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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 24 Apr 2018

Vol. 967 No. 7

Other Questions

Tourism Policy

Joe Carey

Ceist:

28. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to sustain visitor numbers from the US market. [17772/18]

I ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to sustain visitor numbers from the US market.

I thank Deputy Carey. My Department's role on tourism lies in the area of national tourism policy while the tourism agencies have operational responsibility for the implementation of this policy.

The United States continues to be one of Ireland's strongest performing markets, delivering visitors who stay longer and spend more than average. In the period since 2010, visitor numbers from the United States have more than doubled. For 2018, Tourism Ireland already has a busy programme of targeted promotional activity under way in North America. In addition, Tourism Ireland recently undertook a market review of the US which I was happy to launch in January. The new strategy is the result of a comprehensive review and is designed to build on recent record levels of visitor growth, and identify the key opportunities and challenges ahead. As part of the review, new research was undertaken to deepen and enrich the understanding of the journey prospective US visitors take when choosing their holiday - either on the island of Ireland or competing destinations - and to help to map their "path to purchase". This analysis has generated new insights that informed the business plans of the tourism agencies for 2018 and will receive further input in future years.

The strategy presents an overview of seven key strategic imperatives that need focus, resource and action in order to deliver upon future ambition and growth targets. The majority of recommendations outlined in the strategy are aimed at the coming four-year period. However, given the need to ensure the development of new products and experiences that meet the interests of the US traveller, the broader strategy has been developed with an eight-year horizon to 2025 to allow for longer-term planning and capital investments to be made.

I have one piece of very good news on which we can all reflect. Since 2010, the number of visitors from the US to Ireland has increased from just over 800,000 to 1.8 million, meaning that we have seen an extra 1 million visitors from the US to Ireland over that seven-year period. It is a remarkable improvement in US visitor numbers. As I mentioned earlier, they are high-spend and long-stay visitors. That tourism market is very lucrative. We want to increase it further and build on that success.

I thank the Minister of State. The US tourism market is of huge importance to Ireland, to the west of Ireland and to County Clare. The availability of direct year-round flights to and from Shannon Airport is an essential component in growing our tourism industry. This year Shannon is set to operate its largest transatlantic offering in 17 years with eight transatlantic services operated by six carriers across seven destinations.

I welcome Aer Lingus's recent announcement that it is set to operate a year-round New York to Shannon service in 2019. I also welcome the expansion of Norwegian Air's New York to Shannon service. We will have two direct services between New York and Shannon.

This is extremely important from a tourism perspective.

It is important from a foreign direct investment perspective.

I just want to ask this question, a Chathaoirligh.

No. The Deputy has gone over time. I will come back to him and he will have a minute.

I just want to ask a question.

No. There will not be enough time. I ask the Minister of State to stand up.

We have lost the year-round Chicago route.

What efforts is the Minister of State making to restore that?

The Deputy will have a second chance to come in.

Not only are Tourism Ireland and the Department constantly engaging with airlines to try to develop as many services as we can into and out of the country, but we also work with them on marketing programmes and trying to support routes when they are put in place. It is one thing to secure a route, but without a collaborative approach in supporting those routes when they are there, they are very difficult to sustain. We are working on that. My engagement with Tourism Ireland over the past ten months or so has been very positive. It has been very impressive to watch it at work because it works very closely with the airlines, as does Fáilte Ireland. Having such an increase in the services into and out of the country in the past seven or eight years has led to the success story. The scrapping of the airport tax is a help as is the 9% VAT rate.

Last year, 2017, was another record year when we again had huge growth. In the US market specifically, we increased by 16.3% on the previous year.

It is a very strong market.

We are continuing to invest in that market because it is providing a good return for us.

United Airlines had been offering a year-round direct Shannon to Chicago service. Last year, it made a decision to discontinue its year-round service. I welcome the Minister of State's comments. I acknowledge the work of Tourism Ireland, the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Ross. I encourage the Minister of State to redouble his efforts to try to restore this route. It is essential for the west of Ireland. As he stated in his earlier reply, American visitors stay longer and spend more. They come straight into the west of Ireland when they fly into Shannon. It is essential to restore this year-round service.

