Written Answers Nos. 151 - 163
151. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he is satisfied that offering selected bus routes for tender to private bus operators will not damage the integrity of the public transport sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16982/15]
View answerI refer the Deputy to my reply to Priority Question No. 1 which I answered earlier.
152. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he expects to conclude his consideration in respect of the role of Aer Lingus in international air transport in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16983/15]
View answerI have no significant developments to report on in relation to the proposed offer by IAG for Aer Lingus. However, I have indicated previously that I do not want this process to be drawn out unnecessarily. I expect that the Government will be in a position to make a decision on the matter in the coming weeks.
153. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans for the promotion of tourism in the coming year in all regions; if he envisages opportunities for the sector around specific events; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16984/15]
View answerFestivals and events are an important part of our tourism offering and Fáilte Ireland will support a large number of these in 2015. In addition to domestic events, the hosting of major international events can deliver additional international visits and helps to put Ireland onto travel itineraries as a holiday destination. The tourism agencies continuously look for opportunities to grow tourism and benefit the tourism sector by hosting major events with real overseas revenue-generating potential.
With regard to the promotion of tourism in the regions, including around specific events, Fáilte Ireland has responsibility for encouraging, promoting and supporting tourism as a leading indigenous component of the Irish economy including through domestic tourism marketing. Accordingly, I have asked the Fáilte Ireland to reply directly to the Deputy in this regard. Please contact my private office if a response is not received within ten working days.
154. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he is aware of the inadequacy of a number of major roads to meet current traffic volume demands, such as the M50 and Naas/Newbridge, County Kildare bypass roundabout/Sallins, County Kildare bypass; if he has studied the proposal to address the issue; if he is conscious of the need to fund any such proposals in early date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16985/15]
View answerAs I outlined to the Deputy in my reply to his question yesterday (PQ 16489/15 of 28 April 2015) as 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 on the national road network is a matter for the National Roads Authority (NRA) under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. In this context, the NRA monitors traffic flows across the national road network and maps and collates collision data on national roads.
A substantial upgrade of the M50 was completed in 2010. This resulted in the addition of a third lane in both directions from the M1 to Sandyford and a fourth auxiliary lane in places together with the development of freeflow junctions and the introduction of barrier free tolling. This major investment has significantly enhanced the capacity of the motorway.
I would also remind the Deputy of the substantial upgrade at Newlands Cross, which allows for a continuous, free-flowing route between the M50 and our the cities of Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Kilkenny.
The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads such as the Naas/Newbridge/Sallins Bypass is the statutory responsibility of each local authority in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. The available funds simply do not match the amount of work that needs to be done to maintain existing road infrastructure or address demands for new road improvement projects.
155. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he continues to have discussions with various national and international sporting organisations, with a view to maximisation of economic opportunity, in the context of the staging of events here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16986/15]
View answerThe hosting of major sports events can deliver additional international visits and helps to put Ireland onto travel itineraries as a holiday destination. The hosting last year of the Giro D'Italia on an all-island basis showed that the island of Ireland can successfully host such events and the FAI and Dublin City Council also recently won their bid to host part of the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament at the Aviva stadium.
Accordingly, I am supportive of the ongoing efforts of the Tourism Agencies and the National Governing Bodies of Sport, where appropriate in conjunction with their colleagues in Northern Ireland, to attract international events, subject, of course, to an assessment of the costs/benefits involved.
The Government has assisted the IRFU in preparing its bid to host the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2017 and, as the Deputy is aware, the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive announced our support last December for the preparation of a joint bid for the Rugby World Cup in 2023. The IRFU, with support of both Governments, has commenced work on compiling the bid. An Oversight Board will be appointed in the near future to oversee progress and guide the bid preparation.
Our tourism and sporting infrastructure are amongst the finest in Europe and are well capable of providing the modern facilities required by participants and spectators alike. We will continue to look for opportunities to both grow tourism and develop sport in Ireland by hosting major events with real overseas revenue-generating potential.
156. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he expects to be in a position to offer grant funding from the national lottery proceeds to fund municipal swimming pools in the current year, through the medium of the sports capital grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16987/15]
View answerI would like to clarify for the Deputy that the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme is not funded from the National Lottery Licence transaction or from the Sports Capital Programme. The Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme is funded from a separate subhead in my Department.
