Tuesday, 10 Dec 2013

Written Answers Nos. 561-576

Driver Safety

Questions (561)

Jim Daly

Question:

561. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if part-time bus drivers are subject to a specific directive regarding their working hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52523/13]

Written answers

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

The working time rules applicable to all bus drivers, full-time or part-time, depend on whether or not the drivers concerned come within the scope of Regulation (EC) 561/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 on the harmonisation of certain social legislation relating to road transport, and are therefore required to use a tachograph when operating.   

If the drivers are within scope of Regulation (EC) 561/2006, their driving and resting times are further regulated by Directive 2002/15/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2002 on the organisation of the working time of persons performing mobile road transport activities. This Directive was transposed into Irish law by the European Communities (Road Transport) (Organisation of Working Time of Persons Performing Mobile Road Transport Activities) Regulations 2012, S.I. No. 36 of 2012.   The Road Safety Authority has published a guide about the requirements of Directive 2002/15/EC, which can be downloaded from the RSA website at www.rsa.ie.  

Bus drivers who are not subject to the above legislation are, however, subject to the working time rules specified in the Organisation of Working Time Acts. The rules relating to working time specified in the Organisation of Working Time Acts are a matter for the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. 

Driving Test Regulations

Questions (562)

Dara Calleary

Question:

562. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if any assistance is available for persons with reading and writing difficulties when sitting their driver theory test; the criteria for applying for assistance in the event that it is available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52557/13]

Written answers

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

The driver theory test is provided by an outside contractor on behalf of the Road Safety Authority.  It is my understanding that people who have special needs can contact the Driver Theory Service in advance of their tests, and arrangements can be made to accommodate them.

Community Involvement Scheme

Questions (563)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

563. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will allow county council allocations to contribute to the 20% local contribution for 2014 community involvement schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52621/13]

Written answers

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

My Department launched a pilot Community Involvement Scheme (CIS) earlier this year for works on regional and local roads.  The scheme is aimed at works on local roads which would usually only be considered for funding towards the end of a Council’s road programme after more heavily trafficked routes had been dealt with.  This is a voluntary scheme and is based on community contributions within the range of 20% to 50%.  

The uptake on the Community Involvement Scheme is currently being assessed for its potential to continue beyond 2013. However, should I decide to continue the scheme, County Councillor Allowances (CCAs) would not be considered eligible as a local contribution, as this would mean that all the funds for the project were coming from either the central exchequer or local authority resources and no community contribution was being made.

Sports Capital Programme Administration

Questions (564)

Seán Fleming

Question:

564. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to allocate a new round of funding under the sports capital programme from national lottery funds in 2014; the month in which he expects the applications for the next round of funding to be opened; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52705/13]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Deputy Michael Ring)

Departmental officials are currently working on the details of a new round of the Sports Capital Programme. I hope to be in a position to make an announcement before the end of the year.

A new portal has been developed on the Department's website which must be used by organisations to register, to apply for funding (when the Programme is open for applications) and to manage the draw down of any new grants allocated after 2013. Any interested organisation should register on www.sportscapitalprogramme.ie.

Rail Network

Questions (565)

Seán Kenny

Question:

565. Deputy Seán Kenny asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will contact the chief executive officer of Iarnród Éireann regarding the date on which the new direction and additional information signs will be installed at Howth Junction-Donaghmede DART station; when works will commence on same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52720/13]

Written answers

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

 As 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, the implementation and development of infrastructure projects in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), such as the installation of direction and information signage at DART stations, comes under the remit of the NTA.  

Noting this I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA.  Please advise my private office if you don't receive a reply within10 working days.

Departmental Expenditure

Questions (566)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

566. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide a breakdown of the annual infrastructure and capital expenditure by his Department on a regional basis and a county basis over the past five years. [52806/13]

Written answers

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

The capital expenditure budget for my Department is broken down into 5 main programmes. Expenditure on these programmes over the past five years is set out in table following.  

The National Roads Authority is responsible for the national roads programme and I have asked the NRA to provide the Deputy with relevant information on the roads programme over the period in question.

