Written Answers Nos. 521-540
521. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of his position on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4395/18]
View answerIn accordance with Section 142 of the Broadcasting Act 2009, any premises at which a television is located requires a TV Licence regardless of its use. Therefore, owners and controlling management companies of all holiday home accommodation premises which include a television set, are required to purchase a separate TV Licence for each accommodation unit.
As per my previous correspondence to Deputy McConalogue, there are no plans to change this at present.
522. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the public private partnerships his Department is currently engaged in; the name, cost and timeframe of each; the names of all private parties involved; the nature of each project in terms of design, build, maintenance and so on, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4430/18]
View answerMy Department is engaged in one public private partnership, the details of which are set out in the table:
|
Name of project |
Cost (inc VAT) |
Timeframe |
Names of private parties involved |
Nature of Project |
|
Eircodes |
€38m |
December 2013 10 year contract with an option to extend |
Capita Business Support Services Ireland, trading as Eircode |
Develop, implement, maintain and promote the National Postcode System “Eircode”. |
523. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the provision of e-fibre to a location (details supplied) in County Kerry. [4452/18]
View answerThe Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector so that today over 67% of the 2.3m premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband. This is set to increase to 77% (1.8m premises) by the end of this year and to 90% (2.1m premises) by the end of 2020.
The premises referred to by the Deputy is in an AMBER area on my Department’s High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. It will therefore be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).
The procurement process to select a company or companies who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area is now at an advanced stage. “Detailed Solutions” submitted by two bidders on 26th September 2017 are being evaluated by the NBP specialist team. This is the last stage of the procurement process before moving to the final tender stage, which will be followed by the appointment of a preferred bidder(s) and contract signature.
With regards to the infrastructure deployment close to the premises referred to by the Deputy, decisions made by private telecommunication operators relating to the roll-out and siting of infrastructure to provide high speed broadband services throughout Ireland are undertaken on a commercial basis by competing service providers operating in a liberalised market. I have no statutory role or function to intervene in the commercial decisions of private operators, and therefore cannot direct operators regarding infrastructure installation or delivery of services.
I recognise the importance of availability of high speed connectivity for all premises in Ireland and the frustration for communities and businesses that do not currently have access to this level of connectivity, particularly when commercial operators are rolling out in the area. However, connectivity is being delivered daily to rural communities. Today in Kerry over 41,000 premises can access high speed broadband. This includes nearly 7,000 which have received access to speeds of up to 1,000 Mpbs as part of eir’s ongoing rural deployment. By the end of this year over 60,000 premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection in Kerry, more than 25,000 of which will be capable of delivering speeds of up to 1,000 Mpbs.
Delivering connectivity to the 542,000 premises, including the approximately 28,000 in Kerry, that fall within the State led intervention under the NBP remains a Government priority and my Department will engage with the winning bidder(s) to ensure the most efficient deployment as part of the contract.
In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.
Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen. These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities. The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure. There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.
524. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to introduce a ban on advertising on smartphones that is aimed at children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4505/18]
View answerI have no function in relation to advertising on phones.
525. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the position regarding the creation of a digital safety commissioner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4506/18]
View answerThe subject of online safety for all individuals but especially for children is of vital concern and importance to me. This issue is a complex and multifaceted one and effective actions in this area rely on the active engagement of all stakeholders including Government, technology companies and parents. On Tuesday 21 November 2017 I convened a meeting with my colleagues, the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and their officials to discuss online safety issues, including the various initiatives which are taking place at a national and European level to tackle illegal or harmful content online.
Recognising that there are already a range of diverse activities being taken by many Government Departments, by the European Commission, by industry and by stakeholders, we agreed at this meeting to further progress the matter of digital safety through an Open Policy Debate. The Open Policy Debate will take place on Thursday 8 March in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. The establishment of an Office of a Digital Safety Commissioner is one of a number of proposals which will be discussed during this event.
My Department is co-ordinating this open policy debate with the support and participation of the Departments of Justice & Equality; Education & Skills; Business, Enterprise and Innovation; Health; and Children and Youth Affairs. My Department is also engaging with the relevant online platforms, ISPCC, parents' groups and other key stakeholders who will be participating in the initiative. The overall aim of the event is to raise awareness among all participants of the activities which are being undertaken by the Irish Government, by the European Commission, by industry and NGOs.
It is intended that the event will identify issues requiring further consideration and areas where additional cooperation between stakeholders would be beneficial. Following the event, I will engage further with my Ministerial colleagues in relation to these matters.
526. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when the remaining areas of the Glenasmole valley and Bohernabreena will be covered by broadband; the reason these areas are not being included in the roll-out that is taking place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4524/18]
View answerThe Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector so that today over 67% of the 2.3m premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband. This is set to increase to 77% (1.8m premises) by the end of this year and to 90% (2.1m premises) by the end of 2020.
In April 2017 I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).
The Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode:
- The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP and are the subject of an ongoing procurement process.
- The BLUE represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services.
- The LIGHT BLUE areas represent eir's commercial rural deployment plans to roll-out high speed broadband to 300,000 premises by the end of this year as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with me last April.
Premises in the areas referred to by the Deputy fall into each of these categories.
With regards to existing infrastructure deployment in the area, decisions made by private telecommunication operators relating to the roll-out and siting of infrastructure to provide high speed broadband services throughout Ireland are undertaken on a commercial basis by competing service providers operating in a liberalised market. I have no statutory role or function to intervene in the commercial decisions of private operators, and therefore cannot direct operators regarding infrastructure installation or delivery of services.
Premises where commercial providers are not currently delivering or have indicated no plans to deliver high speed broadband services will be addressed through the National Broadband Plan State led Intervention.
My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company or companies who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. That procurement process is now at an advanced stage. “Detailed Solutions” submitted by two bidders on 26th September 2017 are being evaluated by the NBP specialist team. This is the last stage of the procurement process before moving to the final tender stage, which will be followed by the appointment of a preferred bidder(s) and contract signature.
I recognise the importance of availability of high speed connectivity for all premises in Ireland. Delivering connectivity to the 542,000 premises that fall within the State led intervention under the NBP remains a Government priority and my Department will engage with the winning bidder(s) to ensure the most efficient deployment as part of the contract.
In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.
Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen. These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities. The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure. There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.
527. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of his Department's progress in implementing the recommendations of the Internet content governance advisory group. [4628/18]
View answerThe Internet Content Governance Advisory Group (ICGAG) report's recommendations set the context for the meeting I had with my colleagues, the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs on 21 November last on Internet Safety for Children.
Out of 30 recommendations made in the ICGAG report, 14 relate to the transfer and further development of functions currently in the Department of Justice and Equality to the Department of Children & Youth Affairs, which has not progressed. Progress has been made in respect of a number of the other recommendations, most notably in relation to education and awareness-raising measures. Further progress will be made through the implementation of the revision of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, which is expected to be agreed at European level later this year.
Given the amount of time that has passed since the ICGAG report's publication; the range of additional proposals which have been made by various bodies and organisations; the number of initiatives underway in this area at a European level, across many Government Departments and by industry, NGOs and stakeholders, it was agreed at our meeting on 21 November that the most appropriate way to progress digital safety in the short term was by organising an Open Policy Debate on the subject.
My Department is coordinating this event, with the support and participation of the Departments of Justice and Equality; Business, Enterprise and Innovation; Education and Skills; Health, and Children and Youth Affairs.
The issue of Digital Safety is a complex and multifaceted one and effective actions in this area rely on active engagement and a joined up approach from all stakeholders including Government, technology companies and parents.
With this in mind, all the stakeholders with an interest in this area, have been invited to the event which will be held on 8 March 2018 in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. It is hoped that the outcome of the event will be to identify any improvements necessary in the Government's approach in this area, including the progression of the Digital Safety Commission, and practical next steps which can be taken to address this subject.
528. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of persons at assistant principal level under the aegis of his Department due to retire in the next six months due to age in counties Galway, Mayo, Roscommon and Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4971/18]
View answerMy Department has no staff at AP level in the counties referred to in the Question.
529. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans for the next five years for the privatisation of bus routes that are currently run by Bus Éireann; his plans to cease the privatisation process and maintain the bus routes under public provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4007/18]
View answerUnder the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 it is a statutory function of the National Transport Authority (NTA) to determine the appropriate mix of directly awarded and competitively tendered Public Service Obligation (PSO) bus services. The NTA has the legal power to decide on whether to extend competitive tendering. In this, it is subject to both national and EU legislation.
It is incorrect to describe competitive tendering as privatisation as nothing is being sold, services are not being deregulated and control remains with the NTA.
I have therefore referred 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.
530. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to establish an online system for persons temporarily outside the State to renew their driving licences. [4013/18]
View answerThe establishment of an online driver licence application process is a project which is already well underway. This is in turn part of a wider Government policy of making services available online.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA), which has statutory responsibility for the National Driver Licence Service, is currently working to develop an online application system. It is expected that this will be introduced on a phased basis from April of this year.
531. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on each recommendation (details supplied) as contained in the National Competitiveness Council report Ireland’s Competitiveness Challenge 2017; his plans to implement the policy recommendations for which he has a statutory remit; and the timeframe for implementation. [4056/18]
View answerIreland’s national mitigation objective, as set out in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act, 2015 is to ensure transition to a low carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable economy by 2050. The responsibility for emissions reduction is a collective one and Ireland's emission reduction targets are national and not sectorial in nature. A reduction in carbon emissions of at least 80% (compared to 1990 levels) by 2050 has been collectively targeted across the electricity generation, built environment and transport sectors, in parallel with an approach to carbon neutrality in the agriculture and land-use sector.
To progress this objective and place transport firmly on a decarbonisation pathway we are deploying a diverse range of measures, key among them being the increased uptake and operation of cleaner alternative fuels and technologies as well as promoting modal shift to public transport and active travel modes where possible. A wide-ranging set of transport mitigation measures and corresponding action points are detailed in the National Mitigation Plan and it is anticipated that these measures will develop further as climate research and technological innovations progress.
It is worthwhile noting that a number of successful mitigation measures have been introduced which have impacted and are positively addressing greenhouse gas emissions from transport. They include sustained investment in the public and sustainable transport network, implementation of EU vehicle standard regulations limiting tail pipe emissions, redesigning the Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) and motor tax regimes to promote low carbon emitting vehicles, incentives to encourage alternative fuel and technologies, and the introduction of a Biofuel Obligation Scheme.
Yet, the transport sector needs to build on these and go further to address this challenge. A series of measures announced in Budget 2018 clearly reflected this Government’s determination to make progress on decarbonising transport. I am pleased to have secured significant funding commitments to actively address the climate challenge on three key fronts. Firstly, we are working to enhance the capacity and quality of public transport to ensure that, as far as possible and practical, our increased transport demand is met by greener public transport (over €400m will be invested in public transport infrastructure in 2018 alone with a 4 year capital envelope of over €2.5bn). Secondly, we will invest over €100m in a multi-annual cycling and walking programme to support greater uptake of active travel. And, as recommended by the Low Emissions Vehicle Taskforce, a suite of tax and expenditure measures was announced to clearly indicate the Government’s commitment to a low-carbon electric vehicle future.
The MLR Project is an extremely complex multi annual project involving the merging of two totally different data sets. The current focus of the project is in relation to the linking of driver and vehicle records, which supports the requirement for the Cost of Insurance Working Group. The first phase of the MLR matching project is complete. This phase involved associating vehicle owner records with driver records by matching on name and address details. After removing all duplicate owner and duplicate driver records to reduce the possibility of mismatches, roughly 18% of active vehicle records have been successfully matched with driver records. This matching process runs every week, after which a file containing the vehicle-driver associations is sent by my Department to An Garda Síochána for use in the Fixed Charge Processing System.
The establishment of National Claims Information database falls under the remit of the Minister for Finance.
532. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if Irish Rail will increase the number of carriages from three to four on the 1.35 p.m. train service from Dublin Connolly to Wexford in view of the fact that regular train services on this route take four carriages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4063/18]
View answerThe issue raised is an operational matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA), in conjunction with Iarnród Éireann, 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.
533. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the location of each of the 58 coastguard stations that are operational; if they have Internet, running water and bathroom facilities; and the coastguard stations that have been identified for upgrades, in tabular form. [4070/18]
View answerThe Irish Coast Guard, a Division of my Department, has 45 Units based in 58 coast guard stations.
The Coast Guard building programme makes provision for works to commence on new station houses for Coast Guard Units. At present, a number of Units operate from old rocket houses; these buildings have long been identified as being in need of more suitable facilities. The Coast Guard in conjunction with the Office of Public Works design new station houses and the OPW engage in discussions with the Local Authorities in respect of certain key issues. The rate of progress on these projects will depend on the timelines required for the various phases, the capital funding and other resources available; matters are being overseen and closely monitored by the Coast Guard personnel in my Department. As new build projects are completed, additional projects are put on the IRCG Building Programme.
Please see the following table.
