Written Answers Nos. 439-454
439. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the forthcoming projects regarding transport capital infrastructure being prepared or implemented by the National Transport Authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47959/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra440. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the forthcoming projects regarding transport capital infrastructure being prepared or implemented by Transport Infrastructure Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47960/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 439 and 440 together.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the development of public transport infrastructure. The construction, improvement and maintenance of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.
Noting this, I have referred the Deputy's questions to the agencies for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
The deferred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.
441. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the Law Reform Commission has been requested to produce an up to date consolidation of all road traffic law; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47961/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have not requested the Law Reform Commission to produce an up to date consolidation of all road traffic law. The Road Traffic Acts are available as Revised Acts on the Commission's website. Revised Acts bring together all amendments and changes to an Act in a single text.
My priority is the progression of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2017. Following the passage of this Bill, I will give further consideration to the consolidation matter.
The deferred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.
442. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the successful candidates who applied for the sports capital grant 2017 will be notified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48005/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 2017 round of the Sports Capital Programme closed for applications on 24 February. By the closing date, a record number of 2,320 applications seeking €155 million in grants were received.
When the programme was launched, it was envisaged that €30 m would be available which would have made the allocation of grants particularly challenging. Following the conclusion of the budget discussions and in order to allow as many worthwhile projects as possible to receive some funding, I am pleased that significant extra resources have been secured to allocate under this round.
The assessment of all the 2,320 applications is now nearing completion and I expect to be in a position to announce full details of the allocations in the coming weeks.
443. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures in place to provide adequate public transport to service a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48065/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe issue raised is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
The deferred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.
444. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his Department has considered allowing taxis to use contraflow bus lanes in Dublin city; if following the expansion of the Luas network there are sufficient taxi ranks in the city centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48080/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraBus lanes were put in place, at some expense to the public, to provide on-street priority for bus-based public transport. Their goal is to make bus services more reliable and efficient and to attract more people to switch from private cars to public transport.
Emergency services may also use the lanes, and taxis and bicycles are permitted to use with-flow lanes. The decision in the early days of bus lanes to allow taxis to use with-flow bus lanes was based on the fact that they are available for on-street hire.
Since the creation of the bus lane network, there have been many requests to extend bus lanes to various other categories of traffic. My predecessors and I have always rejected these requests, as allowing further categories of traffic into the lanes would reduce their efficiency for their core purpose. While the specific issue of taxis being allowed to use contra-flow lanes has not been mentioned, to my knowledge, in recent years, there is no plan to extend the use of bus lanes in any respect.
The provision of taxi ranks in Dublin city is a matter for Dublin City Council, and neither I nor my Department has any role in it.
445. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of bilateral meetings he held with his European counterparts in January 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48083/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have met with a number of my European counterparts on a range of transport matters since January of this year.
In April, I met the EU North Sea – Mediterranean Corridor Co-ordinator, Professor Péter Balázs, in Dublin, where we discussed issues relating to TEN-T and the implications of Brexit.
In May, I met with the Swedish Minister for Infrastructure, Anna Johansson, on road safety and Brexit matters. Also in May, I met with the UK Secretary of State for Transport, Rt Hon Chris Grayling, in London, for detailed discussions on Brexit.
In June, I met the Austrian Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology, Jörg Leichtfried, in relation to Brexit and Road Safety. I also met with members of the External Affairs Committee of the National Assembly for Wales on matters primarily relating to Brexit.
In September, I had a conference call with Ken Skates AM, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, National Assembly for Wales, on Brexit related matters.
Last month, I welcomed the European Commissioner for Transport, Ms Violeta Bulc, on her visit to Dublin to undertake a range of meetings on transport and Brexit-related matters. I had previously met Commissioner Bulc in June of this year, at the Transport Council in Luxembourg.
I am currently planning on attending the Transport Council in Brussels next month. This will provide me with further opportunity to meet with other of my European counterparts.
446. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if CIÉ has recently carried out an audit of its land holding with a view to ensuring optimal use of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48084/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe issue raised is an matter for Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
447. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding the implementation status of the national policy framework on alternative fuels infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48087/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Policy Framework for Alternative Fuel Infrastructure in Ireland, 2017-2030 sets out that a Steering Group will be established to monitor the implementation of actions arising from the Framework.
The Framework established targets to achieve an appropriate level of alternative fuels infrastructure for transport, relative to national policy and Irish market needs. Obligations arise from the Framework with implications for a number of Departments and agencies and consequently the recently established Steering Group, chaired by my Department, includes representation from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, the ESB, Gas Networks Ireland and the maritime and aviation sectors.
An implementation plan has been developed and will be presented to the Steering Group in the coming weeks.
Transport must and will continue to play a strong role in contributing to our national emissions reduction effort and the deployment of cleaner alternative fuels and technologies will be instrumental in achieving this objective. The Framework has set out our ambition that from 2030 all new cars and vans sold in Ireland will be zero emission (or zero emission-capable). I recently (together with Minister Naughten) reaffirmed my belief that an even greater level of ambition must be set and we have committed to working together to ensure that all new passenger cars sold in Ireland from 2030 onwards will be zero-emission vehicles.