Details of grant payments to county councils under the Regional and Local Roads programme are outlined in the regional and local road grant payment booklets which are available in the Dáil Library.

This Department provides funding to both Iarnród Éireann and the National Transport Authority (NTA) for public transport infrastructure projects and programmes. This funding is not provided on a regional or county basis, instead it is provided for these specific projects and programmes. Many of these programmes, such as the Railway Safety Programme, relate to the entire network. Noting this, I have referred the Deputy’s Question to both the NTA and Iarnród Éireann for direct reply.

 Details on Sports Capital Programme allocations in 2012 and in previous years are available on my Department's website,  http://www.dttas.ie/sport/english/sports-capital-programme-payments .

 My Department also provides capital funding for regional airports, the harbours programme and the Irish Coast Guard SAR helicopters, I will forward details of the allocations over the last five years under these programmes .

  Under the tourism programme, the funding provided for this purpose is voted by the Oireachtas for the use of Fáilte Ireland. I have asked Fáilte Ireland to reply to the Deputy directly with the information sought.

Programme	2008(€000)	2009(€000)	2010(€000)	2011(€000)	2012(€000)
Aviation	9,024	4,715	1,290	4,751	4,012
Maritime Transport	7,631	7,245	19,669	15,740	10,574
Land Transport	2,963,891	2,373,749	2,039,678	1,425,615	1,155,274
Sports	185,675	75,764	58,962	33,607	24,999
Tourism	15,670	6,461	11,000	15,790	21,000

Noting the above position,  please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.

Road Projects

Questions (567)

Tony McLoughlin

Question:

567. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if funding for the N4 carriageway between Collooney and Castlebaldwin in County Sligo has been identified by his Department beyond the publication of documents and submission to An Bord Pleanála currently under way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52835/13]

Written answers

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

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.  

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.

SPSV Licence Issues

Questions (568)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

568. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding the transfer of a hackney service licence in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52839/13]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Deputy Alan Kelly)

The only vehicle licences that can be transferred to another person in the small public service vehicles (SPSV) sector are licences for standard taxis.

Section 14 of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013, upon commencement, will provide for a prohibition on the transfer of all SPSV taxi licences. The underlying principle for the prohibition on transfer is that a licence should determine a person’s suitability to carry out a function and it should not have monetary value or be traded on the open market. However, an exception to the prohibition on transfer in limited circumstances upon the death of an SPSV licence holder has been provided for under Section 15 in the Act.

Public Transport Issues

Questions (569)

Dan Neville

Question:

569. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding a bus service (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52853/13]

Written answers

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

The provision of public transport services are operational matters for the relevant transport provider in conjunction with the National Transport Authority (NTA), which is the licensing and regulatory body for public transport.  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.

Question No. 570 answered with Question No. 551.

Penalty Points System

Questions (571)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

571. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of penalty points issued for each month since January 2011; and separately to detail their issue by county. [52875/13]

Written answers

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (Deputy Leo Varadkar)

The following tabular statements provide details of the number of Penalty Points Issued by Month and Licensing Authority in the period January 2011 - November 2013.  "No Driver Number"  on the statements represent drivers whose recorded details did not match a driving licence number on the National Vehicle and Driver File database e.g. Northern Irish or overseas licences. This particular problem is being addressed in the Road Traffic (No.2) Bill 2013, which is currently at Committee Stage in the Dáil, which, if enacted, will allow for penalty points to be applied against Northern Irish or overseas licences.

