Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 January 2021
46. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport the extent to which he recognises the need to ensure that improvements in the road and rail traffic sector are likely to entail benefits at least 50 years into the future rather than merely addressing current problems; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2181/21]
View answerThe Deputy is right to highlight the fact that when making decisions on what improvements should be made in the road and rail traffic sectors, consideration is required with regard to both climate adaptation and climate mitigation measures. There is a need to ensure that transport infrastructure is as resilient as possible and that it can withstand any unforeseen climatic conditions over the next 50 years and well beyond.
In relation to emissions, the Deputy is likely aware that the European Commission, through its Green Deal, and my Department, through the Climate Action Plan, will be setting binding targets to reduce our emissions by 50% in 2030 and reach climate neutrality by 2050. This will place an obligation upon all stakeholders to embed the type of longer-term perspective the Deputy refers.
I can inform the Deputy that my Department will shortly publish the draft National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland, or NIFTI, for public consultation.
NIFTI puts in place a strategic framework to ensure that investment in the transport sector in the coming years and decades aligns with overarching Government policy objectives, such as the spatial targets to 2040 set out in the National Planning Framework and the emissions targets set out in the Climate Action Plan. As part of the supporting analysis for NIFTI, extensive transport modelling exercises have been conducted to identify where there may be potential gaps in our transport provision in 2040, helping to inform our long-term investment decisions. Going forward, new investment in the sector will have to align with the NIFTI Investment Priorities.
Moreover, under the Common Appraisal Framework for Transport Projects and Programmes — the sectorial business case requirements published by my Department — the benefits of transport projects are typically estimated over a thirty year horizon when cost-benefit analyses are conducted. This ensures that the long-term costs and benefits of a project are considered as part of the investment decision-making process.
Lastly, my Department is now developing a new Sustainable Mobility Policy for the next 10 years that can provide a strategic backdrop to the increased investment planned by this Government across the sustainable mobility programme as outlined in the Programme for Government – A Shared Future. The aim is to develop a policy framework that better supports sustainable mobility to provide for increased use of active travel and public transport.
The Deputy will acknowledge this is a substantive policy area and one which is fundamentally important to this Government’s ambition generally. The Department is currently refining its development of a new policy framework to allow for further engagement with stakeholders in the coming months and I look forward to that engagement in due course.
