Written Answers Nos. 882-895
882. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to outline the projects which the Government has submitted under the first call for proposals under the connecting Europe facility for transport projects in March 2015. [23340/15]
View answerThe 12 proposals in which Irish companies are involved that were submitted under the March CEF- transport calls are still undergoing an evaluation process in Brussels with decisions due in September/October. A full list of projects submitted and outcomes will be forwarded as soon as this process is finalised.
883. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide details of applications received for transport projects under the first call for proposals under the connecting Europe facility for transport projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23348/15]
View answerThe 12 proposals in which Irish companies are involved that were submitted under March CEF- transport calls are still undergoing an evaluation process in Brussels with decisions due in September/October. A full list of projects submitted and outcomes will be forwarded as soon as this process is finalised.
884. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the National Transport Authority has plans for sustainably powered transport for rural areas and for urban areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23394/15]
View answerAs the National Transport Authority is an agency under the aegis of my Department I have forwarded your question to them for direct response. If you have not received a response within 10 working days please contact my private office.
885. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide in tabular form the number of staff in his Department currently on a sabbatical or career break, broken down by zero to six months, six months to 12 months, one year to two years, two years to three years, four years to five years and five years or more; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23412/15]
View answerThe information as requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table.
Table 1
|
Duration of career break |
0-6 months |
6-12 months |
1-2 years |
2-3 years |
4-5 years |
5 years+ |
Total |
|
Number of staff |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
None of the three staff currently on career break are due to return to the Department during 2015.
886. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide in tabular form and by year the total photography costs for his Department since coming into office, inclusive of the costs incurred from the use of the ministerial allowance; if he will provide the list of occasions for which photographers were booked; the photographers used; the breakdown of costs associated with each occasion that a photographer was used; if there is a policy regarding the booking of photographers within his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23428/15]
View answerPhotography costs incurred by my Department are on its website at the following link. It is the policy of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport that photography costs are kept to a minimum and services are provided in-house by staff.
Where services are contracted, best value is sought and a number of quotes are obtained. Services are contracted out on an exceptional basis only. The Deputy will note that the level of expenditure in recent years is a fraction of what was spent on photography services in 2008.
http://www.dttas.ie/corporate/english/photography-costs
887. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide in tabular form and by year data on the use of external public relations firms employed by his Department since coming into office; if he will provide the list of uses of the external public relations firm as well as the internal Department policy with regard to employing external groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23444/15]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is available on my Department's website at the following link http://www.dttas.ie/corporate/english/expenditure-external-services. It is the policy of the Department in the exercise of its functions to use internal resources as far as possible, however external consultants are hired occasionally in circumstances where particular expertise is not available internally and where it is deemed to add value and independence to the overall work of the Department. My Department is constantly looking at ways to upskill internal staff to minimise the need to use external consultants.
888. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to outline the total amount spent on external information technology consultants by his Department in each of the years 2010 to 2014 and in 2015 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23460/15]
View answerThe total amount spent on external IT consultants by this Department in 2010 was €23,556.28. There has been no expenditure on IT consultants by my Department since this Government came to office.
889. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to outline the protocols in place since March 2011 to set standards in replies to parliamentary questions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23508/15]
View answer890. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport whether he is satisfied that parliamentary questions are adequately replied to within his Department; the steps he has taken since March 2011 to ensure parliamentary questions are fully responded to within his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23524/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 889 and 890 together.
My predecessor introduced new procedures for answering Parliamentary Questions within the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport where they relate to the functions of State Agencies under the aegis of the Department. The procedures, designed to introduce greater transparency in answering Parliamentary Questions, require that all such parliamentary Questions be referred to the Agency or Agencies in question for a direct response to the Deputy within 10 working days.
I have continued with these procedures since being appointed to this Office and where Deputies have not received a direct response from Agencies, I ask that they contact my officials and they will follow-up on their behalf. Overall, I am satisfied that the procedures for answering Parliamentary Questions assigned to my Department are working well.
The Deputy will be aware that new standing order 40A(1) was brought into being on 21st July 2011. This seeks to give a remedy to members who feel that an insufficient answer has been given to Parliamentary Questions raised by them.
891. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on the tendering of public service obligation bus routes. [23235/15]
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.
892. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide in tabular form the annual inflation rate in the transport sector; and the rate of increase in average ticket prices for Irish Rail intercity rail journeys, commuter rail journeys, Dublin Bus journeys, Dublin Area Rapid Transit journeys, Bus Éireann journeys and LUAS journeys in each of the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23486/15]
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.
893. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is aware that public transport customer pricing is not set according to a fair and uniform national standard and that, as a consequence, different rates apply to similar distances and average journey times; if his Department is preparing any policy to ensure that a fair and reasonable pricing policy is applied across the State with regard to this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23482/15]
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.
894. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his Department has re-negotiated external information technology consultancy contracts and costs since March 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23577/15]
View answerMy Department has not engaged in any external IT consultancy contracts since the change of government in March 2011.
895. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide in respect of State boards under his Department's remit, the number of appointments to State boards; the number of vacancies in State boards; the number of vacancies in State boards publically advertised; and the number of appointments to State boards drawn directly from the public advertisement process in period March 2011 to 2015 to date. [23593/15]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is available on my Department's website at the following link http://www.dttas.ie/corporate/english/state-board-membership-and-approved-fees.
New procedures advertised by my Department on Friday 8th April 2011 involved an open invitation to members of the public to submit expressions of interest in serving on the board of any of the Agencies operating under my aegis, rather than specific advertisements for particular positions. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform subsequently announced new procedures for the appointments process on 30th September 2014. These procedures came into effect on 1st November 2014 and consequently now all positions for State Board appointments can be viewed through the Public Appointments Service (PAS) portal at www.stateboards.ie.
