Written Answers Nos. 596-613
596. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will confirm that there are no proposed changes to the routes currently in operation under the rural transport programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44170/13]
View answerThe National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for implementing the restructuring of the Rural Transport Programme (RTP) announced by me on 9 July 2013. The purpose of the restructuring of the RTP is to protect the provision of rural transport services into the future.
I am advised by the NTA that during the restructuring of the RTP, their priority is to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of existing RTP services, meeting the needs of those affected by social exclusion during this time of change. In this regard the NTA's focus is to move the existing RTP services into contracted services with the NTA, whether directly with the operators, or with the fleet owning groups. At the same time the NTA will examine existing contracted services to ensure that they are meeting current demands. Based on the current funding available, the NTA has no plans to modify or reduce specific services.
597. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider reintroducing some form of local improvement scheme funding in budget 2014; his views on whether suspending this scheme is yet another blow to rural Ireland; if he will take into consideration that a drainage works and surface dressing was carried out by the local authority with a contribution from residents and land owners; his views on the fact that the cost now involved makes it impossible for many families and persons to have their roads resurfaced; if his attention has been drawn to the fact there are hundreds of such roads in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44365/13]
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 from this additional funding is also a matter for the local authority.
The Local Improvements Scheme provided funding for the maintenance and improvement of private roadways which are, in the first instance, a matter for the relevant landowner.
As I'm sure the Deputy is aware, State grants available to supplement expenditure by local authorities on the maintenance of regional and local roads have been reduced significantly and further cuts are scheduled for 2014. The scale of the cuts have necessitated that some grant programmes be curtailed or ended.
In making adjustments to the regional and local roads allocations the primary aim has been, as far as is possible, to protect previous investment in the road network and use the available funding to maintain and restore public roads, including those in rural areas. Notwithstanding that, I have given local authorities the option in 2013 to use up to 7% of their Discretionary Grant on private roads if they so wish and I anticipate that this will continue into 2014. Indeed, I am open to increasing that level increased in 2014 if there is such a desire from the local authorities themselves. However I do not believe that it would be appropriate to have a separate allocation for the Local Improvement Scheme as there are divergent views amongst local authorities and local authority members as to the merits of the scheme and whether it is more appropriate that those funds be spent on public roads. Therefore, I favour giving that discretion to local authority members.
Kerry County Council were allocated €2.6 million under this grant category in 2013. Obviously, these works are entirely at the discretion of the Council. It should be remembered that individual local authorities are the responsible road authority and must prioritise works in their own area.
598. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will ensure that funding is prioritised by the National Roads Authority in 2014 to continue with works on the main street in Buttevant, County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44368/13]
View answerAs 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.
599. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of private bus operators licensed in 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013 by the National Transport Authority to convey passengers to and from concerts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44448/13]
View answerThe issue raised is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) and I have forwarded 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.
600. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if funding will be provided to local authorities to provide directional signs for local businesses affected by the construction of service stations on motorways; if the National Roads Authority will examine individual complaints and provide the signage required. [44470/13]
View answerAs 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.
601. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in relation to replies given by him regarding the concerns in relation to Ryanair safety, in respect of which he relies on statements made by the Irish Aviation Authority, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that statements regarding the safety of particular airlines are not normally issued by aviation authorities; if he will confirm that the IAA did in fact take specific actions to investigate the issues raised in the TV programme, most specifically the underlying factors contributing to an exceptional occurrence in which three aircraft from the same company declared fuel emergencies, while none of the other 19 diverting aircraft found it necessary to declare a fuel emergency; if he has been provided with any indication that the IAA formally addressed this key issue; and if he will provide reassurance that the systemic safety issues were, as a matter of fact, formally reviewed and assessed. [44480/13]
View answerThis question relates to allegations made in a Channel 4 program regarding events that occurred last year in Spain. Those events were fully investigated by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) with the co-operation of the Spanish aviation regulatory authorities in 2012. The investigation concluded that the Ryanair aircraft had complied with the strict EU fuel regulations. After the Channel program aired, the IAA issued a press release on 15 August stating that Ryanair's fuel policy complied with European regulations.
