Vol. 913 No. 1
60. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of his work with the Dublin Airport Authority and other relevant bodies to ensure plans for an additional runway at the airport include considerable consultation with local communities and a plan for increased public transport provision at the airport. [15614/16]
What is the status of the Minister’s work with the Dublin Airport Authority and other relevant bodies to ensure plans for an additional runway at the airport include considerable consultation with local communities and a plan for increased public transport provision at the airport? I noted that the Minister said earlier he had not yet met the Dublin Airport Authority. Obviously, he needs to do so quickly. There are also other relevant authorities he needs to meet in that regard.
I have already dealt with a similar question from Deputy Brendan Ryan, as Deputy Ellis will be aware. The DAA has responsibility for the north runway project. It was granted planning permission in 2007 for the project and announced its intention to proceed in April 2016. As I have said previously, I welcome the DAA's stated commitment to work closely with all stakeholders, including local residents and community groups, in regard to the north runway project. I understand the DAA has already met with local residents to discuss the project and that further engagement is planned.
With regard to public transport services at the airport, as the Deputy will be aware, a significant number of public and private bus and coach operators are currently licensed to provide services linking the airport with the city and other suburban and regional centres across the country. I understand that current demand for public transport services is well catered for by these operators. In the medium to longer term, the new programme for Government includes a commitment to proceed with a metro scheme linking Dublin airport with the city centre and Swords. Funding is being made available under the capital plan for planning, design and commencement of construction of the new Metro North scheme, with a view to delivering the link by 2026-27.
Permission for the new runway, which will be built 1.6 km north of the current runway, was originally granted in 2007 with 31 conditions attached. The economic downturn and the subsequent fall in passenger numbers coming through the airport saw the plans put on hold. Passenger numbers at the airport have grown substantially in recent years and the new runway is expected to be completed in 2020 at cost of some €320 million. The Dublin Airport Authority has said some of the conditions for the project in the planning permission were obstacles. While the plan has been welcomed solely on an economic basis, there is a serious need to work with the local community and to ensure the plan is environmentally sound and that public transport services to the airport will be adequate to meet demand. The plan has heightened awareness of difficulties for residents who may be affected by associated noise pollution and this problem of noise pollution is just one of the very real issues residents have to deal with. The DAA must be very conscious of this issue, given it could be mitigated somewhat by supporting installation work where needed in estates close to the runway, as well as by noise barriers.
I thank Deputy Ellis. I am in danger of repetition given what I have already said to Deputy Ryan. I take to heart what both the Deputies have said. I understand the real difficulties in which the residents find themselves when a large project of this sort threatens to disturb their lives with the noise it creates.
As the Deputy knows, new EU rules and directives are coming into force on this issue. I hope this will be used as an opportunity for a humane and understanding solution to the problems of these residents. Obviously, the need for a second runway is imperative at this stage; it is an enormous necessity for tourism and for other aspects of the development of the country. However, I do not think any large body like the DAA, with a State monopoly, should be able to kick around small groups of people who have made their lives in a certain area and who should be treated with compassion, generosity and understanding. I believe meetings have already taken place, although I do not know how they went or how the residents feel about them - Deputy Ellis might come back to me on that point. As I said to Deputy Ryan, I will be meeting the DAA very shortly and this will be a priority in those conversations.
I thank the Minister. The DAA has met with some residents' representatives but has not gone to a public meeting, which I think would be a good thing. It would also be good for the DAA to advertise and display the plans across the whole community. This affects a large proportion of the population on the north side of Dublin. The flight paths affect areas such as Swords, in particular the Ridgewood area, Malahide, St. Margaret's, my own area of Finglas and right across to Clontarf. Night flights are a massive issue in terms of noise pollution and the insulation of homes should be on the agenda in certain areas close to the airport. Many people bought homes in recent years thinking the airport was going to remain the same as it is but, unfortunately, they now find there is to be a second runway. It is important they are treated in a proper way and that insulation and so on can be installed.
The Minister mentioned public transport and Metro North. One of the things we badly need is a link to the airport through a metro that can serve Dublin from north to south and east to west, given this would take a massive amount of traffic off the roads annually. Metro North, to which the Minister has committed, as far as I am aware, is a very important project.
