Written Answers Nos. 778-801
778. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of emergency ambulances currently in service; if he will provide in tabular form, a breakdown of the total number according to the year they entered service; if he will further distinguish in that table between pods and vehicles in terms of the date they entered service and the Health Service Executive region in which they are based; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4326/14]
View answer779. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of intermediate care ambulances currently in service; if he will provide in tabular form, a breakdown of the total number according to the year they entered service; if he will further distinguish in that table between pods and vehicles in terms of the date they entered service and the Health Service Executive region in which they are based; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4327/14]
View answer780. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form, indicating the Health Service Executive region and subdivided by every 50,000 miles-80,000 km, the distances that have been travelled by emergency ambulances currently in service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4328/14]
View answer781. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form, indicating the Health Service Executive region and subdivided by every 50,000 miles-80,000 km, the distances that have been travelled by intermediate care ambulances currently in service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4329/14]
View answer782. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of rapid response vehicles currently in use in the national ambulance service; if he will provide in tabular form, a breakdown of the total number according to the year they entered service and the Health Service Executive region in which they are based; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4330/14]
View answer783. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form, indicating the Health Service Executive region and subdivided by every 50,000 miles-80,000 km, the distances that have been travelled by rapid response vehicles currently in service in such a capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4331/14]
View answer784. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if any vehicles commissioned as rapid response vehicles by the national ambulance service are not currently in use as such; if so, the number that are in use for alternative purposes; the nature of such usage; if any such usage would qualify as a benefit-in-kind; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4332/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 778 to 784, inclusive, together.
In relation to the detailed information requested by the Deputy, as these are service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to him directly.
785. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of vehicles that have been commissioned-purchased as rapid response vehicles by the national ambulance service in 2012 and 2013; the number that are currently in use; the number that are awaiting entry into service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4333/14]
View answer786. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of emergency ambulances that were decommissioned by the Health Service Executive national ambulance service in 2012 and 2013; the number of new emergency ambulances that were acquired in the same years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4334/14]
View answer787. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of intermediate care ambulances that were decommissioned by the Health Service Executive national ambulance service in 2012 and 2013; the number of new intermediate care ambulances that were acquired in the same years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4335/14]
View answer788. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of rapid response vehicles that were decommissioned by the Health Service Executive national ambulance service in 2012 and 2013; the number of new rapid response vehicles that were acquired in the same years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4336/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 785 to 788, inclusive, together.
Management of the ambulance fleet is a service matter. Therefore your question has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
789. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of appointments to State boards under the remit of his Department, that were made as a result of applications made through the publicjobs.ie website in the past three years; the number of board posts that were advertised on publicjobs.ie; the number of board posts that were not advertised on the website but instead were directly appointed; and the average pay to directly appointed board members. [4595/14]
View answerIn line with Government Decision S180/20/10/1424 of 2011, relating to the advertising for expressions of interest in vacancies on State Boards, my Department, in conjunction with the Public Appointments Service, currently advertises for board vacancies as they arise, where I, as Minister for Health, have nominating rights. Appointments may not necessarily be from the applications received through the advertising process, which is also in line with the Government Decision. The first advertising campaign was launched by my Department in January 2012, and there have been 30 advertising campaigns to date.
There were some exceptions to the advertising process in 2012 and 2013. In 2012, the members of the Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal were appointed by me, on the advice of the Attorney General, as these members carry out a very specific role in relation to assessing the quantum of awards under the Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal Act. Another exception was in the case of some boards, particularly hospital boards, where the term of existing members was extended as a prudent provisional measure, to allow time for appropriate competencies required in members of these boards to be set out, given the Health Reform Programme and its impact on hospital configuration.
A protocol was devised in my Department in 2012 and agreed with the Public Appointments Service (PAS), and this is applied in relation to the process for appointments to bodies under the aegis of my Department. Notice of vacancies on boards is provided 6 months in advance of that vacancy to allow my officials consult with PAS in a timely fashion on the advertising process. It involves devising a competency assessment of candidates who express an interest in becoming a member of a board. During 2013, because of difficulties in concluding the appointments to boards that had been advertised through the PAS process, expressions of interest for membership of the Medical Council were not advertised on the PAS website, but were advertised on my Department's website.
With regard to board fees, there are four categories payable to chairpersons and directors of Non-Commercial State Agencies. The “one person one salary” principle provides that public servants acting as chairpersons or directors of state-sponsored bodies do not receive additional remuneration for undertaking such duties. Members of Boards are entitled to claim travel and subsistence as governed by the Travel and Subsistence Circulars issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Instead of the fees mentioned above, members of the Hepatitis C and HIV Compensation Tribunal are paid a briefing fee of €10,000 when they take up their appointment and a daily rate of €845.00.
