Written Answers Nos. 217-237
217. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to support the introduction of electric or hybrid buses, taxis and other PSVs in counties Sligo and Leitrim; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48477/19]
View answerImproving public transport services and infrastructure, including national bus, taxi and other public service vehicles (PSV) networks, is central to providing an alternative to private car travel. In Project Ireland 2040, the government has indicatively allocated €8.6 billion over the period 2018 to 2027 towards the delivery of an integrated and sustainable national public transport system. Furthermore, I have made clear my intent, and that of the Government, to drive the transition from fossil-fuelled vehicles towards greener fuels and technologies.
While the public transport network, including buses, taxis and trains accounts for only a little over 4% of Ireland’s overall transport emissions, moving to low-emission alternatives for public transport is important in order to promote and normalise the use of lower emitting fuels and technologies. Such technologies offer significant benefits in reducing carbon and other harmful air pollutant emissions, and also play a strong leadership role in addressing the effects of climate change.
A Green Public Transport Fund operates at a national level to support the piloting and uptake of energy-efficient and alternatively-fuelled technologies for Public Service Obligation (PSO) operations within the bus fleet and the Small Public Service Vehicles (SPSV) sector. It also helps vehicle purchasers to bridge the price differential between such technologies and conventionally-fuelled vehicles.
Under the Fund, I established the national Electric Small Public Service Vehicle (eSPSV) Grant Scheme in 2018, as part of a range of other incentives to support electric vehicles. The SPSVs supported under the scheme include taxis, hackneys and limousines. The scheme currently provides grants of up to €7,000 for battery electric vehicles and up to €3,500 for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
This initiative has resulted in the registration of 70 electric SPSVs to date. I understand that, to date, one such grant was issued to an SPSV driver resident in Co. Sligo. The scheme will be continued and expanded in 2020 and is open to applicants across the country. Recognising the important role that the SPSV sector can play in demonstrating electric vehicle (EV) technology to a wider audience I have also agreed, under the Climate Action Plan, to improve the value of the eSPSV grant to those transitioning to wheelchair accessible electric SPSVs. This will help to make electric vehicles available to a greater number of our citizens. Furthermore, I have secured €1.5m of funding in 2020 to install dedicated fast charging infrastructure for the SPSV sector.
In the Heavy Duty Vehicle (HDV) sector, e.g. buses and trucks, electric technology is not quite as advanced as it is for smaller vehicles. To assist the transition of the bus and truck fleets to low emission vehicles, I intend to introduce a new Alternative Fuels Heavy Duty Vehicle Purchase Grant scheme in 2020. Under this scheme, which will operate at a national level, it is envisaged that grants of up to 30% of the cost differential between a traditional fossil-fuelled HDV and an equivalent alternatively-fuelled vehicle will be available. Complementary supports such as introduction of a new reduced tolling incentive regime for alternatively-fuelled Heavy Duty Vehicles will also be introduced.
218. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the timeline for the construction and funding of the eastern Garavogue Bridge in County Sligo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48478/19]
View answerThe Eastern Garovogue and approach road project is one of the 12 regional and local road improvement schemes identified in the National Development Plan 2018-2027 for implementation during the Plan period, subject to necessary approvals. These schemes are being implemented on a phased basis as funding allows. In the case of the Eastern Garavogue Scheme funding is also being provided from the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund.
In line with the requirements of the Public Spending Code (PSC) and the my Department's Capital Appraisal Framework (CAF), an updated project appraisal for the scheme is being prepared. Pending the completion of this appraisal and confirmation of its compliance with PSC and CAF, a construction programme has not been finalised.
219. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans for improved tourism marketing in the north west region; the efforts made to attract more tourists above the Galway to Dublin line; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48482/19]
View answerThe matter raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for the tourism agencies. Accordingly, I have referred the Deputy's Question to Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
220. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which it is expected to augment bus services for Kilcock, County Kildare in view of many requests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48504/19]
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, including bus services.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.
222. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the timescale for the electrification of the commuter rail route Dublin to Confey, Leixlip, Maynooth and possibly Kilcock, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48506/19]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, as 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. This includes implementation of the DART Expansion Programme which provides for electrification of the rail network in the GDA including the Maynooth line.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in this matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a more detailed reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.
223. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the degree to which an examination has been undertaken of the commuter facilities from Dublin to Kilcock via Confey and Leixlip, County Kildare with a view to identifying shortfalls or deficiencies in the facilities which need to be addressed in the short and medium term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48507/19]
View answer226. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which a coordinated management plan in respect of road and rail services facilitating the north County Kildare commuter belt is ongoing or can be facilitated with a view to maximising all opportunities to improve quality and availability of the most effective and energy efficient methodology in terms of road and rail transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48510/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 223 and 226 together.
As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding of 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 including north County Kildare, in consultation with the Public Transport companies.
Noting the responsibility of the NTA, I have referred the Deputy's questions to the NTA for direct reply on the specific issues raised. Please advise my office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
225. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the up-to-date proposals in relation to the alleviation of traffic congestion on the M4 Kilcock to Dublin which is under capacity; if the extent of upgrading on the route has been agreed; if so, the likely timescale of its implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48509/19]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993-2015, the improvement, maintenance and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.