We will redouble efforts on that specific route. I will take up the matter directly with officials in the Department. I will discuss it further with the Minister, Deputy Ross, and Tourism Ireland to see if we can restore it. I absolutely appreciate its importance for the entire western seaboard. As someone who comes from County Kerry, we fully acknowledge the importance of transatlantic flights into Shannon. We also acknowledge the new services into and out of Cork Airport. It is critical in terms of the regionality of the industry to have Shannon as a vibrant hub for North American activity.

So far this year, the results for visitors from the US are very positive, with a 4.2% increase over the first two months of last year. We hope to have the March figures very shortly. That is a very good environment for United Airlines or any other airline to consider offering a year-round Shannon to Chicago service.

Certainly, the outlook is very positive.

Hopefully the environment will be conducive to the restoration of a year-round service.

EU Regulations

Clare Daly

Ceist:

29. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the estimated costs of the establishment of the competent authority under EU 598/2014; the amount spent to date; and if funds have been or will be paid to Fingal County Council or other organisations in 2018. [17724/18]

A number of months ago, to the surprise of the community and many of its representatives, the Minister announced that he would appoint Fingal County Council and An Bord Pleanála as the competent authority and appeals body for the implementation of EU Regulation 598/2014. What is the status of that? What is the budget? How much has been spent? What progress has been made? We have not received much information since the announcement.

I thank the Deputy for the question, which I hope will recur every time I am here because it is a matter of vital national importance and a regular update is necessary.

With regard to spending to date on EU Regulation 598/2014, I can advise the Deputy that as almost all of the work has been of a policy and legal nature, it has been carried out as part of the work of officials assigned to the relevant division of my Department and in the Attorney General's office. The legal advices have been provided by the Attorney General's office in the normal course of the service it provides to Departments. I am advised that my Department's accounting system does not capture the cost of staff time in handling individual elements of work in the way that would be required to respond to the Deputy's question in any more specific terms. I am also advised that my Department has not incurred any other costs associated with the regulation.

I understand the Irish Aviation Authority may have incurred some costs in the context of exploring its role in implementing the noise regulation, when that was an option being pursued. However, the company has not raised the matter of costs incurred with me or with my Department.

As regards Fingal County Council, and as I have stated previously, it will, of course, be provided with the necessary resources to carry out this additional function. Council officials have been told this directly and it will be reinforced in the draft legislation. As far as I am aware, Fingal County Council has not incurred any expense to date in regard to its role as the designated competent authority. Therefore, no funding has been provided to the council in regard to this role so far. This is something that can be reviewed as matters develop during the course of the year. No other organisation has received funding, nor do I envisage a circumstance in which any such matter may arise during the year.

I understand the Deputy is asking whether any costs have been or will be paid to the council. To give a very short response, at the moment no costs have been incurred but the Deputy should be reassured that resources will be made available by my Department where they are necessary.

That was a gob-smackingly shocking answer in some ways. Here we have a measure which was put forward to supposedly protect airport communities from airport noise through the establishment of a competent authority and which was years in the making. The previous Attorney General gave different advice to the present one. The Minister announced months ago that he had finally decided to appoint Fingal County Council and while many people locally are very unhappy with that, they would have expected some progress. It is wholly unreasonable to expect Fingal County Council to take on this cost and not give it any money. Of course, the contradictory part is that this competent authority, which was designed to protect communities, has actually been put up there as the vehicle which the DAA is going to use to undermine existing conditions which protect the community from the new runway. People are seriously concerned. What mechanism is in place to involve the local community in an active consultation role with the council or other bodies at this stage of the process?

The Deputy may have misunderstood me. Funding will be made available. There is not going to be a lack of funding to Fingal County Council for this. I have made it clear that while it is not yet clear what amount will be necessary, Fingal County Council will not be left short of funding because this is a matter of huge national importance for which we cannot afford to say there are no funds. To say there is no progress being made is unfair because progress is certainly being made.

