Written Answers Nos. 217-233
217. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Transport if there are failings or problems within a company (details supplied) or the coast guard that are contained in the report into the investigation of Rescue 116 that should be made known and publicly addressed in advance of a new search and rescue contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37829/20]
View answerAn independent Review Board is currently carrying out a re-examination of the final draft Report into the Investigation of the R116 accident.
Once the Review Board has finished its work, any lessons and recommendations arising from it will be acted upon as appropriate.
The formal procurement process for the new search and rescue service will be activated following a detailed business case which is currently being prepared for Government. The procurement process itself is expected to take up to 18 months, following which Government will be required to approve the contract award.
218. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Transport if there has been a change of policy in recent times that has led to the NDLS recording the place of birth of an Irish citizen as Northern Ireland rather than Ireland when they apply for a driver licence renewal. [37841/20]
View answerThere has been no change of policy as there is no policy element to the details recorded on the driving licence. In general, the details to be recorded on a driving licence in an EU member state are set out in the relevant Directive which is transposed into Irish law by primary and secondary legislation. Among the details to be recorded are the date and place of birth. The implementation of the relevant law is an operational 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.
219. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide copies of all correspondence from the Road Safety Authority (details supplied) in relation to a matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37864/20]
View answerDriving instructors are either self-employed or employed by driving schools, and my Department has no role in that business.
As I have previously advised Deputies, the Road Safety Authority is developing plans in an ongoing engagement with my Department over recent weeks for their various statutory functions to address the operational and financial consequences of the ongoing and dynamic national COVID response, as well as accompanying financial and staffing proposals, with a view to identifying what specific additional resources may be needed.
In particular, my Department has been engaging with the Road Safety Authority on the issue of addressing backlogs in the driver testing service due to the pandemic. As the Deputy will appreciate, this process may have staffing and financial implications which will require discussion with other Government Departments. I do not believe that it would be in the public interest to publish correspondence which is part of this process, because as long as the process is ongoing such correspondence would obviously be incomplete.
I may in due course consider publication in a suitable form of the final plans when concluded, subject to consultation with the RSA, and consideration of any commercial or other confidentiality requirements.
220. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Transport the number of driver tests that have been carried out at each driver test centre per day since 1 March 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37865/20]
View answerDetails on the number of driving tests per test centre are held by the Road Safety Authority. I have therefore referred this question to the Authority for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
221. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Transport the number of driver testers employed by the State as of 16 November 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37866/20]
View answerThis information is held by the Road Safety Authority. I have therefore referred this question to the Authority for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
222. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Transport the number of persons waiting for driver tests here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37867/20]
View answerSpecific details on the number of persons awaiting a driver test are held by the Road Safety Authority. I have therefore referred this question to the Authority for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
223. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Transport the number of persons that have dates for driver tests as of 16 November 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37868/20]
View answerThe details requested are held by the Road Safety Authority - who have statutory responsibility for the operation of the test. I have therefore referred this question to the Authority for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
224. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport the status of an appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37878/20]
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.
As I understand, the Road Safety Authority 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.
225. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Transport the details of all applications made by his Department to the Oireachtas Business Committee to waive pre-legislative scrutiny of primary and secondary legislation sponsored or initiated by his Department from 1 January 2017 to date; the outcomes of such applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37905/20]
View answerMy Department has made no application to the Oireachtas Business Committee to waive pre-legislative scrutiny of primary and secondary legislation sponsored or initiated by my Department since 1st January 2017.
My Department will continue to observe the agreed protocol for pre-legislative scrutiny of the Heads of Bills by Oireachtas Committees.
226. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Transport the grade at which the chief data protection officer in his Department is employed. [37914/20]
View answerThe Data Protection Officer in my Department is at the grade of Assistant Principal Officer and is supported by a Higher Executive Officer on a part-time basis and an Executive Officer on a full-time basis.
227. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Transport the reason changes have been made to procedures associated with the Athy distributor road project which has resulted in the invitation to tender document being referred to his Department with no clear timelines in place to proceed to the next stage of the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37967/20]
View answerThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of the relevant local authority in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. State grants, where applicable, are intended to supplement the funding allocated to the maintenance and improvement of roads by local authorities from their own resources.
