Written Answers Nos. 1-20
10. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Transport the measures he will take to ensure the security of transport workers following the attacks on public transport in Dublin city centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52851/23]
View answerI thank the Deputy for the opportunity to discuss this very serious issue.
The events of the 23rd of November had a significant impact on many sectors of society, including the public transport network. A number of staff were targeted during the events, and on the Luas alone, around €1 million worth of damage was caused. This is in addition to extensive damage to six buses in the Dublin Bus fleet.
Our public transport operators are extremely conscious of, and attentive to, anti-social behaviour in society. Public transport is not immune to this, and a number of initiatives are in place to keep our transport workers safe. However, it is important not to conflate the public order incidences of 23 November with general safety and security on public transport.
My Department and the NTA engage regularly with operators on the issue of security, and each of the operators continue to evolve and adapt their security protocols. For example, there has been a 70% increase in spending on rail security, from €3.7m in 2016 to a preliminary spend of €6.3m in 2023, while Transdev spent upwards of €3m on security for Luas in 2023. Elsewhere, Dublin Bus operates a Schools Education Programme which involves educating young people about the importance of the bus in their lives and in their local community.
The NTA reports weekly to my Department on anti-social behaviour across the transport network and I am pleased to say that the overall picture is that it is reducing for operators at this time. This is due in no small part to the ongoing joint operations with An Garda Síochána.
The Deputy can be assured that I am committed to continuing to work with all stakeholders to ensure the safest possible environment for both public transport passengers and staff.
12. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Transport if he is satisfied with the roll-out of phase 5b of BusConnects; what improvements can be made to the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52850/23]
View answerBusConnects Dublin is a transformative programme of investment in the existing bus system providing better bus services to more people. It is the biggest ever investment in our bus system in the history of the State and all those who advocate for better public transport should be advocates of BusConnects.
The Deputy’s question relates to Phase 5B of the new network roll-out which was introduced just four days ago.
Phase 5b involves a significant overall in service levels on the Southern Orbitals which makes it one of the biggest changes under the Network Redesign to date. The new routes offer significantly enhanced frequency with some services running every 10 minutes. The new routes have been designed to be generally more direct than the routes that are being replaced. In doing this, they open up new direct links throughout southern and western Dublin.
However, I acknowledge that in some cases customers may now have to interchange between two routes to get to their destination. However, given that the new services are more frequent the waiting time at the interchange point will generally be low and the overall journey time in most of these cases will be similar to today. This Government has made interchange easier through funding not just improved service frequency but also through funding the TFI 90 fare.
Given Phase 5B has only just launched I think it is too soon to make an informed judgement one way or the other, but I expect that the NTA to report on its implementation in the coming months and identified issues can be obviously be examined as part of that.
But these service improvements are just one part of BusConnects Dublin, next year we’ll see the NTA award the contract for the Next Generation Ticketing project and most significantly of all I expect to see real progress in terms of delivering the Core Bus Corridors.
14. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport if he will carry out a review into the operation of rented taxi plates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52841/23]
View answerThe regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry, including SPSV licensing, is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), under the provisions of the Consolidated Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016.
In Ireland, just over 70% of SPSV operators are owner/operators but a rental market is also in place, wherein vehicle licence holders can rent out their licenced vehicles to other licenced SPSV drivers. This type of rental is legally permitted under the Taxi Regulation (Small Public Service Vehicle) Regulations 2015.
The person providing the rental must own the vehicle or be entitled to use it and be in possession of it while also being the holder of the vehicle licence, and must provide appropriate insurance for the period of the rental. This licence holder is the only party the NTA may engage with in respect of SPSV licensing activity and must notify the NTA of the rental.
While I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV industry, the NTA has informed me that a vehicle is licensed to operate anywhere in the country and therefore rented licenced vehicles may be operated anywhere within the State. The NTA has seen an increase in the number of rental agreement notifications in 2022 and 2023. Removing the lawful option to rent a licensed SPSV would result in an adverse impact on the SPSV industry as many operators, including new entrants to the industry, rent licensed SPSVs.
