The purpose of today's meeting is to consider the Revised Estimates, Vote 32, and the Annual Output Statement 2008 for the Department of Transport.
I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Noel Ahern, and congratulate him on his appointment. I also welcome his officials, Mr. Maurice Mullen, assistant secretary, Mr. Dan Commane, principal officer and Mr. Padraig McGoldrick, accountant.
I thank the members for agreeing to take the Estimates today. I will also present the Department's Annual Output Statement 2008. As members know, the output statement sets out the high-level goals and strategic objectives pursued by the Department in line with its Statement of Strategy 2008-2010. The statement is designed to match key outputs and strategic impacts to financial and staffing resources for 2008 and also provides information on performance against targets in last year's statement. As it is only the second year of this process, I am sure that, in time, these statements will evolve in the years ahead.
Overall, the 2008 Estimate provides for gross spending of over €3.8 billion, an increase of 9% over last year's outturn. The total of €2.6 billion in Exchequer capital has been allocated to Transport 21 projects and programmes. The PPP contribution from the private sector for the construction of toll-based roads is estimated at about €365 million. The total estimated capital expenditure provision for 2008 is just less than €3 billion. Out of this total, almost €1 billion has been allocated for public transport. This is an increase of over 50% on the 2007 outturn and is clear evidence of the Government's commitment to invest in public transport for the future.
The significant progress made under the Transport 21 plan in its first two years continues. Several projects have been completed and many more are either under construction or well advanced in planning. Most national road projects are being completed ahead of schedule and within budget and it is expected that the five major interurban routes will be completed by the end of 2010.
New rolling stock and improved services are being introduced across the intercity rail network and the capacity of the trams on the Tallaght Luas line has been increased by 40%. In addition, construction is under way on the Luas extensions to Cherrywood and the Docklands area and also on the Cork-Midleton, western corridor and Kildare route rail projects. Planning work on public transport projects including metro north, metro west and the DART interconnector is progressing well.
The main provision of the Estimate is the allocation of more than €2.35 billion for the roads programme and associated activities. Key aspects of this for 2008 include: continued focus on delivery of the major interurban routes; completion of work on seven schemes with a combined length of over 100 km; commencement of work on seven other schemes with a combined length of 169 km, including sections of the Atlantic road corridor; and substantial funding for regional and local roads and a significant commitment to road safety measures.
To date this year we have seen the opening of three of the seven projects due for completion. These are the Kilpedder-Delgany interchange, phase 3 of the M50 upgrade and, more recently, the Carlow bypass. Four of the seven projects scheduled to commence in 2008 have also started. These include Castletown to Nenagh, Carlow to Knocktopher, Kilcullen to Carlow and the Tullamore bypass. These projects are part of a bigger development throughout the country. Several works on major interurban routes are being opened ahead of time within budget on a routine basis. All interurban routes will be completed by 2010.
The development of the Atlantic road corridor from Letterkenny through Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford will connect with the National Spatial Strategy gateway cities. It has been a long-standing concept in the national roads programme and has now been re-enforced by Transport 21. It is envisaged that the route will be upgraded substantially to dual carriageway road standard.
Our regional and local road network plays a very important role. There is considerable work ongoing. Some 94% of the country's roads are regional and local roads and they carry around 60% of all road traffic. Investment in these roads is very important and I am glad to be able to say that 2008 will see a record level of funding at over €618 million, which represents a considerable increase on recent years. The completion of these road projects helps close the infrastructure gap and will greatly enhance the quality of life and improve economic competitiveness for generations to come.
A new Road Safety Strategy 2007 to 2012, developed by the Road Safety Authority, was approved by Government in October 2007. It contains more than 120 actions under the headings with named responsible agencies, Departments and target completion dates. Its primary target is to reduce road deaths to no more than 60 fatalities per million of population by the end of the strategy, which equates to an average of approximately 21 road deaths per month or approximately 250 per year. The current average number, judging by last year's figures, is 28 and the hope is to reduce it from 28 per month to approximately 21 per month in the life of the strategy.
Generally, the news about road safety is that what we are doing is working to a considerable extent. Road deaths have decreased by approximately 30% since 1997. Sadly, a total of 472 people lost their lives on our roads in 1997 compared with 338 last year. The downward trend has continued this year and was achieved despite the fact there has been a 40% increase in the number of drivers and a 70% increase in the number of vehicles on our roads. Even one death is sad and we should be trying to avoid that but significant progress has been achieved. According to the European road safety performance index programme, Ireland is now ranked in the top ten best performing EU countries for road safety performance.
On driver testing, last October a commitment was made that all those on the waiting list at 30 October last, which was estimated at the time to be just over 120,000, would be offered a test before mid-March this year and that by the end of June this year, the waiting list for tests would be down to ten weeks. The Road Safety Authority met the March deadline and it is expected that the June target will be reached also.
Public transport will receive over €1.33 billion this year. The existing two Luas lines, which commenced operations nearly four years ago, have been an unqualified success in transportation terms. Last year, the Luas carried over 28 million passengers, an increase of approximately 10% on the previous year. That success illustrates the public appetite for high quality, frequent and reliable public transport services.
The momentum behind the advancement of the Luas and metro projects under Transport 21 will be maintained this year and €290 million is being provided for these major projects, which would include the ongoing construction costs of the Luas extensions to the docklands and to Cherrywood; managing the procurement process and finalising the design and the application documents for the railway order in respect of metro north; finalisation of the tram extensions on the Tallaght Luas line, which was completed recently; and commencing construction of the new Luas extension to City West when we get the railway order from An Bord Pleanála. The planning and design of the other Luas and metro projects will also be further advanced during the year.
In the case of the flagship metro north project, the procurement process has now formally commenced with tender documentation having issued a month ago to the four pre-qualified consortia. The RPA will also submit a railway order application to An Bord Pleanála for this project later in the year.
On public transport, a total of €922 million has been allocated for investment in CIE operations this year — over €600 million for capital investment and €309 million in current funding towards the operating costs of socially and economically necessary loss-making services. The total of €922 million is an increase of 19% on the previous year.
Capital funding is being invested in a wide range of projects including the continuing rollout of the new intercity fleet which is due for completion by the middle of next year. That programme is transforming intercity rail services in terms of number of services and service comfort. There is also ongoing work on the western rail corridor, the Kildare route upgrade project and the Cork commuter services project. There is also planning and design for a range of other upgrade projects, including the interconnector line, the Navan rail line and resignalling in the city area and on the Maynooth line. Further upgrading of the bus fleets of Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann is planned. Some €15 million has been allocated to Dublin Bus and €41 million to Bus Éireann to fund the balance of more than 230 buses it ordered last year.
