Written Answers Nos. 72-91
72. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his Department plans to develop a strategy to tackle food waste in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30016/21]
View answerThe strategy for tackling food waste is clearly set out in the range of comprehensive actions focusing on food waste prevention, redistribution, infrastructure and food waste management contained in the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, which was published in September 2020. These include a commitment to halve food waste by 2030. The plan is available at www.gov.ie. In addition, I intend to provide for the introduction of a statutory Food Loss Prevention Roadmap through the Circular Economy Bill, the General Scheme of which I hope to publish shortly.
73. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will commence and lead a public conversation on privacy (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30058/21]
View answerThe issue of privacy, including online privacy, is a matter that concerns all of Government. However, the protection of personal data in terms of legislation and government policy does not fall under the remit of the Department of the Environment, Climate, and Communications. Rather it is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Justice and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.
74. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the circumstances of a person (details supplied) who has had consistent issues regarding their address being linked to their allocated Eircode including delayed post regarding a vaccination appointment; and if the issue will be investigated. [30189/21]
View answerEircodes are assigned to new property addresses using a valid postal address and verified geo-locations. All postal addresses, geographical addresses and geo-locations are provided to Eircode from authoritative sources, namely An Post and Ordnance Survey Ireland through their subsidiary company An Post GeoDirectory. An Post collects information on all new and existing buildings, as well as changes to existing addresses, and Ordnance Survey Ireland provides the geo-locations for these buildings.
Eircode does not change existing postal addresses and the Eircode can be simply added to the address normally used for the property. This address can be the most commonly used address, the postal address or/and the geographical address. The free to use online Eircode Finder www.eircode.ie which remains very popular with the public with over 93.5 million lookups since the finder went live, provides both the geographical and postal addresses for properties in the state.
Householders who have queries relating to the postal address of their property can contact An Post at: correctaddress.anpost.ie or customer service 01 7057600. In the case where An Post makes changes to the address, the updated information will be provided to Eircode by An Post GeoDirectory.
75. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the steps he is taking to secure EU agreement to secure a split national target by 2050 for greenhouse gases with a separate, longer target for biogenic methane as outlined by the Climate Change Advisory Council Annual Review 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30206/21]
View answerIn their Annual Review 2020, the Climate Change Advisory Council recommends that the Government should support efforts to ensure consistency between reporting and accounting rules and the objectives of the Paris Agreement and to engage constructively in the negotiations on the proposed revision of the EU’s 2030 effort-sharing targets. In addition, the review recommended that in the longer term, the Government should seek to engage with its EU partners on the validity of a separate target for biogenic methane.
With the 2030 Climate Target Plan and EU Climate Law, the EU will raise its ambition on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to at least 55% below 1990 levels by 2030. This is a substantial increase compared to the existing 40% emissions reduction target. The Commission is preparing to present, by July 2021, an overhaul of all relevant climate legislation as part of a “Fit for 55 Package” to align with the newly proposed target.
Ireland fully supports the enhanced ambition at EU level. It is consistent with the national approach, as the Programme for Government commits to achieve net zero emissions by no later than 2050 and a 51% emissions reduction by 2030.
Ireland has agreed with other Member States that the Commission should swiftly put forward its legislative package, together with an in-depth examination of the environmental, economic and social impact at Member State level. It will be important that the updated EU 2030 target of at least 55% is delivered collectively by the EU in the most cost-effective manner possible, balancing considerations of fairness, cost effectiveness and solidarity, and ensuring that no one is left behind.
With respect to the longer term, the new EU Climate Law lists a number of considerations the Commission must take into account when proposing the Unions 2040 Climate Target. In doing so, the Commission must consider, amongst other matters “the best available and most recent scientific evidence, including the latest reports of the IPCC and the Advisory Board”. This process will commence at the latest within six months of the first global stocktake referred to in the Paris Agreement, which will take place in 2023. Ireland will engage with the Commission as appropriate.
76. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when a report (details supplied) on the cost of decarbonisation up to 2050 will be published; if he will ensure its publication in advance of the passage of the climate Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30207/21]
View answerThe Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill sets out our national economy-wide climate targets for 2030 and 2050, and the process for setting carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings. It does not specify economy-wide or sectoral carbon budgets, and does not present options in relation to decarbonisation.