2011

Licensing Authority	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
Carlow	131	249	393	246	361	300	234	375	237	250	296	330	3,402
Cavan	94	169	315	226	511	458	338	353	221	256	325	265	3,531
Clare	477	639	912	705	1,050	720	688	725	458	481	551	657	8,063
Cork	797	1,375	2,366	1,914	2,512	1,648	1,516	2,021	1,735	1,843	1,977	1,660	21,364
Donegal	289	270	417	526	771	331	310	1,013	548	371	344	596	5,786
Galway	403	624	1,289	1,028	1,293	805	892	831	641	594	848	932	10,180
Kerry	534	488	473	422	687	445	510	564	422	463	580	486	6,074
Kildare	754	1,003	1,387	816	1,037	905	1,230	1,454	1,118	1,090	1,084	1,123	13,001
Kilkenny	294	428	604	478	527	343	427	502	315	317	418	320	4,973
Laois	299	198	261	164	249	206	277	361	255	212	271	186	2,939
Leitrim	36	34	98	94	188	125	87	173	136	95	113	111	1,290
Limerick	619	627	708	641	914	671	549	1,171	728	663	653	564	8,508
Longford	99	182	198	100	204	192	169	223	168	180	241	222	2,178
Louth	357	458	651	351	361	210	384	568	472	497	542	409	5,260
Mayo	194	347	444	370	598	420	337	382	273	252	439	443	4,499
Meath	396	668	1,167	814	958	693	839	1,078	801	801	962	968	10,145
Monaghan	105	191	193	133	230	174	151	201	145	209	204	126	2,062
North Tipperary	156	235	364	246	319	216	253	305	369	203	288	207	3,161
Offaly	183	197	367	219	326	244	251	349	243	262	345	283	3,269
Roscommon	103	141	240	255	359	384	239	294	193	238	600	393	3,439
Sligo	94	85	115	125	428	268	221	378	331	281	264	224	2,814
South Tipperary	204	265	447	331	388	276	267	476	319	255	321	281	3,830
Waterford	170	270	387	269	399	391	353	302	191	231	278	170	3,411
Westmeath	214	302	458	292	409	280	328	415	333	334	395	342	4,102
Wexford	389	375	635	621	849	654	565	715	490	719	675	673	7,360
Wicklow	459	586	684	575	866	649	708	1,037	553	598	874	782	8,371
Dublin City Council	2,679	3,532	5,270	3,934	6,153	4,321	4,517	5,195	3,473	4,617	6,384	6,534	56,609
Limerick City Council	150	260	294	265	387	242	247	331	199	178	184	202	2,939
Waterford City Council	192	212	269	205	274	225	234	248	115	181	220	210	2,585
No Driver Number	2,358	3,300	4,511	3,490	4,532	3,334	3,310	4,096	2,516	3,519	3,821	3,632	42,419
Month Total	13,229	17,710	25,917	19,855	28,140	20,130	20,431	26,136	17,998	20,190	24,497	23,331	257,564

2012

Licensing Authority	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
Carlow	156	150	170	191	167	171	260	187	169	304	193	312	2,430
Cavan	251	201	238	266	194	170	272	186	161	248	171	185	2,543
Clare	629	650	503	669	672	538	897	529	368	576	429	682	7,142
Cork	1,457	1,755	2,020	1,941	1,800	1,620	1,877	1,572	1,907	3,367	2,150	2,424	23,890
Donegal	468	366	332	350	466	381	591	287	413	455	227	206	4,542
Galway	846	966	945	879	860	983	1,050	663	736	1,220	754	704	10,606
Kerry	489	506	419	598	410	501	482	378	325	522	317	553	5,500
Kildare	813	852	798	1,059	997	992	1,106	764	785	1,055	858	927	11,006
Kilkenny	199	248	287	356	310	289	330	230	257	449	451	785	4,191
Laois	166	165	180	212	261	340	317	164	175	281	180	294	2,735
Leitrim	109	153	242	197	128	100	268	161	160	263	116	89	1,986
Limerick	518	618	399	444	396	473	654	700	522	679	489	827	6,719
Longford	145	172	168	187	193	168	252	163	122	258	216	141	2,185
Louth	289	398	386	281	308	275	562	376	351	848	551	420	5,045
Mayo	313	404	433	390	315	331	413	245	264	543	313	308	4,272
Meath	634	630	815	774	702	625	890	586	591	1,043	817	817	8,924
Monaghan	93	120	207	161	104	107	148	94	103	165	239	155	1,696
North Tipperary	113	151	156	177	152	183	192	144	208	520	237	268	2,501
Offaly	226	256	267	279	258	260	318	187	225	325	204	223	3,028
Roscommon	305	360	430	355	210	225	368	232	215	481	355	205	3,741
Sligo	314	328	494	401	184	170	290	342	272	397	208	139	3,539
South Tipperary	258	228	210	204	220	206	291	238	208	471	334	444	3,312
Waterford	139	149	154	216	160	182	198	156	155	289	230	227	2,255
Westmeath	313	362	396	411	365	401	488	283	268	433	290	256	4,266
Wexford	531	432	425	621	465	419	455	312	330	587	431	513	5,521
Wicklow	742	689	696	513	615	689	812	518	717	856	439	521	7,807
Dublin City Council	4,185	3,910	4,127	4,867	4,616	4,462	5,625	4,221	3,877	6,163	4,393	4,663	55,109
Limerick City Council	167	174	117	143	142	135	215	177	133	216	149	197	1,965
Waterford City Council	125	107	133	213	167	130	181	77	144	237	175	118	1,807
No Driver Number	2,809	3,146	3,238	3,259	3,249	3,207	3,683	3,094	2,046	4,478	3,188	3,411	38,808
Month Total	17,802	18,646	19,385	20,614	19,086	18,733	23,485	17,266	16,207	27,729	19,104	21,014	239,071