Noting the above position, I have referred your question to TII for a direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
227. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the degree to which he expects new tourist markets to open up with particular reference to the use of historical sites, monuments and houses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48511/19]
View answerThe matter raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for the tourism agencies. Accordingly, I have referred the Deputy's Question to Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
228. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which Ireland can be further developed as an attractive international conference location; if particular deficiencies in respect of required facilities in this regard have been identified and will be remedied; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48512/19]
View answerBusiness tourism overall, including conference tourism, has been an area of growth in recent years and one where Ireland continues to compete very successfully internationally. The tourism agencies, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, have operational responsibility for the development and promotion of this sector. Fáilte Ireland is responsible for developing business tourism strategy and, internationally, it works with Tourism Ireland under the Meet in Ireland brand to support the positioning of Ireland as a world-class conference destination.
The Meet in Ireland team works collaboratively with key stakeholders and, through its Conference Ambassador Programme, aims to secure high profile conferences for Ireland. It also offers training and trade supports for Irish and international businesses planning to host their conferences here.
In terms of facilities, a good stock of attractive high-quality hotels, operating to best international standards, is essential for the effective performance of the industry. In this regard, the quality of Ireland's hotels and other conference facilities is a key part of our business tourism offering and is instrumental in attracting international conferences to Ireland. We also have an excellent dedicated national conference centre - the Convention Centre Dublin (CCD) - which was developed to increase Ireland's share of the international conference market, thereby increasing tourism revenues.
I am satisfied with both the quality of our conference facilities and with the ongoing efforts of the tourism agencies, who continue to be very active in competing for and securing the hosting of international conferences in Ireland.
229. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the degree to which sporting tourism has been developed in co-operation with the various sporting or recreational organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48513/19]
View answerI have answered another question today from the Deputy regarding the collaborative approach to attracting major international sporting events. For this reason, I am interpreting the Deputy’s reference to “sporting tourism” in this question as referring to tourism based on sport and recreation leisure activities, or “activity tourism” (rather than to tourism relating to major sporting events).
My Department’s Tourism Action Plan 2019-2021 commits to developing and enhancing tourism experiences within the framework of Project Ireland 2040. In this regard, the Deputy will be pleased to note that investment in activity-based tourism is one of the priority areas for tourism capital investment under the National Development Plan 2018-2027 in order to provide the type and quality of experience that visitors are seeking. In terms of cooperation with relevant organisations, I can assure the Deputy that my Department and Fáilte Ireland take a consultative and collaborative approach to activity tourism-related projects and initiatives with which we are involved.
With regard to Greenways, submissions received during the public consultation phase of the development of my Department’s Strategy for the Future Development of National and Regional Greenways included ones from Sport Ireland and from several cycling groups, including Cyclist.ie (the representative body for everyday cyclists). These views were taken into account as part of the finalisation of the Strategy. Sport Ireland also formed part of the assessment panel that looked at applications for funding under the recent funding call where €40m was allocated to 10 Greenway projects around the country.
In terms of other aspects of our overall activity tourism offering, Fáilte Ireland works closely with other relevant parties, including Sport Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development. One key collaboration is Fáilte Ireland’s partnership with the Department of Rural and Community Development on its Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, which comes under the responsibility of the Minister for Rural and Community Development, to support the development of new and enhanced outdoor recreation infrastructure and amenities throughout Ireland.
In order to help ensure alignment of efforts across all relevant Government Departments and State agencies, the Deputy will be pleased to note that officials from my Department and from Fáilte Ireland participate in the National Outdoor Recreation Group, which comes under the responsibility of the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht - a cross-organisational group of public service recreational infrastructure providers, which aims to coordinate the approach to outdoor recreation across State-owned lands and waterways. Fáilte Ireland is also a member of Comhairle na Tuaithe (under the responsibility of the Minister for Rural and Community Development) which was, earlier this year, given a strengthened mandate with regard to the sustainable development of the outdoor recreation sector in Ireland.
230. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount invested by way of capital grants or other financial assistance to providing and improving facilities the various sporting organisations nationally in the past five years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48514/19]
View answerDetails of all allocations and payments under the Sports Capital Programme are published on the Department's website at https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/471ed5-sports-capital-allocations/.
Details of all allocations under the Local Authority Swimming Pools Programme are published on the Department's website at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/27c4d1-local-authority-swimming-pool-programme/.
231. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which ongoing efforts continue to be made to encourage international sporting bodies to include Ireland in their list of locations for major events; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48515/19]
View answerThe hosting of major sports competitions, in both participative and spectator sports, can provide great opportunities to showcase Ireland and drive international visitor numbers. In addition, the media coverage of sports events helps to put Ireland onto travel itineraries as a holiday destination.
Accordingly, I am very supportive of the work of the tourism agencies and the national governing bodies of sport to attract international events, subject, of course, to an assessment of the costs and benefits involved in any State financial support, in particular the number of overseas visitors.