On non-priority questions, if Members would stick to questions, other Members would be able to come in within the six and a half minutes. I call Deputy Boyd Barrett on Question No. 61.
61. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he met with or will meet with the chief executive or any senior officials of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council regarding the future governance of Dún Laoghaire Harbour as legislated for in the Harbours Act 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15609/16]
The Minister will be aware that, for some years now, I have been questioning the policies, status, governance and operations of Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company. I note that, at the weekend, the Minister spoke out, as he has tended to do over the years, against quangos and on his determination to deal with the quangos under his remit. Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company is a quango, and a choice will be made soon as to whether it will continue to be a quango or whether it will be dissolved. In so far as the Minister has influence on this decision, who is the Minister going to meet? Is he going to meet just the board and council officials, or will he meet stakeholder groups and public representatives in order to try to move towards the dissolution of this quango and bring the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company under democratic public control?
I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for his question. I am aware of the excellent work he has done on this project for a long period of time. It is always a cause of great embarrassment to him and to me when we find ourselves on the same side on issues of this sort, but I am afraid we may find ourselves in that position again today. That does not mean I am going to meet exactly who Deputy Boyd Barrett wants me to meet, but it does mean I think there is a necessity to make haste on this issue. I will answer the Deputy's first question, on who I should and should not meet, although I do not think it is set in stone. These kinds of rigid situations where someone does not meet people because it is not their function are a little too orthodox for my liking. If it is useful, I will meet people, but if it is going to be damaging or just a display of ministerial action without achieving anything, I will not do it. Of course, I would be very happy to talk to Deputy Boyd Barrett, as a public representative, on this area at any time, and that might be the most appropriate form of contact.
The Harbours Act 2015 provides the legislative basis for one of the key recommendations in the national ports policy, namely, that governance of the five ports of regional significance should vest in more appropriate local authority-led governance structures. The process of transferring governance, and the future governance and operational structures of the port, are primarily matters for agreement between the local authority and the port company and I do not think that is in dispute. The Act provides that the two entities should work together in driving the process of transfer, including the necessary due diligence. In the case of Dún Laoghaire, I understand this process is now fairly well advanced.
As ports operate as commercial companies, I am not involved in day-to-day operational issues. Nor is it normally appropriate for me to meet directly with local authorities or local interest groups on these issues. However, I can confirm that a widespread public consultation process was undertaken by my officials from 2010 onwards, prior to the publication of the national ports policy 2013, and again during the legislative process leading up to the enactment of the Harbours Act 2015. Other public consultation processes were undertaken by the port company on a range of issues and provided an opportunity for all stakeholders and interested parties to give their views on the future of the harbour.
Since 2013, when the transfer process commenced, senior officials from my Department have met Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company and the chief executive and senior officials of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council on a number of occasions to clarify issues raised and to advise on the transfer process. My Department has also been kept apprised of developments as part of the regular communications that take place between the company and shareholder.
I welcome the positive response about meeting people. I am concerned the decision about the future governance of the harbour is, according to the Minister's scripted response, a decision between the existing harbour company executive and the council executive. This is not good enough because on all of the major issues, whether it is cruise berths, executive salaries of crazy amounts, such as €160,000 for the CEO, and other plans, the harbour company and the council have alienated and are at odds with wider public opinion, harbour users and stakeholders. The Minister should meet not just the harbour company, which will want to save its own skin and save the quango, or the council officials, but also meet the real stakeholders and public representatives so that their voices are heard. The Minister will find their view of how the harbour should be run and what its priorities, policies and future plans should be are at radical odds with what the harbour company executives and the full-time officials of the council think should be the case. I ask the Minister to meet a different group of genuine public stakeholders.