2013

Licensing Authority	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Total
Carlow	151	158	195	178	216	161	222	241	284	252	226	2,284
Cavan	108	128	159	248	260	194	294	288	289	176	240	2,384
Clare	349	366	365	398	401	501	641	644	654	463	825	5,607
Cork	1,146	1,158	1,262	1,341	1,322	1,262	2,000	1,785	2,663	2,151	2,016	18,106
Donegal	359	307	170	179	205	221	258	159	455	637	402	3,352
Galway	453	643	669	672	672	1,026	1,079	648	844	827	711	8,244
Kerry	319	319	337	373	295	282	471	376	476	402	541	4,191
Kildare	528	646	665	927	858	622	979	783	960	695	682	8,345
Kilkenny	227	373	237	309	348	279	385	328	401	418	390	3,695
Laois	152	156	132	208	210	161	483	465	315	217	238	2,737
Leitrim	125	95	70	170	152	89	86	216	149	78	68	1,298
Limerick	323	474	497	408	329	387	922	816	771	609	666	6,202
Longford	93	115	143	149	149	175	188	223	283	152	124	1,794
Louth	188	190	187	251	280	216	575	291	240	619	385	3,422
Mayo	227	259	197	273	315	351	468	364	511	615	558	4,138
Meath	459	624	572	675	867	737	994	815	772	638	553	7,706
Monaghan	74	115	136	128	148	111	265	173	167	149	359	1,825
North Tipperary	115	129	134	177	129	150	373	323	313	236	302	2,381
Offaly	129	128	139	187	208	219	380	323	330	250	251	2,544
Roscommon	133	247	185	223	212	283	360	322	313	262	177	2,717
Sligo	170	141	91	360	318	162	182	256	326	125	122	2,253
South Tipperary	156	242	335	413	198	158	334	311	594	486	385	3,612
Waterford	145	144	168	211	141	182	321	206	397	272	397	2,584
Westmeath	169	229	191	238	249	262	362	390	770	508	359	3,727
Wexford	375	355	428	427	412	385	563	486	725	550	532	5,238
Wicklow	371	523	431	371	512	525	675	540	687	506	541	5,682
Dublin City Council	2,618	2,964	2,834	3,466	4,243	4,137	5,240	3,641	3,858	2,790	3,088	38,879
Limerick City Council	95	148	121	136	101	124	219	195	182	132	131	1,584
Waterford City Council	90	96	125	128	96	141	205	144	215	143	266	1,649
No Driver Number	2,022	2,468	2,240	2,480	2,817	2,819	3,781	2,852	2,487	3,153	2,860	29,979
Month Total	11,869	13,940	13,415	15,704	16,663	16,322	23,305	18,604	21,431	18,511	18,395	188,159

Rail Services

Questions (572)

Terence Flanagan

Question:

572. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if there are any provisions that can be made to help facilitate ease of transport for persons with a free travel pass on DART services, in a context where, if the DART station is unattended persons with a travel pass are unable to get a ticket and therefore unable to travel as they cannot pass through automated turnstile machines and many DART stations are not attended at various times throughout the day such as off-peak times when older persons are more likely to be travelling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52943/13]

Written answers

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

The issue raised is a matter for Irish Rail and I have referred the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply.  Please inform my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.

