Written Answers Nos. 242-258
242. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Transport the number of persons awaiting a driving test in the RSA Cavan driving test centre; the number of weeks candidates are waiting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40553/21]
View answerThe driving test is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority.
The information requested is held by the Authority and this question is being referred to it for direct reply.
I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
243. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Transport the daily opening and closing times for the driving test centre in County Cavan; and the time span in which applicants are notified of cancellations (details supplied). [40572/21]
View answerThe driving theory test is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority.
The information requested is held by the Authority and this question is being referred to it for direct reply.
I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
244. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport the average waiting time for driving tests in County Kerry; and his plans to address the backlog. [40591/21]
View answerThe driving test is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority.
Specific details on individual centres are held by the Authority.
I am therefore referring those elements of the Deputy's 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.
Driving tests for essential workers continue to be the priority for the service. Driving tests for those not classed as essential has resumed in a limited fashion from May. In line with the reopening of services on a phased basis, capacity to provide driving tests for all those eligible to take a test has been increased, beginning with those who have been waiting longest.
An additional 37 new testers began live testing in June/July on a temporary basis and an extra 10 temporary test centres have now been opened. These are needed because space in some existing centres cannot accommodate many of the additional driver testers and comply with social distancing requirements.
Sanction has recently been received for and additional 40 temporary testers to help clear the backlog.
245. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport the waiting times for driver theory tests in County Kerry by durations of three, six, nine, 12, 15, 18 and 24 months plus in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40596/21]
View answerThe driver theory test is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority.
The information requested is held by the Authority and this question is being referred to it for direct reply.
I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
246. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport the number of online driver theory tests that have been taken since the online service launched in weekly increments nationwide and in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40597/21]
View answerThe driving theory test are the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority.
The information requested is held by the Authority and this question is being referred to it for direct reply.
I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
247. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Transport the status of the masterplan for Rosslare Port; the timeframe for publication of the report and subsequent actions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40625/21]
View answerRosslare Europort is unique among the State-owned ports, as it is not a commercial company operating under the Harbours Acts but is instead operated on a commercial basis as a division of Iarnród Éireann with all investments funded from port revenues. This is similar to other ports in Ireland which receive no Exchequer funding and must fund all their infrastructure developments through their own resources, borrowing or through EU grant funding.
There has been a significant increase in shipping services from Rosslare direct to the continent as a result of Brexit. Rosslare reports huge demand for these services with an almost 500% increase in freight units through Rosslare when compared to the same period last year.
In the context of these developments, Iarnród Éireann and Rosslare Europort’s strategic investment Masterplan for the port over the coming years has been completed and includes investment plans for €42 million in customer facilities, port infrastructure, freight facilities, port assets, new technology and linking the new entrance of the port with the proposed new port access road. As the Masterplan is commercially sensitive it will not be published so as to protect the commercial operations of Rosslare Europort. However the Deputy will be able to find further information on the Masterplan on the Rosslare Europort website where greater detail of the plan has been made publicly available. Furthermore, Iarnród Éireann has advised that this investment is to be entirely financed from the port’s own resources.
This Masterplan will allow for expansion in the port’s current key areas of Ro/Ro freight and passenger transport. The Masterplan will also provide the required permanent infrastructure to facilitate the post-Brexit border inspection requirements, while also creating increased capacity. I understand from Iarnród Éireann that planning approval has been granted by Wexford County Council for the development, and that clearance work commenced in December 2020. It is expected that this work will be completed over the course of four phases totaling between three and five years and that the port will be able to continue to operate normally while this is carried out.
Iarnród Éireann has also commenced a digitalisation project for the port, which will see investment in all aspects of IT technology with the aim of transforming the Europort into a ‘smart port’. This will include vehicle-recognition systems, trailer-tracking systems, compound management and check-in and check-out systems.
248. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Transport the status on the CIÉ report on the railway between Rosslare and Waterford; the date for publication of the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40626/21]
View answerI am not aware of any such report as referred to by the Deputy.
