Written Answers Nos. 231-237
231. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the total amount spent on the process of changing the name of Bord Gáis Éireann; the reason for the name change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2953/15]
View answerThe cost associated with the change of name from Bord Gáis Éireann to Ervia is an operational matter for the company and not one in which I, as Minister, have any role or function. I will ask Ervia to provide this information directly to the Deputy.
Regarding the reasons for the change of name, the Bord Gáis Energy brand was an important element of value in the sale of the energy business of Bord Gáis Éireann. As part of the sale agreement, Bord Gáis Éireann no longer use “Bord Gáis” in the name or brand of either its group or network businesses.
In December 2013 the Government approved the change of name of Bord Gáis Éireann to “Ervia”. Provision to give effect to the name change was included in the ESB (Electronic Communications Networks) Act 2014 (No. 5 of 2014).
232. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if it is a legal requirement for a county council engineer to attend the scene of a fatal road traffic collision and complete a written report for the Road Safety Authority; the procedure for processing and record keeping of such reports by county council engineers. [2943/15]
View answerIt is not a legal requirement for a local authority engineer to attend the scene of a fatal accident. However, in October 2007, the LA16 Form was introduced to be completed jointly by a Garda and a Local Authority Engineer following each fatal collision.
The purpose of this form is to record factual information pertaining to such collisions and quickly to establish if there are road factors which may have contributed to the collision and which need to be remedied. When completed these LA16 forms are sent to the National Roads Authority (NRA) for analysis.
Where an obvious deficiency is observed at the collision scene this can be remedied immediately by the road authority; other deficiencies may be less obvious and may require more analysis or may take more time to rectify. Photographs are also taken of the collision location and these can prove to be helpful to the NRA in subsequent analysis.
233. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if Bus Éireann will provide a service for persons in an area (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2882/15]
View answerThe issue raised is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
234. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to address the current difficulties faced by motorists encountering long waits for a national car test that can lead to their NCT certificates going out of date despite their attempts to attain new ones. [2894/15]
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. The RSA has overall responsibility for the operation, oversight, development, quality assurance and delivery of vehicle testing arrangements.
I understand from the RSA that the first two months of the year are traditionally the busiest time for the National Car Testing Service (NCTS) because most cars are sold in the first few months of any year. This, however, was anticipated by the NCTS and over 60 additional staff are being made available, bringing the number of Vehicle Inspectors in place this month to approximately 565, the highest in the history of the NCT.
The RSA has also repeatedly emphasised that the availability of appointments on the NCTS website is not a reflection of the total number of test slots available to customers. If a person requires an early test, they should follow the advice on that website which clearly advises that if a suitable slot cannot be obtained online, to contact the NCTS call centre directly on (01) 413 5992.
I understand from the RSA that it remains the position that any car owner, including those who may require an early test, should receive an NCT appointment within 28 days. In order to meet this standard, in some cases, the NCTS holds requests on a waiting list until a suitable slot is found. In the majority of cases, customers are given a slot within the required timescale.
The RSA has also been encouraging people to book early, as the test may be undertaken up to 90 days in advance of the due test date without affecting the expiry date of the new certificate. This system is to ensure that owners have ample time to have their vehicle tested before their current NCT certificate expires and I would encourage people to avail of this early facility for booking car test appointments.
Enforcement of the relevant legislation is a matter for An Garda Síochána. If a person’s NCT test date is imminent, it will be a matter for the Gardaí to use their discretion. However, responsibility rests with owners to ensure their vehicles are in compliance with the law.
235. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his Department has studied the Swedish Vision Zero programme for road safety; and his plans to implement any element of this programme here. [2896/15]
View answerI am aware of the Vision Zero Initiative. Our Road Safety Strategy 2013 to 2020 incorporates many of the same principles. Our Strategy is based on the Safe Systems approach to road safety which is built on the principles of human behaviour, human frailty and forgiving systems. This approach reinforces the concept of shared responsibility across organisations, businesses and communities. It seeks to continue to reduce road fatalities, but also has a new focus on reducing the number and severity of injuries on our roads. It covers a wide variety of sectors that contribute to, and impact, on road safety including education, law enforcement, health as well as the many aspects of transport.
Our Road Safety Strategy 2013-20 has two main objectives. The first is a reduction of road collision fatalities on Irish roads to 25 per million population or less by 2020. This means reducing deaths to 124 or fewer by 2020. The second is a provisional target for the reduction of serious injuries by 30% from 472 in 2011 to 330 or fewer by 2020 (or 61 per million population).
The Road Safety Strategy 2013 - 2020 is available to download for the Road Safety Authority website at www.rsa.ie.
236. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the rising number of fatalities on Irish roads since 2013; and if he has liaised with the Department of Justice and Equality on the need to have full-time traffic police focusing solely on traffic law enforcement and road safety. [2897/15]
View answerEvery fatality on Irish roads is a tragedy. It is a cause of deep concern that road fatalities rose in 2013 and in 2014, despite the best efforts of the Road Safety Authority, the Gardaí and other responsible agencies.
The Road Safety Strategy 2013 to 2020 contains 144 Actions to be implemented by the various agencies concerned in order to build on the previous Strategies with the objective of making Ireland among the safest countries for road safety. My officials and I meet regularly with these agencies to ensure that all necessary measures are identified and taken to improve safety on our roads. The Ministerial Committee on Road Safety meets twice per year, most recently on 8 December 2014, to review implementation of the Strategy.
Aside from the Strategy, the Road Traffic Act 2014, was signed into law by the President on 25th February 2014. This legislation introduces measures which will further contribute to road safety in the years to come. The Act provides for further Graduated Driver Licensing measures, adjustments to the penalty points system, increasing demerits for the most dangerous offences such as speeding and operating a mobile phone while driving. My officials are also in the early stages of drafting the Road Traffic Bill 2015 which will contain further measures to improve safety on our roads.
I am satisfied that the actions set out in the Road Safety Strategy will be sufficient to allow Ireland to improve road safety and to make progress towards the objectives of reducing road deaths set out in the Strategy.
I would point out that all Gardai have responsibility for the enforcement of road traffic laws. More specifically, the Garda Traffic Corps has been established for some 10 years and has made an important contribution to the improvement in road traffic law enforcement and road safety over the past decade.
237. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in view of the deteriorating road safety here, if he and his officials have engaged with the Irish motor industry to ensure that vehicles imported into Ireland meet the highest road safety standards in relation to all fixtures, including lights, brakes, wipers, seat belts, steering, vehicle body frame and composition. [2898/15]
View answerWhile I am disappointed with the increase in road fatalities over the past two years, I am satisfied that our current Road Safety Strategy, together with forthcoming legislation which will focus on drug driving, will allow Ireland to maintain progress in reducing fatalities and serious injuries on our roads.
Existing legal obligations combined with vehicle roadworthiness testing requirements ensure that vehicles driven on Ireland's road network are roadworthy.
All new vehicles imported into Ireland are required to comply with EU Type Approval requirements and hold a Certificate of Conformity before they can be registered.
With regard to the importation of second-hand vehicles into Ireland, passenger cars are subject to NCT testing requirements, while commercial vehicles are subject to the Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness testing regime currently in force within this State.
It is the legal responsibility of the owner/driver to ensure that their vehicle is maintained in a roadworthy condition and does not present a danger to road users. It is an offence to use a vehicle on public roads without a valid roadworthiness certificate and enforcement of this requirement is a matter for An Garda Síochána.