To answer the question about stakeholders, the Deputy will be aware that the stakeholders will be met by the DAA, by the competent authority and by me. The Deputy will also be aware there has been no hesitation on anybody's part that I know of to meet the residents and to attempt to accommodate them. I have met several people from the area whom Deputies have asked me to meet. I have done this on many occasions and, in fact, I have never refused to do this, as it is a matter of great concern that we should have balance, and the criteria being used by the new competent authority will involve a balanced approach. We must balance the national needs with the needs of the residents.

I am trying to balance the time. I call Deputy Clare Daly.

We will not be found wanting either with regard to resources or meeting the residents.

There is a difference between meeting people and listening to them. The problem is that things are happening or nothing is happening, and it is very hard to get a straightforward answer because the Minister appointed Fingal County Council. I do not agree with that and many other Deputies and many people in the community do not agree with it. In that sense, I am very happy it has not been given any money to advance this project because it should never be given any money, as it is not a suitable vehicle for a competent authority. However, we have this EU directive which we need to bring in. Fair play to the Minister for meeting the Traveller group, where he did listen and a good resolution for their situation was found. While there is a lot of talk, however, the bigger picture is unfolding and people are not being consulted in that their input is not there from the start.

The Minister might enlighten us as to when the legislation will be before us. What the Minister appears to be saying is that he has the idea that it will be Fingal County Council but it does not have a budget for this and it is not being advanced, so, really, things are as up in the air as they were. Everyone sits around and talks about it, but nothing actually progresses.

The Minister said no funding was expended on this to date. My understanding is that the Minister's Department got independent legal advice from outside the Attorney General's office and that led to the decision that was taken. Who paid for that?

If there is a misunderstanding, I apologise, but no funding has been expended since the decision was made, although I am sure all sorts of funding was used before with regard to the IAA and when the choice was being made.

I think Deputy Clare Daly is being somewhat unfair in saying it is all very vague. A decision has been made. It is absolutely a final decision that Fingal County Council will be the competent authority and it has been given the go-ahead. An Bord Pleanála will be the appeals body. That decision has been made and it is irreversible. It has been approved by the Attorney General in this case and we are going ahead on that basis.

The Deputy asked why Fingal County Council was chosen. It already has responsibilities under the EU environmental noise directive, which encapsulates responsibilities relating to noise caused by conurbations and major transport infrastructure, including roads, railways and airports. In addition, having regard to its planning functions, it has considerable experience and expertise in the conduct of environmental impact assessments and appropriate experience in managing extensive public consultations. In addition-----

I must ask the Minister to conclude. We must move on.

Public Transport Provision

John Curran

Ceist:

30. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the actions he and the NTA are taking to ensure adequate modes of transport and transport links are provided to ensure the viability of the Clonburris strategic development zone, SDZ, development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17735/18]

The Minister will be aware that South Dublin County Council is at present in the advanced stages of planning for a new town at Clonburris by means of a strategic development zone. This will be a new town with approximately 8,500 residential units of accommodation, as well as commercial centres, schools and so forth, located between Clondalkin and Lucan, with a population in excess of 20,000. My question is very specific. What modes of transport are being planned to sustain this new town?

I thank Deputy Curran for the question. As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in regard to public transport. The National Transport Authority, NTA, has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport in the greater Dublin area. In 2016 the NTA published its transport strategy for the greater Dublin area 2016-2035, which provides the overarching framework for the planning and delivery of transport infrastructure and services for Dublin over the next two decades. As the Deputy is aware, the NTA has worked closely with South Dublin County Council on the Clonburris strategic development zone, given the public transport considerations for the scheme, such as the future of Kishogue rail station and rail services and bus services in the Clonburris, Lucan and Clondalkin areas.

In regard to Kishogue station, this was built in 2009 but is not yet opened for rail services. I understand the NTA has previously informed the Deputy that Kishogue station will be opened once development occurs in the residential areas near the station. I am advised by the NTA that it currently envisages opening Kishogue station in 2020 as development in Clonburris becomes occupied.

Turning to rail services, Clonburris will be served by the same number of trains that currently serve Adamstown, including those which are provided via the Phoenix Park tunnel which re-opened in 2016. Looking to the future, the DART expansion programme, as provided for by the national development plan, will deliver significantly higher frequencies and capacity along the Kildare line. This includes electrification through Clonburris to Hazelhatch-Celbridge. In the meantime, improvements to the current service are planned in advance of the full delivery of that project.