The increased investment in public transport is achieving good outcomes for public transport users. Passenger numbers carried by CIE companies are growing strongly in the case of rail where passenger numbers have increased by 44% since 2000 to more than 45 million passengers last year. There has also been growth, although not as strong, in bus travel. I strongly want bus services to play a larger role as part of a more sustainable transport system. Bus services have a fundamental role to play in meeting the transport needs of those without access to other means of transport and in addressing congestion. Better bus services will be a major focus of the sustainable travel and transport action plan. Given the scale of current investment in bus services, we will need to be sure that we are optimising the return from the investment and of any further investment in buses. To assist in that process a review of the efficiency of Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann operations has been commissioned.
There is also the rural transport programme. Some 34 rural community transport groups around the country are currently being funded. The allocation for the programme this year is approximately €11 million and provision is also being made for pilot cross-Border rural community transport services currently under consideration by the North-South Ministerial Council.
As we move forward with the implementation of Transport 21 projects in Dublin city, inevitably we will face traffic management challenges. The Dublin City Council manager is chairing a group on which the Department is represented, which is drawing up a new Dublin city centre traffic management plan. This plan will take account of disruptions caused by the Transport 21 works and other infrastructural and private development works planned for the city. All the agencies participating are keenly aware of the importance of maintaining access to Dublin city centre and retaining and enhancing its competitive edge. During and after the construction of major Transport 21 projects it is critical that priority is given to the movement of people and goods. Inevitably this will involve restrictions on the movement of private cars while at the same time keeping access to car parks open. The fundamental message that we must get across is that Dublin must and will stay open for business during those times of major construction.
We made a commitment under the programme for Government last year to conduct studies into the feasibility of Luas-style light rail transit systems for Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. We have since informed the local authorities in these cities that we would like them to consider the feasibility of bus rapid transit systems at the same time, and they have agreed to do this. The feasibility of light rail and bus systems are considered as part of the update of the Cork area strategic plan, which is under way. Likewise in Limerick, both systems are being considered in the context of the current mid-west area strategic plan. The Department is also engaging with local authorities in Galway and Waterford to explore the best mechanisms for conducting similar studies.
I mentioned the sustainable travel and transport action plan. Sustainability is at the centre of the Department's agenda. In the period up to 2020 the country will face enormous challenges in the transport area including: significantly reducing environmentally damaging issues; tackling costly greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector; not only preserving but enhancing our economic competitiveness; reducing congestion; and improving our quality of life.
The Government is committed to adopting a sustainable travel and transport action plan before the end of this year. When we launched the consultation process last February, it was clear fundamental changes to travel behaviour were unavoidable and bringing about fundamental change will require commitment from all sectors of society. We sought and secured a good level of engagement in the consultation process. We have received almost 500 responses to the consultation document from key stakeholders and members of the public. We are working full steam ahead on developing the action plan. The Department funded a green schools travel initiative at a cost of €2 million per annum which, by 2012, will target more than 250,000 schoolchildren and encourage many of them to take alternatives to the car to get to and from school.
With regard to civil aviation, this year we are providing €24 million under Transport 21 for the regional airports capital grants programme approved by Government in 2007. Exchequer grant aid amounting to €86 million under this multiannual initiative will underpin the largest investment programme ever undertaken in the sector. The current round of contracts for the operation of air services between Dublin and the regional airports on foot of a public service obligation, PSO, will terminate in July. The Department has conducted a tendering process in line with the relevant EU directives for the next three-year round of contracts. The outcome, which the Minister announced last month, involves retention of the current level of service on all of the existing routes at a lower overall contract cost than that which applies to the current period. The total provision for subventing PSO services during 2008 is €15.9 million.
The vast bulk of the expenditure in the maritime area is for the Irish Coast Guard and maritime safety, including a grant to the Commissioners of Irish Lights. Almost €4 million will go towards an ongoing programme of remedial works at a number of regional harbours.
That is a broad summary of this year's Estimate. I have tried to highlight the main components of this substantial budget of €3.8 billion. This is evidence of the Government's commitment to Transport 21 and to the delivery of a much improved transport system. I hope I have given a reasonable summary. I skipped a few paragraphs but I touched on most issues and I will answer any questions.
There is a question mark over whether we should be present at this meeting. We are disobeying the Taoiseach and other party leaders by attending the meeting but we must proceed. I welcome the Minister of State and I congratulate him on his appointment. I wish him well with the major development programme he set out for the committee, which the Department has taken on over the past few years. Historically, we had a Department of Transport for a number of decades which was considered to be one of the most important Departments, but it was submerged in various Departments until it became part of the Department dealing with public enterprise. It then re-emerged as a single Department. We could argue that it should not have existed, because keeping people moving is one of the most important functions of the Government. Therefore, it is good to see the Department back in place.
In the last Dáil I criticised the direction the Department had taken and said it had become something of an empire. It has grown steadily in comparison with what has happened in the marine which is no longer represented at Cabinet level. As Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, the Chairman was the last Minister with responsibility for the marine. It may have been Deputy Cullen, as Minister, who made the case that port and other transport systems should come within the remit of the same Department. The Department of Transport is now one of the largest spending Departments.
It is regrettable that every year we have the same discussion. This is my 15th or 16th year in the Oireachtas; Deputy Connaughton has similar experience. We are, to some extent, discussing bread that has been eaten, not planning for the future. The Taoiseach, when Minister for Finance, said he would like to get to a stage where discussions on the Estimates would become a discussion on what would happen in the relevant year; in other words, he was of the view that the committee should discuss the priorities to be set for that year. We will all say what we think should be the priorities, but in examining the Estimates documentation provided for us by the Department and the committee we are looking at the spending pattern for 2008, with some projections for 2009. It is a pity we do not have, as many other parliaments do, a direct input into the budgetary process for 2009 that has begun and will proceed until September.
The Department of Transport is a critical Department, given the current economic downturn. The employment figures announced today are shocking and the skyrocketing cost of fuel is alarming. People are fearful of what lies in store. The French President is concerned that we are on the cusp of a new area with regard to transport and energy costs. The Department must put its best foot forward to see how it can best protect the State's 4.25 million to 4.5 million people. Our most successful private transport company, Ryanair, anticipates that it may be in a situation by the end of the year where it will not be making a profit because of the escalating cost of fuel, which demonstrates the worrying nature of the problem.
On the Estimates before us, one of the main concerns of the Labour Party is that there may be slippage in the Transport 21 programme. While we strongly support most of the major public transport projects the Department aims to advance, we are concerned about slippages, on the metro project, for example, a project of interest to the Minister of State. I know that it will not now be completed until late 2014 or early 2015. I hope by 2016 when we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising that work will not be ongoing on metro north in the city centre.