I am sympathetic with what Deputy Boyd Barrett has said but I am not sure that at the moment I would have any real function in meeting them, bar listening. I do not think after that I would be in a position to interfere in a process which is ongoing. If I were to meet them in the expectation that I would then interfere in the process, it would be wrong. It would also be wrong of me not to meet public representatives, and by that I include members of Dublin City Council and the local authorities. It would be wrong of me to refuse them point blank on any issue apart from on time grounds. I would be happy to meet public representatives and if the Deputy wants to bring a group of all views to meet me, I will do so but do not expect me, as a result of that, to intervene in a process which is, of itself, moving slowly and not quite quickly enough.
In advance of moving on to Question No. 62, I remind Members that under the new Standing Orders, the Deputy who tabled the question should be in attendance.
63. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of the metro north project, including if he will bring the start date forward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15607/16]
I wish the Minister well and thank him for meeting the very important road safety groups in recent weeks and committing to a programme of action in this area. On the question before us, which is about metro north, as the Minister knows the north and west sides of Dublin and Fingal were totally shafted in the planning and construction of the Luas. There was to be a north side line but it never happened. Here we are 15 or 20 years later trying to get the whole project back on track. We had a pre-election promise from Fine Gael last September that metro north would happen and now we are told it will be in 2025 or 2026. Many things will have happened by 2026. What is the Minister doing in 2016 to get metro north, a fixed line connection between O'Connell Street and Swords and the airport, under way?
I thank Deputy Broughan for his remarks about meeting the road safety group, whose cause I know he has championed for so long. We had a very constructive discussion. The group has done a huge amount of homework and has much to offer in this particular area through tragic personal experience I know but all the same, it is something which may prevent accidents of the sort they have suffered happening again.
The programme for Government includes a commitment to proceed with the new metro north project and funding is provided in the capital plan, Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016-2021, to facilitate construction of the link commencing in 2021 with a view to delivery by 2026 to 2027.
The funding constraints that existed when the capital plan was being developed, and which continue to exist, mean that we are not in a position to deliver all that is required immediately. The first priority has to be ensuring that we maintain our existing transport infrastructure at what is termed steady state levels, so that it remains safe and fit for purpose after a significant period of underinvestment during the financial crisis. The funding that is being provided in the capital plan for public transport investment will see us reach steady state funding levels by 2020. In addition, funding is provided to commence critical transport projects, such as new metro north, to meet growing demand.
The National Transport Authority, NTA, and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, have commenced preparatory work on the planning and design of new metro north and a dedicated project steering group has been established. In the meantime, the NTA has been asked to keep under review the interim public transport requirements of the Swords and airport corridor over the next ten years, with a view to ensuring adequate capacity to meet demand and to address constraints arising along the corridor.
In the event that additional funding becomes available in the next few years, the groundwork that is being done will position us to progress the project in line with available funding.
All of us who made submissions to the national consultation by the NTA in January 2015 will be very disappointed with the Minister's response. In the programme for Government, there is only a throwaway line. There is very little about transport generally speaking, so I am not sure what the Minister was trying to achieve in all of his long negotiations with Fine Gael. We got a commitment from the former Minister, Deputy Donohoe, that we would have a new metro north line with 14 stops, 30 trams an hour and 60 m long trams carrying 30 million passengers. The cost was put at €2.4 billion. What is the Minister telling us about the delivery of this? When will he get a report from the dedicated steering group? What type of funding will he spend on the project this year and in the forthcoming years? Many people on all sides of the House, the west and north sides of Dublin and, indeed, the whole of the Dublin region are very much committed to this. The Fingal county manager, Mr. Paul Reid, and Fingal County Council are very committed. Dublin City Council is committed. We want to see some action. What type of consultations has the Minister had on the various proposals made in the public consultation in January 2015? Has he met distinguished transport engineers, such as Mr. Cormac Rabbitt, who advocated very strongly that we should proceed with the Spanish system, as is found in Madrid, with a much lower cost-type development which would deliver much more quickly than 2026 or 2030. Many of us may not be in the House in 2026. It is way down the line. The Minister needs to give us something more concrete.
The Deputy is eating into the time for his second supplementary question.
I thank Deputy Broughan for his contribution. It has to be approached on an available money basis. As I said in my earlier response, we only have a certain amount of money to keep us in a healthy public transport financial sphere until 2020 and to keep it in a steady state condition. In other words, we will not be able to afford to spend money on more than design and planning of metro north until 2020. We have made this absolutely plain. I said in my earlier reply that in the event additional funding becomes available in the next few years the groundwork being done will position us to progress the project in line with available funding.
