Written Answers Nos. 331 - 340
331. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the programme of works being carried out on tertiary roads and culs-de-sac, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8965/16]
View answer332. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the uptake of the community involvement scheme over its lifetime, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8966/16]
View answer333. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport why the local improvement scheme is not operational; and his plans to reintroduce the scheme for non-county roads to allow the many families living on such roads an opportunity to travel to and from their homes safely. [8967/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 331 to 333, inclusive, together.
The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.
There has been a longstanding provision for local authorities to seek community involvement in the improvement and maintenance work on suitable local roads and to facilitate this, local authorities are permitted to allocate a portion of their State grant funding to eligible schemes.
As indicated previously to the Deputy a separate Community Involvement Scheme (CIS) pilot scheme did operate for two years in 2013 and 2014. Following its completion CIS reverted to the position where local authorities may set aside 7.5% of their RI and RM grants for CIS schemes if they so wish. Applications under the scheme are made directly to the local authority and managed by it.
The Local Improvement Scheme also remains in place for 2016. This Scheme provides funding for private roads and laneways, the maintenance and improvement of which is, in the first instance, a matter for the relevant landowner. While the LIS does not have a ring-fenced allocation, local authorities may use a proportion of State grant funding for LIS should they wish to do so.
As the operation of both the CIS and LIS schemes are managed locally by the local authority, my Department does not have details of the schemes undertaken in local areas or the costs involved. A table is provided showing the uptake for the pilot CIS operated by my Department in 2013 and 2014.
There are no proposals at present to reintroduce a separate allocation for CIS or LIS. It is my view that each local authority is best placed to decide on allocations for these two schemes taking into account the own resource and grant funding available to it. In this context I continue to emphasise to local authorities the importance of prioritising roads maintenance when allocating own resources.
|
Local Authority |
2013 and 2014 Grant Expenditure |
No. of Schemes |
|
Carlow County Council |
€672,892 |
43 |
|
Cavan County Council |
€1,521,399 |
66 |
|
Clare County Council |
€953,339 |
50 |
|
Cork County Council |
€1,829,886 |
75 |
|
Donegal County Council |
€1,611,701 |
51 |
|
Galway County Council |
€329,099 |
23 |
|
Kerry County Council |
€344,964 |
12 |
|
Kildare County Council |
€190,051 |
7 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
€729,410 |
21 |
|
Laois County Council |
€501,756 |
26 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
€972,235 |
46 |
|
Limerick City & County Council |
€318,710 |
25 |
|
Longford County Council |
€154,065 |
4 |
|
Louth County Council |
€1,428,481 |
42 |
|
Mayo County Council |
€909,474 |
56 |
|
Meath County Council |
€1,651,383 |
51 |
|
Offaly County Council |
€804,682 |
34 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
€455,474 |
37 |
|
Sligo County Council |
€398,606 |
11 |
|
Tipperary Councils |
€1,428,638 |
57 |
|
Waterford County Council |
€261,089 |
8 |
|
Westmeath County Council |
€492,640 |
22 |
|
Wexford County Council |
€1,284,142 |
21 |
|
Wicklow County Council |
€219,000 |
6 |
334. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will ensure that where allocation of road restoration and maintenance moneys are being made to local authorities that a percentage of those moneys are ring-fenced for tertiary council roads in direct proportion to kilometres of these roads as compared to other road classifications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8971/16]
View answerThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.
The main grant programmes funded by my Department (Restoration Improvement, Restoration Maintenance and Discretionary Grant) are allocated on the basis of the length of the regional and local road network in a local authority area. In view of the fact that national roads and regional roads account for about 45% and 30% of overall road traffic respectively, the main requirement related to the Restoration Improvement and Maintenance Grants is that a minimum of 15% is expended on regional roads. Apart from that local authorities have considerable flexibility in allocating grant funding.
Overall, given funding constraints, I take the view that local authorities are best placed to assess how best to allocate available own resource and road grant funding within their areas. I have been emphasising to local authorities the importance of prioritising expenditure on roads when allocating own resources, including revenue from Local Property Tax receipts.
335. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the classification of roads, the length in kilometres of each road, the moneys allocated in each of the past five years, and the timeframe for resurfacing, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8972/16]
View answerThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.
