Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 April 2013
134. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the way he intends to tackle the additional cost to business of transport and in particular businesses in areas with poor transport infrastructure such as the border counties. [18622/13]
View answerThe primary issues raised in this question relating to transport costs and transport infrastructure would be more appropriately directed to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. The recently published Forfás report “Costs of Doing Business in Ireland 2012” identifies a number of issues relating to transport costs in Ireland. Prices for transport related services have generally remained stable since 2006, with the exception of air transport which has increased significantly since 2010. There has been significant investment in national transport routes over the last decade and this has led to significant improvements in connectivity for Irish enterprises. However a number of bottlenecks still remain.
The 2013 Action Plan includes a number of actions to review and update policies across different modes of transport to deliver an efficient and integrated transport system including:
- Completion of the review of Ports Policy
- Publication of Competition Authority study into Ports
- Development of a new aviation policy to deliver competitive international access
- Development of a land transport strategic investment framework to decide what investment will be required out to 2025 to facilitate easy access to markets and the mobility of the workforce.
The Forfás report makes a number of recommendations aimed at reducing transport costs, most of which come under the remit of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and / or the Minister for Finance. I will consult with my Government colleagues to see how these measures might be progressed.