The IAA, which is a statutory body under the remit of my Department, is responsible for the safety oversight of civil aviation in the State. The IAA regulates safety standards in accordance with EU and international rules set down by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the IAA is audited by both these organisations. These audits have shown that the IAA performs its oversight functions to the highest EU and international standards and I have full confidence in their capabilities to do so.
The IAA has key statutory functions in this area and if the Deputy wishes to clarify these further she may of course do so directly with the IAA and I have asked them to respond promptly to any such queries.
602. Deputy Seán Kenny asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if Bus Éireann intends to purchase new buses for its fleet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44530/13]
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) in December 2009, matters relating to the provision of funding for replacement buses for the Bus Éireann PSO fleet comes under the remit of the NTA.
In the light of the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the Authority for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you don't receive a reply within 10 working days.
603. Deputy Seán Kenny asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps being taken to promote water sports tourism here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44531/13]
View answerThe matter raised is an operational matter for Fáilte Ireland. I have referred the Deputy's Question to Fáilte Ireland for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
604. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the abolition of the air travel tax will allow Ireland to become a major transatlantic hub, in view of its competitive position against other airports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44537/13]
View answerThe suspension of the €3 air travel tax from April next year, together with the retention of the 9% VAT rate, is primarily aimed at boosting the Irish tourism industry and local economies.
In relation to transatlantic services, capacity on these routes did increase by over 20% this summer season and a number of new services to the US West coast and Canada have already been announced for next year. These additional routes, together with preclearance facilities and the abolition of the air travel tax should serve to increase the attractiveness of Shannon and Dublin airports as transit hubs for passengers travelling to and from North America.
605. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason there was disruption to the DART service on Monday, 14 October 2013, and the steps he will take to ensure there is no repeat of same. [44555/13]
View answerThe issue raised is a matter for Irish Rail 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.
606. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding the final negotiations on financial close for the Gort-Tuam N17-N18 motorway; if this project is still a priority for his Department; the timescale he envisages for this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44570/13]
View answerAs 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.
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.
607. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the impact on services the €1 million reduction in his Department's expenditure for regional airports will have on services in these airports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44571/13]
View answerThe €1m reduction identified in the Expenditure Report 2014 relates to current expenditure for Public Service Obligation (PSO) air services between Donegal/Dublin and Kerry/Dublin and for operational expenditure supports to regional airports where the costs of providing core airport services cannot be fully met by them.
Payments for the PSO air services will not be affected as they are contractually committed up to November 2014.
The reduction in the allocation, and indeed a reduction in capital expenditure, must be considered in light of Government policy which is that the regional airports must work towards achieving viability. I have made this clear to the airports in question for some time now.
The Deputy will no doubt be aware that a Study Group is examining the position in relation to Knock Airport and that separately regional airports have provided inputs to the Aviation Policy review which is being undertaken in my Department.
These two bodies of work will assist me in assessing the impact of existing funding programmes on regional airports and in determining future policy in this regard. I expect to undertake further consultation on a draft Policy Statement in early 2014.
608. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide in tabular form the tourism programmes that will be discontinued due to his cut of €12.9 million in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44572/13]
View answerThe savings of €12.95m on current expenditure across Tourism Services in my Department's Vote in 2014 is in line with the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure programme. However, the bulk of the savings is accounted for by the absence of the additional funding of €7m in 2013 provided for the Gathering Ireland 2013. The remainder is made up of further pay and programme savings as well as operational efficiencies across the tourism agencies.
The distribution of these savings across the subheads will be decided in the coming weeks and confirmed in the Revised Estimates Volume later in the year. These allocations will then form the basis for the formulation of business plans by the tourism agencies for 2014.
609. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide in tabular form a breakdown in the reduction of expenditure of €18 million in his Department's budget for public transport contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44573/13]
View answerThe bulk of the cut of €18 million in current expenditure for public transport relates to the Public Service Obligation subvention payable to the National Transport Authority (NTA). This is in line with commitments made under the Comprehensive Expenditure Review.
