Written Answers Nos. 276-295
276. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Transport the engagement his Department has had with the RSA to develop measures necessary to reduce driving test waiting times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1429/24]
View answerThe Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for all aspects of the National Driving Test service.
Regarding driver testing delays, the service has been under significant pressure to meet unprecedented demand. Anticipating ongoing demand pressures and following a request for additional resources last year, my Department gave approval for the recruitment of up to 75 additional driver testers. This brings the total number of sanctioned driver tester posts to 205 in 2023, which is more than double the 100 sanctioned testing posts in June 2022.
The first tranche of new recruits were deployed last September and the national average waiting time for invitation to test has been decreasing since then. By the end of 2023 there was an increase of 41 driver testers allocated across the driver testing service with a focus on geographical areas with the longest waiting times and highest demand for tests.
Sanction remains in place for the Authority to increase the number of testers on temporary contracts to further alleviate current pressures on the service. My Department is working closely with the Authority to monitor demand and capacity requirements of the driver testing service to ensure it meets the agreed service level of average wait times of 10 weeks, which the Authority expects to achieve by mid-2024.
277. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Transport if he is aware that drivers who are limited to a three year driving licence due to medical reasons, when renewing their licence pay almost double that of a driver without medical issues in a ten year period where a three year licence is currently €35 and a ten year licence is €55; the reason this is the case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1475/24]
View answerTo drive a vehicle, a driver with an identified or specified illness must meet strict medical standards, which are assessed by the person’s doctor. Medical checks are required to ensure a person’s fitness to drive for road safety reasons.
A medical report must be completed by a general practitioner (GP) and a licence may be issued for one, three or ten years. The period of issue is based on the GP's assessment of the applicant and their recommendation, and what is recommended for that condition under the relevant EU Directives.
A ten-year driving licence costs €55. A reduced fee of €35 is charged for a three-year licence. This fee includes the cost of producing a physical licence to the necessary security standards. There is no charge for a one-year licence. The fees are set out in the Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) (Fees) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 75/2020).
278. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Transport to confirm which entities including public bodies under his remit are included in and required to implement the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and if those not currently included will be added; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1499/24]
View answerAs the Deputy’s question relates to bodies under the aegis of my Department, I have referred this question to the relevant agencies for direct reply.
If the Deputy does not receive a response within ten working days please contact my Private Office.
279. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Transport for an updated timetable on the completion of works at Portmarnock train station; when these works will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1509/24]
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 in our cities, including works at Portmarnock train station.
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.
280. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Transport the final number of car parking spaces that will be available at Portmarnock train station upon the completion of works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1510/24]
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 in our cities, including the provision of car parking spaces at Portmarnock train station.
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.
282. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Transport the number of fatal car accidents in each county, in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [1521/24]
View answerThe Road Safety Authority (RSA) has a statutory remit to report on fatal, serious and minor injury collisions on public roads. The RSA receives collisions data from An Garda Síochána for this purpose and produces official statistics to help develop evidence-based road safety interventions.
Given the RSA's responsibility in this matter, I have referred the Deputy's questions 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.
283. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport where a person can seek records of their father's employment as a station master from 1916-1934. [1555/24]
View answerAs 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 Department of Transport does not hold employment records related to the public transport operators, including those referenced in your correspondence.
The issue raised by the Deputy in relation to Station Master records may be a matter for Irish Rail. Therefore, I have referred the Deputy's question to Irish Rail for direct response to the Deputy. Alternatively, the National Archives may be able to assist in finding these records. Please advise my private office if you do not receive replies within ten working days.
284. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Transport the number of applicants awaiting a driving test, by county and age and the length of time that they are waiting, in tabular form. [1562/24]
View answerUnder the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Driver Testing Service and the information requested is held by that agency. I have therefore referred the questions to the RSA for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response is not received within 10 days.
285. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport when a driving test appointment will be facilitated in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1577/24]
View answerUnder the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Driver Testing Service. This includes all application and scheduling matters. As such, I have referred the questions 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.
286. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Transport if further consideration will be given to the provision of support for hackney services in rural communities in counties Cavan and Monaghan where it is not feasible to have a bus service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1583/24]
View answerThe regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry, including Local Area Hackney services, 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. I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV industry.
Accordingly, 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.
287. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Transport if he is aware of difficulties being experienced in the replacement of Leap Cards for students, including in the case of a student (details supplied); if he intends to reform the system or make improvements in this respect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1597/24]
View answerAs 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 National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the organisation of shared systems such as Leap Card.
The issue raised by the Deputy in relation to difficulties procuring a Student Leap Card is a matter for the NTA. Therefore, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct response to the Deputy. Please advise my private office if you do not receive replies within ten working days.
288. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Transport when a person (details supplied) will receive a date for a driving test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1655/24]
View answerUnder the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Driver Testing Service. This includes all application and scheduling matters. As such, I have referred the questions 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.
289. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Transport if an aircraft (details supplied) was approved to carry weapons or munitions or US soldiers through Shannon Airport; the reason(s) such aircraft are permitted to refuel at Shannon airport on their way to the Middle East while war crimes are being committed in Gaza; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1668/24]
View answerUnder the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders 1973 and 1989, the carriage of munitions of war on civil aircraft in Irish sovereign territory is prohibited, unless an exemption to do so is granted by the Minister for Transport.
An exemption to permit the carriage of munitions of war on civil aircraft was granted for the commercial air transport operation, as detailed above, on 8 January 2024. As with all applications for exemptions I am guided on matters of foreign policy by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
It was confirmed with the air operator in question that the return flight, on 9 January 2024, operated as a ferry flight to position the aircraft back to the United States, no exemption is required for such an operation.
The Convention on International Civil Aviation signed at Chicago on 7 December 1944, and its associated annexes, established the framework for the operation of international civil aviation. Both Ireland and the United States are contracting parties to this Convention.
Article 5 of this Convention provides for the right of civil air operators of contracting parties to operate non-scheduled over-flights or stops for non-traffic purposes (e.g., refuelling) in the territory of the other contracting parties.
This provision is provided for in Irish law in Article 3 of the Air Services Authorisation Order 1993.
Further to the above, the "open skies" Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement between the European Union and the United States provides the formal framework for commercial air transport operations between both territories.
290. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Transport further to Parliamentary Question No. 170 of 7 December 2023, if any of the additional driver testers have been allocated to test centres in County Galway; if so, how many; to which test centres in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1677/24]
View answerUnder the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Driver Testing Service and the information requested is held by that agency. I have therefore referred the questions to the RSA for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response is not received within 10 days.
291. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Transport if his Department and the DAA have liaised in relation to the safety and quality control procedures of Boeing aircraft following recent incidents with their 737 Max plane; if either have liaised with the US regulatory body (FAA) in relation to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1678/24]
View answerMy Department and the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) are actively monitoring the ongoing work by Boeing, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, (EASA) regarding the Boeing 737 Max. EASA are the body with responsibility for the certification of new aircraft types in the European Union as part of its broader European aviation safety remit. EASA adopted the Emergency Airworthiness Directive issued by the FAA which grounded aircraft with the same configuration as the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 (MAX) that lost its door plug. EASA took this decision despite the fact that no airline in an EASA Member State currently operates an aircraft in the relevant configuration.
The IAA has confirmed there are no Boeing 737-9 aircraft on the Irish aircraft register.
The National Transport Safety Board (NTSB), the body in the United States of America responsible for the conduct of independent accident and serious incident investigations as per International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 13, has initiated a full investigation of the failure of a door plug assembly on a Boeing 737-9 operated by Alaska Airlines. The NTSB is providing regular updates and these are being monitored by IAA.
292. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Transport further to Parliamentary Question No. 50 of 10 May 2023, to outline the way his Department is supporting and assisting the relevant ports and private companies within the remit of NewERA, to access funding via the Connecting Europe Facility and other grant funding in order to develop a competitive and responsive ports sector in order that Ireland can meet our targets of 7GW of offshore wind by 2030; the deadlines, if any, pertaining to applications; when he expects decisions to be made in this regard; the amounts involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1703/24]
View answerI am committed to facilitating the Commercial Irish State ports under my remit as positive contributors to the offshore renewable energy industry to support Ireland to meet its ambitious targets of 5GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030, with a further 2GW in development for the production of green hydrogen and other non-grid uses. Supporting the development of port infrastructure is a core objective of the National Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce and the Department is working very closely with the Task Force in this regard.
Under National Ports Policy our state commercial ports operate as independent commercial bodies and it is important to note that current Ports Policy does not provide for direct exchequer funding. Ports can be financed from their own cash, borrowings, EU grant funding or private sector involvement.
The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is the EU's funding instrument to support projects on the Trans-European Transport Network. Under the current CEF programme, funds can be awarded to projects supporting the development of port facilities related to the transportation activities of offshore wind farms. Therefore, access to CEF or other grant funding is vitally important to eligible ports.
With the assistance of my Department two projects from Ireland were awarded funding in 2023 under the 2022 CEF Transport call:
• Doyle Shipping Group was awarded €2.5 million towards studies looking at the redevelopment and expansion of the existing port facilities in Cork to support the development of offshore wind energy.
• Irish Rail was awarded €2.5 million towards studies aimed to develop facilities to support offshore renewal energy at Rosslare Europort.
• My Department is also supporting applications under the 2023 CEF Transport call, which application process closes on 30 January 2024. My officials have been liaising with applicants to ensure their applications to this call are of a high quality and meet the requirements set out by the European Commission. We expect that the results of this call will be published in the summer of 2024.
• The need to maximise financing opportunities for ports is recognised by my Department and to that end, in addition to its support for ports as part of the CEF process, the department continues to engage with all industry stakeholders. This includes potential financing partners such as the EU (via Connecting Europe Facility), Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) – looking at viable projects, capable of generating a commercial return.
• Role of NewERA
• NewERA provides financial and commercial advice to the relevant Government Ministers and Departments in relation to commercial State companies across a range of sectors. The relevant ports within NewERA’s remit include Dublin Port, Port of Cork, Port of Waterford, Rosslare Port and Shannon Foynes Port Company. NewERA has also agreed to examine proposals from private sector ports.
•
• As part of its role, NewERA is assisting my Department in relation to the assessment of capital investment plans (and the financing of this capital investment) for the development of port infrastructure to enable the development of offshore renewable energy.
293. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Transport if he will liaise with the NTA in relation to recent route changes that have left elderly residents (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1722/24]
View answerAs 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 National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.
The query raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for the NTA in conjunction with the relevant bus operators. Therefore, I have forwarded the Deputy's questions to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
294. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Transport whether on renewing an individual's drivers licence online the requirement to have a public services card in order to activate MyGovID will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1752/24]
View answerTo renew a driving licence, an individual is required to present photographic ID, evidence of PPSN, evidence of address and evidence of residency entitlement. If an applicant renews their licence in person at a National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) office, the required documentation can be examined and a face-to-face verification can be made and a PSC is not required.
When applying online, the same information is required and the challenge of verifying a person’s identity is more difficult than when someone presents in person at an NDLS office. A verified MyGovID account, which requires a Public Service Card, satisfies this requirement.
295. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Transport in light of the approval by An Bord Pleanála of the Liffey Valley to Dublin City Centre BusConnects scheme, when construction of this scheme will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1771/24]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. In both the policy and funding areas there have been significant developments since this Government came into office, with the publication of a 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 responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including BusConnects Dublin. To date the NTA has submitted planning applications to An Bord Pleanala (ABP) in respect of all 12 of the Core Bus Corridor schemes. Two of these schemes have recently been approved by ABP, including the Liffey Valley to City Centre Scheme. Preparation of Design, Planning and Procurement Strategy for these schemes, as required for Approval Gate 2 of the Infrastructure Guidelines, is underway.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's questions to the NTA for a direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.
