Written Answers Nos. 161-178
161. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport if funding has been provided to refurbish and remark car parks at a location (details supplied) during 2023; if not, the last time both of these car parks were resurfaced and remarked. [6973/23]
View answerAs Minister of Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding of public transport. The maintenance of carparks at train stations, including the ones referred to by the Deputy, is a matter for Iarnród Éireann in the first instance.
In view of the Iarnród Éireann's responsibility in this matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to it for direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
162. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport if he has spoken formally to the CEO of Dublin Port Company since his appointment. [6974/23]
View answerI can confirm that I met with Mr Barry O'Connell, the new CEO of Dublin Port Company, on 5 December 2022.
163. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the number of passengers who travelled on Dublin Bus route 4 in 2022 and to date in 2023, in both directions, in tabular form. [6975/23]
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. In addition I would like to advise that the NTA also has responsibility for the collection and publication of statistics relating to public transport in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.
Therefore, in light of the NTA's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question in relation to Dublin Bus route 4, to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
164. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Transport if Duleek is being considered as part of the all-island strategic rail review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7048/23]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the Strategic Rail Review is being undertaken in cooperation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. It will inform the development of the railway sector on the Island of Ireland over the coming decades.
The Review is considering the future of the rail network with regard to the following ambitions: improving sustainable connectivity between the major cities (including the potential for higher/high-speed rail), enhancing regional accessibility, supporting balanced regional development, and rail connectivity to our international gateways. This also includes the role of rail freight.
The Review is also considering the scope for improved rail services and infrastructure along the various existing, or potential future, corridors of the network including disused and closed lines.
It is important that we examine constraints in the rail sector and deliver a strategy which allows rail to fulfil its potential as a sustainable mode of transport in pursuit of decarbonisation priorities, rural connectivity objectives and as a generator of prosperity for people across Ireland.
The Review is at an advanced stage. Publication of the final report will follow once it has been considered and approved at Ministerial level on both sides of the border.
165. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Transport if he will intervene with the National Transport Authority to ensure that it engages in finding a solution to the problem of anti-social behaviour targeting public transport, which has, for example, resulted in the withdrawal of services from parts of Tallaght. [7140/23]
View answer166. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Transport if funding will be provided to assist with security on buses in Dublin and community engagement efforts to help tackle anti-social behaviour targeting public transport, which has, for example, resulted in the withdrawal of services from parts of Tallaght. [7141/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 165 and 166 together.
As 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 the NTA, and An Garda Síochána where appropriate.
My Department has also been engaging directly with the NTA and the PSO operators on the issue of anti-social behaviour and in relation to ensuring the safety of passengers and staff. I understand that Dublin Bus are currently engaging with trade union representatives and An Garda Síochána concerning the ongoing issues with regard to service provision in West Tallaght. The issues raised concerning the security and ongoing operation of specific bus services in Dublin is an operational matter for the NTA and Dublin Bus respectively and I have therefore forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA and Dublin Bus for direct reply.
Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
167. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Transport when he will publish the independent review of the organisational structures of the Maritime Casualty Investigation Board (details supplied). [7148/23]
View answerThe report referred to, the ‘Lacey Report’, was not a report about the organisational structures of the Marine Casualty Investigation Board, but rather a report on the possible establishment of a multi-modal investigation body combining the rail, air and marine accident investigation bodies under a single entity. In 2009 the Government announced agency rationalisation measures involving a reduction of 41 bodies and the streamlining of certain other functions. This decision included the amalgamation of the Air Accident Investigation Unit (Department of Transport), the Railway Accident Investigation Unit (then in the Railway Safety Commission) and the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (an independent board established under the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Casualties) Act 2000).
As part of this process, Ms. Roisin Lacey prepared a report in 2010 to the Minister on the establishment of a National Multi Modal Accident Investigation Office. The terms of reference of the brief were to examine current air, marine and rail accident investigation legislation, to provide a report for the Minister for Transport on legislative proposals in relation to the amalgamation of the aforementioned three units into a single Office, to ensure that such legislative proposals were future proofed and to submit draft Heads of Legislation for consideration. Following the 2011 General Election and the subsequent change in Government, the amalgamation of the accident investigation bodies did not proceed.
More recently, a review of the current organisational structures underpinning marine accident investigation in Ireland in the context of national, EU and international obligations commissioned by the Department of Transport in 2021. The review was undertaken by Clinchmaritime Ltd. and Captain Steve Clinch, the former Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents for the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch. My department has published all the recommendations and observations arising from the review. Based on the advice of the Office of the Attorney General, the department is not in a position to publish the full review.
