Written Answers Nos. 233-252
233. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Transport when a person (details supplied) from County Donegal can expect a test date for a driving test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38902/22]
View answerThe operation of the national driving test service is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority and I have therefore referred this 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.
234. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Transport his plans to facilitate park-and-ride facilities along the M7, M9 and elsewhere in counties Kildare and Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38913/22]
View answerAs 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 planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including the provision of park and ride facilities.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.
235. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Transport the number of staff who are abated under his Department in accordance with the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012, in tabular form. [38961/22]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that none of my current Department staff are subject to abatement of a pension as provided for under the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012.
236. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport if he and or the Road Safety Authority have undertaken an assessment and or have been able to quantify the number and type of injury that persons have suffered as a result of crashing and or falling from an electric scooter. [38969/22]
View answerThe Road Safety Authority (RSA) is responsible for compiling road traffic collision statistics and for conducting research into this and other road safety related matters. I have therefore referred this question to the RSA for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
However, I would assure the Deputy that my department is working closely with the RSA and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety to ensure that road user safety concerns associated with the introduction of e-scooters will be appropriately addressed by the regulations put in place for their use. This includes ongoing analysis of the available data and research regarding e-scooter related injuries and fatalities in Ireland and other jurisdictions with a view to mitigating risks for the Irish cohort of e-scooter users.
237. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport his plans to make electric scooters and e-bikes liable for road tax in order to enhance ownership and traceability of e-vehicles that will use public roads; and if he has consulted with the Revenue Commissioners in this regard. [38971/22]
View answerThe Programme for Government committed us to legislating for e-scooters and e-bikes and accordingly the Road Traffic and Roads Bill, which recently completed committee stage, will clarify the legal position of these vehicles in the Road Traffic Acts.
Under the Road Traffic Acts as they presently stand, electric scooters, or e-scooters, are defined as mechanically propelled vehicles and valid registration, licence, tax and insurance are required. The Road Traffic and Roads Bill will remove e-scooters from this category and classify them instead as 'powered personal transporters'. Only vehicles which are type-approved can be registered and accordingly it is not intended that powered personal transporters will require registration. My officials will consider potential mechanisms with a view to facilitating the enforcement of road traffic law for e-scooters in the regulations for their use, which will be subsequent to the Bill.
The Deputy may wish to note that electric bikes, or e-bikes, are not classed as powered personal transporters and are considered separately in the Bill. Low-powered models, which are those which require manual input from the cyclist and are capable of achieving speeds of up to 25 km/h, will continue to be treated analogously to manual pedal cycles and registration will not be required. However, higher-powered models, which can be type-approved, will be classed as mechanically propelled vehicles and vehicle owners will therefore have to register their vehicle. The upcoming change of status for this type of vehicle was notified to the Office of the Revenue Commissioners earlier this year and my officials have been working closely with that Office to facilitate the change.
238. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Transport further to Parliamentary Question No. 185 of 23 June 2022, if he will follow up with the National Transport Authority; the reason that a detailed response was not issued which he referred to it for a response within ten days; if he will ensure in the future that such replies issue within the ten-day timeframe mentioned in the reply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39047/22]
View answerIn respect of Parliamentary Questions that have been referred to agencies under my Department's remit, and where Deputies have informed my private office that they have not received a direct reply within the specified 10 working day period, my private office follows up with the agency concerned.
In this case, I note that my private office did not receive a notification of this nature from the Deputy. My private office followed up with the NTA on Friday the 8th of July to ask had a reply been issued. The NTA advised that a reply had not yet been issued to the deputy but that one would issue soon. Further to this The NTA were advised that they must reply to PQs within 10 business days. A reply to the PQ concerned has since been issued to the deputy.
239. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Transport the supports that his Department will give to a possible expansion of the Dublin Bikes bike-sharing scheme. [39121/22]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to cycling and public transport infrastructure. The management of the public bike schemes is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA), which works closely with the relevant local authorities.
Noting the NTA's role in the matter, I have referred your question to the NTA for a more detailed reply.
Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
240. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Transport if his Department will support the expansion of the Luas Green Line from Bride’s Glen to Bray and of the Luas Red Line from the Point to Ringsend and Poolbeg. [39122/22]
View answerAs 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 planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including the provision of light rail.
As the Deputy may be aware, in line with its statutory responsibilities, the NTA recently conducted public consultation on a draft Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area for the period from 2022 to 2042. The draft Strategy contains a number of proposed Luas network extensions, including to Poolbeg and Bray.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.
241. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Transport the mitigations that are being considered to reduce costs in the taxi industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39238/22]
View answerAs the Deputy would be aware, the NTA's Board recently approved an average increase of 12% on taxi fares from 1st September 2022, as proposed in the recent National Maximum Fares Review, which will be the first increase on such fares since 2017. The NTA’s 2022 driver survey shows that 93% of drivers are now working but only 29% currently undertake “night work”. 30% of drivers (up from 17% in 2019) reported that they would consider doing “night work” if the relevant fares were to increase. In recognition of this, the proposed fare increases have been weighted in favour of the premium rate that can be charged for journeys between 8.00pm to 8.00am, as well as on Sundays and public holidays. The increase in cents/euro for each taxi user per journey is not substantial; however, the cumulative impact is significant for drivers, and the weighting in the increase has been designed so as to encourage more drivers to operate during these periods and also encourage drivers who may still not have come back since the pandemic, to re-activate their licences.
Whilst the NTA has statutory responsibility for regulating the SPSV industry, taxi drivers are self-employed individuals and, as such, decide on their own business strategies within the regulatory framework, including choosing the times at which they operate.
The Deputy will be aware that my Department and the NTA previously introduced a number of supports during the Covid-19 pandemic to reduce the costs for licensed SPSVs to continue in the industry during this very difficult period. The SPSV motor tax refund scheme was introduced as an additional financial support to assist the SPSV industry in its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. I announced this support on 9 June 2021 and an allocation of €2m in funding was provided. The Scheme commenced on 1 September 2021 ensuring that SPSV licence holders could receive a reimbursement of €95 for their SPSV Motor Tax. The Scheme will end on 31 August 2022.
The NTA also introduced the NCT Initial Test Fee Waiver Scheme for the SPSV sector on September 1st 2021, with funding of €1.5m from my Department. As a result, SPSVs presenting for the NCT received, and continue to receive, this test for free. This Scheme also ends on 31 August 2022.
The NTA extended vehicle age limits several times during the pandemic, with standard age limits for taxis and hackneys now waived through to end-2022, thereby ensuring no operator exits the industry simply because of the need to replace a vehicle. The NTA also introduced a regulatory measure to allow licence holders to be inactive for 24 months (previously 12 months) to allow them to remain attached to the industry with no associated costs during this very uncertain period. It is hoped that a significant proportion of these licensees will return now that demand for services is increasing.
Supports are available to drivers wishing to change their vehicles. I allocated €2m to the wheelchair accessible grant scheme for this year (WAV22). Under this Scheme, the NTA informed me recently that 102 new WAV licences have been added to the SPSV fleet to date in 2022, and 26 replacement vehicles have been upgraded.
I remain 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 my 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.
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.
I recognise that rising fuel costs are a significant challenge for all sectors and, that is why the Government announced on March 9th last, a temporary reduction in fuel-related excise duties of 20 cent per litre of petrol and 15 cent per litre of diesel. These reductions, which were due to finish at the end of August, will be extended until Budget Day on September 27th, at an additional cost of circa €80 million, and should help reduce the operating costs of all private and commercial vehicle owners, including non-electric SPSV operators.
242. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Transport the mitigations that are being considered to reduce costs for the haulage industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39239/22]
View answerThe Ukraine crisis – and matters arising from it – continue to adversely affect European and Global oil markets, causing a sustained increase in the price of crude and in the price of refined products on the retail market.
