Written answers
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport
Ministerial Responsibilities
Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will outline in tabular form the commitments in the Programme for Government pertaining to his ministerial portfolio; the current status of these commitments in terms of implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42887/12]
Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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In March of this year the Government published the first Annual Report setting out progress on the Programme for Government commitments during its first year in office. It is the Government's intention to publish a second annual report next March which will set out specific progress on implementation during the second year. The status of each of the commitments for which I have specific responsibility is set out below.
Commitment Progress
| Abolish the Travel Tax as part of a deal with airlines to restore lost routes International access is vital to tourism recovery. We will abolish the €3 travel tax subject to a deal being agreed with Ryanair and Aer Lingus to re-open closed routes and bring more tourists into Ireland. If no deal can be done, there will be no reduction in the tax. | In Progress |
|---|---|
| We will prioritise the Tourism Marketing Fund as an essential pillar of our tourism strategy and will ensure the best return on Exchequer spending. | In Progress |
| Marketing campaigns will be developed in emerging long haul markets such as China, Russia, India, Japan and the Middle East, using the Tourism Marketing Fund. Recovery of market share in Britain will also be a key priority in a revamped tourism strategy. | In Progress |
| Improving the e-capability of our tourism product will be a priority. | In Progress |
| We will target available resources at developing and co-ordinating niche tourism products and activity packages that are attractive to international visitors focusing on food, sports, culture, ecotourism, activity breaks, water-based recreation and festivals. | In Progress |
| Event tourism will be prioritised to continue to bring major fairs and events to Ireland such as the Volvo Ocean Race or Solheim Cup. | In Progress |
| We will introduce roadside drug testing programmes to combat the problem of driving under the influence of drugs. | In Progress |
| All State funding will be subject to the beneficiaries signing up to a dispute resolution service, a code of governance and a new mandatory code of conduct regarding child protection in sport. | In Progress |
| A number of positions on the Sports Council’s governing Board will be made directly electable. | In Progress |
| The National Sports Facilities Strategy will become the blueprint for the future development of all sports facilities in the country and will inform any future investment on sports infrastructure. | In Progress |
| In future sports funding should prioritise projects which further greater participation in sport on a local and national level. | In Progress |
| We recognise the need to rebalance transport policy to favour public transport. We will therefore establish a Cabinet sub-committee on Infrastructure to explore the benefits to the public transport passenger of more diverse bus service provision. | In Progress |
| A modern high speed transport system is essential to ensure our economic competitiveness. We will support the expansion in range and frequency of high capacity commuter services, which will be subject to cost benefit analysis. | In Progress |
| Funding will be provided on a once off basis to repair damage done to non-national roads due to recent severe weather conditions. | Completed. |
| We will review and update the regulation of taxis to ensure that taxi services are recognized as a key component of the public transport system and we will provide for a forum for discussion between the regulatory authorities and taxi providers. | In Progress |
| We will legislate to regulate the vehicle clamping industry. | In Progress |
| We will continue to invest in the National Cycle Policy and we will look to extend the Dublin Bikes Scheme across the wider Dublin area and to other cities and integrate the scheme much more effectively with public transport links. | In Progress |
| The rural transport network is vital for rural communities as a reliable and sustainable transport service. We will maintain and extend the Rural Transport Programme with other local transport services as much as is practicable. | In Progress |
| We will work with the Aviation Regulator to cut airport charges in order to deliver increased routes, airlines and passenger numbers. | In Progress |
| Safety at sea and decent working conditions must underpin the development of the fisheries sector. We will explore the provision of an emergency towing vessel for the Coastguard. | In Progress |
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