Of these 58 stations: 26 unit buildings have running water, bathroom facilities and internet facilities. 12 unit buildings have running water, bathroom facilities but no internet. 1 unit building has running water but no bathroom or internet facilities. Of the remaining 19 buildings without running water, bathroom or internet facilities, 17 are old Rocket Houses. 10 of these are sub-units or secondary Unit buildings, the main Unit buildings having facilities.
|
Unit name/Grid Ref |
County |
Running water, bathroom facilities |
Broadband - Internet Facilities |
Type of unit |
Identified for Upgrade |
|
Doolin CGU |
Clare |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Kilkee CGU |
Clare |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Killaloe CGU |
Clare |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
Yes |
|
Ballycotton CGU |
Cork |
Has facilities |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building - Rocket House |
|
|
Castlefreke CGU |
Cork |
No running water or bathroom |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building - Rocket House |
Yes |
|
Castletownbere CGU |
Cork |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Crosshaven RH |
Cork |
No running water or bathroom |
No internet facilities |
Secondary storage building - Rocket House |
|
|
Crosshaven CGU |
Cork |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Glandore CGU - Amalgamated with Toe Head |
Cork |
No running water or bathroom |
No internet facilities |
Sub - Unit - Rocket House |
|
|
Goleen CGU |
Cork |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Guileen CGU |
Cork |
No running water or bathroom |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building - Rocket House |
Yes |
|
Old Head of Kinsale CGU |
Cork |
Has facilities |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building - Rocket House |
|
|
Oysterhaven CGU |
Cork |
Has facilities |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Schull Coast Guard Unit |
Cork |
Has facilities |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Seven Heads CGU - Amalgamated with Castlefreke CGU |
Cork |
Has facilities |
No internet facilities |
Sub - Unit - Rocket House |
|
|
Summercove CGU - Amalgamated with Oysterhaven |
Cork |
No running water or bathroom |
Sub - Unit - Rocket House |
Yes |
|
|
Toe Head CGU |
Cork |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
Yes |
|
Youghal |
Cork |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Bunbeg CGU |
Donegal |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Greencastle CGU |
Donegal |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Killybegs CGU |
Donegal |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Mulroy Bay CGU |
Donegal |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
Yes |
|
Mulroy Bay CGU |
Donegal |
Has facilities |
No internet facilities in secondary storage building |
Secondary Unit Building |
|
|
Tory Island CGU - Amalgamated with Bunbeg CGU |
Donegal |
No running water or bathroom |
No internet facilities |
Sub - Unit - Rocket House |
|
|
Dun Laoghaire CGU |
Dublin |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Greystones CGU |
Dublin |
No running water or bathroom |
Yes |
Main Unit Building - Rocket House |
Yes |
|
Howth CGU |
Dublin |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Skerries CGU |
Dublin |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Cleggan CGU |
Galway |
No running water or bathroom |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building - Rocket House |
Yes |
|
Costello Bay CGU |
Galway |
Has facilities |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
North Aran CGU - Amalgamated with Costello Bay CGU |
Galway |
No running water or bathroom |
Yes |
Sub - Unit - Rocket House |
|
|
South Aran CGU - Amalgamated with Doolin CGU |
Galway |
No running water or bathroom |
No internet facilities |
Sub - Unit - Rocket House |
Yes |
|
Ballybunion CGU |
Kerry |
Has facilities |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building |
Yes |
|
Dingle CGU |
Kerry |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Glenderry CGU |
Kerry |
No running water or bathroom |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building - Rocket House |
|
|
Glenderry CGU Rocket House |
Kerry |
Has facilities |
No internet facilities |
Secondary Unit Building |
|
|
Knightstown CGU |
Kerry |
Has facilities |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building - Rocket House |
Yes |
|
Waterville CGU |
Kerry |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Clogherhead CGU |
Louth |
No running water or bathroom |
Yes |
Main Unit Building - Rocket House |
Yes |
|
Drogheda CGU |
Louth |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Greenore CGU |
Louth |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
Yes |
|
Greenore CGU Rocket House |
Louth |
No running water or bathroom |
Yes |
Secondary storage building - Rocket House |
|
|
Achill CGU |
Mayo |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Ballyglass CGU |
Mayo |
No running water or bathroom |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building - Rocket House |
Yes |
|
Killala CGU |
Mayo |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Westport CGU |
Mayo |
Has facilities |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building |
Yes |
|
Ardmore CGU |
Waterford |
Has facilities |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Bonmahon CGU |
Waterford |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
Yes |
|
Dunmore East CGU |
Waterford |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
Yes |
|
Tramore CGU |
Waterford |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Carnsore Point CGU - Substation of Rosslare |
Wexford |
No running water or bathroom |
Yes |
Sub - Unit - Rocket House |
|
|
Courtown CGU |
Wexford |
No bathroom |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building - Rocket House |
Yes |
|
Curracloe CGU |
Wexford |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Fethard-on-Sea CGU |
Wexford |
No running water or bathroom |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building - Rocket House |
Yes |
|
Kilmore Quay CGU |
Wexford |
No running water or bathroom |
No internet facilities |
Main Unit Building - Rocket House |
Yes |
|
Rosslare CGU |
Wexford |
Has facilities |
Yes |
Main Unit Building |
|
|
Arklow CGU - Substation of Courtown |
Wicklow |
No running water or bathroom |
No internet facilities |
Sub - Unit - Rocket House |
|
|
Wicklow CGU - Substation of Greystones |
Wicklow |
No running water or bathroom |
No internet facilities |
Sub - Unit - Rocket House |
534. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the additional funding for road safety measures in 2017 requested by east County Cork municipal district and Cork County Council; the budget provided for these measures; and the rationale for them. [4104/18]
View answerThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of the relevant County Council, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from the Council's own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the Council.
