Written Answers Nos. 375-386
375. Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the Fáilte Ireland tourism capital investment programme will be open to new applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39100/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhile the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport provides funding for capital investment in tourism, the allocation of these funds is a matter for the board and management of Fáilte Ireland. The Department’s role in relation to tourism lies primarily in the area of national policy and it is not engaged in the administration of tourism–related grant programmes.
In this regard, Fáilte Ireland administer the Tourism Capital Investment Programme (TCIP). The funds available under that the programme are fully committed to the end of 2016. Accordingly, Fáilte Ireland is unable to accept new applications for funding. Furthermore, the authority has worked most recently to actively identify specific opportunities for investment which align with strategic objectives rather than passively awaiting applications. Such a strategic approach is, I believe, a more effective way of deploying public resources to support the growth of tourism, especially from overseas.
The point at which Fáilte Ireland will be in a position to consider new proposals for capital funding is dependent on the annual estimates and budgetary process but I am hopeful that we will be in a position to progress a range of developments as funding becomes available in coming years.
376. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will explore ways of reducing local improvement scheme waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39104/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) provides funding for roads and laneways that Councils have not taken in charge. However, the maintenance and improvement of these is, in the first instance, a matter for the relevant landowner. There is no separate allocation for the LIS. Instead, local authorities may use up to 15% (up from 7% in 2013) of their initial Discretionary Grant towards local improvement schemes should they wish to do so. The local contribution for these schemes remains at 20% of the total cost of the project.
Details of the 2014 regional and local roads grants were communicated to local authorities on 24 January this year. Furthermore, it is open to local authorities to supplement the percentage of their Discretionary Grant that they can use for the LIS with their own resources.
The current position is likely to extend into 2015. Some local authorities want the LIS while others prefer to put the funding into public roads. I think this decision is best made at a local level.
377. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps he will take to address the problems facing road hauliers regarding the high cost of road tax and test fees, which are creating circumstances in which some contractors are relocating in Britain. [39124/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn response to concerns raised by hauliers about the cost of running a haulage operation in Ireland, an interdepartmental group chaired by my Department was established in February of this year to assess the implications of introducing a pay-as-you-go road tax system for HGVs. The group is made up of representatives from the Departments of Transport, Tourism and Sport; Environment, Community and Local Government; and Finance; the National Roads Authority; the Road Safety Authority; An Garda Síochána; and Forfás.
The remit of the group is to examine the technical, regulatory and economic dimensions of any pay-as-you-go charging system for HGVs in Ireland. The group had expected to finalise its recommendations in the summer of this year, as previously reported by my predecessor as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. The initial work carried out by the group has raised additional issues for their consideration, leading to a deferral in the finalisation of their report. I have given the group additional time to complete their work to ensure that the report is as comprehensive as possible and it is expected before the end of this year.
In the meantime, any reform of the motor tax system is a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.
The obligation to carry out roadworthiness testing of vehicles is common across the EU and the cost of the tests in Ireland compare favourably to those in other Member States.
379. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to expand the traditional remit for a tourist enterprise, as set down in the Fógra Fáilte Ireland Act 1955, so as to ensure that tourist attractions such as one (details supplied) in County Cork, which currently does not fit the template for approval, receives the appropriate support and promotion it requires; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39171/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Tourist Traffic Acts, 1939-2011, Fáilte Ireland has specific functions in relation to the mandatory registration and grading of certain types of tourist accommodation and may also publish lists of unregistered tourist accommodation premises.
Fáilte Ireland is currently reviewing its national quality assurance framework for accommodation to take account of changes in accommodation provision and it plans to introduce new standards next year. In this regard, I have no plans to amend the Tourist Traffic Acts 1939-2011 as this is not required in order for Fáilte Ireland to support and promote the tourist accommodation providers to which the Deputy refers.