In regard to the provision of bus services that will serve Clonburris, the NTA intends in the short term to provide a new orbital bus service through the SDZ lands linking Blanchardstown to Tallaght. As part of the BusConnects network review, a number of high-frequency local, radial and further orbital services are being considered to serve Lucan and Clondalkin, some of which will serve Clonburris directly.

Some of these can be adapted to serve Clonburris as development occurs in the future. These proposals will be part of a series of public consultations on the BusConnects programme, which the NTA will be commencing shortly. I am advised that the NTA will continue to provide support to South Dublin County Council and will remain closely engaged on transport considerations as Clonburris develops.

The only specific the Minister gave was to indicate that Kishogue station would open in 2020. Clonburris is located between Clondalkin and Lucan where, in many regards, there are considerable transport infrastructure deficits currently. The Minister's recently announced plan clearly indicated that the Lucan Luas line would not open until after 2027. I am concerned about phasing the infrastructure to which the Minister referred. The timelines are not very clear and the local authority is trying to build 8,500 units of accommodation without knowing when additional buses will be made available, whether they will be on city centre or orbital routes and at what stage they will be made available. The Minister said the plans will evolve and that the NTA will stay in close contact with South Dublin County Council but that is not sufficient to plan a town of this magnitude and to make it sustainable in the future.

We have had an awful lot of special pleading today, for various areas, including the question of SDZs in County Louth and elsewhere, and I understand that. However, a sensitive response has been given to what is happening in the area. It is being given the special treatment which is often accorded to such zones and it would not be fair to suggest it is being neglected. I understand the frustration the Deputy has over the lack of detail but this is a couple of years away and we cannot anticipate exactly what will happen.

The role of the NTA is to develop the SDZ in south Dublin and it has engaged in a proactive way with South Dublin County Council to ensure appropriate public transport arrangements were considered for the sustainable development of the designated lands at Clonburris. These lands were designated an SDZ on the basis of their economic and social importance to the State in terms of the provision of, inter alia, a residential development, educational facilities, commercial activities, rail infrastructure, emergency services and community facilities. Public transport considerations are required to give improved transport for current residents of the area so that the development of Clonburris does not increase congestion on existing routes or services and to ensure that, as it is developed, it is matched with public transport services to ensure development occurs in a sustainable way.

The Minister is right that we do not know what is going to happen and I did not ask him to say that, in 2020 or 2021, we would have a certain number of buses. However, I want a commitment on the level of transport infrastructure that will be made available in tandem with the housing development. I am looking for a commitment that, as we hit milestones along the way such as 1,000 or 2,000 units of accommodation, the infrastructure, particularly bus and rail transport, will be made available in tandem.

When I raised this previously the Minister gave a similar reply and referred me to the NTA. The NTA said that, in terms of implementation, it would publish an integrated implementation plan for the greater Dublin area in the coming months but I do not think that has been published. Has it been published? The authority stated this would deliver a greater degree of certainty in terms of timeframes for the delivery of transport infrastructure and services, including those which support the development of Clonburris.

It is the detail I am concerned about. The two communities in Clondalkin and Lucan are already experiencing a transport deficit in infrastructure terms. Can we have timelines to correspond with development on the lands? We cannot do the two things separately and they have to be done in tandem but I do not get a sense of that being the plan from the Minister's reply.

The Deputy does not get a sense of that in my reply because I do not know the answer.

I am constantly asked for detail of that type but the question should be addressed to the NTA.

Hang on. When I ask the Minister a question he says it is for the NTA to answer but when I go to the NTA, they tell me it depends on what the Minister gives them. Are the Minister and the NTA not talking to each other? It is the most frustrating experience.

In due course, the NTA will supply the Deputy with an implementation plan and he knows that.

In October it said it would be within months.

I am not going to dictate to the NTA-----

Will the Minister ask the NTA?

-----the operation of services which we have designated to it.

The Minister used to find this frustrating when he was on this side of the House.

