Written Answers Nos. 199-210
199. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Transport if he will examine removing the two-year validity of the EU parking permit for disabled drivers to avoid people with disabilities having to re-apply every two years; if he will outline, given that a disability is permanent, what the rationale is for only providing the card for two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49171/23]
View answerThe two-year validity period for the disabled parking permit is set out in the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997, as amended. Following a stakeholder consultation in 2009/2010, it was decided to retain the defined period for all permit holders.
My Department and the bodies which issue the permits, the Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland (DDAI) and the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA), are aware that the renewal requirement may be inconvenient for people with permanent mobility impairment. However, the DDAI and the IWA consider that extending this period, or providing a lifelong permit, would compromise permit security and increase the potential for fraud. Regular renewal ensures that the photograph is current and that enforcement authorities (An Garda Síochána and local authority traffic wardens) can confirm the permit holder’s identity and their entitlement to the permit.
A defined validity period also restricts the time that a lost or stolen permit, or a permit for a person who is since deceased, can be used. An Garda Síochána. as part of Operation Enable in 2017, identified the latter as a particularly widespread problem, even within the two-year limit. To extend the expiry period would greatly expand the potential for this kind of fraud.
Permit fraud takes disabled parking bays away from those who need them and undermines the Disabled Parking Scheme. While most permit holders are fully compliant with the scheme, it is important to maximise security and minimise opportunities for fraud and misuse. Accordingly, the issuing bodies consistently stress the need to keep track of who possesses a permit and to ensure that permits issued to people who have since died are taken out of circulation as quickly as possible. Given this, there are no plans to extend the current expiry period.
200. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Transport what plans he has to ensure the roll-out of wheelchair accessible public transport on buses and rail to ensure equality of access for all persons and to make it easier for wheelchair users to get on and off public transport. [49172/23]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding for public transport.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for developing an accessible, integrated and sustainable public transport network. It is the individual transport companies, which have responsibility for the operation of public transport services, in conjunction with the NTA.
In light of the NTA's over-arching responsibilities in relation to public transport accessibility, including in relation to the accessibility of vehicles, I have forwarded your question to the NTA for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
201. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Transport if he has engaged with Irish Rail on an issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49173/23]
View answerAs the Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operation and provision of public transport.
While the safety and security of both public transport passengers and staff is of utmost importance, arrangements to deal with anti-social behaviour on public transport are matters which first and foremost must be managed by each public transport company, in conjunction with An Garda Síochána where appropriate.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) is further engaged with public transport operators regarding the issue of anti-social behaviour. My Department has also been engaging directly with the NTA and the individual operators on the issue of anti-social behaviour and in relation to ensuring the safety of passengers and staff. In their responses, operators stressed their strong and close working relationships with An Garda Síochána in relation to these issues.
As such, the issues raised by the Deputy are operational matters for Iarnród Éireann and I have therefore forwarded your question to the company for a more detailed reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
202. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Transport what plans he has to invest and further roll-out local link services in counties Galway and Roscommon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49174/23]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. The NTA also has national responsibility for integrated local and rural transport, including TFI Local Link services and the rollout of services under the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan.
In light of the NTA's responsibilities for new and enhanced public transport services, including services in Counties Galway and Roscommon, I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
203. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Transport what plans he has to increase capacity on Irish Rail train services (specifically additional carriages) for train passengers in counties Galway and Roscommon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49175/23]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has, on a non-statutory basis, responsibility for the development of public transport infrastructure in Galway and Roscommon with regards to increasing capacity.
As the Deputy may be aware, the Government continues to invest heavily in improving our rail network. This includes initiatives such as the DART+ Programme, and previous Government approval for the purchase of an additional 41 InterCity Railcars, or “ICRs”.
While the existing Iarnród Éireann operational fleet is already fully deployed on scheduled services, delivery of the additional 41 ICRs commenced late last year, and I am pleased to confirm that Iarnród Éireann has, earlier this year, taken delivery of the final batch of these. Once fully commissioned, these will serve to enhance passenger capacity across the rail network.
The National Transport Authority have advised that there are plans to utilise the 41 new ICRs to extend the length of multiple train sets operating on the current rail network, and passengers can expect to see longer trains in operation from Q1 2024 once the commissioning phase for the new carriages is complete.
As part of ongoing work by the NTA and Iarnród Éireann with regard to the deployment of the ICRs, consideration is being given to providing new and additional carriages where passenger demand, available carriages, and suitable infrastructure support such provision. Decisions on this will be made over the coming months.
I am sure that the Deputy will agree that these new carriages and redeployment of existing carriages will greatly assist the NTA and Iarnród Éireann in addressing the issue of growing demand across the rail network.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a more detailed reply to the specific questions asked. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.
204. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Transport if he will ensure a substantial financial allocation under the road works programme to Cavan County Council in 2024 for the further planning and design of a route (details supplied) in view of its strategic importance for the Border region and the need to upgrade this road; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49191/23]
View answerProposals to deliver an upgraded East-West route linking Dundalk to Sligo, taking in Cavan, involve linking elements of the national road network and regional roads along as direct a route as possible. Essentially the route runs on regional routes from Dundalk to Cavan and on national routes from Cavan to Sligo.
As regards the regional road aspect of the proposal, the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of the relevant local authority in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from the Council's own resources supplemented by State road grants.
Going back some time there was a proposal for a substantial upgrade of the regional road part of the route. The Department provided funding to Cavan County Council (acting as lead authority with Monaghan and Louth County Councils) of over €2 million in the period 2007-2014 to progress the regional road element of the project to preliminary design.
More recent appraisal work undertaken on the scheme pointed to a very substantial cost if the full scheme were to be implemented.
In light of that, the Department engaged with Cavan County Council in relation to carrying out a risk-based analysis for the east-west route between Dundalk and Cavan which involved exploring the possibility of a series of interventions which could be implemented over a period of time and which could improve the safety of the route, improve journey times and bring consistency to the travel speed along the route.
From this risk analysis it was envisaged that individual local authorities would examine, taking into account each Council's overall priorities and available resources, how projects identified in the risk analysis could be brought forward.
The Department has allocated some grant funding this year to Cavan County Council and Louth County Council for the initial assessment of two possible schemes. Submissions in accordance with the Public Spending Code requirements have been submitted to the Department for the two projects, and are under consideration at present. On completion of this, the matter of progression will be decided based on the outcome and availability of funding.
205. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport the extent to which it might be possible to ensure that the private bus service operating from Naas to Blanchardstown might include Blanchardstown Hospital for the convenience of patients who attend on a regular basis and have difficulty finding car parking; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49214/23]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling of those services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.Further, the bus services referred to by the Deputy are commercial bus services and as such responsibility for the operation of those services is a matter for the company.As the NTA is also the licensing authority for the commercial bus sector, I have also forwarded the Deputy's question, to the Authority for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
206. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Finance if there has been analysis conducted into the impact to Irish and EU headquarter firms, compared to companies in other jurisdictions, due to the varied timelines of implementing undertaxed payment rules, agreed by the OECD in July 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49088/23]
View answerThe Deputy will recall that a Government decision was taken for Ireland to sign up to the global agreement on a two-pillared solution at the OECD Inclusive Framework to address the tax challenges associated with the digitalisation of the economy in October 2021. Pillar Two of that agreement will see the implementation of a global minimum tax of 15%.
This decision was not taken lightly and came on the back of a broad public consultation process that sought the views of interested parties, including stakeholders from the business community.
At EU level, the Minimum Tax Directive has been agreed by all EU Member States. The Directive ensures that there is a consistent application of the minimum tax across all Member States. Therefore, all EU Member States are legally bound to transpose the EU Minimum Tax Directive.
The UTPR is designed to operate as a backstop to the IIR which itself comes after the QDTT in the globally agreed rule order. A transitional UTPR Safe Harbour has been developed at the OECD. It recognises the challenges facing jurisdictions in implementing Pillar Two by providing a limited additional grace period of one further year in certain limited circumstances before the UTPR takes effect.
It will provide that, where the ultimate parent entity (UPE) of an MNE is located in a jurisdiction that has not implemented Pillar Two rules, and where that jurisdiction applies a domestic corporate income tax rate of at least 20%, the UTPR does not apply in respect of the UPE and any other group entities in that UPE jurisdiction for that additional year.
Analysis of the impacts on all stakeholders has been considered throughout the implementation process, including at the OECD through public consultation and stakeholder engagements undertaken by the secretariat and also domestically through the two feedback statements published this year.
My officials and I continue to keep the impacts under review. Ireland will continue to play to the strengths of its wider offering beyond the tax system, a dynamic well-educated English speaking workforce, our common law legal system and business friendly environment, seeking to ensure our continued competitiveness in light of the impacts of Pillar Two implementation.
207. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he is aware that recent changes to the e-tendering system are having a hugely negative impact on businesses using the platform and if he can ensure that changes are made to the system to ensure it is more user friendly as a matter of urgency. [49141/23]
View answerIn May of this year, following the successful conclusion of a tendering process, my Department established a new contract for the provision of eTenders, the national electronic tendering platform for public procurement contracts. In doing so, the provision of eTenders transitioned to a new service provider and as a consequence to a different eTenders platform than that which had been in use for the previous 10 years.
The Government recognises the significant change that this has effected for users of the platform. To that end, the process to establish the new contract and to transition to a different provider’s platform involved extensive consultation and collaboration with national public procurement stakeholder representatives and groups from across the public and private sectors. In addition to this, detailed guidance materials has been provided online to help users navigate the new system.