I am very hopeful that we may be able to advance it a little but that would depend on available funding.
The Government realises the problems, particularly in the area between St. Stephen's Green and Swords and the airport as well as other areas in north Dublin and the need to meet the demand from the travelling public in these areas. We have instructed the relevant authorities to provide the necessary public transport in the interim, but I cannot make a promise here today that metro north will be advanced as the funding is not available. If the funding becomes available, however, the Deputy has a pledge from the Government that this would be taken into early consideration.
Has the Minister taken any view-----
Sorry, the six and a half minutes are up, Deputy Broughan.
I just want to ask the Minister about the levies which were collected by-----
The Minister will respond to the Deputy.
He might respond. Levies were collected by Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council. What is happening in that regard? Does the Minister expect a new levy system to be implemented regarding the development along the metro corridor-----
I ask the Minister to respond directly to the Deputy. The six and a half minutes are up. I am trying to stick to the Standing Orders. I know Deputies are finding it difficult to get used to them.
Question No. 68 is in the name of Deputy Bernard Durkan-----
Question No. 67 is in the name of Deputy Seán Crowe, nominated by Deputy Imelda Munster.
They have said they want to leave that question and move on to Question No. 70.
Okay.
Question No. 68 is in the name of Bernard Durkan, who is not in attendance, but the response will issue within the House-----
Tá sé ag teacht.
68. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he sees opportunities to develop the tourism sector to maximise the promotion of Ireland as a conference location; his plans for this and for promoting activity tourism such as greenways and the utilisation of culture to develop the tourism sector further; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15623/16]
This question raises the possibility of marketing this country as a conference location with obvious consequent benefits to the tourism sector.
Tourism continues to contribute significantly to Ireland's economic recovery. CSO figures for 2015 show there were over 8.6 million overseas visits to Ireland, an increase of 13.7% on 2014. Spending in Ireland by overseas visitors, excluding air fares or ferry charges, for 2015 increased by 18.6% compared to 2014.
Tourism Ireland informs me that overseas promotion activity to support sustainable growth is weighted towards those segments that provide the best return on marketing investment. In this regard, the Ireland brand is underpinned by the tourism brand experiences that have been developed by Fáilte Ireland, such as the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland's Ancient East and Dublin - A Breath of Fresh Air, which are all designed to appeal to the most promising consumer segments in overseas source markets. All of the sectors mentioned by the Deputy, namely, business, activity and cultural tourism, present significant opportunities for promotion and development and are captured within the brand experiences.
In this regard, business tourism was worth in excess of €669 million to the Irish economy in 2015 and has increased by 35% since 2011. It accounts for 16% of overseas tourism spend in Ireland. The Government is continuing to invest in the activity tourism sector, to which the Deputy also referred, and there is provision in the multi-year capital investment programme for further expansion. Finally, cultural tourism is an intrinsic element of all the experience brands but it forms a major part of the appeal of Ireland's Ancient East, which has a particularly rich and diverse range of cultural heritage, and which extends into the Deputy's constituency, where the experiences include many sites with which the Deputy is familiar.
I congratulate the Minister of State and his colleague, the Minister, Deputy Ross, on their assumption to office. I wish to ask the Minister of State the extent to which he sees further potential for the development of the various sectors mentioned in the question, with particular reference to activity holidays, which seem to be an international craze at present, the degree to which there is room for growth in the conference sector of tourism and the extent to which the greenways referred to already can be incorporated into packages for use by those visiting the country for the purpose of a conference with obvious other potential in growing the industry.
I thank the Deputy for his good wishes. It is the first opportunity I have had to speak in the Dáil in my capacity as Minister of State since my appointment, and I thank the Taoiseach for having made the appointment.