I will convey what the Deputy has said to the NTA and I will try to extract a certain amount of further information. The NTA has said, quite clearly, that a bus service will serve Clonburris in the short term and that it is intended to provide a new orbital bus service through the SDZ lands linking Blanchardstown to Tallaght. As part of the BusConnects network review, a number of high-frequency, local, radial services and further orbital services are being considered to serve Lucan and Clondalkin, some of which will serve Clonburris directly. Some of these can be adapted to serve Clonburris as development occurs in the future. The Deputy should not ask me to provide the bus timetables for several years in advance. I am not going to do that.

I did not ask the Minister to provide the bus timetables. I asked the Minister to provide, in a co-ordinated way, that the infrastructure would be there alongside the phased development.

Let us not be argumentative, Deputy Curran.

Sorry. I was provoked.

Airport Development Projects

Robert Troy

Ceist:

31. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding his engagement with key stakeholders involved in the Dublin Airport north runway project and the appointment of an independent noise regulator, including the CEO of Fingal County Council. [17778/18]

What level of engagement has the Minister had with the key stakeholders involved in the DAA north runway project? I ask with specific reference to the appointment of Fingal County Council as the independent noise regulator to comply with EU directive 598/2014.

In relation to the appointment of Fingal County Council as the noise regulator under EU Regulation 598/2014, I wish to advise the Deputy that officials from my Department and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government are working on draft heads of a Bill. That work is primarily focused on the interaction among noise regulation, the EU environmental noise directive and the planning framework. When this is complete, the next step will be to engage the Office of the Attorney General with draft heads of a Bill.

Throughout this process, the chief executive of Fingal County Council and his senior staff have been either directly involved in matters or advised of developments, and they continue to feed in their expertise as required. It is obviously important that the proposed regulatory regime adheres fully to the requirements of the EU regulation. It is also key that it dovetails with existing environmental and planning processes in a way that is implementable by the competent authority and understood by the regulated entity and all other stakeholders.

At a point when there is clarity on the final regulatory model, including formal draft heads, there will be opportunity for a round of stakeholder engagements in advance of the pre-legislative scrutiny of a draft general scheme. As regards the north runway project, I have already met with a number of residents' groups to hear their views and concerns and the Deputy will recall that I arranged for my Department to brief him and others about the Fingal proposal earlier in the year. Those lines of communication remain open and available for future consultation as things move on.

My officials have been involved with Fingal on a very detailed basis in recent times and will continue to be so. I have been involved with stakeholders such as residents and the DAA but communication will continue to be at official level for the moment. I am very willing to meet them when Fingal County Council and my officials feel it is time to do so.

This is a critical piece of national infrastructure which has been delayed because of the Minister. Some 18 months ago we were told that primary legislation or a statutory instrument would be put in place to make the Irish Aviation Authority, IAA, the competent authority. In response to a previous question, the Minister said he hoped Members would keep asking this question so that he could keep coming in to keep us updated but we are no wiser than we were 18 months ago. The only difference is that the competent authority has changed.

No legislation is ready. No draft heads of Bill are ready and there is huge uncertainty. There is uncertainty from the residents. They have a fear about the capacity of Fingal County Council to implement this. There is fear within the industry that not enough priority is being given to this legislation in order that it will be progressed at speed. If the Minister was so concerned about ensuring this remains a priority and progressed as legislation, he would be meeting all key stakeholders - the residents who have grievances, the chief executive officer, CEO, of Fingal County Council, the Dublin Airport Authority and the CEOs of the various airlines who rely on this service. He must ensure that it is progressed without any further delay because there have been too many delays and they are laid at the Minister's door.

This is a bit of an old record from Deputy Troy, telling me I have got to meet this, that and the other person. The Deputy is fishing out there. I have met the chief executives of any airlines whom I have wanted to meet or who have wanted to meet me. There is no problem about that whatsoever. I am continuously doing this. I had a meeting with a group of all the major airlines in the country not very long ago. I have met the heads of Ryanair and Aer Lingus and have met the head of the DAA on several occasions. Sometimes they want to raise this subject and sometimes they do not. I meet them whenever they want to meet me. The Deputy should talk to them and ask them. My door is open for them. They do not want to meet me every day either. They do not want me ringing them up every day about this, that and the other. They have got business to do which is apart from Government, which is what I do.

