Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 September 2022
74. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Transport the steps that his Department is taking to ensure that the cycling and walking officer roles that are funded by his Department, are being filled within Dublin City Council. [46203/22]
View answerMy Department announced funding in January 2021 for up to 248 new posts in local authorities to expand walking and cycling facilities all over the country. This increase in resourcing reflects the €1.8 billion in funding committed to walking and cycling over the planned lifetime of the Government. The additional staff will be dedicated to delivering and promoting Active Travel in Ireland and will work across design, communication, community liaison and construction oversight.
Recruitment processes have met with varying degrees of success, with some local authorities finding it difficult to fill certain vacant roles due to a number of factors including a shortage of applicants given the strength of the economy and the impact of both COVID-19 and Brexit on the traditional movement of potential recruits around Europe. The National Transport Authority has been working closely with all the local authorities, including Dublin City Council, to deliver the additional resourcing plan for Active Travel, and reports progress on this recruitment to my Department on a quarterly basis.
The latest figures from the NTA show that as of end August 2022, Dublin City Council's Active Travel team consists of 28 staff members. It is understood that recruitment processes are ongoing in many of the local authorities, and my Department is monitoring this closely, together with the NTA , in order to ensure that Councils around the country are well equipped to deliver high-standard, safe and user-friendly infrastructure and other Active Travel initiatives going forward.