Once the Climate Change Advisory Council proposes carbons budgets, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications must bring a recommendation to Government and the Oireachtas in relation to the carbon budget programme and sectoral ceilings, which will ultimately find expression in the Climate Action Plan 2021. Analysis is still ongoing and, once completed, it can be published alongside the Plan.
77. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the recent Fiscal Advisory Council report which highlights the lack of details on cost and challenges in achieving Ireland’s 2030 and 2050 climate goals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30208/21]
View answerThe Programme for Government recognises that the next ten years are critical if we are to address the climate and biodiversity crisis which threatens our safe future on this planet, and commits to an average 7% per annum reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions from 2021 to 2030 (a 51% reduction over the decade) and to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. While this will be challenging, it will lead to improvements in our health, welfare and security.
The level of change envisaged cannot be avoided, with the evidence for warming of our climate system and its destructive impact now beyond dispute. The EU recognises this, and aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, and be climate-neutral by 2050. This objective is at the heart of the European Green Deal and in line with the EU’s commitment to global climate action under the Paris Agreement.
In terms of the costs and challenges of a transformation of this scale, it is not possible to detail them all out to 2050. In fact the Programme for Government recognises that we are not yet in a position to identify all the emerging technologies, changing scientific consensus or policies to meet our full ambition. It is also recognised that the taxpayer cannot compensate for all the actions that have to be taken, and that it is essential the burdens borne are seen to be fair and that every group makes an appropriate level of effort.
The 2021 Climate Action Plan, which will give effect to the Programme for Government step-up in climate ambition, is to be completed this Summer. It will seek to identify the least cost pathways that minimise the burdens and maximise the opportunities of the transition to 2030 and beyond, including an estimation of overall economy-wide investment requirements. In parallel, the review of the National Development Plan is being completed to ensure that Exchequer capital investment aligns the acceleration in decarbonisation now required.
Public investment over the next decade on climate action will be set out in the review of the NDP which is well underway. The Programme for Government also commits to the allocation of carbon tax revenues to climate action. The national Economic Recovery Plan and the Recovery and Resilience Plan published by Government on 1 June have climate and green investments as core pillars. In addition, the EU’s €750 billion Next Generation EU recovery package and €1 trillion budget require that money can only be spent on projects that meet certain green criteria, with 30% of all funding to go on climate change mitigation.
It is also the case that failure to rapidly make the investments to move to a carbon-neutral economic model will have far reaching negative impacts on the economy and the public finances; undermine the long-term, sustainable competitiveness of the economy; and lock Ireland into a redundant fossil-fuel based economic model. Embracing the transition will support further job creation through the development of new and emerging sectors. The green economy, including the retrofitting and renewable energy sector, the circular economy, clean mobility, green and blue infrastructure, sustainable agriculture and the bio-economy will create high quality employment opportunities that will be a source of significant employment growth over the coming decades, as well as supporting a stable tax base.
78. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport when the capacity for online theory testing will expand (details supplied). [29881/21]
View answerUnder legislation, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) is the body responsible for the operation of the Theory Test. The RSA has been working to deliver an online theory test service, with a pilot online test already underway for trucks and buses. This pilot service has now been extended to include a limited number of car and motorbike tests.
The new offering will see 4,000 online theory tests available for all categories of vehicles per month. Tests are available on a ‘first come, first served’ basis with the new online service becoming more widely available later in the year.
The current online offering is an interim solution to help meet some of the demand from customers looking for a theory test appointment. The RSA is fully committed to extending the service further; however, this expansion of services will take time due to technical infrastructure issues that first need to be addressed.
Both the RSA and the Theory Test contractor are working extremely hard to ensure online services are more widely available towards the end of 2021.
79. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Transport the breakdown of road tax revenue for County Cork in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021, respectively, in tabular form. [29888/21]
View answerGross motor tax receipts for Cork County Council (including receipts collected on behalf of Cork City Council) for the years 2016 to 2020 and for the period from 1 January 2021 to 27 May 2021 are set out in the tables below.
