Written Answers Nos. 405-419
405. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which it might be possible to use the success of The Gathering as means for expanding the tourism sector in future years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55076/13]
View answerI refer the Deputy to my response to question number 13 and 30 of the 19th December 2013.
406. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which major arterial routes such as the M50 continues to be adequate to cater for their current volume of traffic with particular reference to the need to achieve best practice in respect of health and safety standards and journey times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55077/13]
View answer408. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the degree to which the major road networks such as the M50, M7, M9, M1, M3, M4 and M11 are currently adequate to cater for their respective volumes of traffic with particular reference to the most densely populated areas and at locations at which they merge; if he has in mind any specific proposals in this regard for the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55079/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 406 and 408 together.
The planning, design and implementation of individual national 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 questions to the NRA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you don’t receive a reply within 10 working days.
407. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he expects to follow a particular policy strategy in the future in regard to the respective roles of Aer Lingus and Ryanair with the objective of providing the maximum possible number of travel options for air passengers, long and shorthaul; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55078/13]
View answerExisting aviation policy is to encourage competition in the market for long and short haul air services in and out of Irelandon policy for decades. This policy recognises that the best outcomes in terms of prices and connectivity are likely to come from a healthy competitive market with multiple airlines competing on multiple routes. Since Ryanair was first set up in the 1980s, Irish aviation policy has favoured having at least two major Irish airlines competing with each other. In addition the policy has encouraged multiple foreign airlines to also serve the Irish market. This policy has served the country and the aviation sector well.
Between them the two largest Irish airlines, Aer Lingus and Ryanair, currently provide over 80% of the seat capacity in the Irish market, thus making the competitive dynamic between these two airlines particularly important. However, increasing consolidation in the airline industry, both in Europe and globally, is likely to have implications for Irish airlines and indeed the number of foreign airlines operating in the Irish market in the future.
This issue is one of the many raised in the consultation document issued by my Department as part of the review of national aviation policy that is currently underway. The next step in that policy review will be the publication of a draft National Aviation Policy Statement early in the New Year. There will be a further opportunity for stakeholder input at that point and I expect that the final policy document will be published during the first half of 2014.
409. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he expects the tourism sector to grow over the next five years based on recent success; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55080/13]
View answerThe most recent published figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that there were over 6 million overseas visits to Ireland in the ten month period between January and October 2013 representing a 7.3% increase on the corresponding period of 2012. All of our main target overseas markets show growth levels with the number of visits from Mainland Europe up 5.6% for the first ten months of 2013; the number of visits from Great Britain was up by 5.1%; the number of visits from North America was up by 14.6% for the first ten months while there was a 14.4% increase in the number of visits from other long-haul markets. In terms of future growth, I am confident that measures such as the retention of the lower VAT rate for tourism services, the reduction of the air travel tax to zero and the increased air access to Ireland will ensure that Irish tourism continues to grow in 2014 and beyond. I recently launched the Tourism Ireland 2014 Marketing Plans which aim to grow visit numbers by a further 4% in 2014. The agency is also finalising its three year Corporate plan which will include targets for the 2014 to 2016 period. With regard to longer term policy, the Tourism Policy Review was launched on 11th September 2013 by Minister Ring and I. It was launched with the publication of an issues paper and request for submissions. The level of interest has been such that I extended the deadline for receipt of responses to the public consultation to 22 November 2013. The views raised and other relevant evidence and analysis will now be considered, feeding into the drafting of the new policy in the New Year with a view to finalising it by Easter 2014. This review will consider what types of targets are appropriate for the tourism industry in the medium to long term (i.e. visitor numbers or tourism revenue) and the appropriate levels of such targets.
410. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which tourism can be increased by way of specific incenctives for air carriers with the objective of maximising the flow of tourists through Irish airports from Europe, the US and worldwide; if it is envisaged to target specific locations for the development on tourism in this regard in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55081/13]
View answerThe market for air services in the European Union is fully liberalised and EU State Aid rules do not permit specific financial incentives for airlines.
As the Deputy will be aware, the reduction in the travel tax rate to zero that was announced as part of Budget 2014 will be effective from April 2014. This initiative is part of a process aimed at generating new airline routes into Ireland and boosting the Irish tourism industry. Thus far there has already been a very positive response from airlines, with a total of 23 new routes announced to date for 2014.
The Irish airports have attractive incentive programmes available that encourage the introduction of new routes and services. Tourism Ireland also undertakes cooperative marketing activity with carriers and airports to encourage the introduction of new services and to increase capacity on existing routes.
