Written Answers Nos. 110-117
110. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of the effectiveness of the Wonders of the Wild Atlantic Way marketing campaign; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25206/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's role in relation to tourism lies in the area of national tourism policy while the tourism agencies have operational responsibility for the implementation of this policy.
In January 2018, Minister Griffin launched the "Wonders of the Wild Atlantic Way" joint Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland marketing initiative, specially designed to boost tourist numbers from Britain to the Wild Atlantic Way. A €1.35 million marketing campaign in Britain is being complemented by an additional €500,000 Fáilte Ireland programme to support businesses along the Wild Atlantic Way to position themselves to benefit from the campaign, as well as to boost its own marketing campaigns in Northern Ireland.
The key focus of the campaign is to extend the holiday season beyond the peak summer months, by enticing people to visit in the spring and autumn. Phase one of Tourism Ireland’s marketing campaign was rolled out in Britain in February and March and with phase two scheduled for September and October.
Some 300 eye-catching billboard ads are highlighting the Wild Atlantic Way in key roadside and city centre locations across Britain right now. The ads feature strong and iconic images of various locations along the Wild Atlantic Way and the key message is the quick and easy access from Britain to those spectacular locations in under two hours. The campaign, which will reach at least ten million potential holidaymakers around Britain, is highlighting ease of direct access from six British gateway cities (London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow) to Cork, Kerry, Shannon, Knock, Donegal and City of Derry airports. An important element of this campaign is the co-operative advertising with airlines flying to airports close to the Wild Atlantic Way – highlighting good value offers and ease of access, helping to convert interest into business.
While it is too early to report on the effectiveness of the campaign as yet, I look forward to hearing from the tourism agencies later in the year in this regard.
111. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the way in which he plans to improve the surrendering of licences from disqualified drivers to the Road Safety Authority in view of the fact that just 1,289 of the 9,449 drivers disqualified in court in 2017 surrendered their licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24858/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder Regulations 45 and 46 of the Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 537 of 2006), as amended, those drivers who are subject to a consequential, ancillary or special disqualification are required to return their driving licence to the Road Safety Authority (RSA). These are penal provisions.
It is not acceptable that so many people do not comply with this legal requirement, and do not return their licences. At the same time, it is important to bear in mind that the matter of greatest concern here is whether people are driving while disqualified, and non-return of licences cannot be taken as a proxy measurement for those driving while disqualified. A person who has retained the physical licence may not be driving, while a person who has returned the licence might continue to drive.
The penalty for driving while disqualified is fine up to a maximum of €5,000 and or a prison term of up to 6 months. The penalty for non-return of a driving licence is the general penalty under the Road Traffic Acts, namely a fine of up to €1,000 for a first offence, up to €2,000 for a second offence, and up to €2,000 and/or up to 3 months in prison for a third or subsequent offence in a 12 month period.
As of 2014, Gardaí have the power to arrest those suspected of driving while disqualified, which is an important tool in dealing with the dangerous behaviour of driving while disqualified.
I am satisfied that the legislation is adequate both in creating these offences along with the penalties prescribed therein and that the necessary powers have been given to the Gardaí to effectively deal with the issue.
Enforcement of the legislation is a matter for An Garda Síochána.
112. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which investment in tourism infrastructure will continue with a view to ensuring maximisation of Ireland's impact on the tourism market, availing of every opportunity to bring tourists here with consequent economic benefit and promotion of Irish culture and heritage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25324/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's role in relation to tourism lies primarily in the area of national tourism policy development, whereas the tourism agencies have operational responsibility for the implementation of this policy. With regard to the tourism product, my Department provides capital funding to Fáilte Ireland for investment in tourism.
As set out in the National Development Plan 2018-2027, almost €108 million has been allocated to Fáilte Ireland for capital investment over the next four years and it is intended that this level of funding will, at a minimum, be maintained over the lifetime of the National Development Plan.
Priority areas for tourism capital investment through Fáilte Ireland's programmes include the development and enhancement of tourist attractions and activity-based tourism to provide the type and quality of experience that visitors are seeking. This investment will support and grow tourism across Ireland, in line with the further development and promotion of the regional tourism brand experiences.
With specific regard to promoting and leveraging the appeal of Ireland's culture and heritage, these are an intrinsic element of all the tourism experience brands but are particularly to the fore in Ireland's Ancient East, which has an especially rich and diverse range of cultural heritage experiences including passage tombs, monastic sites and medieval castles.
