Olivia Mitchell
Ceist:1 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Transport and the Marine if he is satisfied with the progress made to date in joining up the existing two Luas lines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18285/07]
Priority Questions.
Rail Services.
Transport 21 includes a Luas line connecting St. Stephen's Green with Liffey junction on the Maynooth suburban railway line. This project is being considered in two phases — one connecting the two existing Luas lines in the city centre; and the other extending the line northwards via Broadstone and Grangegorman to Liffey junction.
In November 2005, the Railway Procurement Agency began a public consultation on five potential routes, A to E, for connecting the two existing Luas lines. During public consultation a new option, F, was identified. Options A and F emerged as the better options and the RPA launched a second phase of public consultation in January this year, focusing on the selection of the best of these two route options.
I also understand the RPA engaged in dialogue with Dublin City Council, Dublin Bus and the Dublin Transportation Office, DTO, on the implications of the potential routes for bus services and other road users. Arising from these discussions, Dublin City Council and the DTO recommended a traffic management plan for the city centre be initiated to facilitate light rail, bus and metro development. I understand Dublin City Council is currently undertaking the necessary traffic modelling and is committed to delivery of early results from this work.
In March this year the RPA decided that its preferred route option for the cross-city Luas line is option F. The RPA's detailed design work will take account of the results of the city council's traffic modelling exercise, the preliminary results of which are expected in the autumn. Following completion of this design work, and subject to a satisfactory outcome to the city centre traffic management planning work, the RPA will submit a railway order application to An Bord Pleanála. The construction timescale will be dependent on the outcome of the city council's work and the statutory approval process.
The selection of an emerging preferred route for the cross-city link will facilitate the advancement of work on the route selection for the onward extension to Liffey junction via Grangegorman and Broadstone. Subject to an enforceable railway order, the scheduled completion date for the overall project is 2012.
This relatively simple project to join the red and the green Luas lines, never mind going on to Liffey junction, highlights the difficulties in making any sort of progress with this particular route. It demonstrates the lack of any kind of a body in Dublin to co-ordinate decisions and ensure they are made.
The urgency of this cannot be overstated. Earlier, my colleague spoke about people coming in from the west of Ireland. The Luas red line serves not just the Tallaght area but significant numbers of people from mainline rail at Heuston Station who are coming from the west and all the commuter counties around Dublin. It is absolutely essential that the trams can bring people right into the city centre and on to the south side. It will create many more trips.
I am sure the Minister would agree the absence of this join-up is dividing the city, along with a River Liffey which does not have half enough bridges across it. In Transport 21, the completion date for joining of the two Luas lines is next year, yet a route has not even been selected yet. The chances of finishing it by next year are zero, so even as we start Transport 21 we are already way behind.
Will the Minister give us any firm date for the completion of the joining of the two lines? I will come to Liffey junction in another question but when is it likely that the red and green Luas lines will be joined? Is there any chance that the DTA will push this ahead?
The answer to the question posed by the Deputy is that I do not know. It is not completely in my hands nor those of the RPA. There are outside agencies, such as the city council, which must be consulted, as it is doing a study on transport in the city centre area. The overall finishing date for the project is 2012, as I indicated earlier.
I do not disagree with the Deputy in that there is a need for greater co-ordination, and that is the reason one of my first actions in this Department was to ask about the DTA legislation. I have indicated my wish to have it brought to Government as a matter of urgency and I hope we will have it in the House in the early stages of the autumn session. It has been sought by all sides and I hope we will get it through the House in the autumn session if possible with the co-operation of everybody. As the Deputy has indicated, that would help expedite projects such as this.
I would very much welcome it if we could get that legislation enacted and make the DTA a body with teeth. As the Minister correctly states, we are consulting outside agencies. There should be no outside agencies, rather a single agency to drive this ahead. The consultation must take place but it has been ongoing since 2005. It is time for it to stop.
State Airports.