Grants in the main grant categories (Restoration Improvement, Restoration Maintenance and Discretionary Grant) are calculated based on the total length of the regional and local road network within a local authority area (in the case of a number of local authorities adjustment factors are applied to take account of higher traffic volumes). The relevant reference table, which is derived from information provided by local authorities in 2012, is set out. The regional and local road grant allocations and payments made to local authorities over the last five years are included in the allocation and payment booklets available in the Dáil library.
|
LOCAL |
- |
- |
- |
- |
TRAFFIC FACTOR* |
||
|
County Council (Incl TC and Borough Areas) |
Regional m |
Local Primary m |
Local Secondary m |
Local Tertiary m |
All Local m |
Total Non-National m |
|
|
Carlow Co Council |
186,000 |
349,000 |
389,000 |
270,000 |
1,008,000 |
1,194,000 |
1.0 |
|
Cavan Co Council |
399,445 |
741,435 |
1,337,223 |
402,337 |
2,480,995 |
2,880,440 |
1.0 |
|
Clare Co Council |
633,450 |
1,148,545 |
1,448,508 |
820,874 |
3,417,927 |
4,051,377 |
1.0 |
|
Cork Co Council |
1,402,110 |
3,238,126 |
4,970,444 |
2,256,778 |
10,465,348 |
11,867,458 |
1.0 |
|
Donegal Co Council |
800,200 |
1,985,964 |
2,077,440 |
1,261,158 |
5,324,562 |
6,124,762 |
1.0 |
|
Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown Co Council |
105,917 |
94,700 |
87,218 |
379,379 |
561,297 |
667,214 |
0.0 |
|
Fingal Co Council |
262,036 |
259,814 |
239,188 |
482,756 |
981,758 |
1,243,794 |
0.0 |
|
Galway Co Council |
826,012 |
1,391,458 |
2,499,983 |
1,551,832 |
5,443,273 |
6,269,285 |
1.0 |
|
Kerry Co Council |
525,000 |
1,191,000 |
1,208,000 |
1,403,000 |
3,802,000 |
4,327,000 |
1.0 |
|
Kildare Co Council |
482,355 |
354,732 |
1,040,082 |
494,358 |
1,889,172 |
2,371,527 |
1.3 |
|
Kilkenny Co Council |
421,015 |
809,331 |
1,365,860 |
408,409 |
2,583,600 |
3,004,615 |
1.0 |
|
Laois Co Council |
348,739 |
613,017 |
601,675 |
506,539 |
1,721,231 |
2,069,970 |
1.0 |
|
Leitrim Co Council |
336,000 |
668,000 |
563,000 |
538,000 |
1,769,000 |
2,105,000 |
1.0 |
|
Limerick Co Council |
483,000 |
1,015,000 |
1,423,000 |
509,000 |
2,947,000 |
3,430,000 |
1.0 |
|
Longford Co Council |
154,084 |
428,841 |
536,586 |
401,898 |
1,367,325 |
1,521,409 |
1.0 |
|
Louth Co Council |
266,214 |
331,873 |
712,849 |
344,231 |
1,388,953 |
1,655,167 |
1.0 |
|
Mayo Co Council |
628,824 |
1,293,430 |
1,627,998 |
2,537,581 |
5,459,009 |
6,087,833 |
1.0 |
|
Meath Co Council |
574,420 |
560,949 |
786,924 |
1,230,608 |
2,578,481 |
3,152,901 |
1.3 |
|
Monaghan Co Council |
302,069 |
532,169 |
584,023 |
1,006,222 |
2,122,414 |
2,424,483 |
1.0 |
|
North Tipperary Co Council |
411,000 |
942,000 |
735,000 |
464,000 |
2,141,000 |
2,552,000 |
1.0 |
|
Offaly Co Council |
388,375 |
530,560 |
599,567 |
535,436 |
1,665,563 |
2,053,938 |
1.0 |
|
Roscommon Co Council |
372,705 |
769,759 |
1,508,769 |
1,078,791 |
3,357,319 |
3,730,024 |
1.0 |
|
Sligo Co Council |
224,193 |
655,578 |
935,457 |
694,655 |
2,285,690 |
2,509,883 |
1.0 |
|
South Dublin Co Council |
106,189 |
49,749 |
632,384 |
103,481 |
785,614 |
891,803 |
0.0 |
|
South Tipperary Co Council |
485,000 |
963,500 |
909,529 |
467,500 |
2,340,529 |
2,825,529 |
1.0 |
|
Waterford Co Council |
382,156 |
1,001,274 |
1,000,016 |
232,752 |
2,234,042 |
2,616,198 |
1.0 |
|
Westmeath Co Council |
310,000 |
508,000 |
916,000 |
405,000 |
1,829,000 |
2,139,000 |
1.0 |
|
Wexford Co Council |
476,652 |
952,328 |
1,340,765 |
557,915 |
2,851,008 |
3,327,660 |
1.0 |
|
Wicklow Co Council |
444,793 |
477,887 |
932,967 |
260,097 |
1,670,951 |
2,115,744 |
1.0 |
|
CITY COUNCILS |
|||||||
|
Dublin City Council |
214,990 |
37,015 |
47,290 |
514,010 |
931,440 |
1,146,430 |
0.0 |
|
Cork City Council |
43,750 |
58,230 |
75,600 |
285,340 |
419,170 |
462,920 |
2.0 |
|
Galway City Council |
35,000 |
19,700 |
50,720 |
174,890 |
245,300 |
280,300 |
2.0 |
|
CITY COUNCIL AREAS |
|||||||
|
Limerick City Council Area |
38,000 |
24,000 |
9,800 |
157,500 |
191,300 |
229,300 |
2.0 |
|
Waterford City Council Area |
38,600 |
29,260 |
27,770 |
135,030 |
192,050 |
230,650 |
2.0 |
|
Total |
13,108,293 |
24,026,225 |
33,220,635 |
22,871,357 |
80,451,321 |
93,559,615 |
*Traffic Factor A factor of 2.0 is applied to road lengths in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford City Council areas to take account of higher traffic volumes.