The Deputy may wish to be aware that a Strategic Rail Review will be undertaken by my Department, working in close co-operation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The Review will consider all aspects of the rail network on the island including disused or closed lines such as that between Rosslare and Waterford. Work on the Review will commence after the summer.
249. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Transport the last occasion on which a Department-wide review of all funding within his Department took place; the frequency of such reviews; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40645/21]
View answerDetailed strategic analysis of components of expenditure from a value for money and service delivery perspective takes place on a continuous basis. The Department's largest component of current expenditure, Public Service Obligation (PSO) services has a typical core budget of circa €300m per annum. It has been the subject of a number of dedicated spending reviews in recent years, the most recent being the joint Department of Transport Strategic Research and Analysis Division (SRAD) and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform IGEES paper in 2020, entitled "A Review of the Governance, Efficiency and Effectiveness of Public Service Obligation (PSO) Transport Services". Spending on PSO will continue to remain under constant analysis in the coming years as PSO services alter and re-align with the roll-out of major investment projects such as BusConnects and DART+.
The Department's second largest component of current expenditure is on National Roads and Regional and Local Roads protection and renewal. This comprises an annual budget of circa €80m. This is being evaluated in the overall context of protection and renewal costs in a joint Department of Transport (SRAD) and DPER (IGEES) spending review paper which will be published later this year.
The Department's third largest component of current expenditure, with an annual budget of circa €62m per annum, is the Coast Guard Search and Rescue Aviation Service. The current contract expires in 2023. In advance of a new tender for services being published, a comprehensive review and associated analysis is being undertaken in accordance with the Public Spending Code for Current Expenditure, to seek to optimise both the quality of service and value for money.
Taken together, when Covid emergency funding is excluded, the above three service lines comprise an estimated 76% of my Department's annual budget for current expenditure.
The Department is also concluding its review of the National Development Plan. This thorough and comprehensive review will assist in ensuring that the Department's investment programmes and projects are aligned with the National Planning Framework and the National Strategic Outcomes, as well as reflecting, in particular, the ambitions and imperatives of the Programme for Government and the Climate Action Plan. It is expected that the revised National Development Plan will be published by DPER in September.
Finally, a Department-wide review of all funding within my Department took place for the Budget and Revised Estimates process 2021. The next official review of Department wide funding is beginning to take place now as we are entering the Estimates process for Budget 2022.
250. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Transport : the efforts being undertaken to address the reissuance of NCT discs to car owners with expiry dates of a year less than discs issued in 2020; the reason this is the case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40694/21]
View answerThe operation of the National Car Test (NCT) Service is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority and I have therefore referred the question to the Authority for direct reply.
I am given to understand that further information is available from the NCTS website.
I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
251. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Transport the reason a person (details supplied) has been put on a waiting list for a driving test in order to obtain a C1 licence; if front-line workers are being prioritised for driving tests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40740/21]
View answerThe driving test is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority.
Individual cases are a matter for the Authority and the question in relation to this case is being referred to it for direct reply.
I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
252. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Transport his plans for the introduction of the new criteria for the NCT; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40745/21]
View answerThe Deputy may be aware that the periodic roadworthiness testing requirements for Member States are determined by EU legislation under Directive 2014/45/EU. The items to be tested as part of the National Car Test (NCT) are those listed in point 2 of Annex I to that Directive and are set out in Irish law by the Road Traffic (National Car Test) Regulations, 2017 (S.I. No. 415 of 2017), as amended. The Regulations also give effect to the Directive in respect of testing methods and pass/fail critera.
Any successive amendments to the Directive will be transposed into Irish law by my Department accordingly.
253. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Transport if a person (details supplied) will be granted an extension of time on their current driving licence while they are awaiting the processing of their stamp 5 visa given they cannot renew their driving licence without a stamp 5 visa. [40762/21]
View answerExtensions to the expiry dates of driving licences have been introduced in response to the continued disruption caused by Covid-19 to driver licensing services in Ireland and across the EU. The extensions apply to licence holders whose licences expired or will expire between 1 March 2020 to 31 October 2021.
