Written Answers Nos 569 to 584
570. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide a monthly breakdown of the number of passengers using the new train station in Oranmore, County Galway since it opened in July 2013. [10063/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe issue raised is a matter for Iarnród Éireann and I have forwarded the Deputy’s question to the company for direct reply. The Deputy should advise my private office if he does not receive a response within ten working days.
571. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of the review of the roadworthiness testing of classic and vintage vehicles; the timeframe for his consideration of the Road Safety Authority's review findings; if the recommendations of his Department will be published and debated by Dáil Éireann before any decision is made on the recommendations that will be implemented; the process and the timeframe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10096/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Government's 2013-2020 Road Safety Strategy, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) was tasked with conducting a review of the roadworthiness testing of vintage vehicles to determine the safety case and cost benefits, if any, for inclusion in roadworthiness testing.
My Department received the RSA's review findings and proposals a number of weeks ago. They will be examined by my officials with a view to submitting recommendations to me which I will consider in due course. While I believe that the issues involved are important, given the other competing priorities which my Department is currently dealing with in the area of road safety and in other areas, it is likely to be later in the year before we can turn our attention to this issue.
In compiling its report, the RSA engaged in a comprehensive public consultation exercise that attracted in the region of 2,000 submissions, mostly from the people directly involved with the various clubs associated with the vintage and veteran vehicle movement.
572. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to address the recently announced changes to Bus Éireann bus routes serving rural communities and, in particular, the withdrawal of bus route No. 5 through Clonroche, Bunclody and other parts of County Wexford and the south east, which will result in there being no public transport linkage between these towns and Dublin and County Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10097/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra573. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to subsidise Bus Éireann commercial services to smaller towns and villages in view of the recent announcement of plans for the removal of a number of commercial services, including route No. 5, which links a number of rural communities in County Wexford and the south east region to Dublin and County Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10098/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra606. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he continues to examine the situation regarding a number of Bus Éireann or other bus routes deemed to be at risk due to insufficient passenger numbers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10519/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Question Nos. 572, 573 and 606 together.
I refer the Deputies to my reply to Priority Question No. 115.
574. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of requests made in 2014 by aircraft from the US for a permit to transport munitions through Shannon Airport under the Air Navigation and Transport Act (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Order 1973; the number of requests that were refused and the grounds for those refusals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10099/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe number of requests made by aircraft from the United States in 2014 for a permit to transport munitions through Shannon Airport under the Air Navigation and Transport Act (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Order 1973 was 321. 320 permits were issued and one flight was cancelled. There were 18 refusals of US airlines' applications in 2014 but these were all in respect of overflights. The refusals were based on the advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
575. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of inspections that were carried out by the Irish Aviation Authority in 2014 on civil aircraft transiting through Shannon Airport to ensure compliance with the Air Navigation and Transport Act (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Order 1973; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10100/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraResponsibility for the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Order 1973, as amended, is divided between my Department and the Irish Aviation Authority. My Department is responsible for issuing exemptions from Article 6 of the Order regarding munitions of war and the IAA is responsible for issuing exemptions from Article 7 regarding dangerous goods.
This question relates to the IAA and I have referred the question to the authority for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a reply has not been received within ten days.
576. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to reopen Fiddown train station on the Kilkenny-Rosslare line; if he has discussed such plans with Iarnród Éireann; his views on a rail service for the south based on commercial developments at Belview Port as well as passenger and public interest; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10148/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for policy and the overall funding of public transport.
Matters relating to the re-opening of railway stations such as at Fiddown are a matter for Iarnród Éireann in the first instance. I have had no request for funding for any developments at Fiddown station.
Noting this I have referred the Deputy's question to Iarnród Éireann for direct reply. He should advise my private office if he does not receive a reply within ten working days.
577. Deputy Seán Kenny asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will request Bus Éireann to have at least one bus stopping at a location (details supplied) in County Leitrim going both directions in the afternoon during the summer months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10151/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe issue raised is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) in conjunction with Bus Éireann and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. He should advise my private office if he does not receive a response within ten working days.
578. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his role in decisions made by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10202/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Marine Casualty Investigation Board is an independent body, as specifically provided for in section 8 of the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Casualties) Act, 2000, which states that "The Board shall be independent of the Minister in the performance of its functions and, in general, shall be independent of any other person or body whose interests could conflict with the functions of the Board".
I have no role in the analysis, conclusions or recommendations made by the MCIB in relation to a marine casualty.
579. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his commitment to rural transport and the challenges it faces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10203/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Rural Transport Programme (RTP) was created to address social exclusion in rural areas arising from unmet public transport needs. In April 2012 responsibility for managing the RTP was assigned to the National Transport Authority (NTA). This role for the NTA, coupled with its national remit for securing the provision of public transport passenger services, enables the development of better links between local and rural transport services and scheduled bus and rail services.
The Rural Transport Programme entails the provision of around 220,000 services annually and about 1.7 million passenger trips.
The delivery arrangements for the Rural Transport Programme are undergoing a restructuring process which is being managed by the NTA with a view to achieving efficiency in the delivery of services. The Government has committed to ensuring that there is no reduction in the level of service provided under the Programme.
I have referred this question to the NTA for further direct reply. The Deputy should advise my private office if he does not receive a response within ten working days.
580. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the Government is involved in a bid for the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2017; and if he will provide an update on the bid for the Men's Rugby World Cup in 2023. [10204/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am delighted that the IRFU has submitted a bid to host the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2017. The bid is a matter for the IRFU and the Government is not involved in the bid. However, my colleague, the Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Deputy Michael Ring, wrote to the IRFU in recent weeks expressing his support and the full support of my Department and agencies for the bid.
Following on from the report of the working group set up to examine key issues in relation to the possibility of Ireland hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2023, the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive announced their support on 5 December last for the preparation of a joint bid for the Rugby World Cup by the IRFU.
Since then, the bid group working in the IRFU has commenced work on compiling the bid, with the support of the two administrations and their agencies. An Overview Group will be appointed to oversee progress on the bid and guide the bid preparation. I hope to be in a position to announce the details of the group in the near future.
581. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide extra funding for the expansion of the dublinbikes scheme outside the canals area which would require Government subsidisation in view of the fact that there is little scope for extending the scheme under the current model with a company (details supplied). [10205/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe administration and expansion of the dublinbikes scheme is the responsibility of the National Transport Authority (NTA) in co-operation with each of the four Dublin local authorities.
I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct response. If he has not received a response within 10 working days he should contact my private office.
582. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount invested on an annual basis by Fáilte Ireland to market County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10214/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra583. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the strategies and policies his Department and-or Fáilte Ireland have in place to promote County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10215/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra586. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his Department and-or Fáilte Ireland will provide a commitment to market Cork city as a destination and stop-off point for visitors to Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10219/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 582, 583 and 586 together.
Tourism Ireland is the North/South body with responsibility for the overseas promotion of the island of Ireland as a tourism destination, while Fáilte Ireland has responsibility for encouraging, promoting and supporting tourism as a leading indigenous component of the Irish economy – including through domestic tourism marketing.
Accordingly I have referred these questions to the two tourism agencies for direct reply on any marketing initiatives to promote County Cork, Cork City and County Kerry. The Deputy should advise my private office if he does not receive a reply within ten working days.
I would add that the role of Tourism Ireland is not to promote individual locations but rather the island of Ireland. Similarly, even at a domestic level, an administrative authority area is not a tourism destination and Irish consumers will choose tourism destinations on the basis of the particular attractiveness of its tourism experience rather than an administrative designation. In doing so, of course, agencies and others can highlight the range of attractions, experiences and services which tourists can enjoy in destinations. In that regard, it not so much a question of agency expenditure but of the readiness of those tourist experiences to actively contribute to the promotional effort, at home or abroad.
584. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the strategy his Department and-or Fáilte Ireland have in place to promote Cork Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10216/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware that DAA has statutory responsibility to operate, manage and develop both Dublin and Cork airports and any strategy to promote Cork Airport is a matter for daa and Cork Airport management.
However, I am of course aware and concerned at the continuing decline in passenger numbers at Cork. I understand that daa and Cork Airport management are working hard to stabilise numbers and return Cork Airport to growth. DAA is actively engaged with existing airline customers and potential new entrants to help expand traffic at the airport and to generate new services.
Specifically in relation to tourism, Tourism Ireland is the north/south body with responsibility for the overseas promotion of Ireland as a tourism destination, while Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, has responsibility for encouraging, promoting and supporting tourism as a leading indigenous component of the Irish economy – including through domestic tourism marketing. Accordingly, I have referred this question to the two tourism agencies for direct reply on any specific marketing strategies involving Cork Airport.
Ultimately, creating new services and growing inbound tourism depends not just on the availability of competitive access but also on ensuring that potential visitors have a reason to visit. I would urge all the stakeholders to work together to develop the various tourism products in the region. The stakeholders, along with the Airport and the tourism agencies will then be better able to pursue every opportunity to develop and highlight those products. It is only in working together that the objective of ensuring a sustainable airport able to grow in the future can be achieved for the benefit of the region.