Olivia Mitchell
Ceist:2 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Transport and the Marine his views on the long-term development of the State airports sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18286/07]
The Government's objective with regard to aviation policy is to facilitate and encourage as wide a range as possible of reliable, regular and competitive commercial air services to maximise opportunities for Irish tourism, trade and industry. The State airports have a vital role in this overall policy and will be restructured as independent airport authorities under the State Airports Act 2004 to realise their full potential to serve the needs of their customers and their respective catchment areas, and to encourage balanced regional development.
Overall passenger growth at the State airports has increased significantly in recent years. In 2006 total traffic reached 27.8 million passengers and growth at Dublin, Shannon and Cork amounted to 40% for Dublin, 55% for Shannon and 61% for Cork for the period since 2002. With traffic of 21.2 million passengers in 2006, Dublin Airport remains crucial to the national economy as a vital strategic component of national infrastructure.
In line with the aviation action plan adopted by the Government in May 2005, the Dublin Airport Authority, DAA, will be investing €2 billion in new facilities at the airport over the next decade to radically improve the passenger experience. More than half of this will be invested between now and the end of 2009 and it will deliver a new departures facility, pier D, due to open this autumn and an extension to the existing terminal, to be completed in autumn 2008, as well as terminal 2. The DAA is focused on meeting the Government deadline of the end of 2009 for terminal 2 but this is dependent on a timely and favourable planning decision from An Bord Pleanála.
Shannon and Cork airports are key airports in their respective catchment areas. They are close to significant population bases and facilitate direct air services to many international locations. Both are therefore important contributors to the development of their respective regional economies and under the framework of the State Airports Act 2004, I believe Shannon and Cork have the potential to sustain this major role in the future.
In keeping with the programme for Government I will shortly be bringing an economic and tourism plan to Government to assist in strengthening Shannon's role in the region, taking account of the airport's future challenges, including the open skies agreement.
Currently there is a general drift with regard to our State airports in terms of the Government aviation policy. If there is a long-term vision it is so distant that it is invisible to us all.
I am pleased a redundancy package has finally been agreed in Shannon but the reality is the airport is ill prepared for the open skies agreement. It is already losing out to Knock, and both Cork and Shannon are in a position where they cannot have any independence and are not masters of their own fate. There has been no move to set them up as separate authorities. The issue of whether Cork will have to carry its debt still appears to be up in the air. An announcement was made prior to the election but that seemed to be questioned by Deputies during the election campaign.
The future of those two airports is completely uncertain as they are not masters of their own fate. The focus is off what they should be trying to do, which the Minister has correctly indicated is to attract business into Ireland to ensure we have competitive additional routes and see that we are not dependent on the two major airlines.
It is already clear that the new terminal for Dublin Airport will not be ready by 2009 as it still does not have planning permission. Given that we know how long the planning system takes, will the Minister proceed with the planning process for a third terminal at Dublin Airport and allow the planning for it to commence at this stage? This would be the third privately run terminal. We might have a chance of making progress there.
I would not take as pessimistic a view as the Deputy of our airports and aviation policy generally. Undoubtedly there are difficulties but an action plan has been in place since May 2005 and on which work is progressing.
In regard to Shannon Airport, my predecessor prepared that airport as best he could for what would happen. He gave signals long in advance of what would happen in regard to the open skies policy. The first task Shannon must undertake is to produce a business plan.
That action plan specifically addressed the uncompetitive cost base of Shannon. As the Deputy rightly said, a severance package has now been put in place which will remove costs of approximately €10 million per annum. That process is moving forward in a positive way.
A debt issue still exists in regard to Cork Airport. I do not know how long it will take for the message to get through but the policy that was in place prior to and during the general election remains in place after the general election. I will make that clear to Cork Airport during the round of meetings I will have during July.
I have outlined the programme of development for Dublin Airport as it moves forward. There are issues that need to be resolved but some of them are outside the control of the Dublin Airport Authority, particularly the planning issue, a process I would certainly like to see in place. As the Deputy will note from my initial reply, I make no secret of the fact that if the planning permission does not come through in a positive manner very quickly, this will cause a delay and that would not be in the national interest. I ask those involved in making that decision to make it as quickly as they possibly can.