The focus of the current Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill, which is currently at pre-legislative scrutiny stage, relates to marine accident investigation structures and the establishment of a permanent, full-time Marine Accident Investigation Unit as recommended in the review.
168. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Transport if he will request the Road Safety Authority to expedite a driving test date for a person. (details supplied). [7156/23]
View answerThe Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the operation of the driving test service. The Department of Transport does not have access to individual applications nor has the Minister any power to intervene in individual cases.
If an applicant is unhappy with how their driving test was conducted or feel they were unfairly treated, in the first instance they can submit a complaint to the RSA. Further information on this process can be found on the RSA website. Test outcome - I want to appeal or make a complaint (rsa.ie).
169. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Transport the length of time that an NCT certificate is considered legally valid after its expiration date given the number of cars which are on the road with out-of-date certificates due to a backlog in appointments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7160/23]
View answerUnder European Directive 2014/45/EU on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers, Ireland, like all other EU Member States, is obliged to adhere to the minimum specified intervals for carrying out such inspections. This is given effect in Irish law by the Road Traffic (National Car Test) Regulations 2017 (SI 415/2017), as amended.
Regulation 3(2) of the 2017 Regulations provides that the initial test due date for a vehicle is determined by the vehicle's registration date and subsequent test due dates fall on anniversaries of the registration date. Accordingly, any certificate issued for that vehicle will be valid only up to the test due date after the certificate is issued, not 12 months, or 24 months as relevant, from the date of testing.
Member States cannot unilaterally postpone a test due date to match the date of testing, and so extend the validity of certificates, without a derogation from the EU Commission. The only occasion where such a derogation has been granted to EU States was under Regulation (EU) 2020/698, in direct response to the Covid crisis in 2020, when test centres were closed to combat the spread of the virus. A permanent change to the date of testing was applied to certain vehicles in 2020 as a result of the suspension of testing under the Road Traffic (National Car Test) (Amendment) Regulations 2020. Certificates for vehicles which had the extension applied are also valid only to the next test due date.
Permitting the validity of NCT Certs to be extended without inspection would place the State in breach of our obligations under EU law and may affect road safety, should the vehicle in question be unsafe to drive.
I am advised that customers seeking test appointments may contact the NCTS directly, by calling 01-4135992, or may avail of the priority waiting list function via the NCT website, www.ncts.ie. In the majority of cases, vehicle owners on the priority waiting list are provided with an appointment within 30 days.
170. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Transport his views on whether it is acceptable for his Department and the Road Safety Authority, RSA, to fail to respond to repeated correspondence from this Deputy over the last month on a matter of real public concern to the people of County Donegal regarding the proposed reduction in opening hours in the NDLS office in Letterkenny and other locations; and if he will ensure that his Department and the RSA will issue a response to the concerns raised. [7228/23]
View answerI have delegated the provision of the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) to the Road Safety Authority (RSA) under the relevant legislation.
Following the Deputy's correspondence, I have requested information from the RSA on plans to reduce the opening hours of any NDLS front offices. I wish to assure the Deputy that the opening hours of the offices in Donegal have not changed and continue to operate as per the current agreement.
In recent days, my Department has now received some information on this matter from the RSA, which is being examining presently. It remains my priority to ensure that a proper service continues to be provided in Donegal and elsewhere.
171. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the booking fee that is charged to customers who pre-book a seat with Bus Éireann, regardless of whether the person has a free travel pass; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7297/23]
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 matter raised in relation to the booking fee that is charged to customers who pre-book a seat with Bus Éireann, regardless of whether the person has a free travel pass is an operational matter for the company.
I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to Bus Éireann for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
172. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Transport the number of permits that the Dublin Airport Authority issued to hotel courtesy buses and other transport companies to pick up customers at Dublin Airport in 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form; and the criteria that must be met prior to a permit being issued. [7299/23]
View answerThe daa has statutory responsibility to operate, manage and develop Dublin Airport, including the issuing of permits to transport operators.
Accordingly, I have forwarded your request to daa for a direct response. If a response is not received within 10 days, please contact my private office.
173. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Transport the number of Bus Éireann buses that left from Dublin Airport to different parts of the country for each specific route in the month of January 2023. [7300/23]
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 issue raised by the deputy in relation to the number of Bus Éireann buses that left from Dublin Airport to different parts of the country for each specific route in the month of January 2023 is an operational matter for Bus Éireann.I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
174. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Transport the number of persons who used each of the Dublin Bus night links by route in 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [7301/23]
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 issue raised by the deputy in relation to the number of persons that used each of the Dublin Bus night links by route in 2022 and to date in 2023 is an operational matter for Dublin Bus.I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
175. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Transport the number of persons waiting on NCT appointments in County Wexford; and the waiting times for same, in tabular form. [7339/23]
View answerThe operation of the National Car Testing Service is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority. I have therefore referred the Deputy's query to the Authority for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
176. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Transport if he will detail all Safe Routes to School projects in Dublin Fingal since the launch of the programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7347/23]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to active travel infrastructure. The NTA along with the relevant local authorities, are responsible for the development and delivery of individual projects.