Capital Programme Expenditure

Questions (573)

Kevin Humphreys

Question:

573. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport of the €14 million in capital funding recorded as not spent under the expenditure profile at end November in the most recent analysis of gross Voted expenditure Exchequer figures, the reason for the underspend; if he will provide a breakdown of the capital projects or outlays that have not commenced as yet, as per the profile; if any of the €107.2 million in total capital carryover in Government moneys for 2012 relates to his Department; the amount of same; if it has been spent; on what it has been spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52956/13]

Written answers

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

In the Department's last expenditure report to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, a €14 million underspend was identified against the overall projected capital expenditure for end November.  Projecting capital expenditure across a variety of different capital projects and programmes over the course of a year is not an exact science and is prone to variation particularly for demand-led programmes such as the Sports Capital Programme (e.g. in short, we do not know for sure when exactly clubs or sporting bodies will draw down their grant).  In addition,planning, weather and other issues can delay construction.

The most significant underspend against profile to November was within the Public Transport Investment Programme which includes a large number of projects of varying sizes including Luas Cross City, railway safety projects, and small traffic management projects in the cities. However I expect this situation to be rectified in December and I am confident that, by year end, up to 99% of the Department's capital envelope of €945m for 2013 will be spent and  any residual amount carried forward to next year to meet requirements for projects where delays have occurred.  

My Department did not have any capital carryover from 2012 to 2013.

Regional Road Network

Questions (574)

Dara Murphy

Question:

574. Deputy Dara Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when funding will be available in respect of a junction (details supplied) in Cork city; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53035/13]

Written answers

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

As Minister for Transport, Tourism and 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. 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 Department has allocated a total of €400.5 million for regional and local roads in 2013, of which €5.19m was allocated to Cork City Council.  Within this allocation the Block Grant to the City Council comprised over €2.8 million and it was open to the Council to prioritise and complete junction enhancement works on regional or local roads under this grant.  

Railway Safety Issues

Questions (575)

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

Question:

575. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the extreme overcrowding on the Dublin-Sligo train service; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Irish Rail has reduced the number of carriages on this route; if his attention has been drawn to the dangers of such overcrowding; his plans for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53044/13]

Written answers

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

Yes, my attention has been drawn to the matter. While the issue raised is a matter for Iarnród Éireann in conjunction with the National Transport Authority, I have been in contact with the company in relation to the matter. Iarnród Éireann has indicated that it is in the process of implementing new energy saving fleet utilisation initiatives on its DART and Intercity services to generate fuel savings, which will reduce fuel and maintenance costs by €3.2m per annum.  Concerns about overcrowding have been raised with the Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann and I understand that the company has already responded and re-introduced larger carriages to accommodate passengers where this has been considered necessary.  The Chief Executive has agreed to continuous monitoring of carriage levels on both DART and Intercity services to ensure they match passenger demand.  

I have also been advised by the Railway Safety Commission (RSC) that it has received an increased number of public representations relating to crowding and the matter will be discussed further with Iarnród Éireann at their next scheduled supervision meeting.  Additionally, RSC Inspectors will undertake some monitoring of Intercity train services over the coming weeks.

Charities Regulation

Questions (576)

Billy Timmins

Question:

576. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount of funding that his Department gives to Irish charities; the name of each organisation that receives funding; the amount of funding each organisation receives; the number that are open and transparent regarding salaries; and the steps he is taking to deal with non-disclosures. [53555/13]

Written answers

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

The funding of Irish Charities is not a function of my Department. However through the Sports Capital Programme, funding is provided to sports, voluntary and community organisations, some of which would have charitable status, to assist with the provision of sports infrastructure and towards the purchase of sports equipment.  None of this funding may be applied to salaries.  My Department also provides grants to some organisations such as the Community Rescue Boats, Irish Cave Rescue and Mountain Rescue Ireland which includes various regional Mountain Rescue Teams, which are all registered charities. These are all run on a voluntary basis.