Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 3 Jul 2001

Vol. 540 No. 1

Written Answers. - Greater Dublin Area.

Olivia Mitchell

Ceist:

116 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the status of plans to establish a greater Dublin authority; and the steps he has taken to ensure this organisation is sufficiently accountable. [19664/01]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Molloy)

The Framework for Action on Infrastructural Development published by the Government in November 1999 and the consultation paper, A New Institutional and Regulatory Framework for Public Transport, published by the Minister for Public Enterprise in August 2000 indicated that the institutional arrangements for public transport in the greater Dublin area would be reviewed. Subsequently, the Public Transport Partnership Forum, established under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, and the Dublin Transportation Office commented on the need for institutional reform for transport and land-use planning in the greater Dublin area.

Against this background, the Government, in April of this year, published a consultation paper on institutional arrangements for land use and transport planning in the greater Dublin area. The consultation paper proposed that a new strategic land use and transport body for the greater Dublin area should be established. The proposed body would be responsible for strategic land use and transport planning and have statutory powers to supervise and ensure implementation of strategies and programmes by all implementing agencies, for example, local authorities and public transport operators. The authority would also act as a public transport regulator for the greater Dublin area, and be responsible for the allocation of funding to implementing agencies for public transport, non-national roads and traffic management.

The paper proposed that the authority would comprise a council – representing local authority elected representatives and managers, social partners, and government nominees – and a small executive board, and that the authority would be accountable to a committee of the Oireachtas.

The consultation period for these proposals ended on 8 June and 49 submissions have been received by my Department. A cross-departmental team has been established to consider the outcome of the consultation process and to prepare the necessary legislation. In the light of this work, it is intended to bring detailed proposals to the Government later in the year.