Under the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme grant aid to a maximum of €3.8 million is provided to local authorities towards the capital costs of new swimming pools or the refurbishment of existing pools.
The current round of the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme was closed to new applicants on 31 July 2000. Since 2000, 58 projects have or are being dealt with under the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme of which 49 have been completed and the other 9 projects are at various stages of the Programme.
157. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he is satisfied that all regional airports are sufficiently funded to meet their requirements; if he has received submissions in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16988/15]
View answerMy Department provides funding supports to the four regional airports through the Core Airport Operational Expenditure Costs Scheme (OPEX) and the Capital Expenditure Grant Scheme (CAPEX). Funding is also provided under the Public Service Obligations air services Scheme (PSO) in subvention of the Donegal/Dublin and Kerry/Dublin routes. Under Ireland's Regional Airports Programme 2015 - 2019, such funding supports will continue, where appropriate, to the regional airports.
In accordance with previous Government Policy, Exchequer supports for CAPEX projects will continue to be restricted under the 2015 - 2019 Programme to safety and security related projects only, with any additional developmental projects being funded by the airports themselves from own resources or local sources. Furthermore, all State funding supports will be applied in strict accordance with the 2014 EU Guidelines on State aid to airports and airlines.
The 2015 - 2019 Programme is currently awaiting approval from the EU Commission, following which my Department will engage with the airports, thereby facilitating the submission of their respective business plans for consideration and identification of the specific funding supports over the lifetime of that Programme.
158. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he remains satisfied that transport costs are competitive in the context of such costs in other European countries in the rail, road, air and sea sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16989/15]
View answerCost competitiveness remains a key consideration for Ireland as an open export-oriented economy. The National Competitiveness Council last Friday published its annual report into "Costs of Doing Business in Ireland 2015" which has mixed messages in relation to the transport sector. It found that Diesel prices are more expensive in Ireland than in the euro area and that while the cost of many transport services in Ireland has remained stable, air transport prices had increased over the previous year. It also found that it is more expensive (excluding tariffs) to export and import to and from Ireland by sea but that Irish administrative processes are efficient and compare favourably with processes in our key competitors. The Report is being considered by my Department.
Notwithstanding that, my Department continues to seek to introduce measures to improve competitiveness. The National Ports Policy approved by Government in 2013 has as its core objective the facilitation of a competitive and effective market for maritime transport services and actions to implement the Policy are already underway. The Government's aviation policy has and continues to favour competition. My Department invests heavily in our rail and road transport infrastructure, albeit at a lower level than previously, and to look at other means of reducing costs to the sectors, such as the fuel rebate scheme introduced by my Colleague the Minister for Finance for licensed transport operators, and the new online licensing system for road transport operators, both designed to reduce costs to the industry.
159. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he expects to be in a position to assist local sporting organisations in the context of capital sports grants, major and/or minimal, in the current year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16990/15]
View answerI have secured funding of €40m for the 2015 round of the Sports Capital Programme. All applications have now been submitted and I hope to be in position to make allocations later this year.
160. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if it is likely his Department can directly or indirectly assist in preparing Irish competitors for the next Olympics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16991/15]
View answerThe Irish Sports Council, which is funded by my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the promotion, development and co-ordination of sport. The Council allocates financial assistance to support our elite athletes through its High Performance Programme and Carding Scheme. €8.16m is being allocated to High Performance sports programmes this year with a further €1.6m allocated to athletes under the Carding Scheme.
The Irish Institute of Sport, which is a unit of the Irish Sports Council, also provides support services to athletes in essential areas, including sports medicine and science.
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that in December 2014, I allocated additional funding of €1m to assist athletes who are preparing for the 2016 Games.
In addition to the facilities available at the National Aquatic Centre for training and development of elite swimmers, a number of other world-class training facilities have been developed at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown in recent years. These will assist athletes in their training for certain Olympic and Paralympic disciplines. Facilities opened in the last two years include the National Horse Sport Arena and the National Modern Pentathlon Training Centre.
