Written Answers Nos. 251-268
251. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will make a statement regarding his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 45 of 10 May 2017, when he stated that he would be happy to request that the IAA meet with community representatives from an organisation (details supplied) in the context that he had previously stated on 21 March 2017 that such an action would be undertaken and such a meeting set up. [25068/17]
View answerAs stated in my previous responses on this matter, I intend to ensure that there will be ample opportunity for community representatives, living in the vicinity of Dublin airport, to be consulted before any final decisions are made on aircraft noise management. However, before any consultation can take place, the Competent Authority will firstly need to be appointed under statute. In that context, the Office of the Attorney General is currently finalising the legalities of the implementation of Regulation 598/2014 relating to aircraft noise management. In the meantime, I have informed the Irish Aviation Authority of the commitment I have made and advised that this meeting should take place as soon as possible following their appointment as Competent Authority under Statutory Instrument.
252. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of a capital sports grant application by a club (details supplied); when an announcement of funds allocated is expected under the sports capital programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25071/17]
View answerI can confirm that an application has been submitted by the organisation referred to by the Deputy under the 2017 Sports Capital Programme. All of the 2320 applications received will be assessed by officials in my Department over the coming months. Given the number of applications received and the detailed information submitted, it will take a number of months to complete the assessment process with allocations not expected until September.
253. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to introduce the NCT test for tractors from 2018; the criteria in this regard; the details of the penalties as set out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25086/17]
View answerDirective 2014/45/EU on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers, requires, from 20 May 2018, the mandatory periodic testing of tractors with a maximum design speed exceeding 40 km/h (category T5), and which are used mainly on the public road for commercial road haulage purposes. There is however, no requirement on Member States to introduce compulsory testing for T5 tractors when being used for agricultural, horticultural, forestry, farming or fishery purposes mainly on the terrain where such activity takes place. The RSA is currently working toward fulfilling the State's mandated obligations under the Directive, and will engage with affected stakeholders to provide them with guidance in relation to the practical implementation of its requirements.
The penalties for failure to have a certificate of roadworthiness when using a commercial vehicle on the public road are set out in the RSA (Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness) Act 2012, and are enforced by An Garda Síochána. On conviction in Court a person is currently liable to 5 penalty points, a Class A fine (not exceeding €5,000) and/or imprisonment of up to 3 months. It is expected that T5 tractors required to be tested under the Directive will be considered as commercial vehicles, and therefore similar penalties will apply.
254. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of a driving test for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25093/17]
View answerThe operation of the driver testing service is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority. I have therefore referred the Question to the Authority for direct response. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a reply has not been received within ten days.
The referred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.
255. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to assist the haulage sector regarding the challenges that will arise from Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25120/17]
View answerThe focus of the Government in the upcoming Brexit negotiations is to protect Ireland's interests and to advance our priorities. The draft EU guidelines for the Brexit negotiations include strong acknowledgement of Ireland's unique circumstances and the importance of maintaining bilateral arrangements with the UK such as the Common Travel Area. In the context of both the haulage sector and the wider economy, it is vital to minimise the impact of Brexit by maintaining close trade between the UK and EU/Ireland, minimising regulatory burden for goods transiting the UK and pursuing trade and investment opportunities arising from Brexit. I can assure you that I and other Government Ministers will continue to work with our EU counterparts, both in EU capitals and within the EU institutions, to advance Ireland's interests in this regard.
In relation to the potential impact of Brexit on the road haulage sector, my officials have maintained a close working relationship with their counterparts in the UK and Northern Ireland and regularly interact to discuss issues of mutual interest. This working relationship is ongoing and will undoubtedly be valuable in the coming months as we consider the potential effects of Brexit and how they might be mitigated. My officials also continue to meet regularly with representatives of the Irish road haulage industry and will take account of their concerns in engaging with the EU and UK authorities.
256. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to designate the licensed haulage sector as a special category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25121/17]
View answerThe issue of the designation of the licensed haulage sector as a special essential user category is a matter for the Minister for Finance, as it relates to the rebating of fuel and road toll charges. I understand that the haulage industry has made a budget submission in this regard to the Minister for Finance for his consideration.
257. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of the renewal of the contract for the driving licence service centres in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25194/17]
View answerThe operation of the National Driver Licensing Service is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority. I have therefore referred the Question to the Authority for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
The referred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.
258. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of the Bray DART station refurbishment plan and the funding for same; if a call for tender has been issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25216/17]
View answerThe National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area. This includes the planned works to the environs of Bray DART Station.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred your question to the NTA for reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
The referred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.
259. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will seek funding from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to invest in Waterford Airport (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25224/17]
View answer260. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has met with the board of management of Waterford Airport to date in 2017; if he has had recent discussions with the board in relation to securing routes and negotiating deals with a suitable carrier; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25225/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 259 and 260 together.
I met with representatives of the Board and management when I visited Waterford Airport on 13 February 2017. The securing of routes and negotiations with airlines for the provision of services are matters for the Board and management of the Airport. In that regard, I am aware from Waterford Airport that commercial discussions with a potential new airline operator are currently at a very advanced stage. It is hoped that positive news on scheduled air services will be forthcoming in the near future.
Waterford Airport has received substantial Exchequer support under the Regional Airports Programme - almost €20 million over the past 10 years. This Programme also supports the other three regional airports in Counties Donegal, Mayo and Kerry with funding to assist them with implementing necessary safety and security related projects and activities, including measures in these two areas that are requisite to comply with regulatory requirements. We will not be in a position to consider further Exchequer support for Waterford until air services are resumed.
In relation to the recent amendment to the EU General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER), this Regulation exempts certain categories of state aid from the requirement of prior notification to the Commission, if these are unlikely to distort competition in the Single Market. This will have limited impact for our regional airports since Ireland has already received State-aid clearance from the EU Commission in 2015 for our current, five-year, Regional Airports Programme 2015-2019.
There is one new concession (for airports that handle less than 200,000 passengers annually) in the revised GBER regime that would be relevant to Waterford, and that is that they would be eligible for aid towards operating losses, if incurred. In practice, however, Waterford is already eligible for this kind of operational support under our current Regional Airports Programme.
261. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the funding allocated to State agencies in 2017 to hire additional staff as a result of Brexit; the number of staff that will be hired by agency; the numbers hired to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25108/17]
View answerAn additional €3 million was secured in respect of Pay in Budget 2017 and is being targeted specifically to assist in our response to the evolving Brexit scenario. It is enabling the Department and, primarily, our Agencies recruit some 40 to 50 additional staff to supplement existing staffing numbers. These numbers may grow as Agencies allocate additional Own Resource Income, by agreement with the Department, to recruit further staff to work on "Brexit-related" activity.
The additional €3m has been allocated across
- Enterprise Ireland (€1,700,000)
- IDA Ireland (€750,000)
- Science Foundation Ireland (€150,000)
- The Health and Safety Authority (€150,000), and
- The Department itself (€250,000)
In terms of the Agency numbers, additional Brexit resources are being put in place in response to the €2.750m allocated for extra staff. This sum is anticipated to allow for additional Brexit staffing in Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, SFI and the HSA (with a number of specific posts sanctioned and recruitment under way).
In relation to Enterprise Ireland, we have sanctioned an additional 39 posts with EI supplementing the “Brexit” pay allocation with additional Own Resource Income. 12 of the 39 posts have been filled. The remaining 27 are actively being sourced through recruitment processes.
IDA Ireland has sought 21 additional staff resources in order that it can meet the jobs and investment targets set out in its Strategy - “Winning Foreign Direct Investment 2015 – 2019” - and to meet the global challenges of 2017 and beyond with Brexit key among the identified challenges. The Agency also submitted a staff resourcing strategy to the Department in July 2016 which sought sanction for retention of the 35 staff hired on 3-year fixed term contracts under the Winning Abroad Programme. IDA has also sought to reinstate its Graduate Recruitment Programme on a three year contract basis. These latter two requests are still under consideration. Currently, IDA has official sanction to recruit 10 additional “Brexit” staff members. One of the Brexit staff members has been recruited with one other post close to being finalised.
Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) have designated three new posts to have specific Brexit related responsibilities and duties. These posts have been enabled by an increase in the Foundation’s pay allocation in 2017 for Brexit specific recruitment. While these posts have yet to be filled, recruitment is currently underway.
The Health & Safety Authority has identified a need for an additional 2 “Brexit” staff and while formal approval for one of the posts has been obtained, approval for the remaining post is still awaited at Departmental level"
In respect of these Agencies, it must also be borne in mind that all these Agencies will have prioritised the Brexit implications arising for them in their individual work plans for 2017 and beyond which serving staff will contribute to as part of their day-to-day work. In this regard the staffing of these Agencies is set out below.
