Written Answers Nos. 275-294
277. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport to provide a breakdown by year of the stages of the proposed MetroLink project, including the planning, procurement and construction phases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37621/22]
View answerA detailed delivery timeline for MetroLink has not yet been finalised as the project has only just received Decision Gate 1 Approval under the Public Spending Code. The timeline below shows the expected key dates of the process, but some of these will be dependent on the planning process.
- September 2022 – Submission of Railway Order application
- 2023 – Decision by Government at Decision Gate 2 of the Public Spending Code
- 2025 – Award of contracts
A detailed design, planning, and procurement strategy will be prepared for Decision Gate 2 in line with the Public Spending Code. Following Decision Gate 3 and an enforceable Railway Order, the winning tenders will be awarded to enable construction to begin by the end of 2025.
The above dates are dependent upon the timing and outcome of the planning process, and whether or not any judicial or other legal proceeding are commenced in relation to that planning process.
As 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 in the Greater Dublin Area which includes, in conjunction with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, MetroLink.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a more detailed direct reply to the specific issues raised. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.
278. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Transport the annual amount that is generated by each motor tax band, by annual renewal, half year renewal, quarter year renewal and arrears; the amount that is generated by the additional 10% charge that applies to half and quarter year renewals in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37627/22]
View answerThe information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.
279. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Transport the annual amount that is generated by the NCT charges for private vehicles and retests; the amounts generated per age of vehicle and the number of vehicles in each category in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37628/22]
View answerThe operation of the National Car Testing Service (NCTS) is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority. I have therefore referred the 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.
280. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Transport the measures that he is taking to address waiting times for a NCT; the most up-to-date waiting times by each centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37629/22]
View answerThe operation of the National Car Testing Service (NCTS) is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority. I have therefore referred the 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.
However, I am very aware of the serious challenges that the RSA and the NCTS are currently facing to meet demand and the delays which vehicle owners have encountered since the start of this year. This is a serious matter and I and my department will continue to monitor the RSA's progress to reduce test delays closely as part of ongoing corporate governance processes.
I am also given to understand that customers seeking test appointments may contact the NCTS directly by calling 01-4135992 or may avail of the priority waiting list function via the NCT website www.ncts.ie.
281. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Transport the number of vehicles that were destroyed in Ireland in each of the years 2018 to 2021 and to date in 2022; the breakdown by the year of registration of the vehicles, by engine type, by engine size, manufacture and the reason for the destruction of the vehicles; his views on whether the destruction of many roadworthy vehicles represents poor climate sense given the overall carbon footprint of having to manufacture replacement vehicles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37630/22]
View answerEvery year, millions of vehicles in Europe reach the end of their life. If end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) are not managed properly, they can be a threat to the environment as well as a lost resource of millions of tonnes of materials. Directive 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles aims to minimise the impact of ELVs on the environment and to improve the environmental performance of all the economic operators involved in the life cycle of vehicles. The Directive contains provisions on the collection, treatment, recovery and recycling of ELVs. The production of vehicles has undergone important changes since the adoption of the Directive 20 years ago and it is currently under review by the European Commission with the aim of promoting changes in the design of products and promoting high quality recycling and facilitating the uptake of recycled materials in new products.
The evaluation of the ELV Directive concluded that it largely delivered on its initial objectives and Ireland recently submitted our ELV data to Eurostat which confirmed Ireland achieved the ELV reuse and recycling rate of 90.33% and a reuse and recovery rate of 97.12% in 2020, in compliance with current EU targets. This is the third year that Ireland achieved full compliance with the ELV Directive targets which were fully met for the first time in 2018. Ireland will continue to improve the reuse, recycling and recovery of valuable material from ELVs as part of our transition to a circular economy.
The statistical data requested by the Deputy is contained in my Department's National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF). As the request is very detailed in nature, I have arranged for my officials to send these details directly to the Deputy.
282. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Transport if he will facilitate the extension of age limits for licence holders due to the lack of supply in suitable electric, hybrid and second-hand cars that are required to invest large amounts of money to sustain their business and public transport service levels. [37633/22]
View answerIrish driver licensing law operates within EU law and the minimum age limits for holding a driving licence are set out at EU level. It is not my intention to change these limits. There is no maximum age limit applicable to any driving licence.
283. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Transport the reason that persons who pay their car tax on time each quarter are charged more than if they pay annually; if he will review the situation; the cost per transaction to issue vehicle tax certificate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37722/22]
View answerMotor tax can be paid annually, half-yearly or quarterly. Half-yearly or quarterly renewals involve additional costs to process and administer. The rate for the half-yearly option is 55.5% of the annual rate, and, for the quarterly option, 28.25% of the annual rate. These ratios have remained generally consistent since the 1960s. The loss of income from equalising rates for these options would have a negative impact on motor tax revenue and would have to be borne elsewhere in the motor tax system or in the taxation system generally. The potential loss to the Exchequer has been estimated at just over €37m, based on the volume of transactions in 2021. Given the sum involved, any proposed change is a matter for consideration in the context of Budget preparations.
The current cost per transaction in issuing a motor tax disc has not been established. Any such costing exercise would have to factor in the indirect costs of running local motor tax offices, as well as the Driver and Vehicle Computer Services Division of my Department, which is responsible for the maintenance of the National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF), the central vehicle database, as well as supporting systems in motor tax offices. The Department of Housing publishes the Amalgamated Audited Annual Financial Statement for all the local authorities on an annual basis. The most recently published Statement is for 2019 and gives the total cost of running the local authority motor tax service at €29.4m for the year. The annual cost of running the NVDF is currently some €22.9m, excluding staff costs. However, the NVDF also supports road traffic enforcement, vehicle testing and the road transport operator licensing system and the allocation of overheads across each of these functions, as well as the provision of the motor tax service, cannot be easily ascertained.
284. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Transport the number of backlog appointments for NCT tests the for the first six months of 2022; the measures that are being taken to address the issue of persons getting an appointment for the NCT; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37739/22]
View answerThe operation of the National Car Testing Service (NCTS) is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority. I have therefore referred the 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.
However, I am very aware of the serious challenges that the RSA and the NCTS are currently facing to meet demand and the delays which vehicle owners have encountered since the start of this year. This is a serious matter and I and my department will continue to monitor the RSA's progress to reduce test delays closely as part of ongoing corporate governance processes.
I am also given to understand that customers seeking test appointments may contact the NCTS directly by calling 01-4135992 or may avail of the priority waiting list function via the NCT website www.ncts.ie.
285. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Transport the number of vehicles that are due their NCT for the months July to December 2022; if he is satisfied that measures are in place that appointments will be available on time for these vehicles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37740/22]
View answerThe operation of the National Car Testing Service (NCTS) is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority. I have therefore referred the 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.
However, I am very aware of the serious challenges that the RSA and the NCTS are currently facing to meet demand and the frustrating delays which vehicle owners have encountered since the start of this year. This is a serious matter and I and my department will continue to monitor the RSA's progress to reduce test delays closely as part of ongoing corporate governance processes.
286. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Transport the average number of persons on the waiting list for driving tests each month since January 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37741/22]
View answerThe operation of the national driving test service is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority and the information requested is held by them. I have therefore referred the 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.
287. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Transport the plans that are being considered for improvements to the N22 between Macroom and Ballincollig; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37742/22]
View answerAs Minister for Transport I have responsibility for overall policy and 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 management, operation and upgrading 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 and the necessary statutory approvals. In this context, TII is best placed to advise you.
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.
288. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the Irish ports or harbours that are currently ready to support the construction and maintenance of offshore wind farms; the investment that he is proposing in ports or harbours to ensure wind farms off the coast can be built and maintained from this island; the timeframe for this investment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37754/22]
View answerAs the Deputy knows, last December , I announced the publication of a Policy Statement setting out a strategy for commercial ports to facilitate offshore renewable energy (ORE) activity in the seas around Ireland, confirming this Government's commitment to the provision of port facilities for ORE development.
The strategy sets out a multiport approach as Ireland will potentially need to build, on a phased basis, 4 to 5 standard ORE port facilities (each capable of building 500 MW of ORE annually) that will act as construction and deployment ports over the next 25 – 30 years. In addition, a number of smaller ports will be required for ORE Operation and Maintenance activities. A number of ports and private entities are already progressing plans to provide the facilities and infrastructure required to support the construction and maintenance of offshore wind farms and to assist the ORE sector to develop in Ireland.
While Irish Ports receive no exchequer funding, as part of endeavours to maximise EU funding, following extensive engagement with other Member States and the Commission, the Department successfully obtained changes to the Ten-T CEF criteria to allow EU funding of port infrastructure for ORE in the 2021-2023 funding stream. On its own, CEF funding does not have any State aid implications and successful applicants can obtain significant grant funding of up to 50% of eligible costs for studies and up 30% of infrastructure works costs.