On the issue of the industry being worried about a slowdown, I do not get that vibe. I do not know where the Deputy is getting that from. There have been difficulties which the Deputy has certainly rightly pointed out in this House. There have been delays, which have been very difficult to stomach for any party involved. It is something we have now remedied. We remedied that delay by appointing Fingal County Council fairly speedily after we got the information that the IAA was conflicted. Very soon after that we did actually appoint another competent authority. We did not want to do so with undue speed because this is too important an appointment to do without forensic examination of the possible candidates. We could have appointed someone else but the Deputy would have said that was a mistake. Fingal will do this job properly. It has been selected on a meticulous, prudent and careful basis.

I do not want the Minister to meet them every day of every week. What I want to see happening is progress on this critical legislation. The Minister comes in here and expects us to be satisfied that he has appointed Fingal County Council. He appointed the IAA 18 months ago and for 18 months he came in here and repeatedly told us that work was progressing and legislation was imminent. That did not happen. Now he expects us to take his bona fides that everything is going to be okay with Fingal County Council. I wonder whether it is satisfied that everything is going to be okay. Has it been given written instructions as to what exactly is going to be needed of it to make sure it has the relevant expertise and resources? It might be nervous about moving ahead based on what happened with the IAA.

The Minister can be guaranteed that on this side of the House, we will continue to raise this issue because it is important. It is a critical piece of national infrastructure. Incidentally, two months ago when we met the Minister's officials, we were given a guarantee that they or the Minister would be back to us within a matter of weeks and we have yet to hear back from them.

If the Deputy Troy has a wish to meet my officials or me on this issue at any time, I will arrange it. He can have it tomorrow. Does he want to meet them tomorrow? Friday?

Will they be able to tell us anything?

Does the Deputy want to meet them?

Will they be able to tell us anything?

The Deputy will find that out by meeting them. Does he want to meet them or is this just pure rhetoric for the House? He can meet them day and night if he likes and they will keep him as well informed as is responsible.

It is a pity the Minister would not meet them and tell them what to do.

The Deputy is welcome to meet them any time, and me as well. It is an open door. There is not a problem there at all. The Deputy knows that and knows how I open I will be with him on these issues. If he wants a meeting, he will have a meeting. This matter is too important for him to be able to undermine it or to wish to undermine it. This is an issue of national importance and information should be available to the Deputy of course, because of agreements that we have to act in the national interest on occasions of this sort.

The Deputy asked when we are going to see a Bill. I assure the Deputy that a draft Bill to give full effect to the EU airport noise regulation is a top priority for me and my Department. The matter is also being given priority attention in the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, which has an important role to play in regard to the effective interaction of the noise regulation and the planning regime. Until the Government is presented with this and has agreed a draft Bill for publication, giving a firm commitment on timing is an exercise in futility. It would be absurd to say it is going to be ready this month, next month or the month after. It is an uncertain course but is a matter of extreme and national urgency. It is a matter we will pursue with vigour and energy.

Road Network

Robert Troy

Ceist:

32. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if additional funding to local authorities for the repair and upgrade of local and regional roads will be provided in view of the significant backlog of work that exists and the impact of recent extreme weather events. [17780/18]

We will take the Minister up on that offer of the cross-party briefing, like before. I hope he will be able to enlighten us more than he has today.

On the funding for repair and upgrade of our local and regional roads, considering the significant backlog of work that exists and the impact of the recent adverse weather, what is the Government's plan to assist local authorities?

I have replied to a similar question to this already but I admit this is a somewhat different angle. Responsibility for the maintenance and improvement of regional and local roads rests with the relevant local authority. The grant funding provided by the Exchequer is intended to supplement local authorities’ own resources. The capital investment plan provides for the phased restoration of funding to the levels needed to maintain the road network in a steady-state condition and allowing for some investment in road improvement schemes but it is going to take time for funding to build up to the required level.