The approved annual rates in respect of those Boards to which I have made appointments and where board fees are payable are:
Category - Chair - Director
1 - €29,888 - €14,963
2 - €20,520 - €11,970
3 - €11,970 - €7,695
4 - €8,978 - €5,985
The boards for which fees are currently paid to members are as follows:
Category 1 Boards
N/A
Category 2 Boards
HIQA, VHI
Category 3 Boards
Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Irish Blood Transfusion Service Board, Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, National Treatment Purchase Fund, Health Research Board, Medical Council, Mental Health Commission, National Paediatric Hospital Development Board.
Category 4 Boards
Health & Social Care Professionals Council (Chair only), Health Insurance Authority.
It should also be noted that existing board members, and members appointed in the future are given the option to waive the related board fee on a discretionary basis.
Information will be provided as quickly as possible to the Deputy on the actual number of appointments from March 2011 to December 2013, where I as Minister have nominating rights, number of positions publicly advertised and the number of posts not advertised, but directly appointed by me or my predecessor.
790. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Health the level of pro bono work provided by legal, accountancy and consulting firms in the past 24 months to his Department; which of those firms have also been awarded State contracts by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4609/14]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is not readily available within my Department. The information will be compiled and forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
791. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a list of the top 20 consulting firms engaged by his Department, including public bodies, in order of fee generation-cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4622/14]
View answerHaving clarified the timeframe of the request with the Deputy, the information requested is not immediately available within my Department. The information is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
792. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when a disabled driver's permit will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3807/14]
View answerOn the basis of an agreement reached with my Department some years ago Disabled Parking Permits are issued on behalf of my Department by the Irish Wheelchair Association and the Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland and I have no function in the matter.
The bodies concerned should be contacted directly in relation to the application mentioned in the Deputy's question.
793. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the progress that has been made in the development of an international aviation services centre in Shannon; when new employment will materialise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4202/14]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the Government has decided to establish a new commercial State company, Shannon Group plc, comprising Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) and a restructured Shannon Development. One of the aims of this new entity will be to promote the expansion and development of a broadly-based aviation industry cluster in and around Shannon airport. My Department, in conjunction with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, is currently finalising a Bill to establish Shannon Group on a statutory basis. I expect to be in a position to publish this Bill next month.
A major success to date of the Government’s initiatives in this area is the brake that has been put on the serious passenger decline at Shannon airport. The airport was in constant decline since 2007 and it is a major achievement of the SAA, in its first year of independence, that it halted this decline and is now looking forward to new and sustainable growth at the airport this year and beyond.
Shannon Development was restructured last year in preparation for its incorporation into Shannon Group. A new board of SAA was also put in place and that board is strengthening its senior management team.
I expect that this work and the establishment of the new Shannon Group on a statutory basis will enable the expansion, over the next few years, of aviation services at Shannon as envisaged in the Task Force report.
794. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide a monthly breakdown of passenger numbers using the new train station in Oranmore, County Galway since it opened last July. [3476/14]
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.
795. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 938, 960, 961 and 962 of 15 January 2014, the total number of FTEs required to provide a 24-hour service at Malin Head coastal radio station; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3537/14]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware from earlier replies and correspondence, my Department identified a requirement for 40 Radio Officers to ensure an appropriate level of cover in the three Centres. Currently there are 38 Radio Officers (RO) across the three Centres with the service being provided with the assistance of overtime. Action is underway to fill the two remaining posts.
In order to support the durability of a staffing complement of 40 ROs and achieve necessary efficiencies, it is also intended that there will be more integrated working processes in place. This will primarily be provided by an IT platform designed to deliver interoperability between the three centres and allow greater flexibility in the manner in which the Coast Guard can undertake the tasks in the centres and respond to emergencies. Work is also advanced in procuring the necessary technologies aimed at delivering our interoperability requirements.
Specifically in relation to the Malin Coast Guard Centre, there are currently 12 Radio Officer posts assigned to that Centre. With improved interoperability between the three centres, a 24 hour service can be maintained with overall staffing levels of 40 ROs.
796. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider a derogation for trailer loads of straw and hay from the current 4.65 m height restriction on trailers which is having a huge impact on the transportation of fodder for farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3548/14]
View answerStatutory Instrument 366 of 2008 - Road Traffic (Construction and Use of Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations, 2008 sets the maximum vehicle height limit at 4.65 metres. Following a public consultation undertaken prior to the completion of the Regulations, it was agreed that a five year derogation from that limit would apply to vehicles registered, licensed or in use prior to 1 November 2008. The derogation, which expired on the 31st October last, was introduced in order to allow a five year period within which vehicles operating at heights in excess of the new statutory limit could be withdrawn from use in Ireland.