During the peak season in 2013 direct air capacity to the island of Ireland increased by 26.7%. Looking ahead to 2014 there is due to be a further 7% increase in direct air capacity. In relation to the US market, 2014 will also see the introduction of a year round service between San Francisco and Dublin and additional year round capacity from both Boston and New York to Shannon. This positive outlook for 2014 will help the tourist industry to build on the success of The Gathering 2013 and help further increase employment in the sector.
411. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which the development of further enhacement of motorway links, already anticipated but not progressed, is likely to take place in the future in the short and medium term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55082/13]
View answerThe planning, design and implementation of individual national 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.
412. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he intends to pursue a strategy to increase the number of visitors to this country in association with major sporting events in the racing, golf, Gaelic football, rugby, soccer and hurling calendars in the future having particular regard to success in this area in the past; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55083/13]
View answer416. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he continues to encourage the hosting of major sporting events in this jurisdiction with the objective of maximising opportunities for economic growth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55087/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 412 and 416 together.
The Programme for Government includes a commitment that event tourism will be prioritised in order to continue to bring major events to Ireland. The hosting of major sports events, both participative and spectator sports, can provide a great showcase for Ireland, drive international visitor numbers and the media coverage of sports tourism events helps to put Ireland onto travel itineraries as a holiday destination.
Accordingly I am supportive of the ongoing efforts of the Tourism Agencies and the National Governing Bodies of Sport to attract international events, subject, of course, to an assessment of the costs/benefits involved in any State financial support.
In this regard, I look forward to the Giro d'Italia and the Penn State-UCL American Football game coming to Ireland next year.
Other important sporting events take place each year, for example the GAA All-Ireland series, the Six Nations rugby and the Irish Open. Where appropriate, the tourism bodies work with these and other sporting bodies to maximise the tourism benefit of events. For example, the Irish Open receives significant support from Fáilte Ireland.
413. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he has received applications for capital grants towards major and minor sporting and or amenity projects throughout the country; the extent to which consideration is ongoing in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55084/13]
View answerI presume the Deputy is referring to the next round of the Sports Capital Programme. Departmental officials are currently working on the details of a new round of the Programme. I hope to be in a position to make an announcement shortly.
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 drawdown of any new grants allocated after 2013.
Any interested organisation should register on www.sportscapitalprogramme.ie.
414. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he continues to liaise with the stakeholders in the tourism sector with a view to future expansion and employment generation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55085/13]
View answerI am in regular contact with the stakeholders in the tourism sector, both individually and through the various representative bodies, and I am kept advised of issues of concern to the industry directly, through my Department and through the tourism agencies.
Most recently, both myself and Minister Ring invited a range of National Tourism stakeholder representatives to a meeting in Dublin on 11th December to discuss the issues being considered in the Tourism Policy Review currently being undertaken by my Department. This meeting followed up on a series of regional seminars which took place during October and November throughout the country. The views expressed at these seminars together with the submissions received in response to the Policy Review consultation document issued by my Department will be analysed before the drafting of a new tourism policy commences in the New Year. The Tourism Policy Statement, when finalised, will set out clearly my priorities for future tourism policy.
As the Deputy is aware tourism makes a very significant contribution to employment in Ireland's economy and the Government has strongly supported employment growth in the sector, in particular through the reduced VAT rate. I am heartened to see that these initiatives have had a positive impact as the most recently published figures by the CSO show that, seasonally adjusted, employment in the Accommodation and Food Services sector increased by 14,200 or 12% to 133,300 in the twelve months to the end of September 2013, which is its highest level in Quarter 3 since 2007.
415. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he continues to monitor the rail, road and air transport facilities with a view to maximising the options available to the public in terms of a coordinated and integrated transport system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55086/13]
View answerMy Department and I constantly monitor our national transport facilities to ensure that, given the resources available, they are achieving their greatest potential. In relation to maximising the options to the public in terms of an integrated and co-ordinated transport system, this is an important consideration when it comes to future decisions on transport investment. In making decisions as to future expenditure on transport, my Department has been active to ensure that a co-ordinated approach is taken and that we do not look at land, maritime or aviation transport in isolation from each other. In previous times, this was a legitimate criticism of transport investment but I believe that, in recent years, this problem has been addressed. At a European level, my Department has been and will continue to actively engage with Trans European Network for Transport (TEN-T) and to ensure it is integrated into Irish transport policy making. The TEN-T regulations set out a multi-modal transport network across the European Union and aims to ensure integration between the various modes. This multi-modal policy is supported by domestic policy such as the new National Ports Policy that I launched in March. For example the National Ports Policy's designation of Shannon-Foynes Port, Dublin Port and the Port of Cork as Ports of National Significance (Tier One) and Rosslare Europort and the Port of Waterford as Ports of National Significance (Tier Two) mirrors the TEN-T designations of these ports as Core and Comprehensive ports on the TEN-T network. These designations are then taken into account by the National Transport Authority and the National Roads Authority when decisions are then being made in terms of future planning.