More than 5,000 Public procurement contracts for tender have been published on the platform since the new platform was launched in May, and their associated competitions are at various stages of the procurement process, from ‘open’ (for submissions) to ‘awarded’ (contract awarded) stages. The level and type of ongoing activity demonstrates that the eTenders platform is generally functioning and is capable of accepting submissions from interested bidders.
As with any large scale system, such as eTenders, in particular newly implemented ones, specific issues can arise regarding its use and operation. To that end, my Department have established standard support and service provision processes through which such matters can be signalled, investigated and resolved. In particular I would recommend that any affected parties contact the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) Helpdesk with any specific details in relation to the issue raised, to facilitate further investigation and resolution.
The primary avenue by which the Government engages with SMEs on issues relating to public procurement is the SME Advisory Group, which is chaired by Minister of State Ossian Smyth who has responsibility for public procurement.
The SME Advisory Group, which meets quarterly, includes representatives from the Irish Business and Employers’ Confederation (Ibec), the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME), the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), Chambers Ireland and the Small Firms Association (SFA). The group has afforded the Government the opportunity to hear first-hand from SMEs about their experiences tendering for public contracts, and to voice any concerns to Government on issues affecting SME participation in public procurement.
My Department will continue to proactively engage with public bodies and businesses through the SME advisory group and more generally through the OGP service teams and information events, in relation to eTenders, with a view to continuously improving its capabilities and the experience of businesses and public bodies using the platform.
208. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to provide an update in relation to a scheme (details supplied); to provide a proposed timeline for the progression of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49129/23]
View answerMy Department has engaged independent environmental consultants to carry out the relevant environmental assessments as required by EU Directives 2011/92 and 2014/52.On the basis of advice received, in order to reach a full, reasoned conclusion on the environmental impacts of the scheme, I have sought supplementary information from the Office of Public Works as provided for under Section 7(4)(b) of the European Union (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Arterial Drainage) Regulations 2019.
209. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will make available the full report of the Review of Public Service Allowances and Premium Payments (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49138/23]
View answerIn September 2012, a Government Decision was made accepting recommendations arising from a review of Public Sector Allowances and Premium Pay.
All Departments were notified, by letter, of this decision and the associated changes that were to be implemented.
Copies of the letters that issued, outlining the changes that were being introduced are available on my Department's archived website at the following link
web.archive.org/web/20121029171020/per.gov.ie/2012/09/18/review-of-public-service-allowances-and-premium-payments/ .
In order to conduct the review efficiently, and in a cost effective manner, it was undertaken using existing staff resources, within my Department.
Extensive material relating to the review, including a spreadsheet summarising statistics and the outcome of each allowance reviewed, are published on the website and available at the link above.
Relevant published materials are attached to this PQ response for ease of reference.
Outcome of the Review of the Public Service Allowance
210. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will indicate the number of requests from the trustees of pension funds of state bodies for increases to be made to pensioners which are now outstanding and awaiting ministerial approval; under what circumstances would such increases be rejected in the present inflationary environment; and if steps can be taken to speed up the processing of such applications. [49140/23]
View answerThe Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, as amended by Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform Circular 16/2021, sets out the process that must be followed when commercial semi state bodies (CSSB) request Ministerial approval for pension increases. The Code of Practice requires that any request for a pension increase by a CSSB must first be submitted to the parent Minister, along with NewERA advice. The scheme rules will also typically reference the requirement for Ministerial approval of pension increases. Should the parent Minister approve the increase request, my consent is then sought by the parent Department.
Under the Pensions Act, 1990 it is a requirement that defined benefit occupational pension schemes meet the minimum funding standard, which entails the scheme maintaining sufficient funds to pay members their pension entitlements were the fund to be wound up. Should a scheme not reach the minimum funding standard a funding proposal from the pension scheme trustees is required under the Act to address the deficit. This funding proposal can include increase employer and employee contributions and benefit reductions to members’ past service. It is therefore important that any pension increase is carefully managed to ensure that an increase does not adversely impact pensioners, deferred members, current employees or the capacity for the CSSB to provide for pension increases in the future. A pension increase proposal would be rejected if the scheme does not meet the minimum funding standard.
A decision to approve a request to increase pensions is therefore informed by actuarial analysis demonstrating that the pension fund is in a sufficiently strong financial position to bear the cost of the increase proposed, including meeting the minimum funding standard. NewERA prepares a report on each consent request including analysis of these and any other relevant factors, such as the risk profile of the Fund.
There is one request for a pension increase that has been received by my Department that is currently awaiting my consent. My Department would not hold information on outstanding pension increases that have not yet been submitted to my Department. The average time in 2023 between my Department receiving a request and my approval of the request was less than 2 weeks. Given the rigorous governance framework in place to ensure that pension increases are justified in strategic, policy and financial terms prior to approval, there are a number of necessary steps that must be followed. My Department will continue to expedite pension increase consent requests and prioritise them in our engagement with other stakeholders.