The Advisory Committee on SPSVs is the central focus of engagement with the SPSV sector in relation to issues affecting the sector. Drivers are an important part of the Committee’s membership, and four positions on the Committee, which are reserved for members who can represent driver interests, are filled by licenced SPSV drivers from across the country. I am satisfied that this ensures the Committee’s advice is informed by the perspective of drivers.
15. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Transport if he is confident that his Department will use all of the allocated funding for capital projects this year; if he is concerned over the underspend of €200m in the first half of this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52773/23]
View answerAs we approach year end, I am in a position to give you a detailed outline of the forecast year end for capital expenditure. The Department expects an underspend of circa 5% of the total budget of €2,622.254m for 2023. The Department has applied to carry this underspend, totalling €140.920m, into 2024 with an additional €4m being surrendered to the Exchequer as part of the transfer of functions of Shannon Heritage to Clare Co. Council. It is important to note that €137.956m in carryover from 2022 is also expected to be fully invested in 2023. This brings total forecast expenditure within the year up to circa €2.613bn.
As the Deputy will be aware, project management is complex and it is inevitable that there will be some delays to projects in any given year, given the size of the Department's budget and number and complexity of projects under its remit. The purpose of facilitating capital carryover it to allow, within reason, funding tied to delayed projects to move smoothly from one year to the next to support the flow of project investment. In this regard, my main concern is that any underspends arising in the year are minimised and that should underspends arise due to unforeseen delays in projects, that the funds associated with the projects are fully utilised via carryover.
The main areas where underspends have arisen, where carryover exceeded €10 million, are in greenways, EV grants and infrastructure, public transport infrastructure as well as ring-fenced funding for the A5 Border to Derry road. I am generally satisfied that overall, planned investments for 2023 progressed well. The carryover represents a small share of the 2023 budget investment, spread over a relatively small number of projects in different areas, when considered in the context of all the investment taking place.
16. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Transport if his Department has been contacted regarding the provision of funding for the east west link road; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52023/23]
View answerMy department has been working with Cavan and Louth County Councils in relation to funding projects associated with the proposed upgraded East West Link Road. As the Deputy is aware the proposed scheme would run on regional routes from Dundalk to Cavan and national routes from Cavan to Sligo.
Going back some time there was a proposal for a substantial upgrade of the regional road part of the route; my department provided over €2 million to Cavan County Council, acting as lead authority with Monaghan and Louth County Councils, to progress the regional road element of the project to preliminary design stage.
However, more recent appraisal work has indicated a very substantial cost if the road scheme was fully implemented. As such, my department engaged Cavan County Council to carry out a risk-based analysis for the route between Dundalk and Cavan. This analysis explored the possibility of a series of interventions which could be implemented over time, and which could improve safety, journey times, and bring consistency to the travel speed along the route. From this risk analysis individual local authorities examined if, and how, projects identified could be brought forward, while taking into account their own priorities and available resources.
Following this process, my department allocated funding to both Cavan and Louth County Councils to carry out initial assessments of two possible schemes. Consequently, both Louth and Cavan County Councils submitted Strategic Assessment Reports for two areas of the scheme. These submissions are currently being appraised within my department and are under consideration. Finally, at the beginning of 2023, Cavan County Council were allocated €250,000 towards the R188 in Rathkenny which also forms part of East-West Road project.
17. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Transport his views on either extending the existing rail service to Youghal, County Cork or putting in place a bus rapid transit service alongside the Midleton to Youghal greenway route; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52692/23]
View answerThe All-Island Strategic Rail Review is being undertaken by the Department of Transport in cooperation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. It will inform the development of the railway sector on the Island of Ireland over the coming decades.
A draft of the All-Ireland Strategic Rail Review was published in July for the purposes of Strategic Environmental Assessment public consultation. This review will inform the development of the railway sector on the island of Ireland over the coming decades.