The total PSO subvention payable to the NTA for 2014 will be €209.7m. (a reduction of €16.8m. from 2013). The allocation of the 2014 subvention, including the amount payable to the three CIÉ subsidiaries, will be decided by the NTA in accordance with their PSO contracts with the companies. The CIE Group Business Plan has already factored in the expected cut in PSO subvention in 2014. The CIE Group has negotiated improved bank facilities in relation to re-financing of the Group, which will ensure that it has sufficient funding into the future.
The remainder of the reduction (€1.2m) relates to payments to the Railway Procurement Agency, Railway Safety Commission and the NTA. Efficiencies in operational costs of the transport agencies will produce the savings identified.
610. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide in tabular form the breakdown in the €46.5 million in cuts relating to his Department's road budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44574/13]
View answerThe €46.5m referred to by the Deputy is broken down in the Table.
|
Savings Amount |
Explanation |
|
€41.279m |
Reduction in current expenditure on regional and local roads |
|
€2.6m |
Based on contractual operational payments due to PPP operators in 2014 |
|
€2.6m |
Based on projected NRA running costs |
611. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the impact the €3.1 million reduction in funding for the Irish Sports Council will have; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44575/13]
View answerThe difficult economic situation is having an impact on public spending across all sectors of society and spending on sport is no different. The cut in the budget for the Irish Sports Council for 2014 currently stands at around €3.1m but I hope to be able to alleviate that somewhat through adjustments in the Vote of my own Department. However I will have to see the details of the Council's proposals before doing so. Given the very limited resources available to me, I need to be satisfied that any funding I can reallocate from other uses will deliver a very substantial additional benefit for sport.
I would point out to the Deputy that the total Sports budget will go up from €74.6m to €93.5m, which is a substantial increase of over 25%. This increase will enable us to launch another round of the Sports Capital Programme and commence work on the long outstanding Indoor Arena at the National Sports Campus. This is welcome news for community sports clubs across the country and will increase participation in sports. Clubs will be able to apply for essential works like new changing rooms, pitches, lighting and other projects for the second time since this Government took office. It will also mean that we will be able to fund regional projects as happened with the last programme.
This increased funding for sports comes at a time when there are many calls on limited Government resources and demonstrates the Government's commitment to sport and its understanding of its value both to the economy and the health of the nation.
612. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the impact the €0.9 million reduction in funding for the rural transport programme will have; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44576/13]
View answerThe budget allocation for the Rural Transport Programme (RTP) in 2014 is €9.446 million which includes €950k in Community Service Programme funding transferred from the Department of Social Protection Vote. The 2013 RTP allocation is €9.633 million which includes a one-off €500k to support the restructuring of the Programme announced by me on 9 July 2013. Therefore, the underlying decrease in RTP funding in 2014 over 2013 is in line with the Comprehensive Expenditure Review reductions for Exchequer funded public transport services.
The figure of 0.9m in the Expenditure Report 2014 under the heading ‘Others’, is used to capture all the proposed savings under €1m – and the amount is a balancing figure – with the RTP given as an example rather than representing the full amount.
The purpose of the restructuring of the RTP is to protect the provision of rural transport services into the future. The new model for the delivery of rural transport services involving the establishment of 18 Transport Co-ordination Units in place of the existing 35 RTP Groups, will allow for the maximising of spend on services and the reduction of administration costs, thereby ensuring that the resources available are dedicated to the greatest extent possible to the provision of transport services to those in rural communities who need them. The NTA has advised there will be no changes to service levels throughout the restructuring period.
613. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide the full year effect of all expenditure reductions for his Department as set out in the expenditure report 2014 as was provided for in the expenditure report 2013. [44754/13]
View answerMy Department’s gross allocation for 2014 will be €1.58 bn. This represents a 5% reduction on the 2013 allocation.
The €75m reduction set out in the 2014 Expenditure Report is the full year impact of cuts on the current expenditure side of my Department's Vote. This is in line with commitments made under the Comprehensive Expenditure Review. As set out in the Expenditure Report, the cuts are spread across a number of my Department’s programmes, including the subventions to Regional Airports, public transport PSO contracts, regional and local roads maintenance programmes among others. The cuts will naturally impact on the prioritisation of funding under the relevant spending programmes. The precise distribution and implications of these cuts will be confirmed in Revised Estimates later in the year.
