Written Answers Nos. 187-200
187. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the position regarding the national broadband plan; when the maps that are being re-examined for the intervention area will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46006/19]
View answerThe Government appointed National Broadband Ireland (NBI) as the Preferred Bidder for the NBP in May 2019. This followed a tender process designed to ensure that every home and business throughout the country will have access to future proofed high speed broadband and will cater specifically to an estimated 1.1 million people, representing almost 25% of the population of rural Ireland who would not otherwise have access to this vital service. Since then my officials have been performing the due diligence work needed before a contract can be concluded.
As a State intervention, the NBP must comply with the requirements of the European Commission’s Guidelines on the application of the State aid rules on broadband. The Guidelines require, amongst other things, that Member States carry out a detailed mapping exercise and public consultation process in particular to identify as far as reasonably possible those areas where intervention is required.
My Department recently conducted a public consultation to close the ongoing mapping exercise, seeking submissions from operators who wish to have their existing high speed broadband networks, or who have developed plans to invest in high speed broadband networks over the next 7 years, to be included on the Department’s High Speed Broadband Map. That consultation was extended twice at the request of operators, resulting in a total nine week period for submissions and it closed on 30th September 2019.
As part of the consultation, over 180 submissions were received from a variety of stakeholders, including 30 from large and small commercial telecommunications operators, with the remainder from local authority broadband officers and members of the public.
Operator submissions are assessed against the Department’s published assessment criteria. Operators submitting planned investments are required to sign a declaration that they will enter into a Commitment Agreement with the Department if their plans satisfy the assessment criteria and are accepted by the Department as being concrete and credible.
The findings of the consultation, which will be available in the coming weeks, will ensure that the State Intervention Area is up to date and that it reflects commercial operators’ plans and the responses from householders and businesses, in advance of a contract being signed later this year. This will be an important element in concluding the State Aid approval process with the European Commission.
188. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a person (details supplied) will be provided with records being held by DCC or the NDLS with regard to the person's original Irish driver licence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45842/19]
View answerUnder the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2014, every person has a right to and shall, on request, be offered access to any record held by an FOI body. An application under this Act should be made directly by the person concerned to the Road Safety Authority for records relating to them that may be held by the NDLS. Further information and an application form can be found on the RSA website at www.rsa.ie/en/Utility/About-Us/Freedom-of-Information.
The person concerned will have to contact Dublin City Council directly for information on records held by that authority.
189. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the way in which a person with a valid UK driver licence obtained by being a holder of a Canadian driver licence can ensure being legally able to drive here in the event of the UK leaving the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45843/19]
View answerMotorists resident in Ireland with a UK, including NI, driving licence are advised to exchange that licence for an Irish driving licence before the UK withdrawal date from the EU. In the event of a no-deal Brexit, the UK will no longer be a Member State and so the UK (including NI) driving licence will not be recognised.
A UK licence that was granted on the exchange of a licence from a third country would not be eligible for exchange for an Irish licence unless we have an exchange agreement in place with that third country.
At present, Ireland has such agreements in place with 5 Canadian provinces, namely Ontario, Manitoba, Newfoundland & Labrador, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. If the person obtained their licence in one of these provinces, their licence can be exchanged for an Irish licence.
190. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if Irish Rail has a security programme in place to deter anti-social behaviour and crime on rail services; the amount spent by Irish Rail on security programmes on rail services in each of the years 2011 to 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45841/19]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have overall responsibility for policy and funding in relation to public transport. The issue raised is an operational matter for Iarnród Éireann and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
191. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the service by Dublin Bus from Dublin Airport to Heuston Station accepts free travel cards from commuters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45854/19]
View answerThe issue raised is an operational matter for Dublin Bus and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within 10 working days.
192. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 224 of 24 October 2019, the details of the allocated €91 million to the two principal active travel funding programmes under budget 2020; the specific projects it is planned to cover; and the breakdown between walking and cycling. [45856/19]
View answer193. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 224 of 24 October 2019, the breakdown of the €48 million towards the two principal active travel funding programmes; and the projects covered. [45857/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 192 and 193 together.
As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport, including active travel programmes. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the allocation of funding at project level.
I understand that since Budget 2020 the NTA has reviewed its overall capital investment programme for 2020 to take account of Budgetary allocations, expected project requirements and other relevant matters and there has been a small increase to the total allocation proposed for the two active travel related programmes which now total €99million as opposed to €91million.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's questions to the NTA for a more detailed reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.
194. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the systems and procedures put in place at ports and airports to prepare for Brexit have been subjected to testing by external experts as of 31 October 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45877/19]
View answerIn advance of a potential no-deal Brexit on 31 October 2019, works were carried out by the relevant State agencies, primarily at Dublin Port and Rosslare Europort, to ensure that the necessary infrastructure, systems and arrangements were in place to establish the additional controls required should the UK exit the EU, and to ensure optimal goods trade traffic flows through the ports.
