Written Answers Nos. 1186-1203
1186. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide, in tabular form, the commitments in the programme for Government within his remit; if the commitments have been met or are in the process of being met; the estimated time for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34688/13]
View answerMy Department's Statement of Strategy 2011- 2014 contains in Appendix 3 a table of the commitments in the Programme for Government which fall under remit of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. The Government reports annually on progress with the Programme for Government. The 2013 report was published in March 2013 and is available on the Department of the Taoiseach's website.
Progress continues to be made in delivering on the commitments. My Department is collating the up-to-date position on each commitment under my remit and I will publish the current status on the Department's website when completed.
1187. 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 and communications consultants and organisations used by organisations or agencies within the remit of 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. [34704/13]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is a matter for the agencies themselves. I have forwarded the query to the agencies for direct reply. If you do not receive a reply within 10 working days please contact my private office.
1188. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to detail the funding options available for North Kildare Cricket Club which wishes to construct a bowling green in the near future for both membership and tourism purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34709/13]
View answerThe Sports Capital Programme is the Government’s primary vehicle for supporting the development of sports facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment. All funding available under the 2012 Sports Capital Programme has been allocated and no decision has been made on the timing of the next round of the Programme. No application was received from the organisation referred to by the Deputy.
It may be possible for the club to raise funds via the Tax Relief for Donations to Certain Sports Bodies’ Scheme (section 847A of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997). This is a Revenue operated scheme which offers tax benefits to individuals or companies who make donations to the club. Further details on this scheme and how it operates can be found on the Revenue Commissioners' website.
I am informed by Fáilte Ireland that the Tourism Capital Investment Programme is currently closed and new applications are not being accepted at this time.
1189. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to set out the minimum and maximum fine or reprimand for a driver caught driving without insurance. [34721/13]
View answerThe use of a mechanically propelled vehicle without motor insurance is an offence under Section 56 of the Road Traffic Act, 1961, as amended. The maximum fine on summary conviction is €5,000, with the actual amount being at discretion of the judge hearing the case. In addition to the fine, where the judge intends applying a consequential disqualification following conviction, penalty points are not applied. The minimum disqualification is for a period of 1 year. Otherwise, 5 penalty points will be endorsed on the person's licence record following conviction.
1190. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 547 of 10th July 2012, if he will consider introducing a pilot scheme for partial footpath parking in a particular location as a trial. [34723/13]
View answerAs I explained to the Deputy in my response to the question referred to, there are sound arguments against allowing partial parking on pavements. The key concerns are: that footpaths are provided for the safety of pedestrians and to segregate vulnerable road users from passing or parking traffic on the roadway; that footpaths are not constructed to the same specifications as roads and are not built to bear the weight of vehicles; and that pavement parking, if allowed in some areas, could become a matter of habit for many people and difficult to restrict to the areas where it is legally permitted. As all of these concerns would still apply, whether or not a pilot scheme was carried out, I do not have plans to carry out such a scheme in the foreseeable future.
1191. Deputy Seán Kenny asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will request Tourism Ireland to have a major advertisement campaign on billboards in major ferry ports, airports, train stations and bus stations in the US; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34915/13]
View answerTourism Ireland is responsible for the overseas promotion of Ireland as a tourist destination and decisions on the type of advertising used are entirely operational matters for the agency itself. I have no role in such day-today decisions as they are best made by the staff on the ground having regard to the overall priorities set out in Tourism Ireland's Business Plan. Accordingly, I have referred the Deputy's question to the agency for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
1192. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has sought and received legal advice outside the Office of the Attorney General; the number of times advice was sought per year in 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013; the costs of outside legal advice per year in 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34990/13]
View answerMy Department has obtained legal advice outside the Office of the Attorney General 9 times in 2011 at a cost of €19,862; 17 times in 2012 at a cost of €19,088; and 8 times to date in 2013 at the cost of €39,391.
1193. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to outline the number of meetings held with rural transport companies and the other consultations that were held prior to the announcement of changes to the rural transport programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35010/13]
View answerSince my appointment as Minister of State for Public and Commuter Transport, I have personally met and visited a large number of Rural Transport Programme (RTP) groups. I have also met with the Rural Transport Network (RTN).
In addition the National Transport Authority (NTA) who took over national responsibility for the RTP on 1 April 2012 and were responsible for preparing the options for restructuring have engaged in a consultation process with the RTN. They attended the AGM of the RTN in Portlaoise on 4 October 2012. Following on from this they met with the RTN on 25 October and provided the Network with a presentation on the foundation for the drafting of a restructuring plan for the RTP.
Subsequently, as part of the ongoing consultative process, the NTA met with the Network five times during 2013, on 28 January, 28 February, 15 April, 7 May and 18 June. At the meeting of 15 April 2013, the NTA and RTN mutually agreed to establish three Working Groups as part of the restructuring process with a further Working Group agreed on by both parties at the meeting of 7 May - I attended part of this meeting. The Groups are due to commence work relating to the implementation of the restructuring over the summer.
The Department and the NTA have also met and consulted with the County and City Managers Association and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.
