Written Answers Nos. 361-378
361. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the reason NCT certificates were backdated to the original date of an appointment when two appointments were necessary due to faults with NCT testing equipment and the second appointment was delayed due to the closure of testing centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33760/20]
View answerI would firstly seek to clarify to the Deputy that all Member States of the European Union are required by law to carry out a periodic roadworthiness inspections on motor vehicles at regular intervals throughout the vehicle's lifecycle. This is an essential safety check and an important road safety measure that provides for a reduction in road accidents by detecting defects such as faulty brakes, worn tyres or defective headlights. This is all the more important for drivers as we face into the winter months.
The applicable dates for periodic testing is provided for by national legislation. Under Regulation 3(2) of the Road Traffic (National Car Test) Regulations 2017 (S.I. No. 415/2017), the initial test due date for a vehicle is determined using the date of registration of that vehicle and subsequent test due dates fall on anniversaries of that date. Accordingly, all test due dates are predetermined based on the date of registration of a vehicle and any NCT certificate issued in respect of a vehicle is only valid up to the test due date that falls after that certificate was issued.
The NCT certificate relates solely to the condition of testable items at the time of testing and does not constitute a warranty for their condition. Earlier in the year, problems with vehicle lift equipment used by NCT Test Centres meant that, in certain cases, partial NCT inspections were undertaken with the omission of underbody inspections. In general, when drivers presented their vehicle for the subsequent underbody inspection later in the year, the items tested as part of the initial NCT inspection were not retested. Accordingly, it is not appropriate to attest to the roadworthiness of the items inspected earlier in the year at the time the latter inspection took place.
362. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the reason driver theory tests have been suspended under level 5 restrictions when many theory test centres are already well equipped to deal with applicants in a safe manner given the separation of desks and individual cubicles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33761/20]
View answerThe Driver Theory Test was not deemed to be an essential service under Level 5.
People who get a theory test will then need to go and get a learner permit so they can commence driving as accompanied learners and start lessons. The imperative to do the theory test within a period of 6 weeks at Level 5 is therefore limited, as it would only accelerate people getting a learner permit. It was decided, in a climate where only limited services are being provided in order to reduce the spread of Covid and where continuing services must be both safe and essential, that even if the theory test could be conducted safely it was not essential to the point of being needed during this 6 week period.
363. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the number of persons waiting for a driver theory test by the number of weeks waiting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33762/20]
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.
364. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the waiting times per driver test centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33763/20]
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.
365. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the number of persons waiting on a driver test by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33764/20]
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.
366. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the number of driver testers that are currently employed; the number employed in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33765/20]
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.
367. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the number of driver instructors currently operating; the number that were operating in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33766/20]
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.
369. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport the progress to date in respect of the allocation of funding for the completion of the Grand Canal greenway with particular reference to the section of greenway between Dublin and County Kildare near Celbridge which remains outstanding; when such funding is likely to be approved given the importance of such a facility in the current environment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33780/20]
View answerI very much look forward to the Grand Canal Greenway being fully completed over the coming years and am sure it will provide an excellent resource for people travelling to work, school and for leisure as well as a tourist attraction in its own right.
Last year funding was announced to support Kildare County Council’s development of the Greenway between Aylmer Bridge (near Celbridge) and Sallins. Budget 2021 has allocated additional funding to support walking and cycling and an additional €1.3m will be allocated to the Council next year which should see that particular section completed in 2021.
The section between Aylmer Bridge and the 12th Lock in Lucan will be considered in future funding calls, while the Deputy may wish to be aware that South Dublin County Council is separately being funded by the National Transport Authority to progress a link, commencing at the 12th Lock and continuing through Lucan, between the Grand and Royal Canals.
370. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Transport the number of data protection breaches identified within his Department in 2019. [33855/20]
View answerIn 2019 there were nine data breaches identified in my Department. It was deemed necessary to notify the Data Protection Commission in three of these instances.
In all instances appropriate measures were taken to ensure a reoccurrence does not take place.
The Department has an internal Data Breach Policy and all staff are aware of their requirements concerning personal data and reporting breaches.
371. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport the status of an application for a driver test for a front-line worker (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33880/20]
View answerThe scheduling of candidates’ driving tests is the responsibility of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and as Minister, I have no power to intervene in individual cases.
The Road Safety Authority has advised it is prioritising driver testing for essential workers and has set up a dedicated email, urgentdrivingtest@rsa.ie, where applicants can request to be given priority and supply supporting documentation. These requests are prioritised during the scheduling process with cancellation slots being offered where possible.
372. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Transport the number of passengers arriving into Ireland on a weekly basis from 5 October 2020, by country of departure including seaports and airports in tabular form. [33894/20]
View answer376. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport the number of passengers arriving and departing here on a weekly basis from 1 August 2020 to date on 29 October 2020 by country including seaports and airports in tabular form. [33910/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 372 and 376 together.
Statistics on passengers arriving into Ireland through State Airports by country of departure are compiled on a weekly basis.
Statistics on the countries of departure for passengers arriving into Ireland’s State Airports from overseas destinations from the 3rd August to 25th October 2020 inclusive are set out in the tables below. Transfer passengers are not included in the arrivals statistics for airports as Ireland is not the final destination for these passengers who do not leave the airport before travelling onwards. All statistics set out below are provisional figures provided by the airports and are subject to change:
Table 1: Table showing arrival passengers per country of Departure for Dublin Airport.
Table 2: Table showing arrival passengers per country of departure for Cork Airport.
Table 3: Table showing arrival passengers per country of departure for Shannon Airport.
Statistics on the destination countries for passengers departing from Dublin and Cork Airports from the 3rd August to 25th October 2020 inclusive are set out in the tables below. Again, figures do not include transfer passengers:
Table 4: Table showing passengers per country of destination for Dublin Airport.
Table 5: Table showing passengers per country of destination for Cork Airport.
A breakdown of passengers departing to destinations overseas from Shannon Airport is not available. The below table shows the total passengers departing through Shannon Airport each week from the 3rd August to 25th October 2020 inclusive, they do not include transfer passengers:
Table 6: Total passengers departing through Shannon Airport
|
- |
Number of passengers. |
|
3 Aug - 9 Aug 2020 |
2,299 |
|
10 Aug - 16 Aug 2020 |
2,167 |
|
17 Aug - 23 Aug 2020 |
1,815 |
|
24 Aug - 30 Aug 2020 |
1,785 |
|
31 Aug - 6 Sep 2020 |
1,522 |
|
7 Sep - 13 Sep 2020 |
1,303 |
|
14 Sep - 20 Sep 2020 |
1,209 |
|
21 Sep - 27 Sep 2020 |
1,380 |
|
28 Sep - 4 Oct 2020 |
1,330 |
|
5 Oct - 11 Oct 2020 |
1,164 |
|
12 Oct - 18 Oct 2020 |
956 |
|
19 Oct - 25 Oct 2020 |
478 |
|
Total |
17,408 |
In relation to ports, passenger numbers by specific country of departure through Ireland’s ports are not currently available. The Department does not have the level of detail requested by the Deputy with regard to passengers departing and arriving by sea. The Irish Maritime Development Office has been providing statistics since the start of the COVID crisis in April on the number of Passengers arriving and departing on a weekly basis by Corridor. The latest figures available for passengers from 3 August through to 25 October are detailed in the table below. Please note that these figures account for passengers both arriving into and departing from Ireland’s ports:
Table 7: Passengers arriving and departing through Ports
|
Central Corridor |
Southern Corridor |
Continental Corridor |
Total Weekly |
|
|
3 Aug - 9 Aug 2020 |
18,277 |
4,787 |
2,150 |
25,214 |
|
10 Aug - 16 Aug 2020 |
19,039 |
5,170 |
2,480 |
26,688 |
|
17 Aug - 23 Aug 2020 |
18,134 |
4,454 |
2,034 |
24,622 |
|
24 Aug - 30 Aug 2020 |
18,627 |
4,712 |
2,134 |
25,474 |
|
31 Aug - 6 Sep 2020 |
14,807 |
3,792 |
1,621 |
20,220 |
|
7 Sep - 13 Sep 2020 |
11,609 |
3,075 |
1,412 |
16,096 |
|
14 Sep - 20 Sep 2020 |
12,207 |
2,942 |
1,185 |
16,334 |
|
21 Sep - 27 Sep 2020 |
10,516 |
2,524 |
1,152 |
14,192 |
|
28 Sep - 4 Oct 2020 |
9,048 |
2,352 |
832 |
12,232 |
|
5 Oct - 11 Oct 2020 |
7,541 |
1,846 |
900 |
10,287 |
|
12 Oct - 18 Oct 2020 |
7,143 |
1,729 |
919 |
9,791 |
|
19 Oct - 25 Oct 2020 |
6,418 |
1,613 |
431 |
8,462 |
The Central corridor accounts for services to/from the port of Dublin to Great Britain. This includes sailings to Holyhead by Irish Ferries and Stena Line; to Liverpool by P&O Ferries and Seatruck Ferries; and to Heysham by Seatruck. The Southern corridor includes routes to/from Rosslare- to Fishguard by Stena Line and Rosslare to Pembroke by Irish Ferries. The Continental corridor covers all direct services to/from Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Spain from Dublin, Rosslare and Cork. Passenger services go to/from Rosslare to France and Spain and from Cork to France.
373. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Transport if he has met with officials from the RSA to discuss the backlog in both driver tests and driver theory tests; if consideration has been given to allowing the latter to be held outside a traditional classroom settings such as an online test to account for level 5 restrictions. [33898/20]
View answerAs you are aware, driver theory tests and driver tests were temporarily suspended in March due to the Covid 19 emergency and since resuming operations, there has been an increased level of demand. Unfortunately, due to social distancing requirements, normal capacity is considerably reduced for both services.
My Department is remaining in close contact with the RSA who are examining ways of increasing the number of driver tests within the current health constraints. I am pleased to say, my Department has already given approval to the RSA to retain 18 driver testers on temporary contracts due to expire in October and November, and to rehire up to 19 testers whose contracts expired in May. This will help to increase testing capacity. However, I would like to stress, that many of the issues impacting on the delivery of service are concerned with the throughput of centres themselves in light of the restrictions, rather than on the availability of staff.
The RSA are also looking at a number of other measures, including whether the number of tests a driver tester can perform each day can be increased and scheduling additional overtime tests, including testing on Saturdays to increase capacity.
The Road Safety Authority has advised my office that it is engaging with the driver theory test service provider to maximise capacity to offer tests while adhering to occupational and public health requirements. In this regard, they would, for example, be opening on additional days at some centres and extended hours also provided to allow additional capacity for appointments.
However, as you will understand, the decision to move to Level 5, which is essential for public health reasons, is likely to lead to further delays with theory tests, as the Government decision and the public health regulations require that driver theory tests are suspended.
I understand planning is underway to examine whether theory tests can be taken on line remotely. However, this planning is at a very early stage and is unlikely to come on stream in the near future.
374. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport his plans to ensure the backlog for driver tests is cleared (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33899/20]
View answer375. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport the process in place to prioritise driver tests for frontline workers that urgently need to obtain a driver licence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33900/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 374 and 375 together.
As you are aware, tests were temporarily suspended due to the Covid 19 emergency and since resuming operations, there has been an increased level of demand. Unfortunately, due to social distancing requirements, normal capacity has been considerably reduced and this means that customers will experience longer waiting times for a test than was the case before the service was suspended. The need to return to Level 5 restrictions from 22 October to 1 December 2020 for reasons of public health will inevitably impact further on delays to driver testing. During the Level 5 period, driving tests will be available only to those who are involved in essential services, including essential retail work.
While the service is limited during Level 5 restrictions, the Road Safety Authority is examining ways of increasing the number of tests within health constraints with an eye to resuming wider testing after Level 5, and is working in close consultation with my Department on this matter. This includes increasing the number of testing staff to help reduce and, over time, eliminate the backlog.
The Department has approved the retention by the RSA of 18 temporary driver testers whose contracts were due to expire in October and November, and the RSA has also rehired a further 19 temporary testers whose contracts expired in May. This will help to increase testing capacity. In the longer term the Department is considering proposals by the RSA for further measures to address the backlog.
The Road Safety Authority has advised it is prioritising driver testing for essential workers and has set up a dedicated email, urgentdrivingtest@rsa.ie, where applicants can request to be given priority and supply supporting documentation. These requests are prioritised during the scheduling process with cancellation slots being offered where possible.
While I regret the inconvenience caused, public safety is of paramount importance. My officials and I are working hard to ensure the resumption of services as soon as Level 5 is lifted.
378. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide all disbursements of capital spending above €20 million on completed projects for each year since 2016 by name of project, department or body responsible for delivering project, county, NUTS3 region, type of investment, construction commencement, completion year and actual cost in tabular form. [34191/20]
View answerThe Project Ireland 2040 tracker document lists a range of projects and programmes to be delivered by Departments over the period of the National Development Plan. It reflects the portfolio of projects with estimated costs above €20m including projects at all stages in the project lifecycle from strategic assessment, final business case, implementation, review and completion.
A link to the document is available here: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/6db7c4-investment-projects-and-programmes-tracker/.