Fáilte Ireland provides financial assistance, subject to eligibility criteria, to applicants who are proposing to bid to host international events (including sporting events) in Ireland that would attract significant numbers of international visitors. When an event with international tourism appeal is confirmed for Ireland, Tourism Ireland would then promote it in relevant markets overseas.
In terms of forthcoming sporting events, Ireland will host four games as part of the UEFA EURO 2020 football tournament in June 2020 - three group games and one round of 16 game. The bid to host was a collaborative effort between the Football Association of Ireland, Dublin City Council and my Department. In the sport of golf, the return of the Ryder Cup to Ireland in 2026 was announced in July of this year. This major event will take place in Adare, Co Limerick, and officials in the Department and the State agencies will be working closely with the event organisers in relation to the planning and organisation of the event.
Minister Ross and I also support efforts to explore possibilities to host other major sporting events. With regard to soccer, we welcomed the announcement by the FAI and IFA of their intention to submit a joint bid to host the UEFA European Under 21 Championships in 2023. In addition, the national football associations of the United Kingdom and Ireland are in discussions about the feasibility of bidding to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup. This consideration is at an early stage.
Sport Ireland and Fáilte Ireland have both supported the bid to host the European Cross-Country Championship, which was successful and now will be hosted in Dublin in December 2020.
232. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the degree to which he encourages overseas bodies to use Ireland as a base for their international conferences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48516/19]
View answerThe matter raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for the tourism agencies. Accordingly, I have referred the Deputy's Question to Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
233. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the degree to which the tourism sector is expected to grow in 2020 with consequent benefits to the economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48524/19]
View answerRevenue from overseas visitors to Ireland reached record levels in 2018 and the tourism sector continues to perform strongly this year following 8 consecutive years of growth. Overseas visitor data released by the CSO for the first half of 2019 show that spending in Ireland by overseas visitors was €2,276 million, up 0.3% on the same period in 2018. Fáilte Ireland estimates that the overall tourism employment figure is now greater than 260,000.
In Budget 2020, I secured an allocation of €186 million for tourism, up 10% (over €17m) on the 2019 allocation, which puts the sector in a strong position to grow next year. The additional resources in 2020 are primarily directed at tourism product development, including Greenways, and build on the €35 million increase in 2019. Furthermore, €7 million is being provided in a 2019 supplementary budget, to support accelerated tourism marketing initiatives aimed at mitigating the impacts of Brexit. Budget 2020 also provided for an additional €40 million contingency fund in the event of a No-Deal Brexit.
Fáilte Ireland recently unveiled its plans for 2020 which focus on helping to sustain and support the tourism industry region by region.
Tourism Ireland will launch its 2020 marketing plans in early December. These plans will be consistent with the tourism commitments under the Government's Global Ireland Strategy. Under this Strategy, we are committed to developing tourism from new and emerging tourism markets with potential for Ireland. In Budget 2019, I provided almost €4 million in additional funding to Tourism Ireland to enable it to commence the implementation of strategies for growth in these new and emerging markets.
As the Deputy may be aware, in July of this year, the Government adopted new Tourism targets out to 2025. The headline target is revenue from overseas tourists of €6.5 billion (in real terms) by 2025. Secondary targets have also been set and they are: employment in the sector increasing to 310,000; and 11.6 million overseas tourist visits by 2025.
234. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of times she has met with insurance companies and Insurance Ireland since 1 January 2016; the date of each meeting; the persons or bodies she met with; the purpose of each meeting in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48296/19]
View answerI have not met with insurance companies or with Insurance Ireland since 1 January 2016.
235. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of times he has met with insurance companies and Insurance Ireland since 1 January 2016; the date of each meeting; the persons or bodies he met with; the purpose of each meeting in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48308/19]
View answerMy Department was established on 19 July 2017. The following table lists the meetings with insurance companies from that date until now.
I can confirm that I have not met with Insurance Ireland since the formation of the Department.
|
25/10/17 |
IPB Insurance George Jones – Chairman & Group Non Executive DirectorMichael Garvey – Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director |
To explore the role of IPB in providing funding to community initiatives |
|
02/10/19 |
IBP Insurance Michael Garvey (CEO ) Matt Rafferty (Director of Underwriting) |
To discuss the current insurance environment for community groups and the potential forinsurance for farmers who provide access to their lands for recreational users. |
236. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of times she has met with insurance companies and Insurance Ireland since 1 January 2016; the date of each meeting; the persons or bodies she met with; the purpose of each meeting in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48301/19]
View answerI am advised that the then Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar T.D. had meeting with Insurance Ireland in January 2017.
|
Date of Meeting |
Persons/Bodies met with |
Purpose of Meeting |
|
18 January 2017 |
Insurance Ireland Ann Kelleher Gary Marshall Tom Browne Denis McLoughlin Dave Roberts Alex Koslowski Anthony Brennan Kevin Thompson Jennifer Hoban David Harris |
to discuss a Universal Pension system |
237. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason there has been such a delay in publishing the new road map or national action plan for social inclusion; when it will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48321/19]
View answerThe new social inclusion strategy, ‘Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2019-2025’, has been developed following consultation with relevant Government Departments and other stakeholders. The Roadmap is currently being finalised and it is expected that the new strategy will be published shortly following Government approval.
