Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 June 2013
227. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will set out the value for money reports and the focused policy assessments carried out within his Department since March 2011; the actions that have been taken to implement such reports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28181/13]
View answerValue-for-Money and Policy Reviews were completed for the Marine Survey Office, the Irish Coast Guard, and Iarnród Éireann’s Third Railway Safety Programme in 2012. Arising from the previous round of Reviews, a report on the Rural Transport Programme was published in January 2012. The Value for Money reviews into the Coast Guard and Marine Surveying functions of the Department were undertaken by independent consultants Fisher Associates and published on the Department’s website. A supplementary review on Coast Guard operations was undertaken earlier this year. The Reviews identified issues which need to be addressed in Ireland's maritime transport safety and marine emergency response regimes.
I informed the Government that I would consider the reviews and prepare an action plan to address the issues and deficiencies identified. I emphasised that responding to the Reviews provides a valuable opportunity to create more efficient and effective maritime safety regulatory arrangements and emergency response services. It is also important to recognise that resources available are very limited and must be deployed on a prioritised basis as effectively and efficiently as possible to address the most urgent needs. My Department’s response to the Reviews is nearing completion and I expect to finalise the Action Plan very shortly.
The Report on the Mid-Term Review of Iarnród Eireann’s Third Railway Safety Programme was completed by Risk Solutions in October 2012. It is expected that the report will be published on the Department’s website shortly. It concludes that rail safety performance has improved and that rail safety risk compares favourably with that in other European countries. The report makes a wide range of recommendations on matters such as future governance issues and investment levels. A Working Group has been established in the Department to agree a Railway Assets Renewal programme, which will take into account the conclusions and recommendations of the Review.
The Value for Money and Policy Review of the Rural Transport Programme (RTP) was published in January 2012. Responsibility for the RTP was transferred to the National Transport Authority (NTA) in April 2012. Since then, the NTA has been working on implementing the recommendations of the Report. The Minister of State will shortly announce the restructuring of the RTP. This will have the effect of addressing many of the issues raised by the Value for Money Report.
For further information, I refer the Deputy to the following links for the full reports.
http://www.dttas.ie/upload/general/13551-MSO_VALUE_FOR_MONEY_REVIEW_APRIL_2012-0.PDF
http://www.dttas.ie/upload/general/13550-IRCG_VALUE_FOR_MONEY_REVIEW_APRIL_2012-0.PDF
http://www.transport.ie/upload/general/13464-20110630_VFM_FINAL_REPORT-0.PDF