The Minister, Deputy Ross, in his previous reply to a question referred to the development of greenways, to which Deputy Durkan refers. The Government is anxious to ensure that the use of capital investment through the smarter travel initiative be identified for these greenways. The Deputy is right that there is a number of challenges in the area of tourism development, none more so than in the Dublin region, namely, hotel availability, to which the Deputy referred from the point of view of conferencing. The Government is very conscious of this and we are actively considering the issue with a view to ensuring that we maximise the number of bed nights that can be achieved for business tourism and conferencing tourism so that people coming into the country, whether they are coming to the west, south or east, experience the maximum benefit for whatever their purpose. To that end, the development of the facilities to which the Deputy referred is a priority for the Government. The extension of the greenways and their use and accessibility is also a priority for the Government and a priority for Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, which are the agencies with responsibility for them.
I thank the Minister for his reply. Might it be possible to make the relevant contacts with the various promotional bodies to ensure the maximisation of market opportunities in the various areas referred to?
The last point the Deputy makes is very relevant. The Government is very conscious of the role that Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland play, and to that end I have, since coming into the Department, used every opportunity to find out formally and informally from Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland what are the challenges ahead. The Deputy has pointed out a number of challenges and he has a very clear knowledge of the issue from his constituency and the broader Leinster region. There are challenges in the industry, but this was one of the two industries, the other being agriculture, that helped to drag the country out of the economic mire in which we found ourselves. The Government therefore values the tourism industry. We are very eager to work with all of the stakeholders, driven by the State agencies and underpinned by the policy on which the Department and its officials rely. The Minister, Deputy Ross, and I are very conscious of this. That is why we have been very clear from the start, since we came into the Department, that this is an industry that we want to see continuing to develop and to supply real jobs in constituencies like Kildare North.
70. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to clarify his views on the effectiveness of the Road Safety Authority and An Garda Síochána in tackling unsafe driving and reducing road collisions and fatalities; and his plans to assist these bodies in this work and to provide the necessary resources. [15611/16]
I ask the Minister to clarify his views and his recent comments on the effectiveness of the Road Safety Authority and An Garda Síochána in tackling unsafe driving and reducing road collisions and fatalities and his plans to assist these bodies in their work and to provide the necessary resources.
I thank Deputy Munster for her question. I presume she is referring to a statement I made at a Road Safety Authority Garda event recently.
Although Ireland, as of the latest available data, for 2014, is now one of the better-performing EU countries in terms of road safety, there is no room for complacency. It is important that we continually evaluate our performance with a view to delivering the best possible outcomes. The Government and the Road Safety Authority have in the past adopted a highly ambitious vision for road safety in Ireland for the period 2013-20 in the current road safety strategy. Progress has already been achieved since Ireland first began to pursue a strategic approach to road safety in 1998. In the last ten years to the end of 2015, road fatalities were reduced by 58%, from 369 deaths in 2005 to 166 in 2015, our second safest year on record. The stark reality, however, is that each one of those deaths is one too many.
While the RSA has overall responsibility for the strategy, its implementation is overseen by a high level ministerial group which is chaired by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. The next meeting of the group is on 27 June and I plan to discuss what action we can take to reverse the unwelcome increase in road fatalities this year which has seen the number rise by 16 for the same period last year. A mid-term review of the strategy will also take place this year. I intend to ensure the review will be used to maintain progress and that the strategy is still fit for purpose.
While highly visible enforcement by An Garda Síochána is important and encourages better road safety behaviour, it is equally important that each of us, as a road user, whether it be as a driver, cyclist or pedestrian, takes seriously our personal responsibility to reduce the senseless waste of life on the roads. It is important that we do not rest on our laurels. Some of the road safety figures that have emerged recently are alarming.
The Minister will agree that the key to safer roads is confidence in the method of enforcement of the rules of the road. Garda resources police the roads and these resources have been slashed. The traffic corps has been slashed from 1,200 to 700 members. The CEO of the RSA has expressed serious concern about the lack of gardaí and checkpoints on the roads. It is one thing to say the RSA might need to examine the saturation of its media campaign and how effective or ineffective it is. Given the recent rise in the number of deaths, it is blatantly obvious to everybody that anybody intent on drinking and driving can confidently get into a car and know that there is no chance of him or her being stopped at a Garda checkpoint. That is the problem. The RSA has done good work in reducing the numbers with its graphic advertisements which have been very effective. The problem is the slashing of Garda resources and numbers in the traffic corps. Will the Minister restore the number in the traffic corps which was slashed by 500 to its previous level to address this? One must think in practical terms. It is common knowledge that there is no chance of being stopped at a checkpoint if one is drink driving. If we allow this to creep in, the figures will creep up accordingly.