Slippage is not confined to projects in Dublin. There has been slippage on the Cork to Midleton road project, some Limerick projects and a wide range of others, details of which I have provided many times at the committee and in my speech on the Dublin Transport Authority Bill. This is a source of concern for us. The key concern of the Labour Party is that we should not allow the budgets for the Department to be slashed in any future retrenchment.
I agree that investment is needed. Some of the good, young economists have been talking about the critical need for investment to keep this programme rolling. I echo their comments. One person referred to the Stability and Growth Pact and the fact that we may be constrained in our capital spending. However, we should move ahead, as I would not like to see any further slippage. I refer, in particular, to the construction of metro north. If the companies tendering are ready to begin work at the end of 2010 or early 2011, this timetable should be adhered to; likewise in the case of the interconnector, the other major Dublin project which, with construction of the Luas lines, could revolutionise transport in the city. The Minister of State is well aware of this.
If the Minister of State had stated Galway, Cork and Limerick could not have a Luas system, a light rail network, but rather just a bus system, I would have been disappointed. Some interesting proposals for what has been termed a "Gluas" for Galway have been made. The term seems to derive from the word "gluaisteán". There have also been interesting proposals for projects in Cork and Limerick. We should be encouraging the stakeholders who have come forward with ideas, even if we are heading into the gloom of a recession. I do not see why other cities should be given less than Dublin and, like the Minister of State, I am a true blue Dub. Public transport infrastructure should be spread across the island into other cities which should be encouraged to become hubs in an Ireland with decentralised services. That is my party's policy which I strongly support.
One of the 500 submissions included mine on behalf of the Labour Party. We put forward a number of ideas which we hoped the Minister of State would consider. In both Dublin and nationwide buses will need to play a key role in the short term. I know the Chairman has strong views on this issue. It is hoped the Dublin Transport Authority Bill will be concluded. I do not see any reason for delaying the introduction of strong bus transport initiatives. We must effect a modal shift to public transport.
The halting and reversal of carbon emissions from transport present a huge task. I tried to address this issue in my submission and know other parties have also done so. The rate of increase is slowing which is one good sign but the question is how can we keep it at the level of tonnage permitted under the Kyoto Protocol and future EU agreements.
As a former public transport worker, I ask the Minister of State to consider the issue of rail freight. Yesterday an initiative on rail freight was announced in Scotland. However, Iarnród Éireann has told the committee it cannot be done here because of population distribution but Scotland is similar to Ireland with one massive city and another large city close by and the remainder of the population scattered up along the eastern seaboard and to the south. If the Scots can do it, I cannot see why we cannot.
I welcome the Minister of State's speech at a recent meeting in which he referred to helping people get back on bicycles. Most people in this room have at one time been cyclists. I note that the director of the DTO has strong views on how street signage can be arranged to encourage cycling. I support him in that regard.
I am a strong supporter of the interurban network. It is set out in the accounts that it is well on track. The Carlow bypass was opened the other day. While I welcome this, my constituents and supporters throughout the country believe more work should be done on regional roads. There are big gaps in the national secondary road network. For example, the N28 which links the port of Cork to the major routes outside the city needs to be improved. I do not understand why such roads are not prioritised. Our major ports need to be adequately linked to the rest of the road network. I will mention a number of other roads when we are going through the Estimate.
I welcome the planned expenditure on road safety measures. The Department of Transport has taken responsibility for the national vehicle file. Everybody wants the legislative gaps to be filled. For example, HGV and transport inspectors do not have a legal basis on which to detain vehicles, in co-operation with the Garda, on the side of the road.
The newspapers carried reports yesterday on what the Minister might or might not do in respect of drink driving limits. The chairman of the Road Safety Authority, Mr. Gay Byrne, and the chief executive officer of the authority, Mr. Noel Brett, have on umpteen occasions drawn attention to five or six major legislative gaps. I am glad to read this morning that it looks like progress has been made with the speed camera system. When can we expect the additional cameras to be in situ on our primary interurban routes and all the other important places where they have to be in place?
There is an onus on the Department to put in place all the road safety legislation needed. I refer to officials on the legislative side, rather than to those present. We seemed to be doing well in the first couple of months of the year, but the most recent bank holiday weekend was disastrous. The key is enforcement. There are low numbers of casualties in the United Kingdom and other countries which have good enforcement regimes.
I have mentioned some of the key areas to which I will pay attention. I will refer to a number of the details of the accounts later in the meeting. I welcome the Minister of State and his team and wish them well. I hope there will not be any further slippage in the major projects being pursued under Transport 21.
I have been lenient by allowing the Deputy who has made a good contribution to speak for more than ten minutes.
I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Noel Ahern, and wish him well in his new role. I also welcome the officials from the Department.
There is not much point in going over the ground covered by my colleague, Deputy Broughan. It would be no harm to address a few fundamental matters at this stage. I have been in the House long enough to know that the horse has usually bolted by the time we consider the Estimates. That is the way the system works. I hope the new Taoiseach will do what, as Minister for Finance, he said he would do to ensure legislators on all sides of the House will be able to make an input into the budget for next year. As that is not the way it is now, we have to consider what is in front of us.
I do not doubt that many extremely good projects have been undertaken in the last four or five years. Whether they represented absolute value for money is another story. It was hugely important for us to pursue them in the interests of the economy. People on both sides of the fence have to admit that interurban road and rail services have been improved. However, I am not sure whether there has been a sufficient improvement.
Having listened to many economists in recent weeks, I am aware that our faltering economy cannot make enough money available to fund some of the projects outlined in Transport 21 and the national development plan. The comments made by the Taoiseach in this regard represent more than straws in the wind and many commentators are beginning to get concerned. All experienced Members have seen a number of recessions which are bad news for everyone. Given high oil prices, exchange rates, inflation and so on, all indications point to a much more difficult economic environment next year. Members have been told there will be cuts. I wish to state on behalf of the Fine Gael Party that wherever else cuts are likely to be made, some aspects of Transport 21 should never be tampered with. I will outline the reasons.
Members of the Joint Committee on Transport spend much time trying to engineer new ways of getting people from A to B quicker and on similar matters. When one considers that the number of cars will double in the next ten years, substantial investment will be required at an alarming rate for the next five to ten years. Against that background, we would be running simply to stand still in the absence of sufficient investment.
I will come to the Estimates shortly, on which I wish to provide a perspective from rural Ireland. As for public private partnerships, the Minister of State mentioned that private investment would contribute approximately €365 million to the road network this year. Does he know or is it possible to know whether the same level of investment will be made by the private sector next year? Do the Minister, the Minister of State and departmental officials know the level of investment that will be made by the private sector next year?
