I thank the Deputy for his question on the need to make land available to sporting clubs and organisations for the development of sporting and community facilities in villages, towns and cities. I am answering on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage continues to support the enhancement of amenities in cities, towns and villages and there have been important policy developments in recent years, as well as considerable funding secu…

I will raise those specific comments with the Minister. It is clear to me and to Government that having amenities and supporting community and social infrastructure are critical to planning for sustainable communities. The provision of sufficient sporting, play and cultural spaces in our towns and cities for the residents of a neighbourhood provides significant social dividend in terms of community engagement and public health. This is recognised in Government policy, such as Town Centre First, and the national pla…

As the Deputy has stated, SIPTU members have served notice of strike action at Zenith Energy Bantry Bay Terminal Limited, located on Whiddy Island in County Cork. The strike action is due to commence on Tuesday, 13 December, in a dispute over redundancies at Zenith Energy. While the Deputy's question refers to the strike at the Zenith storage facility in Bantry, he also makes reference to NORA and the need to ensure the terms and conditions of employment of all employees at the agency are protected and the need to …

Of course the Government expresses its sympathies. We want to ensure that a resolution is found and that employers engage with the industrial relations architecture. That is clear. As I indicated in my initial response, the industrial dispute which was reported in the media today is a dispute over redundancies at Zenith Energy. NORA is not in any way involved in the aforementioned dispute. While NORA holds stocks of petroleum on the site, NORA employees are not employed on the site. The employees of Zenith Energy a…

The operation of roadworthiness testing, including the National Car Test Service, NCTS, is the statutory responsibility of the RSA. Applus+ Inspection Services Ireland Limited administers the test on behalf of the RSA. All operational issues, including the appointment of personnel are matters for Applus+ and the RSA, and it would be inappropriate for me, as Minister of State, to comment on specific operational matters. The NCTS has been experiencing extraordinary pressure, due in part to a national and EU-wide labo…

I reassure the Deputy that I have met with the RSA and conveyed the seriousness of the NCT backlog. My officials are meeting with the RSA weekly to monitor progress in reducing test delays and supporting any appropriate requests for assistance from it. I also assure the Deputy that the use of inspection support personnel will not result in any job losses in the NCTS. The RSA has my full confidence. The high testing standard we expect from the NCTS will not be compromised. As always, the safety of our road users rem…

I thank the Deputy. The statutory responsibility for roadworthiness testing lies with the Road Safety Authority, RSA. However, I am very much aware of vehicle owners' concerns over delays this year in securing test appointments. I have emphasised to the RSA the importance of reducing the test backlog and my officials are meeting weekly with the RSA to monitor progress in reducing delays. My Department will continue to keep the situation under close review while supporting any appropriate requests from the RSA for a…

All of those approaches will be used by the contractor to reduce the waiting times. This will include overtime and recruitment in Ireland and abroad. As I outlined earlier, we are working with the Minister of State, Deputy English, to allow the recruitment of up to 100 non-EU testers. Some 44 additional testers are expected before the end of this year. To directly answer the Deputy's question regarding motorists, I strongly urge vehicle owners to allow plenty of time to book their tests. The regulations allow a car…

With regard to the qualifications, I can confirm that the temporary vehicle inspectors from Spain are qualified to QQI level 5. That is the standard in many EU member states. As the Deputy alluded to, however, until 2020, QQI level 5 certification was considered the appropriate minimum requirement for vehicle inspectors in the State. This was changed in accordance with apprenticeship changes in Ireland as well as to align with the commercial standard. Testers in Ireland are currently required to hold QQI level 6 qu…

The port capacity study is currently under way and is due for completion shortly. Upon its finalisation a full review of national ports policy will commence later this year which will look at the overall ports policy framework. The first stage in this review will be the drafting of an issues paper and it is anticipated that this will go to public consultation in early 2023. Pending this review, I have published a policy statement on the facilitation of offshore renewable energy by commercial ports in Ireland, makin…

