Written Answers Nos. 579-597
579. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will detail in tabular form, the names of all external public relations, communications consultants and organisations used by his Department since 9 March 2011; the details of the services supplied by each; the expenditure on each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28819/13]
View answerI refer the Deputy to my Department's website which contains a list of external expenditure including PR and communications consultants: http://www.dttas.ie/feature.aspx?Id=82. The list covers the period from the 9th March up to 21st May 2012 and will be updated shortly. Since May 2012 there has only been one other item of expenditure which falls into PR/Communications category.
|
Communications Clinic |
Launch of Bike Week |
€4,870.80 0ctober 2012 |
580. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide breakdown of spending per county of the €50 million recently announced for repairs and restoration of regional and local roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28851/13]
View answerDetails of the additional funding being provided to local authorities for works on regional and local roads under the Government's Infrastructure Investment Plan are outlined in a table.
|
County Council |
Additional Allocation - Restoration Improvement Grant € |
|
Carlow |
601,674 |
|
Cavan |
1,500,908 |
|
Clare |
1,980,814 |
|
Cork |
5,818,342 |
|
Donegal |
3,027,053 |
|
Dún Laoghaire Rathdown |
505,527 |
|
Fingal |
888,015 |
|
Galway |
3,400,846 |
|
Kerry |
1,961,998 |
|
Kildare |
1,356,738 |
|
Kilkenny |
1,432,623 |
|
Laois |
953,883 |
|
Leitrim |
1,110,804 |
|
Limerick |
1,841,407 |
|
Longford |
736,974 |
|
Louth |
718,223 |
|
Mayo |
2,955,074 |
|
Meath |
2,100,366 |
|
Monaghan |
1,420,404 |
|
North Tipperary |
1,314,883 |
|
Offaly |
939,576 |
|
Roscommon |
1,727,943 |
|
Sligo |
1,208,408 |
|
South Dublin |
733,301 |
|
South Tipperary |
1,427,754 |
|
Waterford |
1,282,104 |
|
Westmeath |
892,289 |
|
Wexford |
1,846,292 |
|
Wicklow |
1,073,272 |
|
Sub-Total |
46,757,495 |
|
City Council |
Additional Allocation - Block Grant € |
|
Cork City |
759,304 |
|
Dublin City |
1,511,809 |
|
Galway City |
405,667 |
|
Limerick City |
280,756 |
|
Waterford City |
284,969 |
|
Sub-Total |
3,242,505 |
|
Overall Rest. Imp & Block Grant |
50,000,000 |
581. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if, noting the high level of unemployment for under 25 year olds and the fall in part time work available to those in full time education within the 16 to 25 age bracket, the reason school going children aged 16 or over are required to pay adult fare on Dublin Bus. [28913/13]
View answerThe issue raised is a matter for Dublin Bus in conjunction with the National Transport Authority (NTA) and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
582. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the most recent safety consultation at Shannon Airport was conducted; and if military operations were included in its assessments. [28944/13]
View answerThe issue raised by the Deputy, the regulation of safety standards at airports, is a matter for the Irish Aviation Authority, an Agency under the remit of my Department. I have referred the Deputy's question to them for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
583. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of appointments made to State boards under his Department's remit since March 2011; the number of positions that have been advertised; the number of applications to the boards; the number of appointments to the boards that were drawn from the applications; the current number of vacancies on each board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28984/13]
View answerFull details of the appointments that I have made to State Boards are available on my Department's website. The new procedures advertised by my Department on Friday 8th April 2011 involved an open invitation to members of the public to submit expressions of interest in serving on the board of any of the Agencies operating under my aegis. I reiterated this call in recent weeks. In doing so I have sought able candidates with experience or qualifications in finance (including audit capability and/or project assessment), law, corporate governance, marketing, IT, or with experience relevant to the transport, tourism and sports sectors. I have received over 500 expressions of interest to date.
I stated clearly that, given the importance of ensuring the right mix of skills and experience on every board, appointments would not necessarily be confined to those who had made such an expression of interest. I may also decide from time to time not to fill all existing vacancies. All appointments from 8th April 2011 have followed these procedures.
In summary, I have made a total of 114 appointments and 46 re-appointments since March 2011 and a number of other appointments are in the process of being made at the moment. Of the 114, 51 (44%) were from persons who had availed of the opportunity to submit an expression of interest.
Also under the new procedures, all new Chairpersons appointed by me will generally appear before the Joint Oireachtas Committee prior to their appointment taking effect.
584. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding a proposed project (details supplied) in County Armagh; if likely sources of funding have been identified towards such a development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28991/13]
View answerI understand the Deputy is referring to N53 Ballinacarry Bridge.
As Minister for Transport, Tourism & 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 don’t receive a reply within 10 working days.
585. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has estimates of the own resource expenditure by local authorities on regional and local roads over the past three years. [29014/13]
View answerDetails of local authority own resources expenditure on regional and local roads over the past three years are outlined in a table.
|
Year |
Local Authority Own Resources Expenditure |
|
2010 |
225,286,668 |
|
2011 |
172,827,270 |
|
2012 |
136,527,745 |
586. Deputy Paudie Coffey asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason the bike scheme will not be extended to Waterford city, the largest urban area in the south east region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29039/13]
View answer587. Deputy Paudie Coffey asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason Waterford city has been excluded from going forward to the tendering process for a bike scheme to be established in the city; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29040/13]
View answer588. Deputy Paudie Coffey asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if Waterford city will be reconsidered for the bike scheme should a viable proposal be made in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29041/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 586 to 588, inclusive, together.
The Government is committed to examining the feasibility of public bike schemes in the regional cities, as set out in the Programme for Government. I have tasked the National Transport Authority (NTA) with investigating the potential for extending bike sharing schemes within Dublin and to the regional cities.
The NTA has carried out a great deal of analysis to date which I understand indicates that of the four regional cities, Waterford would be the most expensive to operate, on a per bike basis. This is because the number of bikes would be fewer and the number of subscribers to the scheme will be less, while a lot of the operational costs such as a bike depot and bike distribution resources remain the same as the larger cities.
In light of the funding issues that this may raise in the operational phase, with the local authority potentially funding any shortfall, the NTA issued a notice on eTenders on 11th June 2013 seeking expressions of interest from potential tenderers for the supply, operate and maintain contract for three cities – Cork, Galway and Limerick – and to also seek pricing options to allow the addition of other areas, such as Waterford. A final decision on which cities or towns to include in initial phases will only be made following selection of a preferred supplier, when final prices from the tender process are known.
589. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of parliamentary replies issued by him or Ministers of State from his Department to this Deputy on a yearly basis from 2011 to date in 2013; the number of these replies that contained an undertaking to provide information or extra information requested either from his Department or a body under the aegis of his Department; if he intends to begin replying to Parliamentary Questions on the record of Dáil Éireann with answers from bodies under the aegis of his Department, including bodies such as Irish Rail-Iarnród Éireann, the Irish Aviation Authority, Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, the National Transport Authority, the National Roads Authority, the Railway Procurement Agency, the Road Safety Authority, Fáilte Ireland and the Irish Sports Council; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that other Government Department with bodies under their aegis provide written answers on the record of Dáil Éireann without having the bodies reply to the matter directly in private to Deputies; if he intends to rectify this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29061/13]
View answer596. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of parliamentary replies issued by him or Ministers of State from his Department to this Deputy on a yearly basis from 2011 to date in 2013; the number of these replies that contained an undertaking to provide information or extra information requested either from his Department or a body under the aegis of his Department; if he intends to begin replying to Parliamentary Questions on the record of Dáil Éireann with answers from bodies under the aegis of his Department; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that other Government Departments with bodies under their aegis provide written answers on the record of Dáil Éireann without having the bodies reply to the matter directly in private to Deputies; if he intends to rectify this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29415/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 589 and 596 together.
Based on an examination of the Dáil record, the Deputy has asked me 48 written questions as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport since the convening of the 31st Dáil. 17 of these questions were referred to agencies under my Department’s remit as under various pieces of legislation, those bodies had responsibility for such matters.
As the Deputy will be aware, prior to the current Dáil, the practice had been to seek the disallowance of parliamentary questions which related to operational matters of agencies and bodies under the aegis of my Department. This was an unsatisfactory practice which limited the perception of the accountability of such bodies to elected members of Dáil Éireann.
Soon after my appointment as Minister, I implemented the practice of referring such questions to the body concerned and provided a time limit (ten working days) for them to reply to such questions. I believe this is a significant advancement in the accountability of state agencies under my Department’s remit.
However, I do recognise that as these replies are directly to the Deputy concerned they are not publicly available. Therefore, I will request that in replying to such questions that the agencies concerned would copy their responses to the Oireachtas Library so that they can be available to Members of the Oireachtas.
590. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount of money available in 2013 for allocation through the Sports Athletic Tracks Initiative; the application procedure; the closing date for applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29169/13]
View answerIn July 2012 four regional athletics facilities were allocated total funding of €1,658,400 under a special tracks initiative. These projects had all been the subject of applications under the 2012 round of the SCP and were prioritised by the Athletics Association of Ireland.
|
Club |
Amount |
Purpose |
|
Claremorris Athletic and Sport Club |
€400,000 |
The building of an outdoor 400m running track |
|
Nenagh Olympic Athletic Club |
€95,900 |
The laying of a warm-up track and the purchase of equipment |
|
Waterford City Council |
€425,000 |
The provision of a new 400m track at the Regional Sports Centre to replace the existing surface |
|
Athlone Institute of Technology/Athletics Ireland |
€737,500 |
A 200m international level indoor track |
A further initiative is not planned for 2013.
591. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will reassure taxpayers that a recent attempt by landowners in County Kerry to acquire possession of a disused railway line will be resisted by his Department and by CIE; the support that will be given to community-based initiatives to provide tourist infrastructure and a local amenity on this route; if he will reassure the public in counties Sligo and Mayo that similar attempts to acquire possession of the disused Claremorris-Collooney railway line by persons will not be opposed by CIE and that an initiative to preserve the route in public ownership by means of a greenway will be supported by his Department and by CIE. [29222/13]
View answerThis is an operational matter for CIÉ and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
592. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the estimated breakdown between labour and materials of the various allocations for road repairs and improvements for 2013. [29233/13]
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. My Department does not receive a breakdown of local authority expenditure as requested by the Deputy. My Department’s role is the provision of grants with guidelines for their application. Among the guidelines provided to local authorities is a Memorandum on Grants for Regional and Local Roads. This memorandum outlines the allowable road worker labour costs which may be charged against the State Road Grants, namely basic pay, overtime, employers' P.R.S.I. contributions and acting up allowance. An overhead charge of 38.5% is also allowed as a percentage add-on to the basic pay element of relevant road workers/non-officer grades only. This standard overhead percentage includes for superannuation, holiday pay, sick pay and all allowances.
593. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if, having regard to the stimulus package and with particular reference to his response to a topical issue debate on 28 May 2013, he considers that a project (details supplied) in County Kildare warrants inclusion in any future stimulus programme; his views on whether the project is one to which his Department is already committed, in line with his response to Dáil Éireann on 28 May; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29249/13]
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 Council. As outlined to the Deputy in response to his question in January this year, my Department received an application from Kildare County Council in November 2008 for 100% funding of the Athy Southern Distributor Road. The estimated total cost of the project is in excess of €34 million.
Given funding constraints it has been necessary to focus available resources on the maintenance and repair of regional and local roads rather than development projects. For this reason the €50 million recently made available is being directed to surface restoration work throughout the country.
I am not in a position at present to give any commitment regarding the provision of further funding for the construction of this project. The limited amount of funding being allocated to development projects will focus on projects already under construction or to meet commitments already in place. While the Department did provide some funding to allow certain design and planning work to be done on the project, it was made clear by my Department that there no funding commitment beyond that.
I am aware of the importance of this road to Athy and to the south Leinster region. If and when the financial position of the State improves I would like to be in a position to support the advancement of this project.
594. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his tourism strategy in promoting County Louth as a tourist destination both nationally and internationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29263/13]
View answerAs the matter raised is an operational matter for the tourism agencies, I have referred the Deputy's question to Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland for direct reply. Please contact my private office if a response is not received within ten working days.
595. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide in tabular form the total number of uncertified sick days taken by employees in his Department; the average uncertified sick days per employee taken; the total certified sick days taken by employees; the average certified sick days per employee; the total sick days taken by employees; the average total sick days and median overall sick days per employee in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. [29280/13]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in Table 1.
Table 1
|
Details |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
|
Total number of uncertified sick days taken by employees |
607.66 |
496.56 |
446.63 |
363.36 |
|
Average uncertified sick days taken per employee |
1.06 |
0.92 |
0.85 |
0.73 |
|
Total number of certified sick days taken by employees |
5,918.37 |
6,546.19 |
5,117.51 |
3,905.08 |
|
Average certified sick days taken per employee |
10.31 |
12.16 |
9.71 |
7.87 |
|
Total number of sick days taken by employees |
6,526.03 |
7,042.75 |
5,564.14 |
4,268.44 |
|
Average total sick days taken per employee |
11.37 |
13.08 |
10.56 |
8.6 |
|
Median overall sick days per employee |
20.41 |
28 |
24 |
19 |
597. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will list the regulators which are accountable to his Department; the administrative cost of operating each regulator in 2012; the accommodation costs and the number of staff employed; the total income and expenditure in 2012 for each regulator; his plans to amalgamate some regulatory offices and to amalgamate some regulatory processes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29429/13]
View answerThere are a number of bodies under the aegis of my Department which have regulatory functions. These include:
- The Road Safety Authority has responsibility for a range of road safety regulatory functions.
- The National Transport Authority which now includes the function of taxi regulation.
- The Railway Safety Commission is charged with oversight of the safety of railway activities in the State.
- Fáilte Ireland is responsible for the regulation and registration of certain types of tourist accommodation e.g. hotels, guest houses and caravan and camping parks
- The Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) regulates airport charges and air traffic control charges at Irish airports
- The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) carries out regulatory functions relating to the safety and technical aspects of civil aviation.
The Government's Public Sector Reform Plan lists a number of bodies under the aegis of my Department to be rationalised and these rationalisations are all being progressed. In relation to the IAA and CAR, I plan to amalgamate the regulatory functions carried out by these two agencies by the end of 2014.
With regard to the number of staff employed and income and expenditure for 2012, these are available from the Annual Reports of those agencies which are laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas once they have been approved by the Government. In relation to accommodation costs, I have forwarded the Deputy's query to the agencies referred to above for direct reply. If an answer has not been received within ten working days, please contact my private office.