2016
|
Private vehicles |
€104,925,400 |
|
Goods vehicles |
€16,371,220 |
|
All other vehicle classes |
€2,986,666 |
|
Total |
€124,283,286 |
2017
|
Private vehicles |
€100,743,733 |
|
Goods vehicles |
€16,769,500 |
|
All other vehicle classes |
€3,067,277 |
|
Total |
€120,580,510 |
2018
|
Private vehicles |
€95,709,398 |
|
Goods vehicles |
€16,862,468 |
|
All other vehicle classes |
€2,992,546 |
|
Total |
€115,564,412 |
2019
|
Private vehicles |
€93,003,484 |
|
Goods vehicles |
€17,154,717 |
|
All other vehicle classes |
€3,098,379 |
|
Total |
€113,256,580 |
2020
|
Private vehicles |
€89,609,582 |
|
Goods vehicles |
€17,647,942 |
|
All other vehicle classes |
€3,178,421 |
|
Total |
€110,435,945 |
2021 (up to and including 27 May 2021)
|
Private vehicles |
€37,583,305 |
|
Goods vehicles |
€7,631,619 |
|
All other vehicle classes |
€1,329,887 |
|
Total |
€46,544,811 |
80. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Transport the details of projects of road maintenance and upgrade expenditure in County Cork in each of the years of 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [29889/21]
View answerThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from Councils' own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the Council.
As regards road maintenance and upgrade expenditure in respect of regional and local roads in each of the years 2016 to 2020, details of the regional and local road grant allocations and payments to local authorities are outlined in the regional and local road allocations and payments booklets which are available in the Oireachtas Library. To date in 2021, Cork County Council has drawndown €4,533,348.
As Minister for Transport I have responsibility for overall policy and securing exchequer funding in relation to the National Roads Programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 and in line with the National Development Plan (NDP), the planning, design and construction of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. This is also subject to the Public Spending Code Guidelines and the necessary statutory approvals. I have, therefore referred the Deputy's Question on road maintenance and upgrade expenditure in respect of national roads to TII for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
81. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport if historical pension records are held, including pre-1922, in respect of the Commissioners of Irish Lights; if so, the year that it dates from; if any of the historical records are available to access; if so, the circumstances under which they can be accessed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29892/21]
View answerThe Archive of Irish Lights is a source of maritime history and also of the wider social, political, military, engineering, architectural, scientific and administrative history of Ireland in the 19th & 20th centuries. Equally, it is a source for personal and family history. Irish Lights employed many generations around the coast of Ireland for over two centuries. The earliest records in the Archive date back to 1810.
A major project began in 2019 to preserve and catalogue the Archive. The Archive contains over one thousand volumes and two thousand boxes of administrative records. The Archive project is prioritising records of greatest historical significance. In addition to routine preservation and cataloguing, a number of specialised conservation and digitisation projects are currently ongoing. This will allow the full potential of the Archive to be realised and will ultimately facilitate access to researchers, with a number of outreach projects planned.
With regard to the Deputy's question, the Commissioners of Irish Lights has confirmed it has pension records some of which date back to 1891. It is unclear at this point how comprehensive these records are. The records are currently closed to researchers as the Archive Project is ongoing but specific records can be made available at special request and subject to data protection requirements.
82. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Transport the reason for the 10-year taxi system (details supplied); if additional supports will be given to the industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29930/21]
View answerThe regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) sector, including age limits for vehicles, is a matter for the statutory regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013.
Given the role of the NTA as regulator, I have referred the portion of your question regarding age limits to the Authority for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within 10 working days.
In relation to the issue of supports for the taxi industry the Government has introduced a wide-ranging programme of supports with broad eligibility criteria for individuals and businesses which have been adversely affected by COVID-19. Many of these supports can be accessed by self-employed taxi drivers including liquidity and investment measures from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, as well as the Enterprise Support Grant and the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) from the Department of Social Protection.
Following on from my meeting with the Advisory Committee on SPSVs in April, I have asked officials in my Department to review existing measures taken by my Department, such as the waiver of vehicle licence renewal fees for 2021 and this year's enhanced eSPSV grant scheme, and identify whether any further measures can be taken to support the industry as we prepare for the forthcoming reopening of society.
83. Deputy Joe O'Brien asked the Minister for Transport the status of plans to roll-out trucksuitable hydrogen refuelling stations in Ireland as part of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29951/21]
View answer84. Deputy Joe O'Brien asked the Minister for Transport his plans to support hauliers in Ireland to transition to hydrogen fuel cell trucks including provision of necessary infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29952/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 83 and 84 together.
The National policy framework for alternative fuels infrastructure for transport in Ireland 2017-2030 acknowledges the lack of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure capability in Ireland coupled with low numbers of compatible vehicles appropriate for use in the Irish Market.
The Climate Action Plan 2019, currently being reviewed for 2021, recognises Hydrogen as a future technology with potential to play a role in the decarbonising of transport, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors such as heavy-duty land transport.