Second, is the Minister of State prepared to state today that there will be no cutbacks in respect of the major ongoing projects under Transport 21 in 2009? That is the $64,000 question because any cutbacks or slowdowns in any of the prime projects under discussion such as the interurban routes would be nothing short of disastrous. Members have been told the interurban route projects are on target, which I believe to be the case, and within budget. However, that would be of little use were there to be slippage of a year or two simply because the funding was not available at the time it was needed. I seek reassurance from the Minister of State that this will not happen.
I note there has been a huge increase in the funding allocated for interurban routes, which is appropriate because that is the only way in which they can be built. However, I refer to subhead B1 which pertains to road improvement and maintenance works and was mentioned by Deputy Broughan. Essentially, it is for all roads other than the interurban routes and while I might consider them to be major roads, the roads in question are regional and county roads. The briefing document I have to hand states there will be a reduction of 3% in spending on such roads in 2008 compared with 2007. If one represents a constituency such as Galway East, one certainly can see where this is happening. It is a well known fact that the powers that be always appear to state regional and county roads will not fare well until all the interurban routes are built. However, many regional roads cannot wait for this to happen, as the level of deterioration is such that it will cost double what it would cost at present to upgrade them.
I refer to one highly practical matter, about which I often have argued with road engineers. Take, for example, the N59, which the Chairman knows well, or the N63 from Galway city through County Roscommon to County Longford. As with every road, there is a considerable amount of traffic on the latter. While a certain level of investment is made annually, it is used on no more than one or two miles. Effectively, it goes nowhere. I do not understand why it cannot be widened by two or three feet when to do so would be practical along almost the entire length of the road. The margins could be used before resurfacing takes place. The extra two or three feet would make the road safer because the pedestrian or cyclist has some hope of surviving behind the yellow lines.
On a densely populated road like the N63, the yellow line is on the grass margin. If there is a dangerous place to stand, that is it. The widening of certain areas of the road several years ago proved a successful project, but it has been discontinued. The idea now is to tarmac over everything at its current width. This situation obtains in respect of every road. In terms of value for money and safety, nothing could be better than widening a road.
I would like to raise many other matters, but time is against me. I wish to discuss road safety. The attempt to ensure everything humanly possible is done to improve road safety is beginning to work. For a long time, many aspects did not work. We will soon reach the stage at which we can guarantee that applicants will be called for their driver tests within ten weeks. If it works uniformly across the country, it will be significant progress. There is not much point in a ten-week wait in Dublin and a 21-week wait in Tuam or Clifden. That could not be contemplated. How will the waiting time be standardised?
Projects such as the western rail corridor are important for development in rural areas that would not normally attract the type of investment preferred. I hope that there will be an undertaking in the 2009 Estimates not to pause such projects for a number of years.
Will the Minister of State give a general response to the points made by speakers? We will deal with the detail of the Estimates section by section. As outlined in the proposed timetable, we will take sections A1 to A8, inclusive, in respect of which members can contribute. Before turning to the specifics, the Minister of State will have an opportunity to make a few brief comments on general issues.
Deputies Broughan and Connaughton discussed the way in which the Department has grown, its budget and whether the horse has bolted. We are considering the long term. The Department of Transport was the first Department to get long-term capital envelopes. In many respects, what the Department hopes to do during the next ten years is written down. We are not bringing in new projects on a year-by-year basis. In many respects, while the Deputy refers to what we hope to do in 2008 and the next few years in Transport 21, it is all included in this. The Deputy's point is valid and would have been more valid in the past. Transport has led the posse in long-term projects. Our plan for the years to come is declared.
I understand members' concerns about the future and about slippage. As far as I can speak, those projects are in the long-term capital envelopes and the national development plan. I am pleased to hear Deputy Connaughton state that his party sees these capital programmes as paramount. If we encountered challenges and had to make savings we would find somewhere else to do so. I hope this will not happen because I cannot give guarantees.
We are not agreeing to any cutbacks anywhere.
It depends on the level of these matters. There is no point in declaring Government policy on the hoof but I agree with Deputy Broughan. In many respects, if the economy is cooler or has a downward dip, that is the time to undertake capital projects. They generate jobs, it is easy to do them and one gets better value from developers. When the economy was booming, people could name any price they liked and add a zero to the end of it. One gets better value for money when there is not the same amount of work available. From the point of sustainability and fuel concerns, we must do this work and get value. I join the Deputy in hoping transport would be the last place where we see any slowdown in what we plan to do.
A few other points were made that may arise later. There are contracts for PPP investment programmes and I expect that any project that has been signed up to involves a contract. The Deputy may be thinking of a recent PPP project in Dublin that had not started. This was in the housing area and market conditions had changed. That is totally different from a long-term investment project, which is not related to market conditions such as the cost of an apartment. There is no parallel with this. I do not see why any project that has started or is in the planning process would change.
Deputy Broughan referred to slippage. Some projects, including metro north, are slower to start than we had hoped but serious stuff happened in recent times. It is not that we are not spending the money. Although we had difficulties with them in the early years many of the road projects are being completed much quicker and on or below budget. If some public projects have slipped, road projects are bursting forward. We have transferred funds and brought forward some road projects. The major interurban projects should be completed by 2010. It is a concern because we all like to see the crane, bulldozer or drilling rig starting. The process involved in metro north is very slow and there is much consultation. Perhaps we overdose on consultation at times. I hope we can move forward. Progress is being made and we all feel that once it has started it will continue.
On this point, I welcome the output statement because we must all be measured on what we do. Who established the high level goals for the Department? We are used to measuring the RSA, Departments and local authorities. Who stated "X, Y and Z" should be done with regard to public transport? The Department then states what it has delivered.
The high-level goals are based on the strategy. Each Department brings forward its own strategy and it can be influenced by the programme for Government. Each Department goes through this process and it is agreed with the Minister. From a political point of view, one wants to see the political commitments made in the programme for Government included in the statement of strategy on which the output statement and high level goals are based.
There is no independent assessment. We had this debate on local government where an assessment process is in place. It does not seem to compare with what happens in other jurisdictions which have an independent authority. Perhaps it is the Department of the Taoiseach. Who decides on the high level goals for the Department and whether they are properly implemented? I know it is not the Department's fault that a certain piece of legislation was not put through. We all need to be measured in what we do but we also need independence.
The independence is within the system in that the Department of Finance and the Department of the Taoiseach are aware of what is happening. The strategy statement is sent to the Oireachtas committees. Endless consultation takes place and we have various consultants' reports but one cannot second-guess or third-guess everything. The statement of strategy is an established process whereby each Department brings forward a strategy. The Minister tries to see to it that the political commitments are included. How one gets the political commitment agreed goes back to earlier discussions between parties and potential coalition partners.
