Written Answers Nos. 272-281
272. Deputy Derek Keating asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the Department, agency, authority or local authority that is responsible for safety on motorways, national primary, national secondary, local primary, local secondary, local tertiary and any undesignated roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28063/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Road Safety Authority have overall responsibility for the Road Safety Strategy 2013 - 2020 and are charged with increasing awareness of safety on our roads, promoting safer driving, improving vehicle standards, driver testing, driver licensing and undertaking certain enforcement activities as well as undertaking accident and road safety research in order to develop measures and recommendations to improve road safety. The RSA also advise me on road safety policy. The National Roads Authority and each local authority is responsible for the improvement and maintenance of the roads network be they national primary, secondary or tertiary.
An Garda Síochána are responsible for ensuring road traffic enforcement where necessary across all public roadways.
273. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if drivers disqualified in court who fail to produce their licences are guilty of an offence; the section of legislation that provides for this offence; if this has been communicated to the Courts Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28070/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraSection 22 of the Road Traffic Act 2002 (the 2002 Act), as amended by section 63 of the Road Traffic Act 2010, requires a person who it is alleged has committed an offence or has been charged with the commission of an offence under the Road Traffic Acts to produce to the court his or her driving licence or learner permit, and provide a legible copy of that licence or learner permit, on the first date he or she is due to appear before the court or on a subsequent date at the discretion of the presiding judge. This provision extends to those who are convicted of a road traffic offence which results in a disqualification in court. Under Section 22(2) of the 2002 Act, it is an offence for a person to fail to produce his or her driver licence or learner permit or a legible copy of that driver licence or learner permit when appearing in court. It would appear that this offence has only been commenced to date in relation to certain penalty point offences. My officials are currently examining how best to commence this subsection and subsection 22 (3) to ensure that it applies to all road traffic offences whereby a person is required to produce their licence in Court.
Furthermore, it should be noted that it is a requirement under Statutory Instrument No. 6 of 2013 for a driver who has been disqualified to surrender their licence to the licensing authority i.e. the National Driver Licence Service and failure to do so is an offence.
It is also an offence for a disqualified driver to drive while disqualified and I have recently signed an order commencing new powers for An Garda Síochána to allow them to arrest people who drive while disqualified. The introduction of this new provision provides An Garda Síochána with the necessary power to deal swiftly with this offence which carries with it a fine not exceeding €5,000 or up to 6 months imprisonment or both.
With regard to the Courts Service, it is my understanding that the provision whereby a person is obliged to bring their licence to court has been brought to the attention of all District Court Justices. An arrangement has been put in place between An Garda Síochána and the Courts Service to facilitate the bringing of prosecutions for the non-production of a driver licence in the circumstances where the relevant offence provision has been commenced.
274. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is satisfied with the National Transport Authority's oversight and monitoring of the transport co-ordination units and with the rural transport programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28094/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra275. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views that it is acceptable that Flexibus, an agent of the National Transport Authority, would seek to contract drivers from the Fingal rural transport programme to operate a bus owned by the Alzheimer Society of Ireland in Fingal in County Dublin, and keep that bus in the drivers' homes, a practice which is in breach of the Road Safety Authority's guidelines, and for which the drivers would not be insured, potentially exposing the National Transport Authority to potential liabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28095/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra276. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is satisfied that the National Transport Authority has a policy to deal with new employment and work practices within the transport co-ordination units and the rural transport programme, involving contracting drivers. [28096/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 274 to 276, inclusive, together.
The Rural Transport Programme (RTP) was created to address social exclusion arising from unmet public transport needs. In April 2012 responsibility for managing the RTP was assigned to the National Transport Authority (NTA) as part of new arrangements for integrated local and rural transport approved by Government in January 2012 to deliver on its commitment in the Programme for Government to maintain and extend the RTP with other local transport services as much as practicable. This role for the NTA, coupled with its national remit for securing the provision of public passenger transport services, enables the development of better links between local and rural transport services and scheduled bus and rail services.
A restructuring of the RTP, announced in July 2013, involved the establishment of 17 Transport Co-ordination Units (TCUs) in place of the 35 RTP Groups which had previously delivered rural transport services. The NTA has replaced the RTP groups as the contracting party for service provision and the new TCUs will manage the contracted services on behalf of the NTA. The NTA was tasked with restructuring the programme to include local authority involvement in delivery of an efficient and effective integrated local and rural transport linking with the wider state and public transport network.
