Written Answers Nos. 221-241
221. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Transport the steps he will take to ensure physical distancing and the wearing of face coverings on public transport, buses, trams and trains given there are many reports of lack of enforcement on public transport services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30556/21]
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 securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. The continued operation of public transport services has been a priority throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. The NTA is working closely with all transport operators to ensure that public transport services continue to operate in a safe manner during the crisis.
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.
222. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Transport if online CPC courses will be offered for HGV drivers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30656/21]
View answerCurrently, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) does not facilitate on-line driver CPC training. EU Directive 2003/59/EC, which introduced driver CPC, was updated in 2018 by EU Directive 645 of 2018 and, while the amended Directive allows for the use of ICT tools such as e-learning and blended learning as part of CPC training, a substantial amount of the training is required to be completed in an approved driver CPC training centre.
The RSA believes that delivering some part of the training online is the way forward and it intends to consult with the industry, including all driver CPC training organisations, to establish how training can be enhanced and improved within the scope of the opportunities provided for in the EU legislation. It is hoped that this review will start later in 2021.
223. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Transport the current wait time for a practical driver test; the measures that are being taken to reduce the wait time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30660/21]
View answerUnder legislation, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) is the body responsible for the operation of the Driver Test. Information regarding waiting times are held by them and this part of the 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.
Driving tests for essential workers will continue to be the priority for the driver testing service. In line with the gradual reopening of services, driving tests for all those who are eligible to take the test and have been waiting longest have recommenced in a limited fashion.
My Department is liaising with the RSA on an ongoing basis to help the service meet the growing demand for tests within the current public health situation. An additional 40 driver testers have been authorised by the Minister along with 36 approved for retention or rehire in 2020. Further recruitment is being examined.
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. Any decision on this matter will be guided by health protocols.
From the start, it has been clear that the first priority is public safety. We want to provide services, and we know people are looking for services, but we will provide them only to the limit possible while preserving public health.
224. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport the deadline for the submission of safety improvement works 2022. [30680/21]
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 local authorities' own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.
As regards the Regional and Local Road Grant Programme, my Department sought applications in September 2020 for funding of safety improvement works on regional and local roads to be carried out by local authorities during 2021. Applications will again be sought later this year for funding of safety improvement works on regional and local roads to be carried out by local authorities during 2022. The schemes for inclusion in the application are selected by the local authorities. The deadline for submission of applications for 2022 will be notified to local authorities in the circular which will be issued later this year.
225. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport his plans to renovate and improve the pedestrian walkway along the train line that goes above Lough Atalia in Galway city; if he has engaged with the owners of the lands in relation to this area; and the status of the route in the context of creating a greenway along this corridor. [30688/21]
View answerAs the Deputy is likely aware, the National Transport Authority (NTA) is responsible for the funding of sustainable transport measures under the STMG and Active Travel Programmes; however, the implementation of individual measures and schemes is the responsibility of the relevant local authorities.
I am advised that Galway City Council and the NTA are reviewing a number of options to advance the Ballyloughane to Galway City Centre Greenway. Galway City Council intend to tender for consultants to progress these options with a view to developing this section of Greenway. Once the options are sufficiently developed, and the emerging preferred option is agreed, Galway City Council will then engage with the affected landowners on the emerging preferred route. The pedestrian walkway in question may or may not be the emerging preferred option.
226. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Transport if he plans to provide an extension to the expiry date of driver licences beyond the current cut-off date of June 2021; his views on whether an extension for learner permits due to expire in 2021 is particularly necessary given the significant driver lesson and test backlog due to Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30690/21]
View answerFurther extensions to driving licences and learner permits are currently being considered. I expect to announce further details on this matter soon.
227. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the number of passengers that used each of Iarnród Éireann intercity routes and commuter routes in each of the years of 2018 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [30719/21]
View answerAs the 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 National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the collection and publication of statistics in relation to public passenger transport services. Therefore, 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.
228. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport if Iarnród Éireann plans to recruit undercover security personnel on its services. [30720/21]
View answerAs the 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 issue raised is an operational matter for Iarnród Éireann and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
229. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport if he will approve the installation of additional rapid e-car chargers throughout County Meath. [30721/21]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the Government is fully committed to supporting a significant expansion and modernisation of the electric vehicle charging network over the coming years.
€10 million was committed from the Climate Action Fund (CAF) to support ESB investment in the charging network and this has leveraged a further €10 million investment from ESB, with the infrastructure to be in place by the end of 2022. This intervention alone will result in:
- 90 additional high power chargers, each capable of charging two vehicles
- 52 additional fast chargers, which may replace existing standard chargers
- 264 replacement standard chargers with more modern technology and with each consisting of two charge points.
Further details on ESB charge points nationwide can be found at www.esb.ie/ecars/charge-point-map.
In light of the ESB eCars responsibility in the matter of the installation of charge points per county, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the ESB for direct response. Please contact my Office if no reply is received within 10 working days.
230. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport when the post of chairperson of Cork Port Authority will be filled. [30722/21]
View answerThe position of Chairperson of the Port of Cork Company became vacant on the 26th of February 2021 and a selection process to fill that vacancy is currently underway.
The vacancy was advertised by the independent Public Appointments Service (PAS) on stateboards.ie. and the closing date for receipt of applications was the 18th of May 2021.