Testing of the robustness of the proposed inter-agency arrangements by the relevant agencies was undertaken in advance of 31 October 2019 in addition to testing of traffic flows in Dublin Port. This work was carried out by the relevant agencies and also involved external parties. Inter-agency testing of IT systems was also undertaken by the relevant agencies in Rosslare Europort, and in conjunction with the Port and An Garda Síochána, the carrying out of a table top exercise for traffic flows within and external to the Port.
Contingency measures will be maintained over the coming months, including ongoing testing of the current arrangements, in light of a possible no-deal Brexit on 31 January 2020. An inter-department group, under the Chair of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, is in place to coordinate this work.
195. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason relevant qualifications of a person (details supplied) are not being taken into account when applying to be a CVRT tester; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45881/19]
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.
196. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the way in which he plans to address the concerns of wheelchair users that the new buses being purchased to ensure that the entire public bus fleet is wheelchair accessible, notwithstanding the fact that they are compliant with UNECE regulation 107, are not sufficient for those who use a larger motorised wheelchair to accommodate their needs; the discussions he has had with the European Commission on this point and the need to change EU regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45884/19]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport.
Under the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for promoting the development of an integrated, accessible public transport network.
In light of the NTA's responsibility in this matter, I have forwarded your question to the NTA for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
197. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number and value of capital payments distributed to Dublin City Council from the National Transport Authority for the funding of cycling infrastructure and schemes; the number and value of capital payments allocated for distribution to Dublin City Council for the funding of cycling infrastructure and schemes from the National Transport Authority in each of the years 2019 to 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45903/19]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport, including cycling infrastructure and schemes. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the allocation of funding at project level.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's questions to the NTA for a more detailed reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.
198. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which counselling services through Tusla can be expanded and made more readily available; if training courses for such counsellors are being provided; if so, the extent to which they are provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45794/19]
View answerTusla, the Child and Family Agency provides funding to counselling services, through a network of community-based counselling service providers and Family Resource Centres that offer the following types of counselling/psychotherapy and support:
- Marriage and Relationship Counselling;
- Child Counselling;
- Rainbows peer support programme for children;
- Bereavement Counselling and support on the death of a family member.
Many funded counselling services are community-based, and have evolved from a volunteer-led model to a service provided by professional counsellors and psychotherapists on a “low or no-cost” basis. These organisations provide face-to-face counselling delivered by professional counsellors or psychotherapists.
Tusla supports a broad range of national, regional and local organisations offering counselling services, with 244 groups in receipt of funding in 2018. Tusla funding to such counselling services in 2018 was some €6.2m. This funding is provided where there is a genuine need and demand for services and where they can be provided at low cost to adults, couples, children, young people and families.
Many of the larger organisations funded by Tusla are members of the Association for Agency-based Counselling & Psychotherapy (AACPI). Other counselling services are being offered in certain Family Resource Centres throughout the country. These services are not funded through the Family Resource Centre Programme, but through a specified funding mechanism for commissioned counselling services.
I have asked Tusla to respond directly to the Deputy with regard to the availability of services and the training and development of counsellors, which are operational matters for Tusla.
199. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the security devices funded by his Department or agencies under his remit for the protection of older persons in their homes; if this can include security cameras; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45911/19]
View answerMy Department is responsible for the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages community support for vulnerable older people in our communities through the provision of personal monitored alarms to enable them to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind. Funding is available under the scheme towards the purchase by a registered community-based organisation of a personal alarm or pendant.
Following a review, a new version of the scheme came into effect on 1 November 2017. A number of changes were introduced under the new scheme including the provision of free monitoring for the first year and a revision of the living alone requirements. The new scheme has been an unprecedented success, with a huge increase in applications and installations.
There are no plans to introduce further amendments to the scheme at this point in time. However, the matter will be kept under review. The issue of the installation of security cameras is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality under his remit of community crime prevention.
My Department also participates on an Implementation Group to drive progress on the actions outlined in the Housing Options for Our Ageing Population Policy Statement, which is led by the Department of Housing Planning and Local Government and the Department of Health. The use and development of assistive technology in housing for older persons is being considered by this Group.
200. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if there is an appeal system for the town and village renewal scheme or a process for reviewing shortfalls in an application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45916/19]
View answerThe 2019 Town and Village Renewal Scheme was launched in April of this year and Local Authorities were invited to submit up to 12 applications each for consideration by my Department. There was a strong level of interest in the scheme and 309 applications in total were received for available funding of €15 million.
Unfortunately, it was not possible to support all of the applicants within the budget available to me. However, on 31st October, I announced details of 156 projects that have been approved for funding under the 2019 scheme.
The selection of projects was by means of a competitive process and details of the marking scheme were made available to the Local Authorities at the outset.
While there is no formal appeals system in place for the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, my officials are available to provide feedback on any unsuccessful application to the Local Authorities.