I am aware of the challenge for the Irish road transport sector of the transition from fossil fuels to alternative fuels, particularly in relation to vehicle costs. I recently launched the Alternatively-Fuelled Heavy Duty Vehicle (AFHDV) Purchase Grant Scheme to assist commercial road transport operators and companies across the State to transition to alternative-fuelled vehicles.
In furthering consideration of these matters, officials of my Department participate on an inter-departmental working group on hydrogen which considers all aspects of hydrogen including transport. My Department is also continuing to engage with industry-led hydrogen for transport initiatives, including possibilities to foster the development of an indigenous Irish market for hydrogen across the transport sectors.
The European Union is this year engaging in a revision of the European Union’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive. Subject to developments at a European level my Department is also keeping under review the future development of national alternative fuel transport networks, including hydrogen, that will support Ireland in reaching its ambitious 2030 decarbonisation targets and its goal of net zero carbon by 2050.
85. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Transport when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will receive a date for a driver theory test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29954/21]
View answerThe Road Safety Authority (RSA) is the body responsible for the operation of Theory Tests.
The protocol for scheduling appointments is an operational matter for the RSA and I do not have any role in this process. This question is therefore being referred 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.
86. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Transport if he will request that driver theory tests to be deemed an essential service and for in-person testing to reopen in centres in a safe and a socially distanced manner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29982/21]
View answerIn line with the further easing of restrictions, the gradual re-opening of in-person driver theory test centres will commence after the 7th of June. The Road Safety Authority (RSA) will reopen its network of test centres and will be permitted to carry out 25,000 driver theory tests per month.
Prior to COVID-19, the RSA provided 15,000 tests per month. In light of the significant backlog of customers, the RSA will gradually increase capacity in its test centres to 25,000 tests a month.
The test centres have extensive COVID-19 measures in place to protect both customers and staff and to ensure the safe delivery of the service. It is hoped that capacity will gradually increase to 50,000 tests per month over time, if public health guidance permits.
The RSA has been working to deliver an online theory test service, with a pilot online test already underway for trucks and buses. This pilot service has now been extended to include a limited number of car and motorbike tests.
The new offering will see 4,000 online theory tests available for all categories of vehicles per month. Tests are available on a ‘first come, first served’ basis with the new online service becoming more widely available later in the year. Once the online service is established, all customers will be able to opt to do the test online.
87. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Transport if he will extend the N24 Waterford to Cahir project constraints public study beyond the 1 June 2021 deadline in view of Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30001/21]
View answerAs Minister for Transport I have responsibility for overall policy and securing exchequer funding in relation to the National Roads Programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 and in line with the National Development Plan (NDP), the planning, design and construction of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. This is also subject to the Public Spending Code Guidelines and the necessary statutory approvals. In this context, TII is best placed to advise you on the N24 project from Waterford to Cahir.
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.
88. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Transport his views on correspondence (details supplied) in relation to international travel and tourism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30008/21]
View answerGovernment has outlined its plan for the resumption of non-essential air travel from 19 July. This plan broadly aligns with our European partners, and details the requirements for travellers arriving from the EU and travellers arriving from third countries.
The use of antigen testing in relation to international travel is a matter for Minister for Health, in the first instance. Government decisions relating to Covid-19 testing are based on public health advice.
89. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport the number of fines issued by the National Transport Authority to public transport providers for failing to adhere to service level agreements in respect of falling behind on the agreed timeframe for their scheduled services and for being ahead of schedule in each of the past five years to date by amount and service provider (details supplied). [30017/21]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. However, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport.
The issues raised are matters for the National Transport Authority (NTA) in conjunction with the individual transport operators and I have 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.
90. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Transport if a driver test will be expedited for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal to facilitate an offer of employment with the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30085/21]
View answerThe Road Safety Authority (RSA) is the body responsible for the operation of Driver Testing.
The protocol for scheduling appointments is an operational matter for the Road Safety Authority . As Minister of State for Transport, I do not have any role in this process.
This question is therefore being referred 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.
91. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Transport when a driving licence may be expected to be processed for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30086/21]
View answerAll enquires relating to driver licensing are handled by the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS), the provision of which I have delegated to the Road Safety Authority (RSA) under the relevant legislation. My Department does not have access to individual applications.
I have forwarded the Deputy's query to the RSA for direct reply. If he has not heard from them in 10 working days I would ask that he contact my office directly.
