Written Answers Nos. 602-620
602. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding the Taxi Regulation Act 2013; when it will be reviewed; his plans to deal with taxi driver safety following recent assaults; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27860/14]
View answerStatutory Instrument No. 163 of 2014 completed the commencement of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013 in April this year with the exception of section 49. The National Transport Authority (NTA) also introduced new small public service vehicle (SPSV) regulations on 7 April which introduced new measures provided for under the Act as well as consolidating and replacing the existing SPSV regulations.
I commenced the review of the taxi industry in June 2011 in line with a commitment in the Programme for Government. The review addressed a wide range of issues relating to the taxi sector, including regulatory policy and practices, licensing systems, enforcement and future dialogue with the taxi sector. The consultation on the review extended to all interested parties and there was an appropriate contribution from stakeholders, including dispatch operators, drivers, consumers and the regulatory and enforcement agencies.
The regulation of the SPSV sector is a matter for the NTA under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Act, 2013. I have no plans to undertake any further review of the sector at this time.
The recent spate of carjackings, including taxi carjackings, is a very concerning development. The matter is to be raised at the next Ministerial Road Safety Committee meeting. I have also asked the NTA to conduct a consultation process around driver safety, as committed to in the Taxi Regulation Review.
603. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the expected start date for construction at a rail stop at Crusheen on the Ennis to Galway line; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27936/14]
View answerThe lifetime of the Government's current capital investment plan runs to 2016 and with the available funding the priority for heavy rail is to protect the operational network and maintain safety standards, rather than the expansion of the network. The bulk of the funding is required for rail safety and renewal. However the Plan did include funding for new rail stations at Kishogue, Hansfield, Oranmore and Crusheen. To date Hansfield and Oranmore stations have been opened while planning issues and other delays have hampered progress at both Kishogue and Crusheen. Capital funding for Irish Rail was also reduced in 2012 to support the emergency funding required by the CIE Group at that time. This led to a re-prioritisation of the heavy rail capital projects and to a longer delivery time line for some projects including the new rail stations. Preparatory work on a new government capital investment plan to 2019 has begun. This will involve a focused review of the current plan and take account of investment priorities for the next five years. If additional funds are available over and above what is required to maintain existing assets there will be many competing transport projects across all modes. Only projects for which there is a clear identifiable need, which are affordable, have a robust business case and add value to existing infrastructure, will be prioritised for funding in the new capital plan.
That is why I have asked Irish Rail to revisit their current proposals for Crusheen rail stop which have a construction cost in the order of €2 million and see if a lower cost alternative is feasible. It is my intention to provide for a rail stop at Crusheen.
604. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding a pilot training college (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27995/14]
View answer617. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the action his Department can take to assist those who lost out because of the collapse of the pilot training scheme in July 2012 in view of the fact that the circumstances are comparable to those who lost out because of the recent collapse of English language schools, whereby an interdepartmental taskforce was established to deal with the language students and they have already been assisted with the costs of furthering their studies in future. [28346/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 604 and 617 together.
The closure of the English Language Schools gave rise to a number of issues which crossed Departmental remits and a Task Force was established to examine the situation. On an initiative of the private colleges involved in the task force an offer was made for students to complete their education with the colleges at a discounted fee. This came at no cost to the Exchequer. The State is not in a position to compel such a measure for flight schools. However, the scale of the fees involved in language training is significantly less than that for flight training.
Following the collapse of PTC in 2012, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) also made every effort to assist the students of the college to complete their training at a reasonable cost through its engagement with the relevant training providers in Florida and here in Ireland. The IAA secured the records of the students and all flight and ground training carried out in Florida up to then, ensuring accreditation towards student’s final qualifications where possible. In addition, the IAA funded and helped facilitate, on a once-off basis, the repatriation to Ireland of those students who were training in Florida.
The responsibility of the IAA for flight training organisations extends to the oversight of the safety, quality and standard of the training being delivered, and the conduct of examinations and flight tests to the appropriate EU standard. This includes whether a company has sufficient resources to safely provide the training required to the internationally determined standards. However, the IAA has no involvement in, or responsibility for, overseeing the financial viability of the company or the contractual arrangements between pilot training centres and students.
