 2013 and every year thereafter.
In respect of people between the ages of 60 and 67, a driving licence may be granted for a period of 1 year or 3 years, together with the unexpired period of a licence previously granted to the applicant, where the application for the licence is required to be accompanied by a medical report and the medical report indicates that the applicant appears to require medical review. However, where an application does not require a medical report to be accompanied, all licences with a validity period greater than 3 years and less than 10 will be charged €55. It would have been administratively difficult to apply a different or proportionate pricing regime in these circumstances. However, I opted to maintain the position that no fee would apply to applicants over 70 years of age. Similarly, no fee will apply to anyone wishing to change personal details on a licence.
237. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will confirm that during the summer of 2012 the National Transport Authority carried out a public consultation regarding existing public service obligation routes; the current position regarding this process; when he expects developments concerning PSO routes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4975/13]
View answerIn respect of the future provision of bus services the Programme for Government contains a commitment “to establish a Cabinet Sub-Committee on Infrastructure to explore the benefits to the public transport passenger of a more diverse bus service provision”. In line with this commitment the National Transport Authority (NTA) conducted a non-statutory public consultation in summer 2012. The report on the public consultation process is available on the NTA's website. The NTA has also briefed the Cabinet Sub-Committee on the process in October 2012.
The public consultation submissions will be considered and taken into account by the NTA in coming forward with proposals. Where the NTA proposes to enter into a further direct award contract or contracts for bus services it is obliged to carry out a statutory consultation under section 52 of the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008. Furthermore, the NTA may only enter into a direct award contract “where it is satisfied that the continued adequacy of the public bus passenger services to which the contracts relate can only be guaranteed in the general economic interest by entering into such direct award contracts." Accordingly the matter will require further examination before any decisions are taken.
238. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has issued any instruction to CIE and Iarnród Éireann in relation to the preservation of the ownership of the old railway line from the Kerry-Limerick border to Tralee, County Kerry, which is to be developed as a greenway and also carries a fibre optic cable; and if he is satisfied that CIE is doing everything possible to defend its interests in this property in the public interest. [5052/13]
View answer239. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has received through the National Sustainable Transport Office any solicitor's letter in relation to the Limerick-Kerry disused railway line claiming ownership of the line; the steps he intends taking in relation to ensuring that the State, through CIÉ, defends the public interest in this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5053/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 238 and 239 together.
A letter was received by the National Sustainable Travel Office of my Department in relation to the Limerick/Kerry railway line. I understand CIÉ also received a similar letter and in its response has stated that CIÉ is the owner of the property and will continue to access its property as necessary. It has also indicated that it will object to any application by other parties to register these lands with the Property Registration Authority. I have also referred the Deputy's question to CIÉ for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
