Written Answers Nos. 184-196
184. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Transport if he will make it a traffic offence for petrol and diesel cars parking in an electric vehicle charging bay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25797/23]
View answerElectric vehicle charging bays on public roads and car parks are specifically reserved for recharging electric vehicle batteries. It is an offence to park or stop in these bays for any other purpose and a driver who chooses to park a petrol, diesel, or fully-charged electric vehicle in such a bay is liable for a fixed charge of €80, rising to €120 if not paid within 28 days.
185. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide details on the causes of the capital underspend of 42% or €144 million below profile as outlined in the April Fiscal Monitor (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25834/23]
View answerProgramme A – Sustainable Mobility Active Travel and Greenways
In programme A, the Active Travel walking and cycling programme is on track. There is an underspend on Greenways, partly due to the timing of claims, but also due to a some schemes being behind profile on expenditure, including
• Athlone Bridge
• Turran to Shannon Harbour
• Southeast Greenway
It is presently expected that expenditure will return to profile as the year progresses.
Programme B – Carbon Reduction and Public Transport
Programme B encompasses EV grants and infrastructure and public transport investment.
EV Grants and Infrastructure
The reduction of the EV purchase grant from €5,000 to €3,500 was announced in March. Since the announcement, there has been a surge in applications. It is expected that this will be reflected in the expenditure figures. Additionally, the 2023 eSPSV (taxi) scheme was only announced at the end of February. While there is a steady stream of applications, no funding has been drawn down yet under this scheme.
Expenditure on the home charger grant was significantly lower than usual in March, likely due to the focus on the purchase grant. April saw funding go back to normal levels. Funding was expected to be paid on the Irish Rail taxi dedicated EV charger project by end Q1. However, this project has been delayed by two months and funding will now not be paid until May or June.
Heavy Rail Infrastructure
Investment is behind profile due primarily to timing of invoices and payments and large payments are expected in the coming months, with a return to profile as the year progresses. Charging infrastructure for the new DART+ Fleet was received in January. The remaining new Inter City Railcars (ICRs) were delivered in March. Three tenders for the signaling element of the Cork Commuter Rail project were received and are currently being evaluated by Irish Rail.
Public Transport Infrastructure
The underspend for the year to date is primarily due to:
• The timing of tender documents for the procurement process for the Client Partner for Metrolink. Documents were issued to shortlisted participants in January 2023;
• Timing of works for the BusConnects depot electrification programme. The design and build contract has been signed and Design Phase is in progress for Summerhill and Phibsboro depots;
• Pace of the planning approval process for BusConnects Dublin Core Bus Corridors and payments for new bus fleet;
• Delays to fleet acquisition for Regional Commuter Fleet Renewals and BusConnects Urban Bus Fleet
Programme C – Road Networks and Road Safety
At the end of 2022 TII was holding excess cash in its reserves, which has depressed the demand for drawdown of capital in 2023. While not impacting the progress of projects it is causing a temporary reduction in the drawdown of Exchequer funding.
Programme D – Civil Aviation
Regional Airports safety and security investment is profiled to be spent in Q4.
Programme E – Maritime Transport and Safety
The budget for 2023 is primarily to support construction of the three Coast Guard stations, Bonmahon, Westport and Greystones, project managed under the auspices of the Office of Public Works. Completion of Bonmahon is expected November 2023. Planning and design of Westport and Greystones is continuing, with good progress on this phase of each project expected during 2023.
My Department continues to monitor expenditure closely and expects expenditure to largely return to profile as the year progresses.
186. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Transport if he will clarify the guidelines or regulations, if any, that are issued by his Department or the National Transport Authority when liaising with schools involved in the ‘safe routes to school’ programme around the use of cargo bikes by parents to transport children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25842/23]
View answerSafe Routes to School is an infrastructure-based funding programme under the wider Active Travel Programme administered by the National Transport Authority (NTA). Given its purpose is the provision of safe infrastructure to encourage walking and cycling to school, it is not the aim of the programme to educate on the operation of bikes or cargo-bikes on that infrastructure. Given the role of the NTA in this matter, I have referred your question on to that agency for a more detailed reply. If you do not receive a reply within 10 working days, please contact my private office.
187. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Transport when the next EU Transport meeting is likely to happen. [25872/23]
View answerEU Transport Council will take place on 1 June in Luxembourg. Minister of State Chambers will attend. The main points on the agenda relate to the EU Commission's recently-published road safety package with transport ministers to take part in a discussion on the proposal to revise the EU directive on driving licences. Ministers will also be updated on the status of negotiations on other transport related legislative proposals and hear information from the Spanish delegation on their workplan for their presidency of the Council of the EU.
188. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Transport if the stakeholder consultation process has been completed in relation to the horse-drawn carriages Bill; and when this Bill will be brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas. [25931/23]
View answerRegulations for horse-drawn carriages for hire or reward should be aligned with any horse welfare obligations imposed by local authorities and, therefore, horse-drawn carriages for hire and reward should be regulated by local authorities, which is the intention of the current draft primary legislation. The Department had planned to undertake stakeholder consultations in Q1 2023, however this has now been deferred until later this year.
The development of legislation of this nature involving the repeal of legislation which predates the foundation of the State, is complex and technical and the issue spans the responsibilities of several Departments and levels of government and so I am unable to provide a definitive timeline for the completion of this work.
Once the process of stakeholder engagement has been satisfactorily completed, I will seek Government approval for the detailed drafting of a Horse-Drawn Carriages Bill. This is required before it can be introduced to the Oireachtas with a view to its eventual enactment.
189. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Transport if his Department assists with, or makes a financial contribution to, the sourcing or provision of childcare or crèche facilities for the children of staff members of any grade or position; if so, the names of the providers; the costs incurred for the period 2020 to date in 2023; the number of staff who have availed of such assistance over this timeframe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25983/23]
View answerMy Department offers a range of family friendly initiatives across a variety of paid and unpaid models, i.e blended working patterns, flexible working hours, parent’s leave and parental leave.
Financial contributions to or the sourcing or provision of childcare or crèche facilities for the children of staff members are not provided.
190. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Transport his views on proposals from industry bodies on enabling bus lanes on the north and south quays of the River Liffey in Dublin to operate as taxi ranks when buses stop running at midnight on weekdays and weekends; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26129/23]
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 the planning and development of public transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area, and for the regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) sector.
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.
191. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Transport his views on reports that NCT certificates are issued with the date of test rather than the date of application, meaning some people are forced to apply again within six months of doing their test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26151/23]
View answerUnder European Directive 2014/45/EU on periodic roadworthiness testing, Ireland, like all Member States, must comply with the minimum specified intervals for carrying out such inspections. This is given effect in Irish law by the Road Traffic (National Car Test) Regulations 2017 (SI 415/2017), as amended.
Regulation 3(2) of the 2017 Regulations provides that the initial test due date for a vehicle is determined by its registration date and subsequent test due dates automatically fall on anniversaries of the registration date. Any certificate issued for that vehicle will be valid up to the test due date after the certificate is issued and is not automatically issued for 24 months, or 12 months in the case of vehicles over 10 years old, from the date of testing.
Permitting NCT certificates to be extended beyond the minimum test due dates without inspections would place the State in breach of our obligations under EU law and may affect road safety, should the vehicle in question be unsafe to drive. There are no current plans to amend this legislation.
192. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Transport further to Parliamentary Question No. 55 of 19 January 2023, if the review of the draft Strategic Assessment Report for the R624 access road as part of the great island connectivity scheme has been completed; if not, when he expects such a review to be concluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26218/23]
View answerCork County Council was given clearance in the first half of 2021 to proceed to prepare a Strategic Assessment Report (SAR) for a Great Island Connectivity Scheme. Following receipt of a draft SAR, the Department initiated a review of the draft in line with the Public Spending Code and the Department's capital investment appraisal requirements.
The review of the SAR, which is taking into account that this significant project involves crossovers between different transport modes, will be completed as soon as possible. Completion of this process will then provide a basis for the discussion of the next steps in the project appraisal process with the Council.
193. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Transport the amount paid by his Department to external legal teams, HR specialists, accountancy firms and consultants in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26242/23]
View answerGiven the complex and specialist nature of much of the work of the Department, it increasingly requires a delivery ecosystem of core staff and specialist contractors working together to support optimum delivery.