The failure of the Pilot Training College (PTC) in Waterford to meet its contractual obligations to students is a matter of company law and the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement is the appropriate body to investigate any alleged breaches of company law.
605. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding the Irish airline superannuation scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27996/14]
View answerThe details supplied with this Question concern certain provisions of the State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014.
This Bill includes, in section 34, amendments to existing statutory provisions governing the State airport authorities' superannuation schemes, including the Irish Airlines (General Employees) Superannuation Scheme. These amendments are to facilitate implementation of whatever proposals emerge from the recent discussions among the parties to resolve the current difficulties in this Scheme. There has been some concerns about certain provisions in that section which were originally drafted to provide a "fall-back" position. However, I indicated in the Dail at Second Stage last week that I will be tabling an amendment in Committee Stage on Thursday, 3 July 2014, to delete these "fall-back" provisions.
The problems with this scheme have long been recognised and there now exists an opportunity to resolve them. I urge all parties to give very careful consideration to the Report by the Expert Panel set up to find a solution to the industrial relations issues relating to the scheme. The Report's recommendations can be used by the parties as the basis for constructive engagement and to achieve a resolution in the best interests of all. While some of the decisions that will be required will be challenging, all should bear in mind the view of the Expert Panel that its recommendations represent the best possible outcome that can be achieved.
606. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider requesting the National Drivers Licence Service, NDLS, to provide for a phone-based system for customers to book, schedule and amend appointments to complement the existing online system, in light of the fact some persons do not have easy access to computer technology and thus find it very difficult to make an appointment with the NDLS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28022/14]
View answerThe Road Safety Authority (RSA) is responsible for the National Driver Licensing Service (NDLS), and what the Deputy is asking is largely an operational matter for the RSA. However, I think it's a good idea and I will ask the RSA to contact the NDLS about it. Obviously any cost implications or contractual changes would have to be considered before any decision was made.
There have already been several improvements to the service since it was introduced last October, including the online booking system to which the Deputy referred. While it will continue to examine how improved customer service can be provided, the RSA is of the view that the on-line system is working very well. The NDLS does maintain some booths at its centres for ‘walk-in’ applicants who come without a booking.
I should point out that the reason people are required to attend an NDLS office in person is that the SAFE 2 ID verification protocol requires people to attend in person for ID verification and image capture. This needs to happen only once – after they have been verified according to SAFE 2, people will not need to go in person to an NDLS office when renewing or replacing their licences. At present all applicants for a new or renewed licence must go through this procedure, but as time passes renewal applicants will not, and pressure for appointments should reduce.
607. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason people must present themselves when renewing their driver licences; the efficiencies that have been made since October 2013 regarding the length of time one must wait in person to complete the renewal process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28034/14]
View answerOne of the reasons why driver licensing in the National Driver Licensing Service (NDLS), which is operated by the Road Safety Authority (RSA), was centralised was to improve ID security. The NDLS operates according to the SAFE 2 standard of ID verification. This requires people to present themselves in person once for ID verification and digital image capture. When this has been done once, they do not need to present themselves in person again when renewing.
When the NDLS was first introduced in October of 2013, there were teething problems which led to significant delays in processing applications, which at that time could take several weeks. This in turn led to the rapid build-up of a backlog. I met with the RSA at the time to discuss the problems and how they could be addressed. The RSA put in place a number of measures to deal with the problems, including IT improvements, additional training for staff, and additional staff in NDLS offices which were particularly busy.
These measures led to the eventual elimination of the backlog. The NDLS is now turning around applications which are in order within five days. There are and always will be problem applications, where it is necessary to revert to the applicant for further information, and these will inevitably take longer.
608. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding national car tests being carried out by local garages as opposed to NCT test centres; the consideration that has been given to decentralising NCT testing to local car garages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28035/14]
View answerUnder the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 (Conferral of Functions) Order 2006 (S.I. No. 477 of 2006) the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has responsibility for the delivery of the National Car Test. It has overall responsibility for the operation, oversight, development, quality assurance and delivery of vehicle testing arrangements.
I have referred the Deputy’s question to the RSA for direct reply. Please advise my office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
609. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the date on which on-site construction will commence on the Gort to Tuam motorway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28056/14]
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 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.
610. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the estimated cost per mile of construction of additional roadway on existing two lane local roads to facilitate, where possible, the addition of cycleways and if such a project has been completed on Irish roads. [28098/14]
View answerThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.
In general, dedicated cycle lanes are not provided on local roads for a variety of reasons; including topography, suitability, visibility, traffic volume and type and so on. It is not possible to give a general estimate of costs involved if a local authority were to consider the provision of such lanes, as the estimated costs depend on the factors above and others, including road surface and compliance with standard design requirements.
As the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is a matter for the local authority, I would advise the Deputy to contact the Roads Division of his local authority directly, regarding the feasibility of such works.
611. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has received funding requests from Dublin City Council for capital investment to pay for further expansion of the dublinbikes scheme to that under way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28121/14]
View answer612. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide by date and intended purpose each grant awarded to fund the dublinbikes scheme since its inception; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28122/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 611 and 612 together.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the development and implementation of infrastructure projects in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), including the Dublin Bikes Scheme. My Department has provided capital funding to the NTA to assist with the expansion of this scheme.
In light of the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the Authority for a direct response. Please advise my private office if you don't receive a reply within 10 working days.
613. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the discussions he has had with Irish Rail to ensure sufficient numbers of carriages are available on the Dublin to Sligo route at peak times, particularly at weekends, in the interest of passenger safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28202/14]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. While the issue of reduced carriages is a matter for Irish Rail in conjunction with the National Transport Authority (NTA), I have previously been in contact with both in relation to this issue.
I raised public concerns about overcrowding with the Chief Executive of Irish Rail earlier this year and the company responded and re-introduced larger carriages to accommodate passengers where this was considered necessary. The Chief Executive agreed then to continuous monitoring of carriage levels on both DART and Intercity services to ensure they match passenger demand.
The National Transport Authority (NTA), as public transport regulator, must approve any changes to train services and at that time also monitored passenger loadings and peak crowding on all Irish Rail services. The NTA also undertook a national rail review in conjunction with Irish Rail and this review is now largely completed. The aim of the review is to better match service levels and service capacity with demand for travel. That work will now feed into the planning of services for 2015, which has already started.
I have asked the NTA to respond to the Deputy in relation to the availability of sufficient carriages on the Dublin/Sligo route. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
614. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will make provision for additional funding for search and rescue units and clubs in the midlands to modernise their equipment to support the rescue operations which they provide on a voluntary basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28204/14]
View answerMy Department, through the Irish Coast Guard (IRCG), is responsible for the initiation, control and coordination of maritime emergencies in the Irish territorial waters, harbours and coastline. The Coast Guard carries out this function utilising its own assets and declared resources, and regularly provides assistance to the Gardaí across the country. As the Deputy can appreciate, resources available to my Department must be allocated to fulfil its primary responsibility of maritime search and rescue, pollution response and salvage. However, I recognise the important role that other voluntary organisations play, in particular in providing support to those people partaking in activities such as trekking. Indeed adventure sports are getting more popular by the year and play an increasingly important role in tourism. In recognition of the role that mountain rescue teams in particular provide in supporting participation in these sports, I was very pleased to be in a position to announce a special once-off sports capital allocation of €200,000 to mountain rescue services. These funds are to be used for the modernisation of vehicles and equipment.
615. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on the N4 motorway from Mullingar to Rooskey, as this project is crucial for Longford, Westmeath and the wider region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28205/14]
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 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.
616. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures he will implement to address the differential rate in taxation on heavy good vehicles between Ireland and the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28216/14]
View answerA cross-Departmental working group chaired by my Department has been established, following consultation with my colleague Phil Hogan, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, to examine the feasibility of introducing an alternative pay-as-you-go road tax scheme for HGVs in Ireland, similar to that recently introduced in the UK, or a broader scheme which achieves the same result. The group is due to report to Government in the second half of this year with its recommendations. One of the options under review is a common road charging regime, where a single charge is applied but payers can use roads in more than one country. There is precedence in Europe with the Eurovignette for a common road charging regime to be established. We may look to this example and seek to establish a common regime between the UK and Ireland. While there are many issues surrounding the introduction of a common regime and it requires the support of the UK Government, I believe that such a regime may have merit given our circumstances. Therefore, my officials have begun exploratory discussions with their UK counterparts on this potential long-term solution. A common regime would be of benefit to HGV operators north and south of the border, rather than having two different regimes that would impose significant regulatory burdens on them.
In the meantime, any reform of the existing motor tax system is a matter for Minister Hogan.
618. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the national waiting lists for national car tests; if his Department carries out a yearly review and random checks on the standard of testing taking place at NCT test centres; the pass rates given; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28438/14]
View answerUnder the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 (Conferral of Functions) Order 2006 (S.I. No. 477 of 2006) the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has responsibility for delivering the National Car Test.
Therefore I have forwarded the Deputy’s question to the RSA for direct reply.
I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
619. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the progress made by the working group established under the national broadband plan of 2012 to consider timely and standardised processing of permit applications for telecommunications infrastructure by agencies under his remit; the progress made towards the introduction of a new unified online application system for relevant licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28527/14]
View answerThe development and implementation of a Road Management System for Ireland is considered to be a high priority to ensure best practice in a number of areas including improved consistency in road licensing and utility permits. Work in that regard is supportive of the Government’s Broadband Strategy as well as the Action Plan for Jobs and is centred on MapRoad (Geographical Information System (GIS) enabled, Roads Management Information System). This system is in operation in all local authorities in Ireland and is being developed on a modular basis with initial work focussing primarily on roadworks and utility permits.
The MapRoad Roadworks and Licensing module has been developed with the assistance of my Department’s Roadworks and Licensing Working Group that includes other Government Departments and stakeholders. The module is being implemented in local authorities together with associated training. The system is now live in 14 local authorities and is expected to be live in all local authorities by end 2014. In tandem with this, work is progressing with industry in terms of maximising use of the system.
Two important elements from an industry perspective are the availability of a standardised on-line processing procedure across local authorities together with a single portal application point.
620. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when will an education welfare officer be appointed for north Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28371/14]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware the functions and operational responsibilities of the former National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) are now part of the Child and Family Agency, which was established on 1 January 2014. Since this date the staff of the former NEWB, including its Education Welfare Officers (EWOs), have transferred to the new Agency. The three service strands formerly under the remit of NEWB – the statutory Educational Welfare Service and the school support programme services (Home-School Community Liaison Scheme and the School Completion Programme) under the DEIS strategy – collectively form the Educational Welfare Services of the new Agency. Within the Agency, the statutory Education Welfare Service has specific responsibility for the Agency’s general function to ensure that each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. The appointment of EWOs is a function of the Child and Family Agency.
I have been advised that the position of EWO in North Kildare became vacant as a result of a retirement in February 2012. I have also been advised that arrangements have been in place since the 2012/2013 academic year so that the 107 schools in the area have continued to have access to support from the Education Welfare Service. Currently support is being provided by the Senior EWO along with other officers of the service. The Agency has advised me that it has become necessary to prioritise those cases where students are out of school, expelled or have special education needs in complex situations.
The Agency has further advised me that a reorganisation of Educational Welfare Services in the greater Dublin area, is being undertaken at present, within available resources, with a view to providing an improved service in a number of areas including North Kildare.
Vacancies that arise in staffing in the front line services for children and young people at risk of early school leaving are kept under review and are prioritised by the Agency, in consultation with my Department, in so far as is possible, working within Government policy on public service numbers and the moratorium on recruitment.