We will move on to subheads A1 to A8 which deal with administration. Does anyone wish to comment on administration?
These include a couple of large increases, such as a 26% increase in staffing under A1. This is for the vehicle and driver file section and the marine survey office.
The figures are not a comparison of like with like, items such as regional roads come across from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. This is because of the expanded Department.
Are consultants being used with regard to ongoing issues?
We have consultants' reports but the figure is under control.
Is the Department planning further consultants' reports on the next phase which will consider the longer term until 2030? The Dublin Transportation Office is doing so at present and I presume the Dublin transport authority will also do so.
Earlier, Deputy Broughan spoke about his submission to the sustainable transport and travel strategy. That is probably what we will be working on over the short term but we will be looking further over the longer term. There is no doubt that transport is an area which uses large amounts of fuel but public transport is beneficial from the point of view of congestion as well as fuel. A significant shift to public transport will certainly have to occur in our cities.
In regard to bus routes, we were not pushing aside any Luas ideas when we asked local authorities to consider specific bus transport measures. That does not necessarily mean bus lanes. Some countries, such as Australia, provide bus track routes which resemble rail lines and allow buses to travel along roads as well as tracks. It is not a case of Cork, Limerick and Galway making do with less than Dublin.
This is not the first cutback we are seeing in the recession.
Certain countries would advise us to look in that direction.
I do not know the extent to which the A headings include sustainability measures. Is the Department of Transport co-operating with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources regarding the use of electricity as a fuel? We received, for example, an interesting report from Sustainable Energy Ireland which recommended a 10% modal change to electricity. The head of the ESB, Padraig McManus, has said that the country's entire car fleet could be run on an additional 2,500 MW of electricity. For obvious reasons, this issue receives considerable media attention but it cannot be addressed overnight. Some of the models proposed thus far have not performed strongly.
Discussions are ongoing with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources at a broad level but no new announcement is imminent. Last week I attended an international conference on the challenge for transport given that it uses 23% of fuel supplies. Problems are being identified by hauliers in various countries. Transport is a huge user of energy and some of the first generation moves to bio-fuels are impacting negatively on food security. Consideration is therefore being given at the international level to a switch to electric cars and hydrogen engines.
We will move to subheads B1 to B3, on roads. It seems that projects in progress, such as the Athlone-Ballinasloe and Ballinasloe-Galway projects, are not set out in the table.
There are two lists. Is the Chairman referring to the projects which remain to be completed?
Yes.
I believe they are set out in the list of projects to be completed. Does the Chairman refer to projects in progress?
The Ballinasloe-Galway route is in progress but it is not listed.
It is probably set out in a different list. We were given two lists of projects, those which are commencing this year and those to be completed this year, but those which commenced last year and will not be completed until next year are probably set out on a different list. I understand a total of four contracts are under way in respect of the Galway route.
We are very pleased with the developments taking place in Galway.
The projects link Galway with Ballinasloe, Athlone, Kinnegad and Enfield. They are broken into individual contracts but the road stretches almost the entire way from Dublin to Galway.
The Ballinasloe-Galway project is not listed, but that is not a problem. We are pleased to see the Gort-Crusheen and Oranmore-Gort projects, which are key elements of the Atlantic corridor, but while these projects do not have a start date, their completion date is set as 2011. Can the Minister of State indicate when exactly these projects will commence? I understand the tender envelopes have been opened and we have been given a start date of August for the Gort-Crusheen route and September for the Oranmore-Gort route.
Concerns have arisen in respect of the N4 and N5. Can the Minister of State indicate the specific dates for completion of these projects? Multinational industries in counties Mayo and Sligo are particularly concerned, as I am sure Deputy Feighan can attest, that the projects are slipping.
Will he comment on national secondary routes? I understand that because of the heavy work programme for motorways and national primary routes, not much funding has been provided for national secondary routes. Has any money been provided?
Funding was to be made available for the Claregalway bypass, which is not provided for under Transport 21 but which was to receive an allocation. Will any money be provided for this bypass in 2008 or 2009?
I will revert to the Chairman on his questions. The 56 km Galway-Ballinasloe project has an estimated completion date of 2010.
What is the cost?
The costs are not available to me at present. The Claregalway bypass received some publicity in the past. Is Galway County Council not funding that project from its own resources? I will revert to the committee with the official line on the matter.
If the Minister of State could revert with this information I would appreciate it.
Of the seven projects due to commence this year four have already started. I do not know if we have specific start dates for the projects mentioned, namely, the roads from Gort to Crusheen and Oranmore to Gort. However, all projects are scheduled for this year and four of the seven have started. We will try to get a more up-to-date position, but the Chairman's timeframe is probably correct.
The tenders have been opened and we understand the start dates are in August and September. I wish to confirm those dates are accurate because it would be quite a problem if there were any slippage.
I do not think that will be the case and generally the slippage, if any, has been with public transport projects. The roads projects are generally being completed more quickly.
What is the position with work on national secondary roads?
The figure of €618 million I referred to earlier includes provision for local and regional roads. The figure was €619 million this year, a small increase on last year.
Does the provision for local and regional roads include secondary roads? What is the specific figure for these? If the Minister of State does not have the information to hand we would like to get it again.
The figure is €619 million.
Is this for national secondary routes?
That is the overall figure for regional, local and national roads. It is the umbrella figure.
Perhaps the Minister of State will revert to the committee with the spending figure for 2008 and 2009 on national secondary roads. The condition of these roads, as Deputy Connaughton stated earlier, is a major difficulty in the regions throughout the country. I am sure the Minister of State will appreciate this, given the trips he has made. Such roads as the Galway to Roscommon road or the infamous N59 road from Galway to Clifden and on to Westport are in diabolical condition. We have accepted they must wait because of the significant funding for the national primary routes and motorways, but there is a necessity to start them as quickly as possible.
The overall figure was €619 million which is a small increase on last year.
I welcome the Minister of State and his officials. I wish him well in his new portfolio and I look forward to working with him. The investment in our roads is obvious as we travel. I welcome the increase in local authority grants for regional and local roads. The standard of work on these roads, especially the local roads, has been of a much higher quality in the past year. The maintenance of these roads is also important and I am glad to see the increased investment in this area, especially in road safety. I welcome the continued investment. As some of the other speakers have said, the continued investment in our infrastructure is even more important now given the more challenging economic times we face.