- EI had 575 staff in 564 Full-Time Equivalent posts before Brexit-specific recruitment of upwards of 39 staff takes effect.
- IDA had 268 staff in 259 Full-Time Equivalent posts before Brexit-specific recruitment of upwards of 21 staff takes effect.
- SFI had 47 staff in 46.5 Full-Time Equivalent posts before Brexit-specific recruitment of 2 additional staff takes effect.
- HSA has 167 staff in 159 Full-Time Equivalent posts before Brexit-specific recruitment of 2 additional staff takes effect.
The €250,000 allocated to my Department's pay budget has funded the establishment of our dedicated Brexit Unit, which currently has a staff complement of four - 1 Principal, 1 Assistant Principal, 1 Higher Executive Officer and 1 Clerical Officer.
262. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if her Department has examined the way in which Brexit may potentially contribute to greater regional imbalance in terms of employment here; the specific measures she plans to implement to mitigate against this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25109/17]
View answerBrexit poses significant challenges to the development of Irish owned industry and in particular to the regions which can be more dependent on Irish-owned medium and large businesses.
The regions are often heavily dependent on a small number of larger Irish companies and these companies can be found in traditional, labour intensive but very competitive sectors such as Food, Construction and Manufacturing/Engineering. There are a number of industry subsectors and major employers where exports to the UK make up in excess of 40% of total exports. The Construction Products, Construction Services, Engineering, Agriculture Machinery, Timber, Furniture and Food are all sectors that have a high level of sales to the UK and are very regionally dispersed sectors.
The regional spread of the Enterprise Ireland cohort of companies is very much to the forefront of my strategic planning for Brexit. For the longer term, it is important that we intensify our supports to build the competitiveness of individual companies that have the ambition and the capability to compete on world markets.
Enterprise Ireland (EI) and the Local Enterprises Offices are the main vehicles for channelling Government support to start ups and business expansion in the regions. Some 84% of LEO client jobs are outside of Dublin and Cork urban areas and 62% of EI client employment is located in the regions. In 2016, 65% of payments by Enterprise Ireland were to companies located outside of Dublin.
Both regional balance and Brexit are significant components of the 2017 Action Plan for Jobs, the Regional Action Plans and the Rural Development Action Plan.
The Regional Action Plans for Jobs initiative is a concrete example of the targeted approach we are undertaking to boost regional employment and to support each region to achieve its economic potential. We are seeing progress. The most recent QNHS figures show that over 77% of the new jobs added in the year to Q1 2017 were outside Dublin, with the unemployment rate falling across all regions in the same period.
As well as being a top priority at Government level, the implications of the Brexit vote on Irish enterprises are, and will continue to be, an important item on the agenda of meetings of the 9 Regional Implementation Committees that are charged with overseeing and monitoring the Regional Plans.
On Monday 29 May, I will launch a €60m Regional Enterprise Development Fund with Minister of State for Employment and Labour Pat Breen TD. The Fund will support major new collaborative and innovative initiatives that can make a significant impact on enterprise development and job creation in the region/across regions or nationally. The competitive process for funding will be managed by Enterprise Ireland.
Through this €60m fund, the Government will be backing local stakeholders to drive their own futures by putting forward their own proposals to deliver sustainable employment.
Investing in Regional Enterprise Infrastructure is a crucial response to building the resilience of our regions to cope with any external challenge. By strengthening the infrastructure at local, regional and national levels, we aim to stimulate a new generation of entrepreneurs, support and grow established enterprises and encourage their ambition, and scale more businesses with global potential.
As the situation evolves, we will monitor the potential and real impacts of Brexit on each Region.
263. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the status of progress on the development of the M1 digital payments fin tech corridor, as recommended under the regional Action Plan for Jobs initiative; the actions IDA and Enterprise Ireland have taken to date to develop and promote the concept; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25180/17]
View answerThe M1 Payments Corridor (M1PC) is an industry group of payments and online transacting companies aimed at promoting regional Fintech development in the North-East.
To progress this initiative, a specific action was included in the IFS2020 2017 Action Plan. The FinTech & Payments Association of Ireland is cooperating closely with the M1PC group to develop the project further.
This initiative is also included in the Regional Action Plan for Jobs (APJ) for the Border Region. IDA Ireland, together with Enterprise Ireland and other stakeholders, are working actively to take this forward and are providing updates through the North East Regional APJ Implementation Committee.
264. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if an additional €3 million has been allocated by her Department in 2017 to the evolving Brexit scenario; the number of full-time and part-time staff hired since 1 January 2017 under this budget allocation; the amount allocated to each State agency to date in 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25205/17]
View answerAn additional €3million was secured in respect of Pay in Budget 2017 and is being targeted specifically to assist in our response to the evolving Brexit scenario. It is enabling the Department and, primarily, our Agencies recruit some 40 to 50 additional staff to supplement existing staffing numbers. These numbers may grow as Agencies allocate additional Own Resource Income, by agreement with the Department, to recruit further staff to work on "Brexit-related" activity.
The additional €3m has been allocated across
- Enterprise Ireland (€1,700,000)
- IDA Ireland (€750,000)
- Science Foundation Ireland (€150,000)
- The Health and Safety Authority (€150,000), and
- The Department itself (€250,000)
In relation to Enterprise Ireland, my Department has sanctioned an additional 39 posts with EI supplementing the “Brexit” pay allocation with additional Own Resource Income. 12 of the 39 posts have been filled. The remaining 27 are actively being sourced through recruitment processes.
IDA Ireland has sought 21 additional staff resources in order that it can meet the jobs and investment targets set out in its Strategy – “Winning Foreign Direct Investment 2015 – 2019” - and to meet the global challenges of 2017 and beyond with Brexit key among the identified challenges. The Agency also submitted a staff resourcing strategy to the Department in July 2016 which sought sanction for retention of the 35 staff hired on 3-year fixed term contracts under the Winning Abroad Programme. IDA has also sought to reinstate its Graduate Recruitment Programme on a three year contract basis. These latter two requests are still under consideration. Currently, IDA has official sanction to recruit 10 additional “Brexit” staff members. One of the Brexit staff members has been recruited with one other post close to being finalised.
Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) have designated three new posts to have specific Brexit related responsibilities and duties. These posts have been enabled by an increase in the Foundation’s pay allocation in 2017 for Brexit specific recruitment. While these posts have yet to be filled, recruitment is currently underway.
The Health & Safety Authority has identified a need for an additional 2 “Brexit” staff and while formal approval for one of the posts has been obtained, approval for the remaining post is still awaited at Departmental level.
Finally, in respect of these Agencies, it must also be borne in mind that all these Agencies will have prioritised the Brexit implications arising for them in their individual work plans for 2017 and beyond which serving staff will contribute to as part of their day-to-day work. In this regard the staffing of these Agencies is set out below.
- EI had 575 staff in 564 Full-Time Equivalent posts before Brexit-specific recruitment of upwards of 39 staff takes effect.
- IDA had 268 staff in 259 Full-Time Equivalent posts before Brexit-specific recruitment of upwards of 21 staff takes effect.
- SFI had 47 staff in 46.5 Full-Time Equivalent posts before Brexit-specific recruitment of 2 additional staff takes effect.
- HSA has 167 staff in 159 Full-Time Equivalent posts before Brexit-specific recruitment of 2 additional staff takes effect.
In respect of my own Department, the additional resources have funded the establishment of our dedicated Brexit Unit at present comprising 4 staff at Principal, Assistant Principal, Higher Executive and Clerical Officer levels.
265. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of companies greater than and fewer than 250 employees that have drawn down EFSI funding to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25207/17]
View answerThe European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI) is a joint initiative of the European Investment Bank, European Investment Fund and the European Commission, established to help overcome the current investment gap in the EU by mobilising private financing for strategic investments. While the Minister for Finance is responsible for the Irish political and policy input on the shape of EFSI, including its ongoing review, it is in fact EFSI itself which is charged with day to day operations independent of all EU Governments including the Irish Government. EFSI does however publish project lists on its website, and, in this regard, I would direct the Deputy's attention towards this information which can be filtered by country and by sector, including under the heading of 'smaller companies
266. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the 2017 budget allocation for InterTradeIreland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25208/17]
View answerThe 2017 budget allocation from my Department for InterTrade Ireland is €7.96m.
I fully understand how important it is that InterTrade Ireland has a sound and strong financial footing. This is especially the case given the important work the Body will play in helping SMEs address the challenges that Brexit will present. That is why I made additional funding available to InterTrade Ireland for both 2016 and 2017. I will also keep its requirements under review as we move forward.
267. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her views on the regulation of persons employed in the gig economy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25210/17]
View answerRapid technological advances have given rise to new ways of working which may challenge our traditional view of the world of work including the employer-employee relationship. On 12 May last I hosted a major conference organised by my Department in Dublin Castle on the Future of Work involving government, employee representatives, employers and academia to address the challenges posed by the new world of work. Rapid technological advances have given rise to new ways of working. The conference had a particular focus on the impact of technology on the traditional employer/employee relationship.
This new world presents opportunities and challenges. While the flexibility and competitive advantage offered by new technologies is to be welcomed, a balance must be struck with the need to ensure continued employment rights protections. One of the messages coming from the conference was that care needs to be taken in any desire to regulate so that genuine innovation is not stifled and, equally importantly, that what might ultimately be found by employment rights adjudication bodies both here and abroad to be simply rebranding of workers performing work does not drive the regulatory agenda.
In most cases it will be clear whether an individual is employed or self-employed. Where there is doubt in relation to the employment status of an individual the relevant Departments and Agencies will have regard to the Code of Practice for Determining Employment or Self-Employment Status of Individuals. This Code was drawn up and agreed in 2007 by the relevant Government Departments with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and the Irish Business and Employers’ Confederation (Ibec).
Where an individual believes they are being deprived of employment rights applicable to employees they may refer a complaint to the WRC where the matter can be dealt with by way of mediation or adjudication leading to a decision that is enforceable through the District Court. WRC inspectors can also be asked to investigate certain breaches. As indicated earlier a number of what are loosely termed gig economy arrangements are only recently finding their way into adjudicatory processes for adjudication across the EU.
It is important to remember than some working in the gig economy are correctly categorised as self-employed. However, the Deputy will also be aware that the Department of Finance and Department of Social Protection have conducted a joint public consultation on the Use of Intermediary-Type Structures and Self-Employment Arrangements. It is important that individuals are correctly designated as regards employment status, so that those who ought to be designated as employees are not deprived of employment rights. This is particularly the case for vulnerable workers who may not feel in a position to object to certain arrangements.
268. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her views on the latest findings by the EU’s research and innovation observatory (details supplied) which indicates that research and development funding here is largely focused on multinationals rather than SMEs and that research and development here is below that of average spends by firms in other EU nations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25211/17]
View answerI presume the Deputy is referring to business expenditure in research and development.
It is recognised that Ireland's business expenditure on R&D as a percentage of GDP is less than the EU average.
However improving the innovative capacity of enterprise (in particular Irish SMEs), and encouraging private investment in R&D are given a high a priority in government policy strategies such as Enterprise 2025, Innovation 2020 and in the 2017 Action Plan for Jobs. Supporting research is a key pillar of Ireland’s enterprise policy given its role in driving productivity, competitiveness and thereby the creation and maintenance of jobs.
It should be noted that, as indicated in the most recent European Innovation Scoreboard, Ireland leads Europe in economic success stemming from innovation in terms of employment, revenue and exports. We have consistently improved our innovation performance over the last four years moving from 10th place in 2013, to 6th place in 2016. Year on year, Ireland has successfully built up research capacity, a significant reputation for research excellence and has an increasing base of enterprises engaging in R&D and innovation activity.
Continuing to build on this performance, Innovation 2020 (Ireland’s cross-government strategy for research and development, science and technology) outlines a range of policy responses aimed at increasing the number of indigenous enterprises engaged in R&D activities as well as increasing their R&D expenditures. The following key actions are aligning the public effort to maximise R&D activity in SMEs:
- Support for knowledge transfer and commercialisation has been stepped up.
- The refresh of research prioritisation exercise is reviewing the priority areas for publicly funded research and will target new areas where enterprises could build a competitive advantage.
- New policy tools have been developed to encourage private participation in R&D both in their own right and in collaboration with publically funded research programmes.
- The R&D tax credit was made more accessible and improvements to the credit have catalysed increased private investment in R&D.
- The Knowledge Development Box was introduced to act as a further incentive for companies engaged in R&D, allowing them to claim tax relief on profits arising from qualifying IP.
- A review of the current suite of RDI supports for enterprise is currently underway to ensure that supports use public resources efficiently, that they are readily accessible by enterprise and that they are aligned with enterprise needs.
Furthermore, Enterprise Ireland is proactively working with Irish SMEs to improve their R&D capacity and has developed an initiative to optimise their suite of RDI supports to enable them to respond to changes in the market.