On terminal three, the Deputy was right in what she said and I will examine the position. She will appreciate that I am only reading into my brief but I have learned that terminal three will probably be needed by the middle of the next decade. As the Deputy said, it is as well to start thinking in terms of doing something about it now because of these kinds of issues. We will return to it but I will consider commencing the planning process in a positive light.
I thank the Minister for that response.
Harbour Authorities.
Róisín Shortall
Ceist:3 Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Transport and the Marine his policy on the future of Dublin Port; the timescale for developments proposed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18263/07]
Dublin Port is the country's premier port. In 2006, it handled 79% of the ro-ro trade and 62% of the lo-lo trade. Therefore, the capacity provided at Dublin Port is of critical national economic importance.
The national spatial strategy identifies strategic merit in relieving pressure on Dublin through targeted interventions in building up port capacity elsewhere. In 2006, Dublin City Council commissioned a wide ranging economic, amenity, recreational and environmental study of Dublin Bay, including the port area. I understand this study is nearing completion.
The National Development Plan 2007-2013 contains the following paragraph:
The Government proposes to undertake a comprehensive study of the role of Dublin Port, taking account of locational considerations, in the context of overall ports policy on the island of Ireland, wider transport policy, urban development policy, the National Spatial Strategy and national economic policy. This review will take account of the findings of the study on the role of Dublin Bay and the Dublin Port Area commissioned by Dublin City Council.
The terms of reference of the proposed study under the NDP will be finalised in the light of the outcome of Dublin City Council's study.
I appreciate that the Minister is new to his brief but in my question I asked him to outline Government policy. I am aware of the report and study Dublin City Council has carried out, which I understand is due to be published tomorrow, and the further review that is required, but that is primarily in regard to Dublin Bay. It will take into account the port but also other issues in regard to Dublin Bay. What is the current Government policy on the future of Dublin Port?
The current policy on the port is as I outlined. It is a strategic port and of national importance. It is nearing its capacity and we must examine ways and means of either expanding that capacity or operating in a different manner. We cannot do that in isolation from a range of considerations in regard to Dublin Bay, urban regeneration and various plans on which a variety of groups, including Dublin City Council, the Rail Procurement Agency, the National Roads Authority and various other bodies would have to be consulted. The current policy is that the port remains the premier port and that there is an urgent need to examine its future, how it might be developed and how that might be integrated with a range of other transport policies, urban regeneration policies and so on. That is the current position.
Part of the difficulty in regard to Dublin Port over the years is that it has not been examined strategically, rather it has been examined as a port. Furthermore, the port authorities decide to do something with little or no reference perhaps to Dublin City Council, the Dublin Docklands Development Authority, developments such as national transport policy and so on. One of the benefits of having all transport within the remit of the Department of Transport and the Marine is that we can examine these issues in an integrated way, and that is what I intend to do.
The Minister accepts there is an urgent need to examine the future of Dublin Port. Given that we will shortly have the Dublin City Council report, what are the Minister's proposals for urgently examining the future of Dublin Port? What process does he propose for doing that? Will it be headed by the Minister or his Department? Has he any plans at this point to examine urgently the future of the port?
What is the Minister's view on the proposal being promoted by a number of interests to relocate the port to Bremore, to move it out on a phased basis, perhaps over ten or 15 years, from the city centre area and possibly to redevelop that area as a housing and retail development space? What is his initial reaction to that proposal?
The Minister spoke of the need for targeted intervention being identified to relieve pressure on Dublin Port. What, if anything, has the Department done to provide those targeted interventions?
Dublin Port is an independent entity. It is up to the port to decide what it will do in regard to targeted intervention. Since I took up this brief, I understand it has purchased a port at Greenore and that it is transferring some of its business there. That type of decision is one for the port, not for the Department.
Regarding proposals that have been put forward about Bremore, that is a decision for Dublin Port. My understanding of the Bremore project is that Drogheda Port is in the process of developing a plan and a proposal for that. If Dublin Port has an interest in that, it should at least talk to the harbour board in Drogheda to ascertain if they should become joint partners or whether there is any prospect of their doing business together.
Is there any Government policy on it?