As this review and any new standards arising are operational matters for Board and management of Fáilte Ireland, I have referred the Deputy’s question to the agency for further information and direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
380. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 610 of 7 October 2014, if he will list the aircraft from the five companies that were granted permits to carry munitions; and the dates on which those permits were granted. [39185/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraMunition permits under the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Order, 1973, as amended, are granted for 'a particular aircraft operation'. Airlines applying for such permits are required to submit the flight number, origin and destination of the flight, details of whether the flight will land in Ireland, and, most importantly, full details of the nature of the munitions on board. The registration details of the particular aircraft carrying out the operation are not included in the application form so the information sought by the Deputy is not available to my Department.
However, outlined in the table are details of the number and dates of flights by the five airlines that were granted munitions permits over the last year for flights landing at Shannon Airport.
|
North American Airlines |
04 March 2014 and 05 March 2014 |
|
Delta Airlines |
15 June 2014 |
|
Atlas Air Inc |
06 July 2014 |
|
National Airlines |
14 August 2014, 2 flights |
|
Omni Airlines |
2013 October - 42 flights November - 29 flights December - 31 flights
2014 January - 31 flights February - 19 flights March - 14 flights April - 29 flights May - 16 flights June - 14 flights July - 28 flights August - 22 flights September - 20 flights |
381. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason the Irish Aviation Authority does not fall under the Freedom of Information Act. [39244/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe principal reason is related to important regulatory functions undertaken by the IAA under which it operates an extensive confidential, non-punitive and mandatory safety incident and occurrence reporting system. The guarantee of confidentiality is an essential prerequisite for this system, which is mandated under EU law, to operate effectively and it is considered that the application of FOI provisions would be inconsistent with this prerequisite.
There are also certain relevant commercial factors to be considered in this context. The Single European Sky Initiative aims to integrate European airspace management through, inter alia, a reduction in the number of Air Navigation Services Providers across Member States. This process will increasingly involve international competition between operators and the IAA, as a service provider, could clearly be placed at a serious competitive disadvantage if it had to operate disclosure requirements which would not be applicable to competitor providers in other Member States.
382. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is satisfied with the relationship between the Irish Aviation Authority, as the aviation regulator, and the companies it regulates; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that allegations were made about confidential communications being passed from the IAA to some of these companies; his plans to deal with this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39245/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has statutory responsibility for regulating aviation safety in the State in accordance with standards laid down in European law and by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Like all other national aviation regulatory authorities, the IAA is subject to regular review at international level by ICAO and by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to ensure that it is appropriately regulating the various entities involved in aviation in Ireland in accordance with these standards. The outcome of the audits of the IAA by these international organisations indicate that IAA is performing its safety regulation activities to a very high standard. The audits have never raised any concerns about the relationship between the IAA and the entities that it regulates.
I intend to have an examination of the IAA's performance of its functions carried out in accordance with Section 32 of the Irish Aviation Authority Act 1993 in the near future. The last such examination was carried out in 2004 and concluded that "there is a general, positive and proactive attitude and competence vis-à-vis safety and the maintenance of a high safety level” in the Authority. In the intervening period, the IAA has been subject to numerous audits by EASA and ICAO as described above.
I am aware of the allegations that the Deputy refers to and these have been addressed by the IAA. My predecessor met with representatives of the Irish Airline Pilots Association in relation to this matter in July this year and I have recently accepted an invitation to meet with the Association to discuss this and other matters.
383. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport regarding the draft national policy for aviation in Ireland, if his attention has been drawn to concerns that the proposed provision to enable non-EU or US airlines collect passengers at airports here for onward travel to the US will have negative consequences for EU airlines which have, in many cases, better working terms and conditions for staff and which respect employment and equality legislation; the rationale underpinning the proposal; and if there are sufficient safeguards to ensure that airlines will operate and compete on a fair basis. [39248/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe draft National Aviation Policy was published in May 2014 following an extensive public consultation process in 2013. The consultation process covered all elements of aviation policy and the draft policy takes account of the submissions received.