The National Development Plan (NDP) does provide for the gradual build up in funding for the road network but funding is not yet at the level needed for the adequate maintenance and renewal of regional and local roads. For this reason the primary focus for capital investment continues to be the maintenance and renewal of the network with some limited investment in road improvement schemes. In this context 12 regional and local road improvement projects were identified for development, subject to necessary approvals, in the NDP and the construction of a Distributor Road to the south of Athy connecting to the N78 is one of those schemes.
Under the Public Spending Code and the terms and conditions applying to regional and local road grants, capital projects are subject to review and approval at a number of stages. As required under the project appraisal process, Kildare County Council has submitted the contract documentation for the main Athy scheme construction contract to my Department for review. The project will be subject to further consideration before a decision is made on whether the tender process proceeds.
228. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Transport the number of assaults and incidences of verbal abuse directed at Irish Rail, Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus workers since the beginning of the public health restrictions. [37971/20]
View answerAs Minister for Transport I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport.
The issues raised are operational matters for the transport companies and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the companies for direct reply.
Please advise my private office if you do not receive responses within ten working days.
229. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport if he will address a matter regarding the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37976/20]
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.
I understand that the Road Safety Authority 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.
230. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the terms of reference of the current review of the proposed Navan rail line; the threshold for approval and the variables and calculations used to decide this; the extent to which benefits to the environment and the well-being of citizens will be considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38001/20]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, the issue of a potential extension of the existing Dunboyne/M3 Parkway line to Navan will be considered by the National Transport Authority (NTA) during its review of the statutory Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2016 to 2035.
In line with its statutory obligations to review the Transport Strategy every six years, the NTA has commenced preparatory work on the review, which will include consideration of a possible future rail service to Navan. The review of the Strategy will include a comprehensive analysis of changes to population projections, development density, employment forecasts and future travel demand patterns since the finalisation of the current Strategy .
The review will be subject to a full public consultation, including the publication of all background reports and feasibility studies and that public consultation will take place next year.
I understand that the NTA will shortly launch the process with the publication of an initial 'Issues Paper' and I look forward to that launch and would encourage all citizens and public representatives to take part.
231. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Transport the details of funding from his Department to port companies and local authorities in respect of ports they manage in each of the years 2016 to 2019, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38009/20]
View answerIn line with National Ports Policy (NPP), the commercial ports sector does not receive Exchequer funding. This includes the Ports of National Significance (Tier 1) – Dublin, Cork and Shannon Foynes – and (Tier 2) - Waterford and Rosslare, which fund their operations and capital investments from their own resources.
In accordance with NPP and the provisions of the Harbours Act 2015, four Ports of Regional Significance have transferred to Local Authority Control.
Wicklow Port Company transferred to Wicklow County Council on 30 August 2016. Drogheda Port Company’s shareholding was transferred to Louth County Council on 2 October 2017. Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company transferred to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council on the 3 October 2018. New Ross Port Company transferred to Wexford County Council on 1 August 2019.
Galway Harbour is designated for transfer to Galway City Council and it is expected that the transfer will proceed in 2020.
Each Local Authority conducted due diligence in advance of taking over the relevant port and the Department provided funding of up to a maximum of €30,000 to each Local Authority toward the due diligence.
|
Local Authority |
Payment |
Date |
|
Wicklow County Council |
€30,000 |
October 2015 |
|
Louth County Council |
€30,000 |
December 2015 |
|
Galway City Council |
€30,000 |
December 2015 |
|
Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council |
€18,450 €11,550 |
January 2016 April 2016 |
|
Wexford County Council |
€30,000 |
December 2016 |
232. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Transport the status of protocols or instructions issued by the NTA to ensure there is adequate ventilation on Dublin Bus, DART, Intercity and Luas services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38010/20]
View answerContinued operation of the public transport sector is important, and public transport has been designated among the essential services that have carried on during the Covid crisis. A number of measures have been introduced across the system, guided by public health advice, to ensure the continued operation of services safely during the pandemic, including enhanced cleaning regimes and social distancing measures across the network.
The Government is committed to ensuring that essential transport services, and passengers utilising these services, are protected and supported. The National Transport Authority (NTA) continues to be guided by public health advice to improve journey safety for all across the public transport system and is working closely with transport operators with regard to the implementation of specific measures. .
I have therefore 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.
233. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Transport if he will write to the NTA suggesting it investigates the feasibility of upgrading Dublin Bus shelters with sedum-covered roofs to capture particulates, store rainwater and promote urban biodiversity given the climate and biodiversity crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38011/20]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, 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, including the provision of bus stops/shelters.
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.