I am not aware of any concerns regarding the operation of the RTP by the NTA or the contractual arrangements with the TCUs. I have however referred your questions to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
277. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of jobs that are created by the heavy goods vehicle industry; if his Department has any action plans to increase job creation in this sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28134/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's Road Transport Operator Licensing Unit issues licences to operators who wish to trade for hire or reward in the road haulage sector. This sector accounts for approximately 20% of the total national HGV fleet; the majority of HGVs are operated on an own account basis and are not required to be authorised on a Road Haulage Operator Licence. My Department has no direct remit in creating jobs in the road haulage sector, but in effectively regulating the industry we would seek to create the conditions for efficiency, growth and job creation in an area that has a key role to play in the growth of the economy.
278. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide a breakdown for a funding announcement for a discovery point on the Wild Atlantic Way, (details supplied); the works that have taken place, and that are scheduled to take place. [28146/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhile my Department provides the capital funding for investment in tourism projects such as the Wild Atlantic Way, it is not directly involved in developing or managing these. The development of the Wild Atlantic Way is an operational matter for Fáilte Ireland. Accordingly I have referred the question to the agency for direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
279. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has received representations from the road haulage industry under the umbrella of the Irish Road Haulage Association on the reduction of the road tax on heavy goods vehicles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28209/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is currently chairing an Inter-Departmental Group on HGV user charges, which was established in January 2014 to consider the introduction in Ireland of a 'pay-as-you-go' road tax system for HGVs. The group has been examining the technical, regulatory and economic dimensions of introducing a HGV road user charge in Ireland. The work of the group was expanded to include a full review of commercial motor tax, which has led to the group taking longer than anticipated to finalise its proposals. The group held a targeted stakeholder consultation from November 2014 to February 2015 and has had meetings with stakeholders, including the Irish Road Haulage Association as representatives of the road haulage industry. The report of the group is currently being finalised for submission to me and to the Ministers for Finance and the Environment, Community and Local Government. I expect to receive the report shortly.
280. Deputy Derek Keating asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in view of the fact that the Ireland-Australia transportation database is incomplete as a result of the destruction of the National Archives in 1922 and only contains transport registers from 1836 to 1857; given that in 1988 the then Taoiseach gave a microfilm copy of the database as a gift to the Australian archives as part of Australia's bicentennial celebrations and, particularly, as it is a stated objective of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to increase tourist numbers from Australia, if she will seek a reciprocal copy of the existing convict transportation records from Australia, which are held in the New South Wales archives in Australia, to be placed in the Irish National Archives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28000/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI understand from the National Archives that the presentation of the microfilm copies of the Ireland Australian Transportation records to Australia in 1988 was intended to serve the very purpose of stimulating an interest among Australians in their Irish ancestry and promoting visits by Australians to Ireland. The National Archives has further indicated that the individuals most interested in getting access to records relating to the transportation of Irish convicts are Australian-based individuals with ready access to original convict indents and ticket of leave records in Australia, supplemented by the microfilm copy Irish records presented by the Government and people of Ireland.
In addition, there is now ready online access via various websites to Australian records relating to transported convicts that can be used by Irish-Australians and others to access records relating to convicts, including Irish convicts. This should obviate the need to deposit copies of records at other locations.
Having this kind of material available online should certainly help to boost genealogy tourism. As we approach the centenary of the 1916 Rising next year, I am keen to encourage people around the world to reconnect with their Irish roots.
281. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the measures that are being taken to halt the loss of native plant biodiversity, given the increase occurrence of cases of invasive species such as giant hogweed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28024/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhile it is certain that invasive species are having negative effects on biodiversity locally, through competition and complete or partial replacement of the native flora/vegetation communities, my Department does not currently consider that rare plant species are under imminent threat from such invasives. I am aware of much useful work by Inland Fisheries Ireland in controlling aquatic and waterside invasive plants, such as hogweed, and my Department has helped fund some such initiatives.
The European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 477/2011) prohibit the spreading of invasive species.
