I hear the Deputy's concerns about trying to expedite this. The February 2022 date will depend on the legal advice and the availability of drafting resources. I take Deputy Moynihan's point regarding the pressure on GPs at the moment. In order to address the social distancing requirements and the additional burdens on our medical services during the pandemic, the requirement for those over 70 to provide a medical report was temporarily removed in order to protect our citizens and take pressure off our medical servi…

My understanding is that regulatory amendments will be required to progress this. This change will not come into force until those regulations are progressed. That will depend on legal advice and the availability of drafting resources. If people have any questions, they can go to the RSA website for updates. This change will not happen until the amended regulations come into force.

I have no doubt Deputy O'Rourke welcomes the inclusion in the draft transport strategy for the greater Dublin area, GDA, of a new rail link to Navan as one of its many projects and programmes to be delivered by 2042. I know the issue of a rail link to Navan was one of several that generated a significant number of submissions during the original public consultation held by the NTA in November 2020. The GDA transport strategy is subject to a formal statutory approval process and will ultimately be submitted for mini…

The NTA is working closely with Meath County Council to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the benefits of the Navan rail project encapsulating economic, environmental and societal benefits in addition to a multi-criteria analysis of options in accordance with the common appraisal framework for transport projects programmes. It is due to commence shortly. It is expected that the revised transport strategy will be ready for approval and publication by mid-2022. Alongside the national development plan, NDP, the …

There is a requirement under the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 that the preparation of a transport strategy for the GDA is carried out. The current strategy was published in 2016. That extends to 2035. The Act requires that the strategy be reviewed every six years in line with the statutory framework. The NTA's transport strategy for the GDA is under review. This is the process that we have to go through. It is a major project that will involve significant planning and design. It is important that people feed…

We can all acknowledge that transitioning the haulage sector to low or zero carbon will be more challenging than other road transport sectors given the size and weight of trucks and the distances they travel. Ireland’s HGV fleet is particularly reliant on fossil fuels, specifically diesel. Biofuels will help with the transition. The renewable fuels for transport policy statement which was published last month sets out a future trajectory of increase in biofuels use in land transport in line with climate action plan…

The ten-year haulage strategy is focusing on a number of issues. Reducing emissions in the sector is one issue. The other issues include how we are dealing with the driver shortage and how to make the profession more attractive. There has been the first phase of a public consultation, with further consultation on the draft strategy next year. Between Covid, Brexit and other challenges facing the industry, this is a really good time to get the feedback from the industry on how we can support the sector and the suppl…

At our meeting with the IRHA last week, we discussed issues around fuel prices, the decarbonisation of the HGV sector and the HGV driver shortage. The Minister and I agreed at the meeting to consider a proposal from the IRHA to expand the relief available to hauliers under the diesel rebate scheme, but with a link to the phase-out of older, more polluting vehicles and an overall reduction in emissions from the sector. Details of the proposal are to be submitted to the Department for further consideration and we wil…

In March 2021 the Minister and I were delighted to launch the safe routes to school, SRTS, programme which will support active travel infrastructure for selected schools around the country. 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. All scho…

I know the Deputy is very aware of the schools in Limerick that were selected. They are Gaelscoil Sáirséal, St. Nessan’s National School, Scoil Íde, St. Paul's National School, Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ, An Mhodhscoil, Limerick School Project National School and St. Munchin's College in Corbally. In Tipperary they were Gaelscoil Chluain Meala and Loreto Secondary School. It is important to note the other 29 schools in Limerick and the 22 in Tipperary that have applied this year but have not been included in the firs…

This is a priority for us. At the moment, the six infrastructure officer teams in An Taisce Green Schools are currently working on stage 4 of this process. That is the communication and liaison interventions. The infrastructure officers have now met the majority of round 1 schools to discuss the situation outside those schools, any new information on school locations etc. and possible solutions. In addition, the work that has been undertaken includes a survey of all the schools, parental surveys, front of school au…

The Minister holds responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. It is the NTA that 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 management of the rural transport programme which operates under the Transport For Ireland Local Link brand. The NTA works with the relevant transport companies that are responsible for the day-to-day op…

As the Deputy knows, Laytown station is outside the short hop zone, which goes north as far as Balbriggan. Such stations have fares that are not well suited for the pay-as-you-go service provided by the Transport for Ireland, TFI, Leap card because cardholders would need to maintain a high minimum balance on their Leap cards before they could use them. The best fare for such intercity services is typically obtained by booking in advance, which again is not suited to the TFI Leap card. The NTA is actively investigat…

I will relay the Deputy's comments to the Minister. My information is that I understand the Deputy has written to the NTA. The Minister's office has referred the correspondence to the NTA, which wrote to the Deputy on 12 July advising that the position with regard to extending routes D1 and D2 to serve the ecology centre remains the same. They stated-----

I apologise. I will relay the Deputy's comments to the Minister. Unfortunately, he cannot be in the Chamber today for personal reasons.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 33 and 48 together. I recognise that the SPSV industry has been badly affected during the Covid-19 pandemic that, for an extended period, brought about an almost complete collapse in passenger demand for taxi and other SPSV services. While recent months saw a welcome return of demand, with the NTA reporting 86% of drivers back at work in October, the recent increase in infection rates has given rise to the necessary reintroduction of a number of restrictions. Conscious of the po…

The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, met as recently as 25 November with the advisory committee on SPSVs. It was a valuable opportunity for him to get first-hand information on the issues affecting the industry, as well as an initial assessment of the impact of the latest restrictions brought about by the recent public health advice. This committee brings a broad range of stakeholders, including taxi drivers and passengers, together to advise the Minister and the NTA on policy. In the past, taxi representatives have pl…

The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has met with the taxi representatives. They have played a crucial role in the current supports, including the refund of NCT and motor tax and extending the vehicle age. At the start of the pandemic, the industry regulator the National Transport Authority immediately extended age limits for taxis and hackneys and has done so three times. The most recent extension is up to the end of 2022, thus ensuring no vehicle will be forced to exit the fleet due to age limits during the pandemic.…

I am taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I thank the Deputy for her question and the opportunity to update Deputies on the status of my Department's work on the CIÉ regular wages scheme. As many in the House will be aware, the CIÉ Group has two pension schemes, namely, the regular wages scheme, RWS, and the 1951 superannuation scheme, and issues around the schemes are primarily a matter for the trustees of the schemes, the CIÉ Group and its employees. The CIÉ Group is actively engaged in intro…

I welcome the opportunity to discuss this topic with Senators this morning. Aviation plays a critical role in our economy as a driving force for tourism and business, including foreign direct investment. Nowhere is this more evident than in Shannon. Government policies have consistently recognised and supported this contribution. Indeed, this has remained the case following the arrival of Covid-19 to our shores. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the aviation sector has benefited considerably from a suite of measures to…