Written Answers Nos. 222-229
222. Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the concerns of a company (details supplied) regarding the development of the national postcode system; if he will confirm whether this is consistent with the evidence provided to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7334/15]
View answerI am aware of the concerns of the organisation in question regarding the development of the National Postcode System, such concerns primarily relating to the Eircode design.
The design of the Eircode followed a public procurement process. During that process a range of options for the postcode structure were evaluated. That evaluation process, together with stakeholder engagement which preceded the procurement, helped inform the final format of the Eircode design.
The Eircode design chosen has been tailored to meet the needs of Ireland's addressing structure in that approximately 35% of Irish addresses are non-unique and many properties can have multiple forms of address. The design adopted which assigns a unique identifier to each address will make it easier for both public and private sector providers to find individual addresses.
I can confirm that officials from my Department gave a very comprehensive account of the project including the Eircode design to the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications on 19 November 2014.
223. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of developments where the only means of broadband access is through a fixed wireless system; the way these developments will be facilitated under the national broadband plan; if residents in the development (details supplied) will be able to avail of the faster and more reliable broadband service, which will be available to their neighbours, through the national broadband plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7387/15]
View answerThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided.
The commercial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately €2.5 billion in network upgrades. Approximately 1.6 million of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland are expected to have access to commercial high speed broadband services over the next two years. These very significant investments represent a step-change in the quality of broadband services available.
A public consultation on a national high speed coverage map 2016 which was launched last November, closed on the 12th February. 27 submissions have been received to date and will be assessed over the coming weeks. The map will continue to be available at www.broadband.gov.ie. The areas marked BLUE represent those areas that will have access to commercial high speed broadband services by end 2016. The AMBER areas show the target areas for the State intervention.
The map allows all members of the public, be they business or residential, to see whether their premises or home will have access to commercial high speed broadband services by end 2016 or whether they will be included in the Government's proposed intervention.
Based on information provided by commercial operators, Newtown, Enfield, Co. Kildare will be 100% covered by the State intervention. Individual residents should check the map for themselves to establish precisely where their own house or premises is located.
It is anticipated that speeds of at least 30 Mbps will also be delivered through the Government's intervention and the network will be designed to cater for future increased demand from consumers and business.
In tandem with the mapping consultation, intensive design and planning work is underway in my Department to produce a detailed intervention strategy. The strategy will address a range of issues in relation to the intervention including the optimum procurement model, ownership model for the infrastructure, affordability and likely market impact.
Following a public consultation process on the draft intervention strategy during the summer, I hope to move to formal procurement phase towards the end of this year in order to select a preferred bidder or bidders.
The Department will design a tender in a way that maximises efficiencies and keeps the cost of the network build as low as possible. I hope that the first homes and businesses will be connected in 2016 and connections will continue thereafter, with the intention of having all premises connected within a 5 year period.
This complex and ambitious project is a key priority for Government. It aims to conclusively address current connectivity challenges in Ireland.
224. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the standard 3-tonne limit traffic-ban sign applies to all buses over that weight, and if not, the exemptions that apply. [7226/15]
View answerThe Road Traffic (Signs) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 331 of 2012) and the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) (Amendment) (no.2) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 332 of 2012) provide the legislative basis for weight restrictions on vehicles entering a road, and associated signage.
Relevant signage in this regard includes Regulatory Upright Sign (RUS) 015 which addresses traffic management and road safety issues, such as prohibiting heavy vehicles from using residential roads, and RUS 053 which addresses entry restrictions relating to the structural integrity of the road network including bridges.
RUS 015 (maximum design gross vehicle weight – traffic management) is provided at the entrance of a road and provides that drivers of vehicles whose design gross vehicle weight exceeds the weight specified on the sign are prohibited from proceeding beyond that point, except where it is necessary for a vehicle to gain access to, or egress from, premises accessible only from that road.
RUS 053 (maximum design gross vehicle weight – safety) provides that the driver of a vehicle exceeding the design gross vehicle weight displayed on the sign shall not proceed beyond it. There are no exceptions to this Regulation.
The weight limit displayed on any particular sign is a matter for the relevant local authority.
The entry restrictions associated with traffic signs RUS 015 and RUS 053 apply to all vehicles, including buses, which exceed the design gross vehicle weight specified on either sign.
225. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps he will take in order that arbitration is triggered, as per December 2014 correspondence, regarding a situation (details supplied). [7261/15]
View answerI have no role in relation to the arbitration process. This is matter between the persons and the sports club mentioned by the Deputy. However, I have asked the CEO of the Irish Sports Council to bring the Deputy's question to the attention of the relevant National Governing Body and to ask them to contact the parties involved.
226. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is implementing a plain English policy, as outlined by the National Adult Literacy Agency, in his Department's communications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7290/15]
View answerMy Department tries to ensure that information on its website and other published material is as clear and concise as possible. I would welcome the views of the National Adult Literacy Agency as to whether or not this is being achieved.
227. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide details, in tabular form, of the number of applications received from each local authority, for project funding, under the sustainable transport allocations for the greater Dublin region scheme; and the criteria which determined the success of an application, under the scheme. [7340/15]
View answerThe National Transport Authority is the competent authority for the allocation of funding for sustainable transport projects to the four Dublin local authorities and the authorities in Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
I have forwarded your request to the NTA for direct response. If you have not received a response to your query within 10 working days please contact my private office.
228. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the moneys Ireland has drawn down from the trans-European transport network, TEN-T, programme in the past ten years; if he will provide a list of the projects and amounts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7389/15]
View answer229. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if infrastructural projects have been submitted for trans-European transport network, TEN-T, funding in the Border, midlands and western region; the projects and moneys allocated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7390/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 228 and 229 together.
The table below summarises projects from Ireland, or with Irish involvement,which were successful in obtaining co-funding under TEN-T in the last 10 years as published by the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) http://inea.ec.europa.eu/en/ten-t/ten-t_projects/ten-t_projects_by_country/ireland.htm . The projects with Irish involvement as part of a wider consortium are denoted by an asterisk. The associated funding listed for these projects reflects the total drawdown by the consortium, and not just the drawdown by the Irish member of the consortium.
While some of the projects listed are location specific, most have wider national transport application and are not specific to any particular Region.
Applications under the current Call for proposals under the Connecting European Facility, the funding mechanism for TEN-T, have to be submitted by 26 February 2015. My Department is currently assessing a number of applications under this Call before their submission to INEA by the applicants. Details of successful applications under this Call are not expected until later in 2015.
|
NAME |
Description |
YEAR |
EU co-funding Contribution |
|
CTC- Central Traffic Control |
Strategy study and detailed design |
2013 |
€1,241,000 |
|
Dublin Port Alexandra Basin Redevelopment |
Creating Capacity and Removing a Bottleneck on an Inter-Modal Transfer point on priority project 26 |
2013 |
€2,464,000 |
|
The Arc Atlantique Traffic Management Corridor |
Link economic nodes of Belfast, Dublin, Glasgow, Cardiff, London, Calais, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Brussels, Charleroi, Liège, Lille, Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, San Sebastian, Bilbao Valladolid, Santander, A Coruna, Porto, and Lisbon |
2013 |
€22,294,000* |
|
The European ITS Platform + (EIP) |
The EIP+ project brings together Member States authorities, road operators and relevant decision makers to monitor the Easy Way deployment guidelines, evaluate the impact of ITS projects on a pan-European scale, as well as disseminate best practice. |
2013 |
€1,881,929* |
|
Airport-Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) deployment and integration into the network |
Specifically, the project aims to deploy Airport Collaborative Decision Making in eight airports (Berlin Schönefeld, Copenhagen, Dublin, Hamburg, Lisbon, Lyon, Manchester and Stuttgart) and to integrate most of these local A-CDM processes to the Network Manager System by the end of 2015 as targeted by the Interim Deployment Plan. |
2013 |
€3,229,796* |
|
Speeding up and facilitating SESAR deployment through convergence between COOPANS and DSNA/4Flight ATM systems |
This project brings together French air navigation service provider and several members of COOPANS alliance (service providers in Austria, Denmark, Ireland and Sweden) to set up a solid foundation for the convergence of their respective ATM systems towards a common technical platform by 2025. |
2012 |
€791,265* |
|
Port of Cork Company's Strategic Development Plan |
Studies to secure building permits and to prepare design and tender documentation to facilitate the implementation of the priority projects in Corks Port's Strategic Development Plan |
2012 |
€1,842,000 |
|
City Centre Re-signalling Project - Connolly Station to Sandymount Station - Design Stage |
The Action is part of the Global Project DART (underground programme) which aims to deliver a new underground railway link through Dublin City, along Priority Project 9 and Priority Project 26. It concerns the design studies and planning permission approval for the renewal of the rail signalling system within the Greater Dublin Area: the City Centre Re-signalling Project (CCRP). |