Arrangements are currently being made to assess the applications for the position. It is expected that this process will be completed over the coming weeks and that an appointment to the position can be made in July, subject to the appearance of the successful Chairperson designate before the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications Networks.
231. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the estimated additional revenue that would be generated if the penalty to release vehicles seized under the Road Traffic Act 2016 was doubled based on 2019 figures. [30723/21]
View answerMy Department cannot provide an estimate on the revenue generated from the release of seized vehicles.
All charges due for the detention, removal and storage of a seized vehicle must be paid in full at a nominated Garda Compound before the vehicle can be released.
My Department does not have access to these figures, as Garda operational matters fall under the remit of the Department of Justice.
232. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport the amount Iarnród Éireann spent on improving the quality of audio announcements on the DART in each of the years of 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021; if all announcement systems on the DART are currently in full working order; and the frequency with which the audio announcement system is tested to ensure full working order. [30746/21]
View answer233. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport the amount Iarnród Éireann has received from advertisement boards within its stations in each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [30747/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 232 and 233 together.
As the 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 operational matters for Iarnród Éireann and I have forwarded the Deputy's questions to the company for direct reply.
Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
234. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport if the European Commission has procured €2.6 billion worth of antigen tests for aviation (details supplied); if Ireland will receive an allocation of same; if so, the amount; when the test will be made available; if not, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30764/21]
View answerThe procurement or allocation of antigen tests in Ireland for public health purposes would be a matter for the Department of Health and the relevant public health authorities. My Department has no information in relation to procurements or allocation of such tests by the EU.
235. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Transport the number of applicants currently awaiting a driver theory test in County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30766/21]
View answerUnder legislation, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) is the body responsible for the operation of the Theory Test. The information requested is held by the RSA and 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.
236. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Transport if measures will be taken to address the issue of cyclists who continue to use footpaths in locations in which segregated cycle lanes have been provided in view of the danger such activity poses for pedestrians and those with mobility impairments. [30782/21]
View answerI agree with the Deputy that cycling on the footpath poses a threat to public safety, particularly when it comes to the very young, the elderly and people with disabilities.
An offence of cycling on the footpath is not explicitly set out in law, giving An Garda Síochána some discretion in allowing very young cyclists to stay off the road because of their age and heightened vulnerability. This discretion does not extend, however, to allowing all cyclists to use footpaths. As the Deputy may recall, in 2015 one of my predecessors as Minister for Transport, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, introduced fixed charge notices for a number of cycling offences, including cycling without reasonable consideration. It is intended that the fixed charge notice for the offence of cycling without reasonable consideration will cover reckless cycling on a footpath.
I must emphasise that my Department's role is limited to the preparation and drafting of legislation. Enforcement is under the remit of An Garda Síochána.
237. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Transport the number of passengers on Bus Éireann route 424 in both directions in each of the years 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021, by month in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30803/21]
View answer238. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Transport the number of passengers on Bus Éireann Route 419 in both directions in each of the years 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021, by month in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30804/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 237 and 238 together.
As Minister for Transport I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the collection and publication of statistics in relation to public passenger transport services. I have, therefore, forwarded the Deputy's questions to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
239. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Transport the details of the expenditure incurred by staff in his Department under the heading of travel and subsistence from 1 January 2020 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30875/21]
View answerDetails of the expenditure incurred by staff in my Department under the heading of travel and subsistence from 1st January 2020 to date is set out as follows:
€580,241 - 2020
€135,723 - 2021 to date
€715,964 - Total.
240. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Transport the details of each value for money and policy review conducted by his Department from 1 January 2019 to date; if external costs were incurred; if so, the details of such costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30892/21]
View answerThere have been no transport-related value for money and policy reviews conducted by my Department since 1 January 2019.
On 16 September 2020, S.I. No. 356/2020 came into operation and saw the transfer of Ministerial functions for Tourism and Sport out of my Department. Prior to this, officials from my Department were involved in two value for money and policy reviews in these sectors during the period in question.
The Value for Money and Policy Review of the Tourism Marketing Fund was published on 28 July 2020 and incurred €64,575 in external consultancy services, excluding VAT. Preliminary work was also carried out on a review of the Sports Capital Programme, which was intended to build upon a 2018 Spending Review paper which analysed this programme. No external costs were incurred for this work prior to the transfer of functions.
241. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Transport the status of the upgrading the Ballybrophy and Roscrea to Limerick railway line; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30893/21]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware the Infrastructure Manager Multi Annual Contract (IMMAC) provides the funding framework for the protection and renewal of our railway infrastructure, including the Ballybrophy to Limerick rail line. This is the second year of the five year IMMAC programme, as approved by Government in 2020, and over the five years of the programme just over €1billion in Exchequer funding will be made available to support delivery. This funding will increase service reliability and punctuality, improve journey times and ensure continued safety of rail services. In 2021 for example this programme will support an enhanced programme of track relaying on the Ballybrophy line.
Noting Iarnród Éireann's (IÉ) responsibility in the matter in the first instance, I have referred the Deputy's questions to IÉ for a more detailed reply on the specific matter raised. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.
More broadly the Deputy may also wish to be aware that the issue of enhanced services on the Ballybrophy to Limerick line is also being considered as part of the development of the Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy. I understand that a revised draft Strategy will be published for public consultation in the coming weeks.
