Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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16. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to further end tolls on roads across the State following the recent toll free period initiative and comments by him that he was considering the removal of tolls levied on trucks using the Limerick tunnel. [21597/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have overall responsibility for  policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme. The implementation of individual national road schemes which provide for tolling, is a matter for the National Roads Authority (NRA) under the Roads Acts 1993-2007.  Moreover, the statutory power to levy tolls on national roads, to make toll bye-laws and to enter into toll agreements with private investors in respect of national roads is very specifically vested in the NRA under Part V of the Roads Act, 1993 (as amended).

The contracts for the privately-operated toll schemes are commercial agreements between the NRA and the Public Private Partnership (PPP) concessionaires concerned. As the Deputy will appreciate there is a contract in place between the State, in this case represented by the NRA, and the PPP companies. This contract can not be unilaterally changed by either party.  While toll rates are adjusted annually in line with consumer prices, the base rates are built into the PPP financing arrangements that enabled the high quality motorway network to be built.

In relation to Limerick Tunnel, in light of the findings from the toll free pilot last November, which showed an increase of 70% in the number of HGVs using tunnel, I have asked the NRA to assess the option of making the tunnel toll free for HGVs taking into account the traffic guarantee payments.