Details of the extensions can be found on the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) website www.ndls.ie. An expiry date calculator is also available on the website to check the new expiry date of a licence.
It is not possible to extend an individual driving licence. A driving licence can be renewed up to 10 years from the date of expiry of the licence.
254. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Transport the status of the MetroLink development as of July 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40772/21]
View answerAs the Deputy is likely aware, the Public Spending Code sets out the requirements for the evaluation, planning and management of public investment projects in Ireland and the Code applies to all public bodies and to all bodies whose projects are supported by Exchequer capital funding.
The Code sets out a number of Decision Gates in the development of a project proposal; these are points where major decisions need to be made about the progress of a project and, for projects expected to cost over €100million, Government approval is required at these Decision Gates. For a project in this category, "Decision Gate 1: Approval in Principle" is the first stage where the Public Spending Code stipulates that formal Government approval is required.
In accordance with the Public Spending Code's requirements, the National Transport Authority has submitted MetroLink's Preliminary Business Case to my Department. The Code stipulates that it must be reviewed by both my Department and the Department for Public Expenditure and Reform. Following completion of these necessary steps I will then bring the matter to Government for its decision.
I would note that this is the first of three Government Decision Gates and, if approved by Government at Decision Gate 1, then "Decision Gate 2: Pre-Tender Approval" requires submission of a Detailed Project Brief and Procurement Strategy which will be considered at that juncture, while finally "Decision Gate 3: Approval to Proceed" requires submission of a Final Business Case to allow substantive construction to commence.
Finally I would also note the review of the National Development Plan which will underpin the capital investment programme out to 2030.
255. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Transport the funding allocated to the LocalLink bus service in Fingal in 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40773/21]
View answerAs Minister for Transport I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport.
It is the National Transport Authority (NTA) which has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. The NTA also has national responsibility for integrated local and rural transport, including management of the Rural Transport Programme which operates under the Local Link brand.
In light of the NTA's responsibilities in this matter, I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
256. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Transport the State supports being provided to assist travel agents to maintain operation due to restrictions and the effects of the pandemic on international travel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40774/21]
View answerThe Government has provided an unprecedented package of supports to businesses during the crisis a number of which have been available to the licensed travel agents and tour operators. Firms in this sector have been able to avail of the Employee Wage Subsidy Scheme and the COVID Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) or the Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC) which fall under the remit of my colleagues the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment respectively.
In addition, in June 2020 my Department, in close consultation with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, introduced the Refund Credit Note (RCN) Scheme, which has assisted the liquidity positions of licensed travel agents and tour operators by ensuring that refund vouchers are protected by a State Guarrantee in the event of insolvency. The Scheme has undoubtedly assisted in preserving cash within the sector. To date Notes to the value of €17m have been issued. This is money that otherwise would have had to be paid by the sector at the height of the crisis to cover customer refunds at a time that their onward suppliers were not releasing refunds. However I undertand that situation has regularised in recent months.
On 1 June, Government launched its Economic Recovery Plan 2021 with the goal of achieving rapid job creation and economic growth after the pandemic. This plan sets out new measures for businesses and affected sectors as the economy reopens, and details for continuing existing emergency pandemic financial supports including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) and Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), giving certainty to employers and employees.
As the travel trade is part of the wider aviation and travel ecosystem, the needs of this particular sector will continue to be considered and I and my Department will maintain contact with the industry as we get more clarity on the trajectory of the recovery of the economy generally and of international travel which recommenced from 19 July.
257. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Transport the reason a person (details supplied) is waiting so long for a driving test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40834/21]
View answerThe driving test is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority.
Individual cases are a matter for the Authority and the question in relation to this case is being referred to it for direct reply.
I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
258. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Transport the number of persons waiting for a driving test; and the number of persons waiting for a theory test in County Cork by test centre in tabular form. [40880/21]
View answerThe driving test and driver theory test are the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority.
The information requested is held by the Authority and this question is being referred to it for direct reply.
I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
