Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Thank you, I will go through them quickly, beginning with Deputy Maloney. I agree completely with what he said about Dublin Bus in terms of the route review it has put in place and the way it has delivered that. Dublin Bus has informed me that the review is believed to be the largest of its kind in Europe. I look at the roll out of real-time passenger information, the availability of Wi-Fi, and while I will always make the point that these are developments that the taxpayer funds, nonetheless the drivers, staff and management of Dublin Bus have done a very good job in responding to a market that went through a very challenging time.

In regard to the 9% VAT rate, I completely agree with the Deputy. I do not believe that the sector or its representatives take the maintenance of this 9% rate as a given, and they are correct in that judgement. Along with every other Minister, I have to put forward the case and the evidence for our support of this. This evidence is crucial; the rate must feed into competitive pricing and it must be creating jobs. When it stops doing those things, my ability to champion it within Government will be weakened too.

The Deputy raised the issue of a ban for life for people who are caught driving with alcohol in their systems. I have to respect the role and scope of the courts to make decisions. When Deputy Halligan raised a similar issue with me, I got the information regarding the level of sanction that is and has been in place, the number of people currently disqualified from driving due to having points on their licence, and the length of these disqualifications. A large number of people have been sanctioned and there are different levels of sanction depending on the penalty received. I will write to the committee with that information so that it can look at it and see how our current legislation is being implemented.

Deputy Colreavy made a point about freight. That business ceased in some areas because sufficient levels of demand were no longer there to sustain it. If the Deputy feels this has changed, I can raise the issue with David Franks and the management of Irish Rail to see whether the level of demand has changed. Irish Rail is trying to put services in place that meet the level of market demand for freight within the resources it has available.

In respect of the two roads mentioned, I confirmed earlier the funding for national, local and regional roads of €598 million, which is broadly unchanged for that of a year ago. The National Roads Authority and the local authorities will receive notification of this funding and will then make decisions regarding how it can be best spent. I will certainly convey the Deputy's comments regarding the state of them at present.