A factor of 1.3 is applied to road lengths in Meath and Kildare to take take account of higher traffic volumes accessing the GDA.
A factor of 0.0 is applied to road lengths in Dublin City, Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin as they are self-funding under the main grant categories.
A factor of 1.0 is applied to all other councils.
336. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of complaints made to the National Transport Authority against taxi drivers, by category of complaint, by number of drivers against whom complaints were made, by number of enforcement actions per category of complaint, by number and type of prosecution, by number of driver licences revoked, by number of staff dealing directly with complaints by year since 2013, under section 64 of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8866/16]
View answerThe regulation of the taxi industry is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Act, 2013.
I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
337. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 857 of 14 April 2016, the length of time each site listed has been vacant. [8894/16]
View answerThe property below is vacant since November 2014.
|
Vacant Property |
Location |
Local Authority |
Square Metres |
Car Park |
|
Rocket House, Dun Laoghaire Harbour |
Dun Laoghaire |
Rathdown County Council |
Internal Floor approx. 22.77/External floor 31.33 |
No |
338. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he continues to make contact with various promoters in the sporting sector worldwide with a view to encouraging the location of major events here, with obvious economic benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8920/16]
View answerThe hosting of major sports events can generate additional international visits and help put Ireland onto travel itineraries as a holiday destination. Accordingly, I support the ongoing efforts of the Tourism Agencies and the National Governing Bodies of Sport, in conjunction with their colleagues in Northern Ireland where appropriate, to attract international events, subject, of course, to an assessment of the costs and benefits involved.
In this regard, the Event Ireland Division within Fáilte Ireland continues to identify and bid for events in partnersip with the relevant stakeholders. Amongst the bids they have recently won are the 2016 World Field Archery Championships and the 2016 World Shore Angling Champioships.
The FAI and Dublin City Council, with Government support, won their bid in September 2014 to host part of the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament at the Aviva stadium. The Government also assisted the IRFU in its successful bid to host the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2017 and the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive announced their support in December 2014 for the preparation of a joint bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023. The bid has the full support of both Governments who will be working very closely with the IRFU to ensure that the best possible bid is made to bring the Rugby World Cup to Ireland in 2023.
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 grow sport related tourism and develop sport in Ireland by hosting major events with significant overseas revenue generating potential.
339. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the degree to which rail and bus services in County Kildare are co-ordinated to meet the requirements of commuters in the various towns and villages throughout the county in full; the extent to which he continues to be appraised in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8921/16]
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.
My Department is continually kept informed on relevant developments by the NTA through various means, including a formal monthly meeting between officials.
340. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when Transport Infrastructure Ireland will commence upgrading the N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin road in County Sligo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8947/16]
View answerAs 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 national road projects is a matter for the Transport Infrastructure Ireland (formerly known as the NRA) under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 in conjunction with the relevant local authority. Within its capital budget, the assessment and prioritisation of individual projects is a matter in the first instance for TII in accordance with Section 19 of the Roads Act.
The transport element of the Capital Plan "Building on Recovery" makes provision for several roads projects to commence which are targeted at removing critical bottlenecks or upgrading inadequate sections of road including the N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin upgrade scheme. In this context, TII is in the process of drawing up an implementation programme in relation to the projects included in the 7 year Capital Plan taking into account annual budget allocations.