On the issue of fifth freedom traffic rights for airlines, the majority of submissions received favoured the adoption of a liberal approach, in the interests of connectivity and competition. The draft policy proposes that a liberal approach should be taken by my Department to any requests from non-EU and non-US airlines to serve routes to/from Ireland where there is a clear benefit for Ireland and the travelling public. The proposal also refers to the need to take account of EU criteria on fair competition.
It should be pointed out that any service between Ireland and the US by a third country airline would also require the approval of the US authorities. The US has traditionally had a liberal policy on such matters and has 'open skies' agreements with over 100 countries worldwide, most of which provide for fifth freedom rights.
Submissions in response to the draft policy were invited up to the end of July and over 70 were received.
Many of the submissions outline views on the issue of fifth freedom rights, both for and against, and these will be fully considered in finalising the Policy.
The intention is that the National Aviation Policy will be finalised and adopted before the end of the year.
384. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will request a response from the National Transport Authority to correspondence (details supplied) furnished to its office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39252/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the regulation of the small public service (SPSV) industry under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013, including responsibility for administering the SPSV Entry Test which includes the Area Knowledge test.
I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply. If you do not receive a reply within ten working days please notify my private office.
385. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide a list of all State board appointments since the general election of 2011; the person who recommended each appointment; the credentials of those appointed; if the vacancy was publicly advertised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39289/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy regarding State board appointments made since March 2011 is included in the table.
At present, my Department maintains its own database of applicants compiled from expressions of interest as advertised on our website. In making any Board appointments, I am not confined to those who make such expressions of interest but I do ensure that all of those appointed have the relevant qualifications for the positions. In that respect, I have regard to the body or agency in question and the appropriate mix of skills and experience required on the Board. I may, from time to time, also decide not to fill all existing vacancies.
Regarding the credentials of those appointed, these are already available on most of the websites of the Agencies themselves. In the interest of transparency, my Department will be writing to all the agencies under the Department’s remit to request they all provide a synopsis of each Board member's credentials on their websites.
The Deputy will be aware that a new model for appointments to State Boards, making use of the Public Appointment Service, will come into effect later this year. This will complement the current system with a more structured approach to ensure that vacancies on State Boards are populated in a transparent way by the high-calibre personnel required to successfully perform their mandates. My Department’s current procedures will be superseded by the new model when it is in place.
My Department publishes details of all State Board appointments and vacancies on its website - dttas.ie - and on current processes for appointment.
|
Title |
Board Member |
Role |
State Board |
Date of Appointment |
Date of Reappointment |
Date of Expiry |
|
Mr |
Des Whelan |
Chairperson |
Port of Waterford Company |
06/10/2014 |
06/10/2019 |
|
|
Mr |
Ultan Courtney |
Chairperson |
Bus Átha Cliath (BÁC) |
23/09/2014 |
23/09/2017 |
|
|
Mr |
Ultan Courtney |
Board Member |
Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) |
10/09/2014 |
10/09/2017 |
|
|
Ms |
Rose Hynes |
Chairperson |
Shannon Group |
29/08/2014 |
29/08/2019 |
|
|
Mr |
Neil Pakey |
Ex-Officio |
Shannon Group |
29/08/2014 |
||
|
Mr |
Pat Dalton |
Board Member |
Shannon Group |
29/08/2014 |
29/08/2019 |
|
|
Mr |
Liam O' Shea |
Board Member |
Shannon Group |
29/08/2014 |
29/08/2019 |
|
|
Ms |
Kathryn O' Leary Higgins |
Board Member |
Shannon Group |
29/08/2014 |
29/08/2017 |
|
|
Mr |
Tom Coughlan |
Board Member |
Shannon Group |
29/08/2014 |
29/08/2018 |
|
|
Mr |
Tony Brazil |
Board Member |
Shannon Group |
29/08/2014 |
29/08/2017 |
|
|
Mr |
Joe Buckley |
Employee Representative |
Shannon Group |
29/08/2014 |
29/08/2018 |
|
|
Mr |
Kevin McCarthy |
Employee Representative |
Shannon Group |
29/08/2014 |
29/08/2018 |
|
|
Mr |
Michael Leydon |
Board Member |
Shannon Group |
29/08/2014 |
29/08/2017 |
|
|
Mr |
Pascal Fitzgerald |
Board Member |
Irish Aviation Authority |
01/08/2014 |
01/08/2018 |
|
|
Mr |
Geoffrey Darling |
Board Member |
Dublin Port Company |
17/07/2014 |
17/07/2018 |
|
|
Ms |
Deirdre Ashe |
Board Member |
Bus Éireann (BÉ) |
10/07/2014 |
10/07/2017 |
|
|
Mr |
Denis Macken |
Board Member |
Bus Éireann (BÉ) |
10/07/2014 |
10/07/2017 |
|
|
Mr |
Martin Storey |
Board Member |
Irish Sports Council (ISC) |
10/07/2014 |
09/10/2014 |
16/09/2015 |
|
Mr |
Aidan Murphy |
Chairperson |
Bus Éireann (BÉ) |
09/07/2014 |
09/07/2017 |
|
|
Mr |
Aidan Murphy |
Board Member |
Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) |
09/07/2014 |
09/07/2017 |
|
|
Ms |
Christine Ourmieres |
Board Member |
Irish Sports Council (ISC) |
08/07/2014 |
09/10/2014 |
16/09/2015 |
|
Ms |
Virginia O' Dowd |
Board Member |
National Roads Authority |
08/07/2014 |
31/12/2015 |
|
|
Mr |
Gerard Barron |
Board Member |
National Tourism Development Authority (Fáilte Ireland) |
08/07/2014 |
27/05/2018 |
|
|
Mr |
Francis Brennan |
Board Member |
National Tourism Development Authority (Fáilte Ireland) |
04/07/2014 |
27/05/2018 |
|
|
Mr |
Don McManus |
Board Member |
Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company |
02/07/2014 |
01/07/2018 |
|
|
Mr |
Joe O' Mahony |
Board Member |
National Roads Authority |
01/07/2014 |
31/12/2015 |
|
|
Mr |
Joe O' Mahony |
Board Member |
Railway Procurement Agency (RPA ) |
01/07/2014 |
31/12/2015 |
|
|
Mr |
Joe Dreelan |
Board Member |
Port of Waterford Company |
25/06/2014 |
24/06/2019 |
|
|
Ms |
Louise Grubb |
Board Member |
Port of Waterford Company |
25/06/2014 |
24/06/2019 |
|
|
Ms |
Mary Mosse |
Board Member |
Port of Waterford Company |
25/06/2014 |
24/06/2019 |
|
|
Mr |
Jack Walsh |
Board Member |
Port of Waterford Company |
25/06/2014 |
25/06/2018 |
|
|
Ms |
Marie Bradley |
Board Member |
Irish Aviation Authority |
13/06/2014 |
12/06/2018 |
|
|
Mr |
Michael Cawley |
Chairperson |
National Tourism Development Authority (Fáilte Ireland) |
19/05/2014 |
19/05/2019 |
|
|
Ms |
Nicola Hayes |
Board Member |
Medical Bureau of Road Safety |
20/04/2014 |
31/03/2015 |
386. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport with regard to the awarding of the public service obligations air service scheme for the Donegal-Dublin route from 2015, his plans to introduce price cap regulation on air fares which would set a limit on the maximum price by which the successful service provider would be allowed to charge passengers for using these services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39293/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn preparing for the public tender process for PSO air services on the Donegal/Dublin and Kerry/Dublin routes post 2014, the current specifications for both routes were reviewed in consultation with all of the key stakeholders, including the airports and incumbent airlines. On the basis of that review, it was decided to reduce the maximum fare of €100 to a more realistic €80 for future contracts. While this will set the maximum fares that can be charged under such contracts, the actual fares charged on PSO air services to date are considerably lower and are dictated, in the main, by the market rather than any maximum provided under such contracts.