It was clearly set out a number of years ago that Government policy was to make the ports independent, commercial entities. A ports policy was clearly outlined, namely, that they are to operate in a commercial manner. There has been a loosening of various ties, strings and control over recent years to try to allow them to be commercial. As far as I am concerned, policy will continue in that direction. The ports must make these decisions. As a shareholder, along with the Minister for Finance, I will have an interest in how matters proceed. If proposals are made, I will, as a shareholder, consider them. However, I will do so only in that capacity. The ports are independent in terms of how they decide to proceed.
I indicated that we are discussing a comprehensive study of the role of Dublin Port. This will have to be multifaceted and it will be carried out under the auspices of my Department. Obviously, however, other Departments will be involved.
Public Transport.
Olivia Mitchell
Ceist:4 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Transport and the Marine if he will reform the Transport Act 1932; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18287/07]
At present, bus services are authorised under the Road Transport Act 1932 and the Transport Act 1958. The programme for Government includes a commitment to improve bus services under Transport 21 by reforming bus licensing to facilitate the optimum provision of services by creating a level playing field for all market participants. The new licensing regime will be designed in a manner consistent with the new EU regulation on public service obligations in the transport sector, which was recently agreed by the European Parliament and the Council. This new regulation is expected to be adopted formally in the coming months.
The programme for Government also includes a commitment to examine a national transport regulator in the context of the fundamental review of the entire economic regulatory regime, which will be established immediately. This review will be designed to ensure that the existing regulatory regime is operating efficiently, is balancing the needs of users with the requirements of producers and is not imposing excessive costs on the economy.
My first priority is, however, to fulfil the Government's commitment to expedite the establishment of the Dublin transport authority, DTA, which will have overall responsibility for surface transport in the greater Dublin area. In this regard, I expect to be in a position to bring legislative proposals for the proposed authority to Cabinet for approval next month in order to facilitate the early publication of the Dublin transport authority Bill.
It is not possible at this juncture to indicate a precise time as to when the legislative proposals on regulatory reform of the bus market will be published. However, the licensing provisions of the Road Transport Act 1932, as amended, and the Transport Act 1958 will continue to be applied and all applications and notifications from bus operators will be considered on their merits in accordance with the provisions of the legislation.
I am pleased the Minister intends to reform the 1932 Act. However, this is hardly refreshing news. Such reform was promised by the Minister's predecessors, namely, Deputy Mary O'Rourke, who stated she would introduce competition, Deputy Séamus Brennan, who stated that he would open up 25% of the market to competition, and Deputy Martin Cullen, who stated that 15% of the market would be opened to competition. The Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney, stated in 2003 that she would walk away from Government unless competition was introduced. However, there is still no competition and the Taoiseach recently stated it is an insult to the good men and women of Dublin Bus etc., if we even discuss competition.
What is the current position? I appreciate the Dublin transport authority is extremely important but its establishment is not a sufficient condition for reform of the Transport Act. What we are seeking is competition in the bus market. Such competition has been the subject of discussion for the past ten years and the lack of it has given rise to a ludicrous situation whereby the Dublin Port tunnel is operating way under capacity. The tunnel is a huge white elephant. I laughed when I heard about it being used by 1 million vehicles in the past six months. That figure represents only a fraction of its capacity. Encouraging the use of the tunnel by public and private transport operators should be an absolute priority. The current nonsensical position is a direct result of failure to make any progress on the reform of the 1932 Act. Will the Minister act on what I have outlined as a priority?
My absolute priority is to ensure the DTA legislation is published and that the authority will be established as quickly as possible. Immediately thereafter, I intend to reform the bus market and the Transport Acts 1932 and 1958. In my ten or 12 years of experience as a Minister, I have learned that one cannot have 25 priorities because none of them would ever be dealt with properly.
Question No. 5 cannot be taken as Deputy Perry is not present. We will, therefore, proceed to Ordinary Questions. I wish to highlight to new Members that while supplementary questions relating to Priority Questions are confined to nominated spokespersons, any Deputy may pose a supplementary in respect of Ordinary Questions.
Question No. 5 lapsed.