I also welcome the Minister of State and I wish him every success in a very exciting brief. I live on the N4 road in north County Roscommon on the way to Sligo and Boyle. In the past the N4 was probably one of the better roads to the capital, but I look with dismay now on what is probably fast becoming one of the worst roads. For some reason the policy has been to build motorways to Belfast and Galway, leaving a whole section of the north west, as Deputy Fahey rightly stated, lacking a competitive edge. I note the Dromod-Rooskey bypass was altered from a standard carriageway to a two plus two road type. It is value for money and we would always welcome a dual carriageway, but I believe it is of major benefit to the region. Does the Minister of State intend such two plus two road type alterations for other areas, whereby there is a wire fence down the middle, or lanes for overtaking?
Second, two weeks ago on a Sunday morning I travelled from Rosslare to north Roscommon on the N61 through Portlaoise and Tullamore. It took me three hours and 50 minutes, which was not bad, but if the M50 was clear I would make the journey in less time. I raise that because upgrade works are taking place on the M50. If somebody wants to travel from the north west to the south east or wherever, can they be assured that the M50 will not be like a parking lot? I appreciate it will be difficult if one arrives on the M50 at peak time but can we be assured that with the removal of the toll booth the traffic will be much less restrictive?
The funding of the national secondary roads is a major source of annoyance among TDs. In my own area there appears to be a one-size-fits-all approach because the local authorities are told they will not get any funding for national secondary roads. I am aware of cases where local authorities get funding for paving for two or three miles or for a new road, which is welcome, but there is little point putting in new paving on a road that is like a helter skelter. I appreciate that the Minister has examined that to a certain extent but there should be more emphasis on removing those dangerous bends. I live between Boyle and Roscommon town and people cannot understand the reason €400,000 or €500,000 was spent on resurfacing whereas if we looked at the issue more stringently, those bends would be removed. I am not an engineer but I want to highlight what I am hearing as a politician.
Along with Deputy Broughan I welcome the increase in public transport. The upgrade of carriages on the rail lines is welcome and is taking people off the roads. I am conscious of the need to reduce car transport but if one gets caught in traffic in a town, one will use more fuel.
I apologise if I have rambled on somewhat but my two main points are the two plus two carriageways and the provisions, if any, for a dual carriageway to the north west.
Deputies Kitt and Feighan raised the issue of the grants. Considerable moneys amounting to €619 million are given to local authorities. We do not decide in the Department which bend is removed or whatever else is done. When I was in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the perception was that as the Department gave extra money to local authorities for road grants, the local authorities reduced what they were putting into the allocation. The Department does not fully fund those projects. It is a combined process. The answer is not always to call on Dublin or the Government of the day to provide the money. The local authority has a responsibility. There were cases in the past where, as extra money went in from central government, what was put into the local authority estimates was reduced further.
On the two by two carriageways, that is an issue for the National Roads Authority. I cannot give the Deputy a technical answer to that question. We will put that question to the NRA.
On the question of the M50, those who travel frequently on the M50 will see the major works taking place. Four or five weeks ago I travelled down the country, as I say as a Dub, at 8.30 one Friday morning. I expected to be an hour on the M50 coming on to it from the airport road. I drove to the toll bridge without a significant delay. I was amazed but it could have been a good morning. Progress is being made but some mornings can be bad. Large parts of the project to provide additional lanes between the toll bridge and the Red Cow roundabout are complete. The Red Cow interchange is nearing completion while the works on the northern side in our patch are under way. The additional lanes and the barrier-free tolling will help to move things on. It would take a brave man to say there will not be a problem again in the morning because if one vehicle breaks down on an interchange or on an incline, it could screw up everything. The substantial ongoing work and the barrier free tolling will greatly improve matters. I hope the worst is behind us.
I have been informed by Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus drivers that the bus stop in the middle of the spaghetti junction at Liffey Valley will result in a major crash. Perhaps somebody will examine this. The bus stop is intended for the people of Quarryvale but the drivers say the stop is in a bad location and they feel there will be a major staggered crash there.
A sum of €1 billion will be transferred from the Estimates to non-tolled PPPs, which should result in the expediting of the N18 upgrade between Gort and Crusheen and the Tuam bypass on the N17. Is it correct that the saving of €1 billion will be transferred to public transport? Does the Minister of State have any knowledge of that?
No. Is the Chairman referring to the contracts for the two roads?
A sum of €1 billion to be provided under Transport 21 will be transferred——
Roads that were to be funded by the Exchequer will be done by PPP.
But the PPP is non-tolled and the money saved will be spent on public transport. If the Minister of State does not have details on this, perhaps he will communicate with the committee to clarify that.
That does not ring a bell. How does the person investing in the PPP generate a return?
It will be repaid by the Exchequer over 20 or 25 years, which is a good way to frontload expenditure but in our efforts to get the western corridor projects off the ground, there was strong opposition from the Department of Finance. If my understanding about this is correct, it is good news because it means the Atlantic corridor, particularly the section between the N6 intersection and the N17 north of Tuam, will proceed. That is the proper way to solve the Claregalway problem.
I refer to subheads B3 and B4 and the additional €11.5 million for the driving test. How does that stand? At the end of the month we were supposed to have a new Minister for Transport because the current Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, would have had to resign over the failure to deliver on the driving test backlog. It looks as though he has dealt with the problem. The most up-to-date Road Safety Authority figures quoted in one of today's newspapers seem to indicate this. Has the ten-week waiting period, as promised on 31 October last, been achieved? Will the RSA continue to be so well funded in 2009?
Subhead B4 provides for the maintenance of the national vehicle and driver file. What is stopping us from ensuring penalty points are applied to foreign drivers? The fact that one third of foreign drivers who break the law get off scot free makes a mockery of our penalty points system.
We read in the newspapers that a new penalty system is to be introduced for people convicted of drink driving. It is reported that the punishment is to be reduced and drivers convicted of a first offence will not be put off the road. Can the Minister of State comment on those newspaper reports? Are they true or not?
A commitment was given that the waiting time for driving tests would be reduced to ten weeks by the end of this month. We expect that target to be met. We will not have a new Minister on that account.
The issue of Northern drivers was raised at a cross-Border meeting in Armagh some weeks ago. The question of a joint penalty points system is not as simple as it might seem. Talks are ongoing with regard to each area recognising the other's penalty points. The current system is open to significant abuse. We are working towards a system by which penalty points would be recognised on both sides of the Border.
The road safety strategy recommended that the maximum legal blood alcohol level be reduced. The RSA completed a report on this matter and recommended that it be reduced from 80mg/100ml to 50mg/100ml. That reduction would require new road traffic legislation. While the measure was signposted in the strategy, the penalties for the new offence remain to be decided in the Department. Should the penalty be suspension of the driving licence and, if so, for what period, or should it be a fine or penalty points? Ireland and the United Kingdom are the only two countries where the legal limit remains at 80mg. In many countries it is between 50mg and 60mg. However, in many countries one would not lose one's licence if caught driving with between 50mg and 80mg. We must bring forward legislation. The penalty for conviction remains to be decided.