My Department allocates funding at local authority level and allocations to individual Municipal Districts are a matter for the Council. Cork County Council was given an allocation of €492,500 under the Safety Improvement Grant Programme at the start of 2017 and this amount was paid to the Council. The Council did advise my Department during the year that it would be difficult to progress some of the planned safety projects last year and indicated that it was proposing to re-allocate funding. Cork County Council is best placed to advise the Deputy in relation to the rationale for the funding decisions taken within the County in 2017.
535. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some insurance companies are refusing to quote persons if they are unemployed; his plans to ensure that this practice is stopped; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4132/18]
View answerInsurance companies are private companies and the EU framework for insurance expressly prohibits Member States from adopting rules which require prior approval of the pricing or terms and conditions of insurance products. The provision of insurance cover and the price at which it is offered is a commercial matter for insurance companies and is based on an assessment of the risks they are willing to accept and adequate provisioning to meet those risks. These are considered by insurance companies on a case by case basis.
An insurance company considers many risk factors when calculating an insurance premium. Some occupations would be considered riskier by some individual insurers based on their underwriting criteria driven by their historical claims experience.
However, if no quotation can be secured, including with a renewal premium, the Declined Cases Agreement can be used by members of the public to secure a quotation. Insurance Ireland operates a free insurance information service for those who have queries, complaints or difficulties in relation to obtaining insurance. All calls regarding refusal to quote, or quotations that are so excessive as to be in effect a refusal, should be directed to Insurance Ireland by phone at (01) 676 1820, by email at declined@insuranceireland.ie or by post at 5 Harbourmaster Place, IFSC, Dublin 1, quoting the Declined Cases Agreement.
536. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the level of funding provided to TII towards the maintenance of the Luas network in each of the years 2013 to 2018. [4142/18]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure and services in the Greater Dublin Area.
The NTA has assigned its functions in relation to the provision of light rail services to Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
Accordingly, I have referred your question to TII for reply. Please advise my private office if you don't receive a response within 10 working days.
537. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if Transdev contributes to his Department or TII to maintain the Luas network; and, if so, the figures for each of the years 2013 to 2018. [4143/18]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area.
The NTA has assigned its functions in relation to the provision of light rail services to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).
As the operation and maintenance of the Luas network is a matter for TII working with the NTA, accordingly, I have referred your question to both agencies for reply. Please advise my private office if you don't receive a reply within 10 working days.
538. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of Road Safety Authority prosecutions regarding commercial vehicles in each of the years 2015, 2016 and 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4199/18]
View answerUnder the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 (Conferral of Functions) Order 2006 (S.I. No. 477 of 2006), the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has responsibility for the operation, oversight, development, quality assurance and delivery of commercial vehicle roadworthiness testing arrangements.
I have therefore forwarded this Question to the RSA for direct reply to the Deputy. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
539. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of driving tests carried out at each testing location in 2017; the success and failure rate at each location; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4259/18]
View answerThis is a matter for the Road Safety Authority. I have referred the question to the Authority for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response is not received within 10 days.
540. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the progress under the Road Safety Strategy 2013 to 2020 in regard to point No. 95 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4261/18]
View answerThe expansion of the Road Safety Authority enforcement officer statutory powers to allow for drivers CPC requirements to be enforced as part of roadside checks is being considered as part of a proposed Road Safety Authority Bill currently being examined by officials in my Department.