Much as I would love to be, I am not Minister for Justice and Equality and cannot increase the number in the traffic corps at the drop of a hat. I understand the Deputy's point and there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that the lack of checkpoints coincides with the increased number of accidents and deaths and the increased number of traffic fatalities in which alcohol was a factor. At the meeting to which I referred there was the launch of a study by the RSA which found the very alarming figure that 38% of fatalities included an ingredient of excess alcohol. This shows that alcohol is becoming a new danger on the road and that people are drinking much more than we thought. There had been an assumption that it was no longer acceptable to drink and drive. That is not the case. Drink driving is very frequent and a large number of fatalities include a drink driving factor. What was worse about the study was that it covered only the period from 2008 to 2012 and the evidence is that the level of drink driving has been increasing since and that it is becoming more acceptable. There is a huge amount of work to be done. I agree with the Deputy about Garda resources. We definitely need more in all areas and they would help. It would also help if we had comparative figures from elsewhere in Europe. People tend to blame growing prosperity and say the reason there are more road deaths is there are more cars on the road and that it is inevitable. I am not sure it is true. This year's figures have increased by an enormous amount, over 24%.
71. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the proposed College Green traffic management measures, including their impact on persons visiting and holidaying in the city centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15606/16]
I would like to ask the Minister about the consultation held on the College Green traffic management measures. I submitted views on behalf of constituents, as did other citizens and representatives. Are these views being taken seriously? A former Minister, former Deputy Noel Dempsey, who has some involvement with traders in the centre of Dublin believes Dublin City Council was proceeding to change traffic at the location without adhering to, listening to or reading the documents and submissions made.
My views on this issue are pretty much irrelevant. While I have responsibility for road traffic legislation, traffic management is a matter for the local authorities. The Deputy might wish to raise any concern he may have about the proposed College Green traffic management measures with Dublin City Council. Regarding the impact of measures on visitors and holidaymakers, the National Tourism Development Authority, Fáilte Ireland, has a formal consultative role under the legislation governing the planning system. It would not be appropriate for me to impinge on that statutory operational role. I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to Fáilte Ireland for direct reply. Will he advise my office if he has not received a reply within ten days?
The proposal is a very attractive one in general terms, in that it will create a major new pedestrian area beside the cross-city Luas service. In the 18th century the likes of Theobald Wolfe Tone who founded the Republic could stroll from Trinity College Dublin across to Parliament House and watch Henry Grattan and Henry Flood arguing the case for full Irish independence. Although our Parliament was independent, this was not an independent state. In theory, the proposal is attractive. However, Dublin Bus and other public transport operators have expressed grave concerns that it will make north-south connectivity in Dublin much more difficult. The matter is within the Minister's remit and we will have to proceed very carefully on it. There are already connectivity issues for people like me who live on the north side and work in this quadrant of the city. This connectivity could be disrupted. Trades people need to drive independently. Other workers who cannot use public transport are in the same boat. There is a significant issue, although, in general terms, the proposal seems to be incredibly attractive. I have also made the point that we need more initiatives on the north side of Dublin, particularly in the north inner city. We have discussed this issue a lot in recent times. There are all kinds of initiatives south of the Liffey. A visitor to the city recently thought, in looking at Dublin, that there were two cities, one on the north side and one on the south side.
I do not have any particular function in the matter in terms of traffic management and my personal view might not matter. However, I would be prepared to discuss it with the Minister of State to see if it has implications for tourism. If it will have an adverse effect on tourism, I will re-examine the matter.
Given that Deputy Pearse Doherty is absent, we will move on to Question No. 73.
I did not expect my question to be taken. Is it on the runway or Norwegian Air?