In March 2021, I launched the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Programme as a response to the need to improve safety at the ‘front of school’ environment and enhance access to school grounds. The programme aims to support walking, scooting and cycling to primary and post-primary schools and to create safer walking and cycling routes within communities. This will help alleviate congestion at school gates and increase the number of students who walk or cycle to school by providing the necessary infrastructure.
The Programme is funded by my Department through the National Transport Authority (NTA) and is supported by the Department of Education. An Taisce’s Green-Schools is coordinating the programme, while funding will be made available to local authorities who will play a key part in delivering the infrastructure along access routes and at the school gate.
931 applications were received from primary and secondary schools across every county in Ireland. 167 schools form Round 1 of the Programme with a further 108 schools having been selected for inclusion in Round 2. It should be noted that all schools that applied to the original call for applications were accepted into the programme, and if not selected in the first two rounds will be selected at a later stage without the need to reapply.
Noting the role of the NTA in the matter, I have referred your question to that agency for a more detailed answer. If you do not receive a reply within 10 working days please contact my private office.
177. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Transport the plans that are being advanced by Dublin Airport Authority for the use of the old Cork Airport terminal and the cost to the DAA to maintain the building for the years 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. [7357/23]
View answerThe daa has statutory responsibility to operate, manage and develop Dublin and Cork Airports, including the use and maintenance of the old Cork Airport terminal.
Accordingly, I have forwarded your request to daa for a direct response. If a response is not received within 10 days, please contact my private office.
178. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Finance if he will clarify, in the context of voluntary school contributions that are of €250 or more, whether it is the patron or school board of management that is the designated charity organisation that benefited from tax relief as a result of the submission of the CHY4 form. [7367/23]
View answerI am advised by Revenue that, in the scenario set out in the question, the body which claims the tax relief provided for under the Charitable Donations Scheme (CDS) could vary depending on the circumstances of the case.
Section 848A and Schedule 26A Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (TCA) provide a uniform scheme of tax relief for donations to approved bodies. The list of approved bodies in Part 1 of Schedule 26A TCA includes, inter alia, primary and post-primary schools and “eligible charities” in accordance with Part 3 of the Schedule. An “eligible charity” means any charity which is authorised in writing by Revenue for the purposes of this scheme. An authorisation will not issue unless the applicant charity:
- is a body of persons or trust established for charitable purposes only, and
- applies its income for charitable purposes only, and
- if it was a body established in the State and it has been granted exemption from tax (that is, assigned a Charitable Tax Exemption Number (CHY)) by Revenue for a period of not less than two years prior to the date of application for authorisation or
- if it was a body established in another EEA State (EU countries and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), an EFTA State (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) or in the United Kingdom, it received a notice of determination from Revenue under Section 208A TCA at least two years prior to the date of the application for authorisation.
In summary, a primary or post-primary school is itself an approved body for the purposes of the CDS; and a school, a board of management, or a school patron may be an “eligible charity” for the purposes of the CDS and thus eligible for tax relief on “relevant donations” under section 848A TCA.
Where an individual makes a charitable donation under the scheme, the “approved body” receiving the donation can claim a refund of income tax paid by the individual at a blended 'grossed-up' rate of 31%, up to the amount of tax actually paid by the donor. The requirements of the scheme include:
- the minimum donation by an individual which qualifies for relief is €250 per annum,
- the maximum amount an individual can donate under the scheme to an approved body or approved bodies is €1 million,
- the donor or anyone connected with the donor cannot get a benefit of any kind resulting from the donation,
- the donation must not be repayable, and
- the donation must not be conditional on, or associated with, any arrangement involving the acquisition of property by the approved body.
Tax relief under section 848A TCA in respect of donations made by individuals (whether self-assessed or PAYE only taxpayers) is paid to the approved body rather than to the donor.Further information on the CDS, including links to the list of bodies with the Charitable Tax Exemption, can be found in Revenue’s Tax and Duty Manual 36-00-17 “Charitable Donations Scheme, Tax relief for Donations to Approved Bodies” on Revenue’s website at www.revenue.ie/en/tax-professionals/tdm/income-tax-capital-gains-tax-corporation-tax/part-36/36-00-17.pdf.