I announced the 2018 regional and local road allocations on 29 January and all grant funding available to my Department has now been allocated. The grants this year include provision for an 18% increase in restoration improvement moneys for road strengthening works, a 17% increase in restoration maintenance moneys for surface dressing works, the introduction of an important new grant for drainage works to the overall value of €10 million and ring-fenced moneys for community involvement schemes, CIS, to the overall value of €10 million. Following an application process, local authorities will be advised of their grant funding for CIS within a few weeks.

It is a matter for each council to determine its priorities and decide its work programme, taking into account available grant funding and its own resources. In this context I continue to emphasise to local authorities the importance of prioritising roads when allocating their own resources. I have to work within the resources available to me and there is no additional funding available to my Department at present. My colleague, the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, is liaising with local authorities on clean-up costs from the recent severe weather. I have liaised with the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, and will continue to do so to see if additional resources can be allocated to my Department to assist local authorities further. For now, local authorities should progress their work programmes for the year as quickly as possible. So far €30.3 million in regional and local road grant funding has been drawn down from the total allocation of €417 million.

This year's funding allocation is still €160 million or about one third below the steady-state level required to repair our local and regional roads. The recent audit by the National Oversight and Audit Commission found that 70% of regional roads had some form of structural or surface deficit. Poorly maintained roads are extremely unsafe. They cost lives and cause damage to vehicles. In the long term, they cost much more to the State to repair. Sometimes people consider that regional roads are just outside the Pale. Regional and local roads are the backbone of Ireland's transport network and account for 94% of the road network and 54% of road traffic. They go from Dún Laoghaire right down into the south of Cork and up into the north of Donegal.

Earlier this year, we tabled a Private Members' motion on the Government preparing a response on exactly how it would deal with the National Oversight and Audit Commission report.

How is that report progressing and when will it be published? The Minister needs to do more than liaise with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe. He should put pressure on the latter to ensure that funding is secured in order that when the report is published, it will be backed with the resources required to implement its recommendations.

I assure the Deputy that I will put as much pressure as possible on the Minister for Finance. I recognise the need for more money for roads. However, I also recognise the fact that there is enormous demand on the national purse and that this is only one example, albeit a very important one. I also recognise that funding for national roads was cut by approximately €6 million, to €31.5 million, in budget 2018 and that the regional-local roads budget was cut by €8.1 million. The Deputy will recognise that the capital funding has increased by €100 million and that the total has increased by €93 million.

As regards the impact of the cuts on regional and local roads, each year 5% of the network has to be strengthened and 5% has to be sealed by way of surface dressing works in order to avoid further deterioration in the condition of the network. This represents 4,700 km under each heading. This year, based on the estimated cost per kilometre of works, it is forecast that local authorities will surface dress approximately 2,300 km and strengthen approximately 2,100 km. Given the importance of surface dressing as an early intervention measure to protect roads and the impact of an €8.1 million cut in current funding for this year, it has been necessary to supplement the current surface dressing budget with capital funds. I do not underestimate the problem. The Deputy is pointing out a real challenge in front of us. We will not reach steady-state levels until approximately 2021.

In A Programme for a Partnership Government, the Minister committed to increasing funding for roads by 50% to €447 million. That has not yet happened. That figure is still below what is required to achieve steady-state levels. The Minister gave a commitment, in the debate on a substantive Private Member's motion that was brought before the Dáil earlier this year, to the effect that he would come back and give a detailed response on how the Government is going to address the issues raised by the National Oversight and Audit Commission. It is not me, but an independent body which is saying that 70% of regional roads have some form of structural or surface deficit. When can we expect a response? Can the Minister confirm that when that response is forthcoming, it will be backed up with the resources necessary? It is not good enough for the Minister to say that it is the responsibility of the local authorities. He knows that local authorities do the job and that they are funded to it by his Department.

I support my colleague, Deputy Troy. The Minister commented that more money is going into capital infrastructure. We welcome that, but there is no point in robbing Peter to pay Paul where the overall upgrading of our roads is concerned. The roads in east Cork are so damaged that it is as if a bomb was detonated. I have raised the issue with the Minister a few times. It is all fine upgrading street paving in villages such as Killeagh and Castlemartyr and the main infrastructure from Cork to Rosslare. However, the byroads are not being looked after. They are falling way behind.