Following the expiry of the derogation, specific concerns were raised with me by the agri-sector in relation to the effect that the 4.65 metre maximum vehicle height restriction would have on the cost of transporting fodder. This is an issue to which I am giving further consideration.
797. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide in tabular form the number of JobBridge interns taken on in County Louth in his Department from September 2013 until January 2014. [3614/14]
View answerThe Department did not engage any JobBridge interns between September 2013 and January 2014.
798. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will investigate the possibility of creating a low-tide walkway and mountain-bike trail from Ringsend to Blackrock, along the seashore at low tide (detail supplied). [3664/14]
View answerThe National Transport Authority (NTA) is responsible for the provision of public and sustainable transport infrastructure, including walkways, in the Greater Dublin Area.
The NTA provides funding to local authorities for a range of schemes to benefit walkers and cyclists, including the provision of infrastructure, under the Sustainable Transport Management Grants Programme.
Accordingly, I have forwarded your Question to the NTA for direct reply. If you do not receive a response within ten working days, please notify my private office.
799. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the problems being faced by many driver licence applicants due to the limited times at which the Omni Centre National Driver Licensing Service office is willing to process applications (details supplied). [3720/14]
View answerThe new National Driver Licensing Service is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority (RSA). I have forwarded your request to the RSA for direct reply. If a reply has not been received within ten days, please contact my private office.
800. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the efforts being made to reinstate domestic flights from Dublin to Cork; if he will restore this service in view of the fact that new services to the US, Canada and the Middle East are scheduled from Dublin airport during 2014 and it is essential that Cork and its hinterland can benefit from seamless onward connections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3729/14]
View answer815. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps being taken by the board of Cork Airport to develop a route between Cork and Dublin Airports to ensure adequate connectivity for the Cork area to the growing number of routes in Dublin Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4056/14]
View answer816. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider establishing a PSO route for air services between Cork Airport and Dublin Airport in view of the need for air connectivity between the country's two largest cities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4098/14]
View answer817. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps he is taking to ensure that Cork Airport is assisted to grow to its full potential in the coming years as the economy begins to improve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4104/14]
View answer818. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider the strategic importance of Cork Airport to the development of the west Cork economy noting in particular the reliance of west Cork on tourism; the steps he will take to ensure that any future plans to develop the airport will ensure adequate input from the west Cork area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4105/14]
View answer819. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the offer from Ryanair to take over the old terminal building at Cork Airport to develop a hub; if he has discussed this proposal with the board of Cork Airport; if he is satisfied that the proposal has considerable merit and is being considered by the board of the airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4106/14]
View answer820. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps being taken by the board of Cork Airport to attract new routes to the airport; if he is satisfied with the level of growth being achieved by the airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4107/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 800 and 815 to 820, inclusive, together.
As the Deputies will be aware, both Dublin and Cork Airports are owned and managed by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) which operates under a clear commercial mandate. The development of Cork Airport, the promotion of new routes at the Airport and the issue of air links between the two airports, are matters for DAA and Cork Airport management and are not matters in which I have a direct role, although I am willing to be supportive in any way that I can.
With regard to the establishment of a PSO route, the Deputies will be aware that in 2011 the Government reduced the number of routes covered by PSO air services to two, Donegal and Kerry, in line with the recommendations of the Value for Money Review of Exchequer Expenditure on the Regional Airports Programme. This Review took account of a number of factors including the performance of the services, the requirement to make best use of scarce Exchequer resources as well as improvements in alternative transport modes and changes in EU legislation covering PSO services. Any such PSO service would require EU approval that is far from certain and therefore, it is not my intention to revisit this decision in relation to the Cork to Dublin route.
I understand that Cork Airport management has ongoing discussions and dialogue with Ryanair on the development of new routes and services. I am pleased to note that Ryanair increased its business there by almost 30% in 2013. There is adequate capacity to handle any such expansion in the existing terminal. I also understand that the question of the use of the old terminal does not arise as it has been decommissioned for use as an airport terminal.
I am of course conscious of the importance of Cork Airport in the development of the economy of the region as a whole, in particular, tourism. This is one of the reasons why DAA are now in the process of establishing a Development Council for Cork Airport. This Council will provide for strong engagement with, and alignment among, key stakeholders in the Cork region and will serve to foster a common understanding, particularly at local level, of issues of concern, potential opportunities for growth and the operating performance of the airport. I hope the Council will be successful in its work as a vibrant Cork Airport will ultimately benefit both Cork and the wider region.
801. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide the necessary funding to address a dangerous lag in the vicinity of a person's house (details supplied) in County Kerry; if he will request the Road Safety Authority to immediately investigate this health and safety issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3805/14]
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 (including maintenance projects on national roads) 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.
