Written Answers Nos. 1622-1634
1622. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount of public moneys that have been spent on the proposed DART underground project to date; if he will provide a breakdown of this figure by category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31525/15]
View answerResponsibility for the development public transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area, including the DART Underground project, is a function of the National Transport Authority (NTA). I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
1623. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will report on the preliminary report into the fatal shipping accident of the MV Kilkenny in 1991; if this preliminary report will be published; the timeframe he envisages for publication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31538/15]
View answerPrior to the establishment of the Marine Casualty Investigation Board under the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Casualties) Act 2000, investigations into maritime incidents were carried out by the Marine Survey Office of my Department, and as a general policy, the reports of preliminary inquiries were not made public. In the specific case of the MV Kilkenny particular legal considerations applied, and so the report of the preliminary inquiry remains confidential.
1624. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will report on the recent Irish Rail draft safety report which was commissioned by the Railway Safety Commission; the measures that are being taken to address safety concerns, to address staff morale and to improve the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31541/15]
View answerThe issue raised is a matter for the Railway Safety Commission (RSC) in conjunction with Irish Rail and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the RSC for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
1625. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the bodies or companies from which he received legal advice in relation to a company (details supplied) since January 2014; and in each case to list the fees paid to date. [31546/15]
View answerOther than advice obtained through the Attorney General's Office and the assistance of the Chief State Solicitor's Office, I have received no other advice and no fees have been paid or are payable.
1626. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his reason for deciding to abandon or halt the DART underground proposal; if he will report on any possibility of a DART-Metro system for Dublin; the reason this Government is not prepared to plan and fund crucial public transport infrastructure for Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31557/15]
View answerThis question appears to be based on media conjecture in recent weeks and much of the detail in the reports is far off the mark. The issue was considered by Government this morning and Government agreed that the DART Underground project should be redesigned to provide a lower cost technical solution - it is not being cancelled. Indeed, the overall DART Expansion Programme, of which the Underground tunnel is a critical element, remains central to the Government's strategy to meet the growing transport needs of the Greater Dublin Area.
As originally designed, however, the Underground tunnel element would account for approx. €3bn of the overall cost of €4bn for the whole DART Expansion Programme. At the Government's request, the National Transport Authority (NTA) carried out an updated analysis of the business case and found that the tunnel element of the Programme could be redesigned to deliver a lower cost technical solution while maintaining the full connectivity of the original Programme. The Government has now agreed that this redesign should proceed and this work will be funded under the new Capital Plan which will be announced shortly. The Government has also decided that other elements of the DART Expansion Programme will be progressed under the new Capital Plan including the DART Extension to Balbriggan and works to increase frequency of existing services.
It is imperative that we invest in our transport system to ensure that we can meet growing demand and tackle congestion so that it does not hinder economic growth. It is also important that in planning our investment strategy, we plan appropriately so that areas which will see major development and population growth in the future, such as North Dublin, will be properly served by public transport. I am confident that the new Capital Plan will deliver on these objectives.
1627. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding a cycling issue. [31566/15]
View answerCycling on a footpath is an offence under road traffic legislation. Following consultation with An Garda Síochána and the Road Safety Authority, I decided not to include this offence in the first phase of fixed charge notices for cycling offences.
I did however introduce a fixed charge notice for cycling without reasonable consideration. This would include cyclists cycling recklessly on footpaths. The introduction of a fixed charge notice for this and other cycling offences is intended to give An Garda Síochána an additional enforcement measure in assisting them to enforce road traffic law and so that these offences may be dealt with swiftly without recourse to the courts.
The aim in the long term is not to penalise, but to change the culture and spread awareness that road traffic law applies to all and exists for the safety of all.
1628. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when a company (details supplied) in County Kerry was issued a transport licence; when its licence changed; the persons or bodies who authorised this change to allow it to tender for work for private business; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31570/15]
View answerThe company (details supplied) is the holder of a Road Passenger Transport Operator Licence issued by the Road Transport Operator Licensing Unit of my Department on 09/07/2014 and valid for five years. This licence grants access to the occupation of road passenger transport operator. There are no conditions on the licence held by the company (details supplied) other than those that apply to all licence holders.
1629. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the average daily volumes on the M3 for each of the past five years; the number of vehicles that needed to use the M3 each day to ensure that the State incurred no charges for each of the past five years; and the annual charge to the State for under-use of the M3 for each of the past five years. [31608/15]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, Tourism and 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 Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), formerly the National Roads Authority (NRA) under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.
Noting the above position, I have referred the Deputy’s question to the TII for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you don’t receive a reply within 10 working days.
1630. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the funding his Department has provided to a company (details supplied) in County Kerry since its inception; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31662/15]
View answerResponsibility for the management of the Rural Transport Programme (RTP) was assigned to the National Transport Authority (NTA) with effect from 1st April 2012. I have therefore forwarded your question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
1631. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is aware of the serious dissatisfaction in relation to the Ireland Ancient East map that still does not include the north and mid-Louth areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31663/15]
View answerThe role of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in relation to tourism lies primarily in the area of national policy. The development of Ireland's Ancient East is an operational matter for the Board and management of Fáilte Ireland. The Department is not directly involved in its development or promotion. Accordingly, I have asked Fáilte Ireland to reply to the Deputy directly in this regard. Please contact my private office if you do not hear from them within ten working days.
However, I note that the illustrative map used in initial promotional material clearly includes the whole of County Louth. This new touring region will seek to attract international visitors by building on the wealth of historical and cultural assets across the whole region.
1632. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the discussions he has had regarding increasing powers to security on public transport; if those discussions involved improved standards of training for staff or the introduction of an airport police type model; the rationale for his approach; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31685/15]
View answerI understand Transdev, who operate Luas under contract to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), formerly the Railway Procurement Agency, and the National Transport Authority (NTA), have, over the past few months, been considering the practicalities, advantages and disadvantages of appointing security staff as Authorised Officers pursuant to section 66B of the Transport (Railway Infrastructure) Act 2001.
This is one of several options that Transdev are considering to improve security on Luas. The matter is still under consideration and, at this stage, a final decision has not yet been made.
Iarnród Éireann has also been considering the option of appointing security staff as authorised officers pursuant to section 129 of the Railway Safety Act 2005. They are considering the practicalities of this option along with other initiatives to improve security on their network.
1633. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding an application for a sports capital grant by a sports club (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31816/15]
View answerI can confirm that an application has been submitted by the organisation referred to by the Deputy under the 2015 Sports Capital Programme and the Deputy's support for the project is noted. I expect to announce allocations later this year.
1634. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of station houses, previously owned and maintained by CIE and Irish Rail, that have been sold recently; if he will provide an itemised list of all such cases indicating the moneys received by the State in each case, the estimate value of each property before sale; the reason such sales were considered; if public heritage was taken into consideration in advance of sales; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31853/15]
View answerThe issue raised is a matter for CIE and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to CIE for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