Other policy work is ongoing in my Department and I expect to publish two significant new transport policy papers in 2014. An aviation policy is now approaching completion while in relation to land transport, work on developing a strategic framework for investment in land transport is on-going. Both the framework for investment and the aviation policy will help provide further clarity about transport priorities and will help to ensure that there is appropriate co-ordination and integration between the various modes. In a similar vein, the National Transport Authority have a statutory remit to develop an integrated transport plan for the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) and they are currently in the process of completing their implementation plan for transport investment in the GDA for the period to 2018.
417. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the total number of Bills that have been published by his Department since he was appointed Minister; the number and Title of those Bills which included a regulatory impact assessment in advance of publication; which regulatory impact assessments were published; the total number of promised Bills for publication; if he will list the Bills which will include a regulatory impact assessment and which regulatory impact assessments will be published before publication of the Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55135/13]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is contained in the tables. RIAs were not carried out on the National Tourism Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2011 or on the Transport (Córas Iompair Éireann and Subsidiary Companies Borrowings) Bill 2011 as neither Billl was considered to have an impact on the existing regulatory framework.
|
Bills published since 9th March 2011 |
Was RIA included? |
Was RIA published? |
|
National Tourism Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2011 |
No |
N/A |
|
Road Transport Bill 2011 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Road Traffic Bill 2011 (provision of breath and blood samples) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Road Safety Authority (Commercial Vehicles Roadworthiness) Bill 2012 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013 (impairment testing) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Taxi Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2012 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Transport (Córas Iompair Éireann and Subsidiary Companies Borrowings) Bill 2012 |
No |
N/A |
|
Names of upcoming Bills promised for publication |
Will RIA be included? |
Will RIA be published |
|
Roads Bill 2013 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Merchant Shipping (Registration of Ships) Bill |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Shannon Aviation Services and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2013 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Sport Ireland Bill |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Road Transport Bill 2014 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Regulation of Vehicle Immobilisation Bill 2013 (provide regulation for clamping industry) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Road Traffic Bill 2014 (further measures in respect of road safety) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
The Irish Aviation Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2015 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Maritime (International Conventions & Safety ) Bill |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Harbours (Amendment) Bill |
Yes |
Yes |
The National Tourism Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2011 was enabling legislation concerned with increasing the level of funding which can be provided to the National Tourism Development Authority (Fáilte Ireland) out of monies provided by the Oireachtas for capital expenditure projects. The Bill had only two heads and did not have an impact on the existing regulatory framework.
The CIE Borrowings Bill enacted in 2012 was a technical Bill to increase CIÉ’s borrowing limit for non-capital purposes to €300m. The Bill did not involve regulatory change.
418. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the total number of Irish quasi-autonomous NGOs that his Department either created or which fall under his Department's responsibility, were in existence when he became Minister and continue to exist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55151/13]
View answerThe Deputy will find a list of all agencies under the remit of my Department on the Department's website www.dttas.ie. Since my appointment as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have created no agencies. However, I have merged two - Dublin Tourism with Fáilte Ireland and Dundalk Port with Dublin Port. Additionally, I have transferred 4 Harbour Authorities to Local Authorities. A fifth harbour authority, Bantry Bay, will merge with the Port of Cork as of the 31st of December 2013.
Shannon Airport did separate from the Dublin Airport Authority on 31st December 2012 to merge with a restructured Shannon Development to form a new integrated Shannon entity in public ownership.
Coaching Ireland has been merged into Irish Sports Council. Plans are in train for the merger of Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority and for the merger of the Railway Procurement Agency and the National Roads Authority. The development of the legislation to give effect to these is at an advanced stage.
419. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the total number of chairpersons of State boards, agencies and regulators that fall under his Department's responsibility who were chairpersons when he became Minister and continue to be chairpersons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55167/13]
View answerMy Department's website contains full details of all Board appointments to agencies under my Department's remit. The database includes appointments of Chairpersons together with the dates of appointment or re-appointment as the case may be. The details can be found at http://www.dttas.ie/corporate/english/state-board-membership-and-approved-fees.