2012 |
€724,000 |
|
European ITS Platform (EIP) |
Within the framework of a Global Project fostering the development of ITS integrated services along transport corridors, the European ITS Platform (EIP) of road authorities and operators aim at enhancing the deployment of harmonised ITS services and the coordinated management of road transport in Europe. |
2012 |
€1,350,000* |
|
Accelerating the deployment of advanced FDP capabilities in Europe |
The Action falls within the global project of the Single European Sky (SES) and its R&D programme SESAR (SES ATM Research) looking for significant improvements in the performance of Air Traffic Management (ATM) in Europe through the implementation of advanced and cross-borders interoperable Flight Data Processing (FDP) systems |
2012 |
€6,655,000* |
|
Accelerating the introduction of Electric Vehicle Rapid Charging by studying adoption and use along PP axes 13 and 26 in the UK and Ireland |
The overall objective of the Action is to support decarbonisation of road transport in Europe via the rapid deployment of Electric Vehicles (EV) across Member States |
2012 |
€3,679,000* |
|
International Green Electric Highways - Study to assess fast charging infrastructure to enable deployment of electric vehicles in Ireland and Northern Ireland |
The Action will significantly contribute to demonstrate that the electrification of road transport is a viable proposition and will develop an understanding of all charging infrastructure and technology requirements. |
2011 |
€2,119,000 |
|
UK-Ireland FAB Development of High Level Sectors |
The National Air Traffic Services (NATS) and the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), Air National Service Providers in the UK and Ireland respectively, propose to carry out an extensive study to design and validate the establishment of High Level Sectors (HLS) covering the IAA/NATS Functional Airspace Block across the UK and Ireland Flight Information Region (FIR)s. These HLS's will allow for over-flights to be provided with direct routing and are aimed at ensuring that sectorisation is optimised against traffic flows, thus balancing controller workload and improving safety. |
2010 |
€1,154,378* |
|
EasyWay, Phase 2 |
EasyWay is a complex project for Europe-wide ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems/Services) deployment on the main Trans-European Road Network corridors. A first phase of the project has been funded in 2007 up until 2009. |
2009 |
€100,000,000* |
|
Airport Datalink Equipment |
The Global Project concerns Air Traffic Management (ATM) and aims at the provision of air-ground datalink services throughout Europe. With datalink, aircraft and ground air traffic control systems will communicate more efficiently in order to increase safety and efficiency in the ATM Network. Air-ground datalink services are key enablers identified in the Single European Sky Airspace Research (SESAR) Master Plan for European ATM improvements. |
2009 |
€7,002,276* |
|
Green and predictable flights - North European Air Navigation Service Providers |
The project is implemented by the North European ANS Providers (NEAP). It consists of several activities related to the improvement of Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems in the region. The action is aiming at the reduction of environmental impact from aviation as well as to increase the predictability during various phases of flight by modernising ATM infrastructure, including ground-ground networks (TCP-IP connectivity), Performance Based Navigation (PBN) procedures and airborne systems and stepwise upgrade of current ATM systems to integrate various enablers such as Datalink, Arrival Management (AMAN), ADS-B etc. |
2009 |
€9,108,000* |
|
NETLIPSE |
The main objective of the NETLIPSE project is to improve the management, organisation and execution of "Large Infrastructure Projects" (LIPs), and in particular TEN-T projects. |
2008 |
€580,000* |
|
Dublin Interconnector Tunnel study - design and railway order phase |
Part of Priority Project 26 (Railway/road axis Ireland/United Kingdom/continental Europe), this global project will enable trains to run between the Dublin-Belfast and the Dublin-Cork rail lines. It addresses the missing link currently on the Cork-Dublin-Belfast railway line |
2007 |
€10,000,000 |
|
EASYWAY |
EasyWay is a complex project for Europe-wide ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems/Services) deployment on the main Trans-European Road Network corridors. |
2007 |
€98,000,000* |
|
SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) |
The objective of SESAR is to develop the new generation European Air Traffic Management system, in line with the Single European Sky (SES) legislation. |
2007 |
€350,000,000* (of which €200,000,000 through this Action) |
|
Trans-European Satellite Navigation System (Galileo): Development and validation phase |
The project aims to complete the Development and Validation phase of the Galileo system by validating space, ground and end-user segments through extensive in-orbit and ground tests. |
2007 |
€190,000,000* |
|
ERTMS development and consolidation |
European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), composed of a unique European Train Control System (ETCS) and radio system GSM-R, is designed to gradually replace the existing incompatible national systems throughout Europe. |
2006 |
€2,500,000* |
*Projects in which an Irish organisation took part as part of a European consortium.