A call opened in 2021 for applications and closed last January for funding for transport infrastructure projects. Bearing in mind the confidential nature of the process, individual applications cannot be commented on. However, four ports/private entities that are eligible under TEN-T applied for funding for studies which will effectively allow them to prepare for lodgement of planning applications in 2022 and 2023 onwards for ORE port developments.
Unfortunately, none of these applications were successful in the first call. These are competitive processes, and typically oversubscribed and we are engaging with the Commission to understand the decisions. The companies involved continue progressing their plans and are also engaging with the Commission before preparing applications for the next call due to open in September this year. The Department will continue to assist, as appropriate, eligible applicants with the application process.
The Department also continues to encourage engagement between the ports and developers so they are best placed to exploit the opportunities that will arise from the development of the ORE industry. From DoT engagements, it is known that ports and private entities are engaging in their own commercial discussions with ORE project developers to underpin the business case for the port infrastructure developments. Progression of projects and timelines remains subject to results of ORESS auctions, substantive engagement from ORE developers directly with ports, establishment and resourcing of MARA, MAC consents for ports and planning consents for the necessary port infrastructure.
289. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Transport the status of a driver licence for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37788/22]
View answerAll enquires relating to driver licensing are handled by the National Driver Licence Service, the provision of which I have delegated to the Road Safety Authority under the relevant legislation. My Department does not have access to individual applications.
290. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Transport his plans to remove taxi licences from vehicles over ten years old; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this will cause significant financial hardship to taxi drivers; if he will review the application of this rule in situations where the NCT test continues to demonstrate good and safe roadworthiness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37789/22]
View answerThe regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) sector, including age limits for SPSVs, is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013.
Given the need to maintain vehicle standards, there is no consideration being given to amending these age-related rules now, or again in the future.
The Department remains committed to supporting the transition of the SPSV fleet towards zero/low-emission vehicles. The electric small public service vehicle (eSPSV) grant scheme was put in place to support the greening of the taxi sector. The Scheme is funded by the Department and administered by the NTA. The SPSV industry is regarded as a champion in the normalisation of electric vehicle use, and €15m was allocated in 2022 to support the industry to switch to electric.
The 2022 eSPSV Grant Scheme (eSPSV22) received 1,146 applications to end May 2022, including 935 applying for the higher-end grant for scrapping their older vehicle. 125 new eSPSVs have been licensed to date in 2022.
eSPSV22 was paused for new applications in April to allow operators with grant offers the time to finalise their car purchase and draw down funding. The Department announced on 26 June 2022 that eSPSV22 will re-open for applications on 1 August, and the application form will be published on the NTA's website that same day. Applications will be accepted up to 30 November 2022 for this Scheme, with no extension being considered. Vehicles must be licensed (passed the suitability inspection) by 31 December 2022 to get the funding. If this has not happened, operators must wait and apply to any future grant Schemes which might be launched by the Department.
You may be aware that Microfinance Ireland is still providing the so-called eSPSV Business Loan, which is available to support SPSV owners that are unable to secure finance from banks and asset finance providers, and are availing of the eSPSV Grant Scheme to replace their vehicle with a more sustainable model (electric/hybrid). These loans range from €5,000 to €25,000, with a fixed interest rate of 4.5% if submitted through a Local Enterprise Office, and with no additional fees or charges.
In light of the NTA's responsibility regarding vehicle age limits, I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within 10 working days.
291. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Transport if he will report on the number of complaints issued to the Road Safety Authority about the approach taken by the National Driver Licence Service on the request that payment must be in a form other than cash for driving licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37842/22]
View answerAs this is a 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.
292. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Transport the number of persons waiting for a driving test and for a theory test in County Cork, by test centre in tabular form. [37860/22]
View answerThe operation of the national driving test and theory test service is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority and the information requested is held by them. I have therefore referred the 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
293. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Transport the average waiting time for a driving test in Ballincollig and Sarsfield Road test centres in Cork; and the number of persons waiting for less than 3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, 12-18, 18-24 and for over 24 months in tabular form. [37861/22]
View answerThe operation of the national driving test service is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority and the information requested is held by them. I have therefore referred the 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
294. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Transport the average waiting time for a theory test in Ballincollig and Sarsfield Road test centres in Cork; and the number of persons waiting for less than 3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, 12-18, 18-24 and for over 24 months in tabular form. [37862/22]
View answerThe operation of the national driving theory test service is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority and the information requested is held by them. I have therefore referred the 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.