Would the Minister of State like to share his views on that matter?
Discussions on the matter are at an early stage. I am interested to hear other people's views on it. There is a significant difference in international terms in respect of the penalties imposed here and in other countries on people caught driving with between 50mg and 80mg of alcohol in their bloodstream. The proposed reduction is significant. Obviously, we want to get our message across. This will cause hurt but a question arises as to how much it should hurt. In other words, should a person who commits such an offence be banned from driving for only a couple of months or fined, say, €1,000 or €2,000. Fines of this type can mean different things to different people. The matter is under consideration in the Department.
I suggest the Minister of State provide members of the committee with an opportunity to make known to him their views on this issue given that it is being considered in the Department. This is a topical issue in rural Ireland. I am sure the Minister of State is aware people in rural areas believe this to be a draconian measure. The committee would welcome an opportunity to discuss the matter with the Minister of State at a future date.
When will legislation in this regard be forthcoming?
The legislation may take a while but we are committed to agreeing with other Departments the heads of a Bill by summer. If the committee wishes to make an input into the legislation, perhaps it should do so quickly. Discussions on the legislation are under way. However, Members will be aware the legislation can be changed in the Dáil at a later stage.
We discussed this matter and the issue of drug driving with the Road Safety Authority. Drug driving is another area not being examined. Are we dealing today with the rural transport vote?
Yes.
The issue of drug driving is under examination. The rules in respect of alcohol apply in that regard, namely, a garda must form an opinion, where a person is driving erratically, that he or she is driving while under the influence of heroin or cocaine. Mandatory testing applies in respect of alcohol. This might suggest such drivers are being discriminated against to an extent. There is no effective method for testing at the roadside for drugs.
A company in Galway stated some weeks ago that it has come up with an effective test.
The matter is being considered internationally. The test referred to by the Deputy is not foolproof. One must apply the same standards in respect of those being tested for drink driving and drug driving.
We were led to believe a successful test is available in Australia.
While various tests are being piloted, they do not as yet meet international standards. We will have to bring forward new legislation in respect of blood alcohol levels.
We will discuss with the Minister of State's office the possibility of organising a short session on the subject before the committee goes into recess at the end of July. The Minister of State can indicate his preferred timescale for such discussion to ensure the legislation is not delayed.
The legislation could be ready fairly soon. The committee can wait to hear what it is we are recommending or can opt to make its own input into the legislation.
It would be useful to have a discussion on the matter with the Minister of State and for him to hear members' contributions.
I am interested to hear members' views rather than be shot down on this at a later stage.
We will discuss the matter with the Minister of State's office.
The Minister of State should not forget he is a member of Government.
We will now discuss subheads C1 to C3, inclusive, which cover public transport provision payments, the green schools programme and the public transport investment programme.
Will the Minister of State give members a quick summary of what is happening with respect to the green schools programme, which is a welcome initiative? We have requested the Ceann Comhairle to meet executives of the Dublin transport authority so that they can explain to him and to the Commission of the Houses of the Oireachtas the workplace travel programme with a view to implementing it in the Oireachtas. It is a significant initiative which I believe is being introduced in the Department of Transport and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. It has been rolled out to a number of private companies in the city centre. The programme encourages employees, and in the case of the Oireachtas would apply to Members as well, to use public transport as their mode of transport to work. I am sure that is something the Minister of State would want to encourage.
Absolutely. As the Chairman said, it has been introduced in the Department. We would welcome other Departments and the Houses of the Oireachtas doing the same. We will try to ensure that meeting takes place. Any move towards the use of public transport is welcome and is something we all must consider for the future. We cannot continue driving our own cars and clogging up the system and wasting energy and fuel. Any movement in the right direction is welcome and that is the reason the Government is committed to investing moneys in public transport in the coming years.
What about the green schools programme?
In recognition of the need to achieve a change or shift, we made €2 million available to the programme this year. The same level of funding is projected for the next number of years up to 2012 to enable significant expansion of support by the Dublin Transportation Office to a pilot project, An Taisce's green schools travel module. The aim of the programme is to reduce dependency on car transport for journeys to and from school. I expect the programme will form an important element of the sustainable travel and transport action plan we hope to launch later this year. It also will link into a national cycle policy. It is important to work with young people in this area. Just as with waste and other issues, we can achieve more success through working with young people on the challenges of tomorrow rather than with people who are set in their ways. We have committed to funding the green schools programme for a few years and it is to be hoped it will get the message to young people who will have influence on the behaviour of their parents.
The green schools initiative is a very good one and the Department is to be complimented on making the funding available. I hope the programme can be rolled out across the country and does not remain just a Dublin programme. There is a remarkable change in the level of traffic congestion in many towns and cities when schools are not in session. One of the significant difficulties in cities such as Galway is that there is no free transport available in the city centre area. There are 11 schools in one particular area in the west of the city and there is significant congestion in the area when parents must drive to them to drop off their children. There is an amazing difference in the congestion when the schools are closed.
Any initiative which encourages schools and parents to utilise public transport — I acknowledge we must improve the available public transport, especially bus transport, in such situations — would have a significant impact on traffic congestion, emissions and other sustainable initiatives if it were successful. This is probably the single most significant small contribution in this Estimate and I compliment the Minister of State on it.
The module was confined originally to the greater Dublin area but it will have been extended to all provinces by the end of this year. By 2012 it is envisaged there will be approximately 350 schools in the greater Dublin area and 170 in Leinster, outside of the greater Dublin area, with more than 250 in Munster and nearly 300 in Connacht. It is expected it will result in an overall reduction of more than 60,000 car trips per day. Last year only about 50 schools participated and the number will increase this year to more than 250 and more than 1,000 in 2012. The programme is being stepped up hugely. I accept the Chairman's point that it was initially a Dublin-based programme but it will be in the provinces by the end of this year and will be at full steam over the next few years.
It is a good initiative.
I, too, welcome the initiative and great credit is due. It is good to see it expanded throughout the country.
I express my dissatisfaction with the rural transport programme. An allocation of €11 million in 2008 is an increase on €9 million in 2007. In my area the rural transport programme has been a great success as elderly people can go into town even though there are no bus routes. I am concerned that in the past week I have had telephone calls from three different areas where the transport has been cut. This does not tally with the information in the Estimates. Either there are too many routes or it is a question of cost but this should not happen. I am very concerned the service for people who depend on the bus for trips into town is not being continued. I ask the Department to investigate the circumstances because I intend to do so. It does not tally with what I am being told by those locally. The Minister of State may have further information on the situation.