Please see the below table for the amount the Department has paid to external legal teams, HR specialists, accountancy firms and consultants in 2022:
|
2022 |
|
|
External Legal Teams |
€606.560.19 |
|
HR Specialists |
€21.695.65 |
|
Accountancy firms |
€1,463,674.84 |
|
Consultants |
€1,766,126.51 |
External specialists are occasionally required to support core functions in the Department, or undertake specific activities or projects on behalf of the Department, including recruitment support, specialised legal advice and support, policy and value for money reviews. They are particularly important in providing specialist skills which may not be available within the Department, or in providing an independence where that is called for.
In 2022 such services included advice on PSO Aviation Services, support for the Public Appointments Service, external board members on interview panels, the All Island Strategic Rail Review, an engineering report for Low Emissions Bus Trials, independent legal advice on data sharing, and other similar activities within the Department's remit.
194. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Transport if he plans to provide funding to the 1951 CIÉ superannuation pension scheme in order that members can receive an increase in payments, given that no increases have been made since 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26244/23]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, the CIÉ Group is actively engaged in introducing changes to their pension schemes aimed at rectifying the significant deficit in order to meet the statutory Minimum Funding Standard required by the Pensions Authority. The changes also aim to sustain the pension schemes into the long-term.
The Balance Sheet deficit at the end of 2021 for the two defined benefit pension schemes operated by CIÉ, namely the Regular Wages Scheme (“RWS”) and 1951 superannuation scheme (“1951 Scheme”), was €846m. Officials in my Department are actively engaging with CIÉ in relation to the 2022 end of year position and have been advised by CIÉ that these figures will be finalised in the coming weeks when the Scheme Actuary submits an Actuarial Funding Certificate and a Funding Standard Reserve Certificate to the Pensions Authority reflecting the updated Balance Sheet position.
In relation to CIE's Regular Wages Scheme (RWS), I signed three Statutory Instruments related to the RWS on 6th July 2022, with an operative date of 18th July 2022.
In regards to the 1951 Scheme, CIÉ has prepared and submitted a draft SI to give effect to Labour Court recommendations for the 1951 Scheme, as passed by ballot of trade union members in May 2021. This is being considered by my Department in conjunction with NewERA. The Deputy may also be aware that the rules governing the 1951 scheme are currently subject to ongoing legal proceedings before the Commercial Court. The Hearing commenced on 24 May 2022 for 4 days and the outcome from the Hearing is expected in the coming months.
Concerning pension increases for CIÉ pensioners, I understand that an increase for pensioners would only be possible when the Schemes are capable of sustaining such increases. Furthermore, any such proposal would be dependent on the advice of the Scheme Actuary at the time an increase is proposed, and is done in agreement with the Trustees of the Schemes.Accordingly, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to CIÉ for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
195. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Transport the rationale for the National Transport Authority proceeding to make an application to An Bord Pleanála for the proposed Templeogue and Rathfarnham to city bus corridor, despite the dramatic impact this proposal would have on the local area (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26267/23]
View answer196. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Transport the reason the National Transport Authority would proceed with a 'bus gate' as part of the proposed Templeogue/Rathfarnham to city bus corridor without considering the operational requirements of a church (details supplied), especially as the proposal poses a serious threat to the church's ability to operate effectively over time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26268/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 195 and 196 together.
As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. In both of those areas there have been significant developments since this Government came into office, with last year's publication of a new Sustainable Mobility Policy and its five-year action plan providing strong policy support to the continued expansion and enhancement of bus services. I am also delighted to say that this strong policy support has been backed up by increased levels of Exchequer funding, which is supporting the roll-out of initiatives such as BusConnects Dublin.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area, including BusConnects Dublin. The Core Bus Corridors project, an important element of the BusConnects Dublin programme, has been the subject of a comprehensive public consultation process.
The specific scheme referred to by the Deputy is currently the subject of a further statutory consultation being held by An Bord Pleanála as part of the planning process. Submissions can be made to the Bord until Tuesday 20th June, including on issues such as those raised by the Deputy. It would not be appropriate to comment further on this matter until the planning application process has concluded.