Work is also ongoing on the development of a High Performance Centre at the Irish Institute of Sport, which is based at the National Sports Campus. Construction work is scheduled for completion this summer and the Centre will be open to athletes in time to assist them in their preparations for Rio. Work has also commenced on a National Indoor Arena, which will support athletes for future Olympic and Paralympic Games through the provision of world-class indoor training facilities.
161. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the prospects for the creation of an intercontinental air transport hub here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16992/15]
View answerThe Irish airport network is strategically important to Irish society and to our economy, providing the infrastructure to ensure our connectivity to the rest of the world and enabling economic development through trade, tourism and inward investment. The ability to ensure optimum connectivity is dependent on airports attracting a wide range of passengers, including inward and transiting passengers, in addition to outward passengers based on local demand.
Under the draft National Aviation Policy, which will be finalised and published shortly, Dublin Airport is identified as having the size and features favouring its development as a vibrant secondary hub, combining local and transfer passengers to create critical mass for new destinations and higher frequencies, and competing effectively with the UK and other European airports for the expanding global aviation services market. Dublin Airport enjoys a strategic geographic location on the North Atlantic Trans-Continental route as well as US Preclearance, single terminal transfers and a location near the national capital city with its significant catchment area.
Dublin Airport is already well on its way towards becoming such a hub for transatlantic and wider global passengers. Approximately 750,000 passengers used Dublin Airport as a hub in 2014, an increase of 37% on the previous year. Transit passenger growth is a major contributor to overall growth at the airport, which is set to continue with an 11% increase in seat capacity scheduled for summer 2015.
Transatlantic traffic is a major component of Dublin's transit traffic. In 2014, transatlantic traffic increased by 14% with more than 2.1 million passengers taking flights between Dublin and North America, including Canada. With the new flights scheduled for summer 2015, eleven destinations in the US and four in Canada will fly an average of 47 daily services to and from North America.
162. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she and the Government, in liaison with the four Dublin local authorities, have given any consideration to the naming or renaming of a major thoroughfare in Dublin city and region after the first signatory of the 1916 Proclamation and prime mover in the Easter Rising, Thomas J. Clarke. [16883/15]
View answerThe Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme places a special focus on the Seven Signatories of the Proclamation. A number of specific projects and activities in the programme relate to the Seven Signatories and individual signatories will also be remembered in a wide variety of ways. In regard to the naming or renaming of any street, this is, under law, a matter for the relevant local authority.
163. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps she is taking to protect the environmentally fragile heathlands of the Howth peninsula, County Dublin; and if she will ensure the retention of this amenity for future generations of residents and visitors to Howth. [16884/15]
View answerNatura 2000 is the centrepiece of EU nature and biodiversity policy. It is an EU-wide network of nature protection areas established under the 1992 Habitats Directive. The aim of the network is to assure the long-term survival of Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats. It is comprised of special areas of conservation (also referred to as sites of community importance in the EU context) designated by Member States under the Habitats Directive and special protection areas which are designated under the 1979 Birds Directive. The establishment of this network of protected areas also fulfils a Community obligation under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
Following the public advertising of the intention by Ireland to designate 429 special areas of conservation, those sites were transmitted to, and subsequently adopted by, the European Commission as sites of community importance or European sites. Legal protections, consummate with those set out in the Habitats Directive, have applied to the sites since initially proposed for designation and Ireland’s planning and environmental legislation has operated under these designations.
There are two Natura 2000 designations on Howth Head – the Howth Head special area of conservation and the Howth Head Coast special protection area.
Howth Head was initially proposed for designation as a special area of conservation in July 1999 with the specific intention to protect and preserve the selected habitats of dry heath and vegetated sea cliffs that are particular to this location. The site is also of scientific importance for its seabird colonies, invertebrates and lichens. It also supports populations of at least two legally protected plant species and several other scarce plants.
Howth Head Coast was initially proposed for designation as a special protection area in May 2008 and is of high ornithological importance, as it supports a nationally important population of Kittiwake. It is also a traditional nesting site for Peregrine Falcon, a species that is listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive. It has been formally designated as a special protection area by Statutory Instrument since 2012 (S.I. 185/12).
The protections under the Birds and Habitats Directives ensure that no plan or project undertaken in the area or vicinity of any special area of conservation or special protection area can be commenced without prior consultation with my Department and an appropriate assessment of the likely impacts on the habitats and species protected by the designations.