Deputy Troy is absolutely correct about the programme for Government commitment. However, the term of the Government is not over. We have three years to go.

That is news to me.

There are not three years left on the agreement.

The Deputies should give the Government a bit of time to fulfil that commitment. He should not be premature about announcing the end of the Government. We have a long time in which to fulfil that particular promise.

Deputies Moran and Canney seem uncertain about how long it is going to last.

I have warned the local authorities about this by letter. I am aware that the expectation in some - not all - local authorities is that when the roads fall into disrepair, we will provide more money. We provided a large increase in grants this year, a fact I imparted to Deputy Brendan Ryan earlier, and I have warned them of the difficulties we have encountered. This is a very challenging situation and it is getting worse. The Deputies should not expect a steady-state situation to be reached until 2021.

Airport Development Projects

Brendan Ryan

Ceist:

33. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will reconsider the appointment of Fingal County Council as the noise regulator for Dublin Airport in view of the response from local residents and the reliance the council has on rate-based income and the perception that the regulator needs to be seen as an independent stakeholder; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17768/18]

There have been variations on this question today and on previous occasions, but I make no apology for raising it again. I want the Minister to reconsider this issue. It is my intention to remind him of the relationship that exists between Fingal and Dublin Airport. It is a commercial relationship and the decision should be reconsidered.

The Government has made a decision that Fingal County Council shall be the competent authority for the purposes of EU Regulation 598/2014. This Government decision was based on an assessment that Fingal represented the best available option for the timely and effective implementation of the airport noise regulation, which is in the best interests of all stakeholders and interested parties. Importantly, the Government also decided to introduce primary legislation to give effect to the regulation and, therefore, it will fall to this House to help shape the final outcome.

I have every intention of bringing forward a Bill that strikes a balance between the rights of local residents, the Dublin Airport Authority, as the regulated entity, and the broader national interest in recognition of the crucial importance of our primary national airport.

I am aware of the concerns of some local residents. I am sympathetic to their genuine worries about this matter, particularly in light of the uncertainty there has been as to how the regulation will be applied. However, I am confident that the merits and bona fides of Fingal County Council as the competent authority are strong and will be shown to be so in the course of the legislative process. There will be a strong legal basis for all that Fingal will do as the competent authority, underpinned by national law and EU regulation, which will set out an open and transparent regulatory process.

As a matter of principle, I cannot accept any suggestion that the exercise of regulatory roles by local authorities might be in any way compromised by their sources of funding. It should be made absolutely clear that there will be no changing the Government's thinking on this issue and that there will be no reconsideration of this appointment. It was made after due consideration, including of all the available alternatives.

The issue at hand is that a commercial relationship exists between Fingal County Council and the Dublin Airport Authority. The Minister knows that. If he was on this side of the House, he would be doing exactly what we are doing. In fact, the Dublin Airport Authority is the single biggest ratepayer to Fingal County Council. I am not questioning the ability of Fingal County Council or, indeed, its relationship with the Dublin Airport Authority. I am, however, stating that a relationship exists which is both important and commercial in nature. The appointment of Fingal County Council as noise regulator gives rise to the potential for a conflict of interests to arise at some point in the future. Like Deputy Clare Daly and other representatives from Fingal, I will continue to raise this matter in the hope that before the Minister brings legislation to the House, good sense will prevail and this decision will be reconsidered. The Minister has to acknowledge the problem. If he does not, then the whole of Fingal - indeed, the entire country - faces a serious problem.

I see the point about the conflict. There is a relationship between Fingal County Council and the Dublin Airport Authority. The Deputy is correct. However, it is not a relationship of huge significance. The rates paid by the authority account for approximately 8% of Fingal County Council's overall income. That is a large amount of money but it means that the council gets 92% of its income from other sources.

The figure 8% is, I suppose, of some significance, but I do not think it puts it in a position where it can put undue pressure on Fingal. I understand the Deputy's anxiety, but when one looks at the raw statistics, one does not find that it is as big a problem as he is anticipating.

Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website.
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