1194. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will direct persons in Bus Éireann if they have suspicion of corruption in Bus Éireann to inform the Garda of such and publish the organisation's guidelines in respect of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35101/13]
View answerEmployees and directors of Bus Éireann are required to comply with relevant provisions of the Ethics in Public Office Act, 1995 and the Standards in Public Office Act, 2001 and a copy of the Code of Business Ethics for Employees and Directors is available on the company's website. If the Deputy is aware of specific details of possible corruption he should make these known to the company and-or the Garda. I have also referred 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.
1195. Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures he has taken to date in 2013 to protect the regional road network nationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35105/13]
View answer1196. Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures he has taken to date in 2013 to protect the local road network nationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35106/13]
View answer1198. Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to outline his plans for the protection of the regional and local road networks nationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35108/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1195, 1196 and 1198 together.
The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for each local authority.
Earlier this year I announced that just over €350 million was being allocated to local authorities under the regional and local road grants investment programme. More recently I announced an additional €50 million for works on regional and local roads under the Government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan, bringing the total funding available for regional and local roads this year to just over €400 million.
My Department and local authorities are working closely to develop new more efficient ways of delivering the best outputs possible with the funding available to them. Given the likely continued squeeze on Exchequer funding this concentration on efficiency is essential to achieve the best outturns for the limited money available. In this regard, I have provided local authorities additional flexibility this year by allowing councils to transfer resources into their discretionary grant. In addition my Department has been working with local authorities to implement a pavement management system to link pavement distress to treatment options. I have been encouraging local authorities, as the bodies responsible for the maintenance and repair of roads, to utilise this system to its full capabilities.
My Department also commenced a pilot community involvement scheme whereby the local community can contribute to works in money or in kind. This scheme is available to give local communities the opportunity to have these works completed where they would not normally be considered for funding. It is also important to reiterate that the role of Exchequer grants for regional and local roads is to supplement local authorities in their spending in this area.
1197. Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to his announcement of the 5 June 2013 whereby an additional €50,000,000 for the repair and restoration of regional and local roads was issued, if he is confident that each local authority will prioritise works over the summer and autumn months to repair and restore the roads most in need of repair work in the first instance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35107/13]
View answerThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for each local authority.
Local authorities have been provided an additional €50 million in funding under the Restoration Improvement Scheme for County Councils and Block Grant for City Councils. Each county council has set out a 4 year multi-annual plan of prioritised works for completion. These plans have been set by the local engineers and approved by the elected members. The additional funding being provided will enable some works which were scheduled to take place in 2014 to be brought forward and completed this year. It is also open to local authorities to include roads which are now in urgent need of repair but were not on the original programme. While this additional allocation is to be directed primarily to surface restoration works, if the council considers that there are particular safety schemes that need to be progressed urgently some of the additional funding may be allocated to such schemes.
Insofar as is practical and prudent, I am happy to give local authorities discretion on their roads budget and that was what I sought to do in this instance. Local authority members are best placed to assess and prioritise where funding should be directed in their area.
1199. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 562 of 9th July 2013 the number of notifications given to his Department when civilian aircraft on non-EU commercial, civilian flights applied for authorisation traffic rights when carrying Heads of State or Heads of Government from other nations in the past five years; the number that have been approved and rejected; if he will provide in tabular form, the nations involved and the date of each landing here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35143/13]
View answerAs mentioned in my response to Question No. 562 on 9 July 2013, non-EU civilian aircraft engaged in fuel-technical stops in Ireland or over flying Ireland are not required to notify or seek any authorisation from my Department. Technical notifications to the Irish Aviation Authority are of course required for air traffic control purposes.
If such an aircraft is landing in Ireland for the purposes of loading or unloading people or cargo it does require authorisation from my Department. While in some instances the airline may inform my Department if a Head of State is one of the passengers on such a flight, the identity of passengers is not required for such authorisations. On this basis the Department does not have the information sought in the Deputy's question.
1200. Deputy Seán Kenny asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when Dublin Bus is due to receive 80 additional buses; the extra routes that will be added when the buses come into service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35150/13]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. Following the establishment of the National Transport Authority (NTA) on 1 December 2009, the provision of public transport infrastructure and services in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), such as the purchase of new buses, comes under the remit of the NTA. In the light of this I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
1201. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will replace a Bus Éireann shelter in Rathmore, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35187/13]
View answerThe issue of bus stop improvement is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) in conjunction with the relevant transport provider and I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
1202. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport following on from the decision to reduce the VAT rate from 13 % to 9% and the significance of this reduction to the tourism sector here and the very positive implications it has had on the industry in creating and maintaining jobs, giving value for money (details supplied), if he will support the calls to keep the VAT rate at 9% and ensure that Ireland has a strong and competitive tourism industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35188/13]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I am very conscious that the tourism and hospitality industry would like to see the 9% rate continued through 2014 and beyond. I am supportive of retaining a reduced rate, but that can only be justified on the basis of clear evidence of the impact of the reduction.
As the Deputy is aware, taxation policy is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Finance and any proposals to maintain the 9% rate into 2014 will have to be considered in the context of Budget 2014.