The runway.
73. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he had discussions with the Dublin Airport Authority about the new runway at the airport since the authority confirmed plans to construct it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15507/16]
I am delighted that the Minister is ahead of me. He can alleviate the concerns of Portmarnock residents about the application by the DAA for an extended second runway.
I thank the Deputy for tabling the question. It is the third time I have answered it today and I will try to answer it in a manner which is consistent with the way I have answered the other two. Deputies Brendan Ryan and Dessie Ellis asked the same question.
I hope to meet the DAA next week or the week after.
A meeting was supposedly going to be arranged today. The issue of the second runway and the effect it will have on the residents of the area is something I will raise as a priority. I said in my earlier response that I do not regard it as the right of a State monopoly simply to destroy or damage the lives of individual citizens or groups of individual citizens because it is more powerful. It is only fair that, as the argument is weighted very strongly in favour of the DAA, the position of those residents should be given strong consideration by the State and by the authority itself and I intend to make strong representations to the authority on behalf of the residents. Obviously, it is my view and probably the view of every Member that it would be wrong to stand in the way of the second runway because of the great benefits it will bring to the country and because of the necessity for it. Given 25 million passengers go through the airport every year, it must go ahead but that does not mean the authority can ride roughshod over the sensibilities or the lives of those who live in the area. Those who represent them have a strong case. They will obviously have to have either the necessary insulation from noise, which is impossible to guarantee, or adequate compensation for the extraordinary disturbance to their lives this will cause.
I thank the Minister. I did not expect to get to this question and I will defer to his previous replies but the fact that practically all Deputies in the constituency have tabled a question on this issue today indicates the seriousness of the threat residents feel regarding this development. We will call the Minister to account and call on him to stand by them and by the comments he has just made. We are dealing with a planning permission that has almost expired. It is almost ten years old and it was granted at a time standards were different in terms of noise pollution and the impact that has on people's mental health and well-being and in terms of climate change factors. An evaluation of the decision now has to be updated to take cognisance of the environmental damage and the impact on householders. One of the particular concerns in Portmarnock is noise but the St. Margaret's community is very much impacted from the point of view of some properties being bought up while others have not been because they were on the periphery of the development. Does the Minister intend to raise that aspect of the issue with the DAA? When a line is drawn, the people on the other side of it feel aggrieved that they face the worst scenario whereby their properties are not bought but they will be impacted most by the development.
Deputies will be cognisant of the fact that the problems faced by the residents will not stop the second runway. That will not happen because there is an overall national interest in putting the second runway there. The damage and the difficulties caused in their lives by the runway should be recognised in a material way. Some of these people have lived there for 30 or 40 years and the inconvenience, disturbance and disruption would be indefensible on its own but in the greater national interest, they must be compensated properly. I do not know whether that should be done by mitigation of noise or by monetary compensation but due consideration must be given to the difficulties in which they find themselves.
We could have a debate about whether the overall national interest is served by the project. We have to factor in the cost of the impact in terms of climate change, which has not been factored in given the project was originally put together many years ago. One of the key impacts on the residents is the move which will undoubtedly take place from restricted flying hours, particularly at night and early in the morning. The DAA seems to be operating knowing this clause was not granted in the planning permission but is going ahead anyway before inevitably forcing the State's hand. It is similar to building an additional lane on the M50, closing it and allowing the pressure to build before saying that we have to open it during these hours. The DAA is building the runway with a view to breaching the condition imposed on it in respect of the health and well-being of the citizens to whom the Minister referred. Unless that issue is nailed down, we will have a big problem in that regard.
74. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is aware of the serious deficiencies in the provision of wheelchair accessible public transport, such as the Bus Éireann route 190, which is not wheelchair accessible most of the time and when a lift is provided, there is often no qualified person to operate it. [15612/16]
I tabled a priority question about the serious deficiencies in the provision of wheelchair accessible public transport but I would like in this question to give an example of the difficulties experienced on a local route in my constituency, which is the Bus Éireann route 190 between Laytown and Drogheda, which is not wheelchair accessible most of the time. When a lift is provided, there is nobody qualified to operate it.
