Denis Naughten
Ceist:985 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Transport the action he is taking to address the problem of unlicensed hauliers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21642/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 29 September 2004
Ceisteanna (804, 805)
Freagraí scríofa
In order to operate a haulage service for hire or reward, a haulier must hold a road freight carrier's licence. It is an offence to operate without such a licence and any persons found to be doing so can be prosecuted through the courts if they do not cease operations or immediately comply with licensing requirements.
The most effective way of uncovering illegal operations has proven to be the confidential freefone complaints line and the confidential written complaints system, both of which provide my Department with information on alleged illegal haulage. Already this year, my Department has taken action on 117 complaints regarding illegal haulage operations and consignor companies which engaged illegal hauliers.
I have also taken action where operators have failed to respond to requests for relevant documentation to prove they still comply with the EU licensing criteria of good repute, appropriate financial standing and professional competence.
To date, I have informed 50 licensees of my intention to suspend or revoke their licences, of which 29 now stand revoked or suspended and a further 21 are going through the appeals procedure. There are a further 50 licences in the process of being reviewed and I will be writing to these operators in due course. All the above measures will help to tighten the net of sanctions against those who operate haulage services illegally and those companies which contract their services.
Denis Naughten
Ceist:986 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Transport the outstanding elements of the 1999 Government report on the development of the haulage industry; the timescale for the implementation of these outstanding elements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21643/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government's report, A Strategy for the Successful Development of the Irish Road Haulage Industry, published in 1999, identified six key pillars of a development strategy for the industry as follows: a changed legal-regulatory-policy environment, enhanced support services for the road haulage sector, improvement to operational performance of the sector, measures to address time and delivery challenges, development of more accurate pricing of services, realisation of the potential of the road haulage industry.
The strategy made recommendations in relation to these areas to enhance the efficiency and profitability of the industry in line with market requirements. A road haulage review implementation group consisting of representatives of IBEC, the IRHA and the Department, was established in June 1999 to implement the recommendations of the strategy.
No definitive implementation timescales were laid down in the strategy but the following progress has been made: the Department, in consultation with the IRHA on behalf of the industry and also IBEC, has taken initiatives to strengthen the regulation of the road haulage sector; the enforcement resources of the Department were increased with the addition of three transport officers and support staff; a strategic development plan for the IRHA has been put in place and Government funding totalling €635,000 over five years has been provided; the Department maintains close contact and co-operation with the Gárda Siochána and other enforcement agencies in the enforcement of road transport legislation; training courses for hauliers aimed at improving profitability and management of the sector have been provided by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Ireland in association with FÁS. This training is ongoing.
A programme of action for the road haulage Industry was published in January 2001. The programme builds on the Government's 1999 strategy and a steering group, formed to implement the programme of action, has subsumed the work of the road haulage review implementation group.
Most recently, the work of the steering group has been focusing specifically on the problem of illegal haulage. It is estimated that about 15% of haulage vehicles on the road are operating illegally. A structured system for submitting information on instances of illegal haulage to my Department is in operation and has recently been enhanced by the introduction of a freefone service for reporting complaints against illegal operators.
All information received is investigated by my Department's transport officers, often in co-operation with the Garda. The increased co-operation and intelligence sharing between my Department, the IRHA, the Garda and other enforcement agencies has resulted in increased levels of detection and prosecution of illegal operators. It has also facilitated the identification and prosecution of those companies which are illegally employing them.