A lot of work is happening within the Department and there has been ongoing engagement with the EU, the ISIF and the EIB to lay the ground for our ports and the potential investment there. The policy statement recognised that existing ports in Ireland, or entities within ports with development plans, such as Rosslare Europort and the Port of Cork, can play a significant role in providing the required large-scale port infrastructure for those deployments. The policy specifically mentions, for example, Shannon Foynes…

I assure the Deputy that huge work is happening in this space. From engagements with ports and industry it is known that ports and private entities are engaging in their own commercial discussions with ORE project developers to underpin the business case for port infrastructure developments, progression of the projects and timelines. It remains subject to the results of the auctions. On the CEF funding, this is significant now that it has been included. Again I want to commend the officials in my Department for inc…

I thank the Deputy. The primary aim of the Government's Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 is to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads by 50%. As stated at the launch of the strategy in December 2021, this means reducing deaths on Ireland’s roads annually from 144 to 72 or lower and reducing serious injuries from 1,259 to 630 or lower by 2030. This will be the first step in Ireland’s journey towards realising Vision Zero, the international strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serio…

I agree that enforcement is key. The chairmanship of the high-level ministerial group is shared by me and the Minister for Justice. I am equally concerned with the number of road deaths and serious injuries on our roads. I acted quickly during the summer as a result of the increase in serious injuries and deaths on our roads to bring forward regulations. We are also working on legislative proposals but the regulations allowed for an immediate response. The real killers on our roads are speed, people using mobile ph…

The Deputy asked about an online portal and drug testing. The Medical Bureau of Road Safety is also represented on that high-level ministerial group. Those areas were considered in the road safety strategy and we are making progress in that regard. I am in regular contact with the Irish Road Hauliers Association, IRHA, and the Freight Transit Association of Ireland, FTAI. Those organisations know that my door is always open for them to raise any issues with me. That is no problem. The Bill the Deputy mentioned is c…

I welcome the contents of the national port study which was commissioned by Wind Energy Ireland. It provides a useful profile of port infrastructure and the proposed development plans of the port companies for both fixed and floating installations. Ireland has ambitious plans with regard to the development of offshore renewable energy in the seas around Ireland. This report aligns with the Government policy I published last December on the facilitation of offshore renewable energy by Irish commercial ports in ident…

I completely agree with the Deputy about the urgency around this. I know that all ports across the country, many of which the Minister and I have visited, are working on their own plans to tap into the opportunities in operation and maintenance in the west, for example, in Galway. With regard to Shannon Foynes, the Minister attended the launch of the port's Vision 2041 strategic review. I congratulate Shannon Foynes Port Company and Bechtel on their report, which sets out the opportunity in the Shannon Estuary as a…

The Deputy alluded to the multiport approach well. Every port has its role to play, for example, Shannon Foynes in terms of larger infrastructure development and Galway and smaller ports in terms of operations and maintenance. I am encouraged by the engagement between our ports and industry on working towards potential funding opportunities at EU level, for example, from the EIB and the ISIF. This is a very large endeavour and is ambitious, as it has to be. As the Deputy and I both know from living on the west coas…

Amendments Nos. 1 and 2 are Government amendments which clarify that AirNav Ireland has a function in the provision of aeronautical rescue co-ordination. The purpose of technical amendments Nos. 1 and 2 is to make clear that AirNav Ireland would have the vires to provide aeronautical rescue co-ordination for search and rescue services as per annex 12 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, the Chicago convention. As Senators will recall, Schedule 2 to the Bill, as amended, provides that the new IAA will …

The IAA air navigation service provider, NSP, is responsible for the provision of aviation rescue co-ordination within Ireland's search and rescue region which is coincident with the Shannon flight information region. The IAA and NSP provide this service from the aviation rescue co-ordination centre, ARCC, in Shannon air traffic control centre, ATC, and the aviation rescue sub-centre in Dublin ATC. Marine rescue is provided by the Coast Guard from the marine rescue co-ordination centre, MRCC, in Dublin with marine …