I thank the Deputy for the question. The issue raised is a matter for the National Transport Authority, NTA, in conjunction with Bus Éireann and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. I ask her to please advise my private office if she does not receive a response within ten working days.
As regards accessibility generally, I understand that Bus Éireann regularly sends customer service notices to its depots around the country to remind staff of their responsibilities regarding passengers with specific needs. Of course, customers should raise specific incidents directly with the bus operator in the first instance. There has been considerable progress in enhancing the accessibility of bus services in the State. This progress is most apparent in the subsidised bus fleet, which is funded by the State via the NTA. The Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann city fleets are now 100% accessible while most Bus Éireann coaches are wheelchair accessible.
During 2016 the NTA intends to begin the installation of wheelchair accessible bus stops across the Bus Éireann network. The long-term objective is to install a wheelchair accessible bus stop in every town in the State. The NTA is rolling this out on a route-by-route basis starting this year with Bus Éireann routes 30, Dublin-Donegal, and 32, Dublin-Letterkenny.
Some of what I have said is repetition, as was the Deputy's question, to some extent, but the following is new. Progress on the provision of wheelchair accessible bus services has been slower among operators of commercial bus services which do not have access to State funding. In late 2014, the NTA launched a public consultation on ways to support the transition to wheelchair accessible buses among licensed bus operators. Among the issues identified in the responses to the public consultation is the suitability of high-floor coaches with wheelchair lift compared to low-floor buses. Accordingly, the NTA is examining whether there is an alternative approach which improves the customer experience of wheelchair users of services outside of cities and is looking at the subsidised bus fleet purchase as well as possible changes to the licensing of commercial services.
There are several wheelchair users in the Laytown-Bettystown area and throughout County Louth and in every other county, town and village. One wheelchair user had been in contact about this issue with the previous Minister and had been in continuous correspondence with Bus Éireann and the Department, all to no avail. As I asked in my priority question, what plans has the Minister that are different from the previous Minister's to address this issue? I cannot imagine an individual in another European country being told to telephone the rail or bus station 24 hours in advance of making a journey to make sure there will be a train or a bus that he or she can access. One would not hear the like of that in any European country.
It is all down to this issue never have been prioritised properly. If there is one good effective initiative the Minister could do in his transport portfolio, it would be to address the lack of equality of access for people with disabilities. I said this gentleman has been in touch with the previous Minister. I ask the Minister again to look into this matter and not to give the bog standard letter that is sent out with every excuse under the sun being given. Will he take this issue seriously? Will he make it his business to address disability access on the public transport network and, if he will, what will his plans be and how does he intend to be different?
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Let me first say that seated two places to my left, we have a recognition of the fact that this Government is taking disabilities more seriously than any previous Government has done in the history of the State. We have a Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities who sits at the Cabinet table. I do not know if I would be revealing Cabinet confidentiality, which the Deputy would love me to do, by saying that he is not a man without a voice at the Cabinet table. Disabilities have got that voice at the Cabinet table and will continue to have that, and that is something that is unique in this country. I will raise this issue with the Minister of State immediately. He is here. He has heard what the Deputy had to say. She has got his ear here. This area is his job. It is the Government position that we should give a higher priority to disability and the Minister of State is a recognition of that.
I repeat what I said to the Deputy earlier because it is important that I should say this. My sphere of influence as regards disabilities extends only as far as transport, tourism and sport. The Deputy's questions and a few other questions on this area have revealed matters to me that I did not know previously, matters which I have only found out about in the past week or so, and that is the fact that transport is lacking in many areas in its consideration of disabled people. That is something I am beginning to recognise and which I will certainly do something about. I will urge that there is an enhanced interest, particularly in railway stations and outside the big cities' fleets where the buses do not provide enough access, and particularly on trains and in taxis. I do not know if it was the Deputy or another Deputy who said today that only 5% of the taxi fleet is wheelchair accessible, which I only learned about in the past week or so. Forgive me for saying that I am just learning about this area. I am particularly surprised by what I have found and I will do my best to ensure that disabilities is given a much higher priority than it was in the past.