Overall, capital investment in Ireland's tourism product aims to continue to motivate large numbers of international tourists to visit the country, with the ultimate goal being to deliver sustainable growth for Irish tourism, resulting in higher revenue and additional jobs.
113. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding the progress of the proposed overbridge at the N24 Piltown bypass at Tower Road; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24966/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme. The planning, design and implementation of individual road projects is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Within its capital budget, the assessment and prioritisation of individual projects is a matter in the first instance for TII in accordance with Section 19 of the Roads Act.
Noting the above position, I have referred the Deputy's question to TII for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you don't receive a reply within 10 working days.
114. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to alleviate the delays and service cancellations affecting Dublin Bus services as a result of traffic congestion and the operation of the Luas cross city; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25410/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing a period of reduced transport usage and suppressed transport growth during the economic recession, Ireland's transport activity and demand has been growing again and is expected to expand further in future years in line with forecast economic growth rates. This higher demand is evidenced in the NTA’s recent published Bus & Rail Statistics bulletin that shows a percentage growth of PSO passenger journeys in the Dublin Region at 21.1% and 23.4% for Dublin Bus and Luas respectively between 2013 and 2017. In 2017 alone Dublin Bus carried 136.26 million passenger journeys and Luas carried 37.65 million. While these figures are encouraging, they highlight why the major investment in public transport outlined in the recently published National Development Plan (NDP) 2018-2027 is needed to respond appropriately to this growth and to address the congestion problems of the Dublin region.
A number of key investment priorities across the Dublin region are set out in the NDP which will address congestion in Dublin and capacity constraints on the existing public transport network. These projects include investing in the existing road, rail and bus network, BusConnects, MetroLink and priority elements of the DART Expansion Programme. Planning of the large projects is now underway and they are scheduled for delivery progressively over the life-time of the 10-year NDP. Meanwhile, in the shorter term, various measures and schemes are being taken to ensure more efficient functioning of transport within Dublin city centre; these involve the National Transport Authority (NTA) working with local authorities and agencies and public transport operators.
While the recently opened extension to the Luas Green Line is realising substantial benefits for customers and for Dublin, it has experienced a number of problems in its first few months of operations. All parties have worked hard to overcome these problems including An Garda Síochána who have supported the smooth functioning of trams across key city centre junction by regularly patrolling it in peak periods. I would also like to acknowledge the continual improvements Dublin City Council make to the signalised junctions on the shared-running sections of the Luas system and also on key bus routes in and out of the city. Such fine-tuning of the signals is an essential on-going support to the Bus and Luas system and traffic management in general.
In relation to bus services, the 2017 performance by Dublin Bus was very strong and the company provided the largest annual number of passenger journeys in 2017 at approximately 136 million. This represents an increase of over 10% on 2016 and also represents five straight years of passenger growth. Against this backdrop 140 new buses are being purchased in 2018 for the Dublin Bus fleet to replace older buses and cater for market growth and new routes. This will bring the total fleet up to almost 1100 buses, with a further expansion of the fleet expected in 2019 in advance of the roll-out of BusConnects. Passengers will also see service improvements coming from bus market opening with, as recently announced, October 2018 seeing the commencement of an increase of service capacity of about 35% across the 24 routes involved.
Looking to the medium term, the BusConnects Programme aims to transform the bus system in Dublin. It will include: a full redesign of the bus network in order to provide a better and more efficient network for passengers; an expanded and modern fleet of vehicles; new road infrastructure to facilitate bus priority and faster journeys for public transport users; improved passenger information and ticketing technology; and transition to a lower emission bus fleet. The public will be fully informed by NTA about the BusConnects programme as it progresses and will have the opportunity to input at various stages to its development. Over the coming weeks and months there will be number of informative stages. Firstly, the NTA plans shortly to publish an information report about the 16 pathways that are emerging as the likely core bus corridors in and out of the city under the new investment Programme. Secondly, the NTA will conduct a public consultation on redesign of Dublin's bus network, including proposals on a major redesign of routes, schedules and fare structures. Thirdly, the NTA then plans to hold a public consultation on the emerging proposals for the 16 core bus corridors.