The allocation this year is increased by €2 million which is partly to cover some cross-Border pilot schemes. I do not know why there should be any reductions in the service. I ask the Deputy to supply specific information and we will investigate it.
I wish to comment on the green schools initiative, which has been a great success. It was in some of our schools in north Kildare as we are in the greater Dublin area. The walk to school Wednesdays were fantastic in terms of taking the cars off the road. However, the unfortunate aspect was the parking in cases where children were unable to walk the whole way to school. The supermarkets also benefited from the footfall if they had car parks. I look forward to the cycling initiative.
On the issue of rural transport, our rural transport group from Kildare and Offaly attended a meeting of this committee. The group does wonderful work by connecting people and communities and, as Deputy Feighan said, by taking older people into the local towns. Both the transport group and some of its users have been in contact with me about the fact that some of the services will be cut. It is a very expensive service to run. Deputy Feighan may agree that most groups bring people into town one day a week for shopping. There are some lovely services, including cinemas offering half price tickets and providing tea and coffee. However, it is an expensive service, possibly because of the price of fuel. The Department should investigate where prices have increased because it is an invaluable social service which provides transport as well.
What the Deputy said is noted. The funding allocated to the rural transport scheme is as was agreed in social partnership. It includes phased increases in the allocation over time up to approximately €18 million. The national development plan commits approximately €90 million to the scheme over its full term. It has been agreed with the social partners and is in place. I am not sure if there will be any major expansion over what exists. A pilot cross-Border scheme is being investigated this year. It probably makes sense to continually consider different routes. We have complained often in the past about public transport. In the case of Dublin Bus, for example, it is continually necessary to consider amending routes. Just because a bus route has commenced does not mean it needs to be continued until the year dot if it is possible to provide more and better services. If Deputy Brady can supply the specifics of what she is discussing, we can check it out.
Are there any other questions? We will move on to subheads D1 to D5, inclusive: aircraft accident investigation, regional airports, miscellaneous aviation services and exempt payments. There are five airports on the west coast at Farranfore, Shannon, Galway, Knock and Sligo. Has any initiative been taken to try to co-ordinate the activities of these airports and bring greater synergy into the structure of airports in the west, in particular with a view to providing lower cost access into the region? If the Minister of State does not have the detail, perhaps he could come back to the committee with it later.
I do not know. The Department gives them grant assistance. They are all private airports. As €15.9 million has been allocated to public service obligation subsidies this year, considerable State money is being invested in the area. We will try to ascertain the position.
We have already witnessed the Ryanair attempt to take over Aer Lingus. In view of the major increase in fuel costs and public comments from both Ryanair and Aer Lingus in recent times, has the Department considered the issue of the increasing costs and the implications for this island nation? If it is not possible to give me a response, perhaps the Department might respond to the committee on that issue later.
In view of the necessity for greater access to the regions and the inevitable changes with regard to the phasing out of PSOs, as the Minister of State has just mentioned, would it not be a sensible policy to have a link-up between the key regional airlines, namely Aer Arann and perhaps Aer Lingus? Has any consideration been given to that? I know they are two privately owned and operated airlines. As one who comes from the regions and uses Aer Arann regularly, it strikes me that it is a serious problem for people who access Dublin Airport that they must arrive on an Aer Arann flight, go through the customs hall and come back in to book an Aer Lingus or any other flight. It would be useful if an arrangement could be made between Aer Lingus and Aer Arann. I ask the Department to examine that question and to give the committee a response on it.
I hear what the Chairman is saying. I do not know if there has been a departmental or governmental ruling on the matter. Something similar happened when I was in Germany last week, as I was coming into Düsseldorf. The airline companies and the airport authorities need to work out these matters. I accept that it would make sense if there was more co-ordination of services.
It is a question of public policy and aviation. If we are to encourage people to travel to the regions and to subsidise a system of public service obligation to ensure there are services to and from places like Galway, Knock and Sligo, it makes sense to provide for a greater synergy between the regional airline and the national airline. Ryanair has tried to force Aer Arann off the Dublin to Cork route by operating a below-cost pricing mechanism. I praise Ryanair for moving into Farranfore, where there is no public service obligation. We need to ensure that good quality transport services are available at our regional airports. It is a public policy issue for the Department. It should not be left to the airlines. I ask the Department to examine the matter and to respond to the committee on it.
Okay.
We will move on to subheads E1, E2 and E3 — maritime transport and safety. Do members have any questions in that regard? I would like the Department to respond to the committee on the need to encourage incoming freight away from Dublin and to the regional harbours. Are there any policy initiatives aimed at encouraging more freight to come through places like Waterford, Cork, Foynes and Galway, rather than Dublin?
I will try to find that out for the Chairman. Much of the freight traffic that comes to Ireland is destined for Dublin and its hinterland. Waterford has always had a significant share of the lift-on-lift-off market, just as Rosslare has always had a significant share of the roll-on-roll-off market. I accept there are many ports throughout the country. I will try to get the Chairman some information on whether there is a policy of attracting freight to other locations.
As we try to reduce emissions, we need to focus on the significant number of trucks that travel from Dublin to the west and the south west. I wonder whether containers could be brought to Foynes and transported along the new Atlantic road corridor, including the tunnel under the River Shannon at Limerick, that is being developed. If more of the freight destined for the west and the south west came through ports like Foynes and Galway, it might facilitate better travel logistics. The Minister of State can get back to the committee on the matter.
Do members have any questions on subheads F1 and F2 — miscellaneous provisions? No. Would they like to comment on subhead G — appropriations-in-aid? No. Are there any further remarks to be made in conclusion?
I thank the Minister of State and his officials for coming to this meeting. We are all concerned about budgetary requirements. We hope the matters being provided for in the transport Estimate will be implemented immediately. We hope budgetary requirements will not hinder their progression. It is a vital deal for the country.
That concludes the select committee's consideration of the Estimates for public services for the year ending 31 December 2008, Vote 32 — Transport (Revised). Do members have comments to make on the output statement which they would like to convey to the Chairman of the Select Committee on Finance and the Public Service as requested in his letter of 11 April 2008?
I will pursue a number of outstanding points through parliamentary questions.
I thank the Minister of State and his officials for attending today's meeting and assisting the select committee in its consideration of the Estimates. I am grateful for the clear and concise manner in which he presented the various subheads as it made the work of members much easier.
On behalf of the Department, I thank the select committee for the co-operation it has shown the Department in working with it on various projects during the year. I look forward to dealing with members in future.
I thank the Minister of State and commend his work.
