Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 94: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will report on the recent meeting of the Clare Street initiative; the recommendations arising from this meeting; the way in which his Department will enact such proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28840/05]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 143: To ask the Minister for Transport the funding set aside for the implementation of the so-called Clare Street initiative; and the timescale envisaged for the introduction of the reforms proposed. [29069/05]

Ivor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 143 together.

The purpose of the Clare Street initiative, CSI, is to progress the effective implementation of traffic management and related measures in the greater Dublin area and to bring added value to the major transport investments that are under way and planned. During workshops in Clontarf Castle on 5 October, the CSI group considered 37 projects, submitted in advance of the meeting, and distilled from that list a recommended shortlist of 15 priority projects, in some cases involving an amalgamation of separately tabled proposals. The CSI charter makes it clear that the initiative will work with existing agencies and within existing governance structures and that it will be the responsibility of the relevant statutory, or other, agencies to decide whether to proceed with projects suggested by the initiative. I will publish details of the recommended projects once the written conclusions of the Clontarf Castle session have been cleared by CSI members and the implementing agencies have been formally requested to progress these projects.

I can, however, tell the Deputies that projects fall within the following implementation timescales: short — within six months; medium — within one year; long — within two years. It will be the role of the CSI to promote and support the implementation of projects but not in any way to substitute itself for existing agencies or to pre-empt their functions. Projects under the CSI will be funded from within the Department of Transport's medium term capital envelope and from the resources of implementing agencies, as appropriate.

The CSI will meet again in plenary session in six months. In the meantime, project sponsors will report on project progress on a three monthly basis and will, if they wish, convene sub-groups to advance projects. The initiative, through the relevant project sponsor, will monitor progress on projects and there will be a report on progress at each annual meeting of the CSI's steering group. Having considered the report, the group will decide whether to keep the project on its action list.