Passenger numbers on Luas also increased (up 10.5% in 2017), which represents 3.6 million more passenger journeys compared to 2016. The Luas Cross City extension boosted numbers using the Green Line by around 24% in January 2018 compared to January 2017. This shows that demand for Green Line services has grown significantly, now that it has been extended to Broombridge and provides interchange with the Red Line and greater connectivity to mainline and DART rail services. As such, passenger numbers are likely to continue to grow in 2018 and beyond.
Again looking to the future, a number of Luas related measured will be implemented to cater for this demand. A new timetable will be published in June to make best use of the new 55-metre trams that have been introduced with Luas Cross City and also a shuttle service between Heuston and Connolly. It is intended to add further additional Green Line Luas Capacity, by lengthening the 26 existing trams from 43m to 55m. The first extended tram will come online in late 2019, and the final by late 2021. Beyond that it is intended that a further 8 new 55m trams will be delivered and introduced into service.
All the planned investment in public transport, short, medium and long-term, combined will add greatly to the level of service available for the travelling public, connecting more people with more places, easing congestion and combatting climate change.
115. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will report on his comments at the recent public transport round-table event regarding the possibility of an employee share ownership scheme being introduced in the CIÉ group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25391/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, on 21 May 2018 I hosted a round-table dialogue on public transport policy as part of work by my Department - in line with a commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government - to review public transport policy to ensure services are sustainable into the future and are meeting the needs of a modern economy and to develop a policy statement for the sector.
This stakeholder event brought together a wide range of representatives of consumer and passenger interests, public transport operators, unions, business groups, environmental interests, research institutes and the academic community, regulators, and policy makers. A wide variety of issues significant to the public transport sector were discussed, including potential challenges and competing priorities likely to arise in the future across all aspects of public transport provision including economic, social and environmental considerations.
At the close of the event, I put forward a proposal for possible share options for workers in the CIE Group of companies and indicated I would ask for NewERA to examine the proposal. As I emphasised at the time, my suggestion is in no way linked to an intention for privatisation. Rather, I am interested in seeing how such a scheme could be implemented and how it would align with the interests of passengers, the staff and management. NewERA has now been asked to progress this initiative and will be advising me on the matter in the near future.
117. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the impact the draft regional spatial and economic strategy for the eastern and midlands area which sets out restrictive population numbers for County Meath will have on the completion of the second phase of the Navan to Dublin rail line project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25413/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Navan Rail Link Project was originally included under the Transport 21 Initiative and was to be developed in two Phases. Phase 1 comprised the Dunboyne Rail Line project and involved the reopening of 7.5km of a railway line running off the Maynooth line, at Clonsilla, to the M3 interchange at Pace near Dunboyne. This was opened in September 2010 with Park and Ride facilities for 1,200 at Pace and for 300 at Dunboyne. The plan for Phase 2 involved the extension of the Dunboyne Line between Clonsilla and M3 Parkway Station, onwards to north Navan. This development together with a number of other transport projects was postponed in 2011 due to the economic and fiscal crisis.
The National Transport Authority (NTA), which has statutory responsibility for development of Public Transport in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), included an examination of the Navan to City Centre Rail Corridor in the preparation of its "Transport Strategy for the GDA for the period 2016-2035". At that time the NTA concluded that, based on population and employment forecasts, the level of travel demand between Navan, Dunshaughlin and various stations to the city centre was insufficient to justify the development of a high-capacity rail link. Instead it proposed that an enhanced bus service would be provided along the corridor in conjunction with the development of a bus hub by the local authority in Navan. This position will be kept under review by the NTA and will be reassessed as part of the next review of its GDA Transport Strategy which is due before the end of 2021.
The Government’s recently published Project Ireland 2040, comprising the National Planning Framework (NPF) and the National Development Plan (NDP), confirms a number of key public transport investment priorities. It also recognises that over the period of the plan it will be very important to examine the role that the interurban rail network can play in enhancing regional connectivity. In this regard, the NDP notes that the NTA is required to review its Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy every six years and by the end of 2021. This review will include a reappraisal of the proposed extension of the Dunboyne/M3 Parkway line to Navan taking into account the scale of new and planned development along the route, and this will allow for its consideration during the NDP Mid-Term Review.
I understand that the Eastern & Midland Regional Assembly are currently preparing the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) for the Eastern and Midland Region, to ensure better co-ordination in planning and development policy matters across boundaries, as provided for under the Local Government Reform Act 2014. The process of preparing the RSES for this region, that takes the high-level framework and principles of the NPF and works out more detail at regional and local authority levels, also involves consultation with a number of Stakeholders including the NTA.