A series of measures announced in Budget 2018 clearly reflected this Government’s determination to make progress on decarbonising transport. As recommended by the Low Emissions Vehicle Taskforce a suite of tax and expenditure measures was announced to clearly indicate the Government’s commitment to a low-carbon electric vehicle future.
448. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the grants available through her Department for a pilot programme (details supplied) that works with young persons through voluntary organisations and schools in order to develop the project further; when and the way in which grants can be applied for; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47802/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. The funding schemes support national and local youth work involving approximately 1,400 youth work staff working in youth services and communities throughout the country. I am pleased to confirm that I have allocated an extra €5.5 m in current funding to support the provision of youth services in 2017. This will bring the total youth funding by my Department to €57.4m, an increase of 10% over last year's allocation. The additional funding is being used for programmes that target disadvantaged young people and to assist national youth organisations in their work to support local voluntary youth services.
The Local Youth Club Grant Scheme supports youth work activities at a local level. These grants are made available to all youth clubs and groups through the local Education and Training Boards. The scheme is open to some 1,700 youth groups and clubs, with an estimated 90,000 club members around the country. The scheme, which is open to new entrants, is advertised locally and applications for funding are invited by the Education and Training Boards from local groups in their respective areas. In 2017, I have provided an additional 10% in funding to the scheme, bringing the total allocation to €1.1715. The 2017 scheme has now closed. The scheme will be advertised by each Education and Training Board early next year. It is open to the organisation to make an application under the scheme.
449. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the way in which her Department responded to the declaration of the status red alert weather warning in relation to its own employees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47922/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhen Met Éireann extended the 'status red' warning in relation to Storm Ophelia to include Leinster, and taking account of the recommendations of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group, my Department took a decision to close its offices for Monday the 16th of October. We took immediate steps to communicate directly with as many staff as possible on the Sunday evening of the 15th of October. This was done by way of email and text messages. My Department also issued this information on social media using its Twitter account.
In addition, a number of senior staff undertook to come to the building early in the morning of Monday 16th October and prior to the heavy winds due in Dublin, to send home any member of staff who did not receive the closure message. A small number of staff who came to the office were sent home as they arrived. My Department re-opened for business the following day.
450. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of a residential unit (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48015/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have been advised by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, that at this time, the centre concerned is not being used as a residential child care facility. The purpose and function of this centre is currently under review with the relevant stakeholders.
451. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her attention has been drawn to serious delays in payments in the area of domestic violence services in Tusla; if Tulsa ensure that all invoices are paid within a certain timeframe; if so, the timeframe for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48029/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have contacted Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, in regard to this matter.
Tusla has assured me that it makes every effort to ensure that invoices for goods or services are paid within a standard timeframe.
Tusla has advised that a complaint has been received in relation to an overdue payment. The complaint is currently being addressed under Tusla's Complaints Process. This case does not relate to payment for the provision of services to victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. Payments to services continue to issue in line with Tusla's planned payment schedule for 2017.
452. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the way in which his Department responded to the declaration of the status red alert weather warning in relation to its own employees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47934/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraOnce the decision was taken to issue a status red alert weather warning, officials from my Department contacted all staff by phone, text and email to inform them that the office would not open the following day and that staff should not attempt to travel to work. A very small number of employees who could not be contacted were advised to return home on arrival at the Department’s Dublin offices.
The Secretary General attended meetings of the Government Taskforce on Emergency Planning on the day of the storm.
453. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development his plans to provide renovation grants to restore properties in small towns and villages as part of the Government’s promised plan to revive rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47970/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development contains a number of measures which have the objective of rejuvenating Ireland’s rural towns and villages to make them more attractive places in which to live and work, and to increase their tourism potential.
On 4th October last, I announced details of funding of €21.6 million for 281 towns and villages in rural Ireland that will benefit under the 2017 Town and Village Renewal Scheme. The Scheme focuses on improving the economic development of our rural towns and villages.
My officials have separately been examining the potential for developing a pilot scheme to encourage residential occupancy in rural towns and villages. The pilot will consider ways in which properties that are currently not in use in town and village centres can be renovated to allow them to be used for residential purposes. This will further help to rejuvenate town centres while also contributing to the housing needs of individuals.
Following initial discussions at official level, I have now established a Steering Group to accelerate and oversee the design and delivery of the pilot scheme. The Steering Group will be chaired by my Department, and a number of other key Government Departments, including the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the County and City Management Association, and the Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform and Finance, have been invited to participate on the Group.
454. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if the annual transitional funding and conditions attached provided by his Department for a society (details supplied) will be made permanent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47999/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI would like to refer the Deputy to my recent response in relation to PQ Reference No. 45886/17 regarding future transitional funding to the Dublin Inner City Community Co-operative Society outlining that I am aware of the issues regarding the transitional funding arrangements in place since 2015 for the organisation concerned. I am also aware of the timelines involved and my Department is liaising with relevant stakeholders on the matter. My Department will endeavour to complete its consideration of the matter as soon as possible.