Increasing costs is not limited to a specific sector and we are now seeing the development of a much broader issue of rising costs impacting across many sectors and affecting society in general.
In recognition of the important role that the haulage sector plays in maintaining a fully functioning supply chain and supporting our economy, the Government approved specific financial support for the sector via the Licensed Haulage Emergency Support Scheme (the Scheme) in March 2022.
The Scheme provided a temporary financial support of €100 per week, for eight weeks, for each eligible heavy goods vehicle authorised on the licence of a road haulage operator as of 11 March 2022. It was administered by the Department of Transport, and it is now closed. There was good uptake of the Scheme, with over €15 million paid out to nearly 3,000 operators.
In addition, the Diesel Rebate Scheme (DRS) remains available to licensed haulage operators in respect of vehicles over 7.5 tonnes. At diesel prices over €1.43 (including VAT), the maximum rebate of 7.5 cent per litre is provided. It has always been the case that some operators that are eligible for the DRS do not take it up. The Department would strongly encourage all such operators to make the most of the supports that are available.
Furthermore, tax debt “warehoused” during the COVID crisis remains at an interest rate of 0% for the remainder of this year.
More generally, the Government has also acted to offset the rising cost of fuel through a reduction in Excise on fuels - a reduction of 20 cent on petrol and 15 cent on diesel fuel. While this measure (announced in early March 2022) was originally proposed to last until 31 August 2022 the Government has extended it out to Budget Day 2022. This measure provides assistance to all citizens and businesses to help mitigate the impact of recent fuel price increases.
However, it should be noted that the causes of the current fuel price pressures are not within the control of Government and are being directly influenced by external factors, including the Ukraine crisis. Unfortunately, we must accept that it will not be possible to fully insulate citizens and businesses from the impact of these fuel price increases.
Since early March with the benefit of the excise reduction, 8 weeks support under the Licensed Haulage Support Scheme and the ongoing Diesel Rebate relief, haulage businesses will have had the opportunity to revise and renegotiate contracts with their clients in order to reflect increased prices, as is an unfortunate reality in all sectors across the economy.
The Government has limited resources but through the Excise measure, as well as the Licensed Haulage Emergency Support Scheme, it has responded to help to ease the impact of these price increases.
243. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Transport the mitigations that are being considered to reduce costs for commercial bus operators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39240/22]
View answerLicensed bus and coach operators are an integral part of the overall public transport system, particularly in areas around the country which are not covered by existing public service bus and rail services. In recognition of the important role these operators play, the Government provided temporary financial supports throughout the Covid-19 pandemic for certain licensed commercial services, with a view to protecting capacity across the public transport sector throughout the crisis. These supports were extended up to the 30th of June 2022 with c. €65m provided to support the Commercial Bus Operators during this challenging time.
Further, in recognition of rising fuel costs for all citizens and businesses, on the 10th of March the Government introduced an excise duty reduction of 15 cent per litre of diesel, initially introduced until the end of August but later extended out to Budget Day.
In addition to these measures, and in view of the importance of incentivising young people to use public transport, as part of Budget 2022 I secured €25m of funding to provide for the introduction of a young adult card (YAC) which will allow any person nationwide who is between 19 and 23 years old, to avail of an entitlement for discounted travel costs, and to increase the level of discount over and above the current student discount to an average of discount of 50% across all services, including city, intercity and rural services.
The YAC was initially launched on PSO services on the 9th of May, and will be broadened to include commercial operators later this year, with the aim to have it in place before the recommencement of third level colleges. This will not only promote modal shift in the transport sector among this age group but should also contribute towards a reduced reliance on private transport with associated benefit of transport emission savings.
The time lag is due to the fact that it is technically more challenging to roll-out fare initiatives, such as the YAC, on the commercial bus network than it is on the LEAP enabled PSO network. An array of various ticketing equipment is in use on fleet used by the commercial operators and needs to be catered for. To expedite the process, the NTA has established a joint working group with commercial bus operators to consider options and develop a plan to implement the Young Adult Card in as timely a manner as possible.
244. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport the estimated cost in a full year if the budget on security personnel on the Luas increased by 25%. [39263/22]
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 operation of public transport.
The issue raised regarding the estimated cost in a full year if the budget on security personnel on the Luas increased by 25% is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) in conjunction with the Luas operator Transdev. Therefore, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the TII for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
245. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport when the resurfacing and remarking of the southbound carpark at a DART station (details supplied) will commence; and the expected timeframe for the completion of this work. [39264/22]
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 concerning resurfacing and remarking of the southbound carpark at Clontarf DART station is operational matter for Iarnród Éireann and I have therefore 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.
246. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport if all announcements on DART carriages are in full working order; if not, the estimated funding required to ensure that all audio announcements on the DART are in full working order; and the frequency in which audio announcements on the DART are checked to ensure that they are in full working order. [39265/22]
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 issues raised concerning announcements on DART carriages are an operational matter for Iarnród Éireann and I have therefore 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.
247. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport the proposed timeline for the M20 project. [39289/22]
View answer248. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport the spend to date on the M20 project. [39290/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 247 and 248 together.
As 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 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 and the necessary statutory approvals. In this context, TII is best placed to advise you on the proposed N20 Cork to Limerick scheme.
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.
249. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the concerns of local residents regarding road safety on Harbour View road in Cork and the impact that BusConnects will have on same. [39291/22]
View answer250. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport the cost of BusConnects in Cork to date. [39292/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 249 and 250 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 planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including BusConnects.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.
251. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport if applications for the electric vehicle taxi grant scheme have reopened; and if not, when they will reopen. [39293/22]
View answerThe aim of the Electric Small Public Service Vehicle (eSPSV) Grant Scheme is to support the greening of the SPSV sector. It is aimed at improving air quality in urban areas, reducing the CO2 emissions of a sector which typically has very high mileage, and also can positively influence the uptake of zero emission passenger cars by improving general perception and awareness of the benefits of electric vehicles.
The SPSV industry is regarded as a champion in the normalisation of electric vehicle use. The Scheme is funded by the Department and administered by NTA acting as agents of the Department with delegated authority and as the licensing authority for SPSVs. €15m was allocated in 2022 to support SPSVs to switch to electric.
The scheme is kept under continuous review and is currently paused to new applicants to allow for the drawdown and payment of provisional grant offers which usually have a time limit of three months. In addition, applicants can apply for a further three month provisional grant offer extension if they have a letter from their dealer stating that the vehicle will be delivered within this timeframe. Once these grant offers have been drawn down, there will be a clearer picture of the funding available for the second half of the year, and I anticipate the scheme will reopen for applications at the beginning of next month.
252. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Transport in the event of the reallocation of capital funding within his Department in 2022, if he will ensure that additional funding is provided for the 2022 non-national roadworks programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39294/22]
View answerThe Department's annual investment budget is shaped around delivering the objectives of the National Development Plan 2021-2030 that are relevant to transport and which support the overall objectives of the National Planning Framework. The €35bn investment allocation, which funds delivery of the plan, is designed to support investment in protection and renewal of road, rail and active travel infrastructure; the optimisation of existing infrastructure; as well as investing in new assets and infrastructure where appropriate.
Protection and renewal of regional and local roads is an important investment strand in the NDP and in 2022 from an overall capital allocation of 2.547bn received a budget of 490m or 19% of the total allocation. In addition, from a current expenditure allocation of 885.494m, protection and renewal of regional and local roads received 45.916m. The final sectoral allocations are decided during the Revised Estimates process each year, which concludes in late November or early December.
If additional capital becomes available for re-allocation in a given year, the merits of re-allocating to regional and local roads protection and renewal will of course be considered. There are no plans to re-allocate capital at present. As is standard practice, should capital become available for re-allocation, a review of all spending areas will take place, including regional and local roads protection and renewal, to determine the most appropriate spending areas to re-allocate capital to in the context of meeting annual and medium term investment objectives.
I trust this information is of assistance.
