Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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212. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding the current system of permits for wide and-or exceptional loads; if he will consider a new arrangement whereby hauliers will be able to contact just one office instead of the numerous individual offices in each county council that a wide and-or exceptional load will have to pass through; if he will consider the National Roads Authority to be suitable for such a task; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36056/14]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Under Article 3(b)(xiv) of The Road Safety Authority Act 2006 (Conferral of Functions) Order 2006, the RSA has responsibility for oversight of the permit system provided for under  the RoadTraffic (Special Permits for Particular Vehicles) Regulations, 2007, SI 283 of 2007 (previously Regulation 59 of the Road Traffic (Construction and Use of Vehicles) Regulations 2003). Under these Regulations, a person may apply to the appropriatelocal authority for the issue of a permit authorising the use of any particular vehicle or combination of vehicles, the use of which would contravene any of the requirements of the Road Traffic (Construction and Use of Vehicles) Regulations, 2003 - S.I. No. 5/2003 (as amended), to be used on one or more specified public roads or all public roads within a specified area within the functional area of the relevant local authority.

It should be noted that this permit system is intended for exceptional circumstances and not as an alternative to complying with existing maximum vehicular mass and dimensions legislative requirements.

Last year, the RSA investigated the charging structures in the various local authorities associated with abnormal load permits and found a wide variation in such charges. They also found considerable variation in the administrative procedures operated by local authorities in dealing with applications for abnormal load permits.

I think that this is an area that could benefit from a greater degree of standardisation and stream-lining of administrative procedures and it would be my intention, in consultation with the RSA, to have the existing regulations reviewed in this area. However, given the other priorities which my Department is currently dealing with in the road safety area and the fact that abnormal loads are the exception rather than the rule, it is likely to be next year before we can turn attention to this issue.