Written Answers Nos. 47 - 57
50. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is satisfied with the implementation of mandatory breath-testing of all drivers involved in a serious or fatal road collision; if he regularly reviews the breath-testing figures with An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11423/13]
View answerI have been in consultation with my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Garda Commissioner in relation to the testing of drivers for alcohol following a road traffic collision where injury or death have been caused, as provided for under road traffic legislation.
While the enforcement of the legislation in respect of the mandatory testing of drivers is primarily a matter for the Garda Commissioner, I have been assured by the Minister for Justice and Equality that the Garda authorities are making every effort to ensure that the relevant legislative provisions are fully complied with.
51. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will report on the recent meeting he had with taxi driver representative and any commitment he made regarding changes to the Taxi Regulation Bill. [15054/13]
View answerEarlier this month I met with the Irish Taxi Forum, representing taxi driver’s interests, concerning the Taxi Regulation Bill 2012.
At the meeting the Taxi Forum raised a number of matters including an appeals process regarding decisions of the National Transport Authority, representation by the industry on the Taxi Advisory Committee, vehicle licence transfer, and the demerit scheme and penalties system - all of which I addressed and provided clarification on in the context of the Taxi Bill.
At that meeting I indicated that I would be giving consideration to a matter raised by the Taxi Advisory Committee regarding the application of the demerit scheme under the Bill to offences involving appointed stands in light of the limited number of available taxi ranks in comparison to the supply of taxis.
I am currently reviewing this aspect of the Bill and I hope to make an amendment in this regard at Seanad Report Stage.
52. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the way he will support initiatives that aim to improve air access to west coast USA and other locations of high strategic importance for tourism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15248/13]
View answerDeveloping more air services from Ireland to global destinations and bringing more tourists from overseas are two of the key policies set out in the Government’s 2013 Action Plan for Jobs.
From a regulatory perspective my Department aims to ensure that there are no legal or regulatory impediments to the introduction of air services by negotiating bilateral air services agreements with third countries where necessary. In relation to the US, the market for air services between the EU and the US was liberalised under the EU-US Open Skies agreement in 2007. This means that EU and US airlines are free to provide whatever services they wish in these markets based on their own commercial judgments. The market for air services in and out of Ireland is highly competitive with a very significant number of airlines operating.
Tourism Ireland continues to invest in co-operative marketing activity with airlines. Additional capacity has been secured between Ireland and the US for the summer 2013 season with up to 133 departures, providing just over 31,000 seats in each direction per week. This represents a 26.6% increase in capacity, or just over 6,500 additional seats per week, compared to summer 2012. Furthermore additional connectivity direct to/from Dublin has been achieved through Emirates and Etihad's services from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively which provide greater ease of access to Ireland from Australia as well as the emerging tourism markets in the Middle East and Asia. These long-haul markets are particularly important for Irish tourism as tourists from these destinations tend to stay longer and spend more. In addition to this, Irish airports offer discounted charges to airlines providing new routes.
Negotiations are ongoing with a number of carriers for additional capacity linked both to general traffic demand and the increased traffic expected over the course of The Gathering Ireland 2013.
54. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans for reform of the rural transport system; if a cost benefit analysis has been carried out on the way savings will be achieved; the rationale behind perceived savings and any equality impact assessment carried out. [15059/13]
View answerSince 1 April 2012, responsibility for managing the Rural Transport Programme (RTP) has been assigned to the National Transport Authority (NTA) as part of new arrangements for integrated local and rural transport approved by the Government in January 2012. The Programme is managed by Pobal in conjunction with the NTA as part of the Programme transition. Thirty-five groups covering thirty-six geographical areas nationwide are currently being funded under the Programme.
Since becoming Minister for Public and Commuter Transport, my aim has been to strengthen the RTP by ensuring a more efficient delivery structure by maximising integration with other state transport services and by making the Programme a sustainable part of the public transport system. This is in line with the Programme for Government commitment to maintain and extend the RTP with other local transport services.
Given that resources are limited and that the Value for Money and Policy Review of the RTP, published last year, recommended organisational restructuring to achieve efficiencies and the better alignment of the 35 RTP groups with local authorities, it is necessary that the current delivery mechanisms and structures are examined and revised. The current structures of the RTP are not sustainable if the required efficiencies and savings are to be achieved. If these are not achieved then with the limited resources available services will decline. I am not prepared to allow that to happen.
Work is under way to determine the optimal structure for the delivery of rural transport from an efficiency and service perspective. Discussions are taking place with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, the County and City Managers Association and the Rural Transport Network in the context of aligning the new structure with the local authority structure. Evaluation of this structure will include consideration of various criteria, such as, cost benefit analysis as well as measures to achieve greater efficiencies and the potential impact and consequences of the new structure. Central to any new structure will be an acknowledgement of the significant role that the Programme currently plays in combating rural isolation and enhancing mobility, accessibility and community participation of local people, particularly those at risk of social exclusion.
I would emphasis that no decision has been taken but I am hopeful that I will be in a position to recommend a new structure later this year which will allow for the maximising of spend on services and the reduction of administration costs.
56. Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will outline some of the measures contained within the road safety strategy that is due to be launched later this week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15027/13]
View answerI will be launching the new Road Safety Strategy at the EU Presidency Road Transport Safety Conference on Serious Injuries on 28 March 2013 in Dublin Castle.
The aim of the Strategy, like all previous, is to save lives and prevent injuries by reducing the number and severity of road collisions. The Strategy, while not deflecting attention from road fatalities, will concentrate to a significant extent on serious injuries caused by road collisions.
The Strategy, which covers an 8 year period from 2013 to 2020 contain 144 actions to be implemented over its lifetime. The body responsible for each action together with a timeframe for implementation will be identified.
These actions reflect the priorities at EU level and the views put forward during the consultation process on the Strategy. These include work related vehicle safety, medical fitness to drive, drug driving, fatigue, using mobile phones while driving, vulnerable road users, road works, emergency response and care, data analysis and evaluation and post - collision investigation.