A proposal to develop a line between Midleton and Waterford along the South Coast was examined as part of the Review, but was not included in the recommendations for implementation due to geographical and economic reasons.
Work on the Review is now at an advanced stage and a draft report was published for the purposes of Strategic Environmental Assessment public consultation in July. The public consultation phase of the Strategic Environmental Assessment process concluded on 29th September and submissions are now under review by the Project Team and officials from both jurisdictions. It should be noted that this report is at draft stage at this time.
As part of the on-going planning and enhancement of sustainable transport provision, programmes such as Connecting Ireland and BusConnects are seeking to significantly enhance the level of bus services provided to better meet demand and improve connectivity of cities, towns, villages and regions by public transport.
At present the level of service associated with bus rapid transit would not be required to meet the demand along this corridor in County Cork. However, opportunities to provide better bus connectivity to the existing and future Cork Area Commuter Rail Network, and enhanced connectivity to Cork city, are both under consideration. The area will be included in Connecting Ireland work 2024 – 2026 inclusive.
19. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide an update on BusConnects Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52125/23]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority, or NTA, is overseeing the delivery of BusConnects programmes in our five cities, including Galway, which are planned to be substantially delivered in all five cities by 2030.
BusConnects Galway will provide a major enhancement to the bus system in Galway, comprising changes to the network, the fleet, ticketing, and the development of bus lanes and bus priority measures.
The largest part of the programme is the development of bus priority measures and bus lanes throughout the city. Key elements of that programme are currently under development, namely the Cross City Link project and the Dublin Road Scheme.
The Cross City Link is a 6.7km scheme that aims to create a sustainable transport corridor from the northeast of Galway to the northwest. The Salmon Weir Pedestrian/Cycling Bridge element of the scheme was officially opened to the public earlier this year while the wider scheme was lodged with An Bord Pleanála, in 2022, and is awaiting their decision.
The Dublin Road Scheme will deliver 4km of high-quality pedestrian, cyclist and public transport infrastructure along a key transport corridor on the east of the city. A planning application in respect of the scheme is expected to be submitted to An Bord Pleanála in 2024.
Bus services are also being improved and the NTA published its draft new bus network for Galway in April 2023, for public consultation. This should provide for an increase in the level of bus services in Galway City, Bearna and Oranmore by nearly 50%. The added service levels will make possible the extension of bus services to new areas, more frequent services and a new 24-hour route. The proposals will also increase the number of residents in the city and its suburbs living within a 400 metre walk of a bus stop compared to today. The redesign will be finalised in the coming months and the new network will be rolled out from 2025.
20. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Transport the up-to-date position on the roll out of the new national fare structure for County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52770/23]
View answerOn the 27th of April 2023, the National Transport Authority published a new National Fares Strategy. The Fares Strategy follows the previous implementation of a simplified fares structure for Dublin, and proposes an approach that is more equitable, consistent and easy to understand for passengers.
This new approach will apply to fares outside the Dublin metropolitan area for PSO bus and rail services provided by the NTA under contracts with bus operators and Iarnród Éireann. It will complement the planned roll-out of changes to public transport networks in rural and urban areas, such as BusConnects and Connecting Ireland.
Following the publication of the National Fares Strategy, the NTA intend to publish its annual fares determination before year-end, which will introduce a number of specific changes to fares, simplified Leap capping, as well as changes to some Intercity Rail and town bus fares. The upcoming fares determination represents the first step in delivering the National Fare Strategy and it is the Authority’s intention to roll this out further across the country in future determinations.
To this end, it is the NTA’s intention to roll-out the National Fare Strategy across the country over the next couple of years including the review of city and town fares outside of Dublin.
The NTA intends to bring forward proposals for the Cork city and commuter area in a further fares determination in 2024, as part of the Cork Bus Connects project.
Ultimately, the National Fare Strategy will deliver more consistent and equitable fares and reduce the disparities which currently exist for some passengers.
