Written answers

Tuesday, 3 February 2015

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport

Rural Transport Services Provision

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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153. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to implement the recommendations contained within the CEDRA report pertaining to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4288/15]

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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There are five recommendations of the CEDRA Report that come within the remit of my Department, Recommendations 17, 18, 26, 27 and 28. Recommendation 18 relates to the Rural Transport Programme for which Minister for Local, Community and Rural Economic Development, Ann Phelan, has responsibility within this Department.  

Recommendation 17 relates to the improvement of the road network. As recognised in the report, financial constraints have meant that investment in road infrastructure has had to be cut back significantly.  The priority at present for the DTTS regional and local road grants is the maintenance/renewal of roads and regional road bridges.

On the national side, a limited number of PPP road projects are being progressed, including the important Gort to Tuam scheme on the Atlantic Corridor which is at construction stage with a view to completion in 2018 and the New Ross Bypass and Enniscorthy to Gorey scheme in the south east on which the procurement process is being progressed.

Scope for funding specific improvement projects will depend on the availability of funding under future capital investment plans.

Recommendation 18 relates to improving and integrating the Rural Transport Programme (RTP) into the overall public transport system. In April 2012 responsibility for managing the RTP was assigned to the National Transport Authority (NTA) as part of new arrangements for integrated local and rural transport approved by Government in January 2012 to deliver on its commitment in the Programme for Government to maintain and extend the RTP with other local transport services as much as practicable. This role for the NTA, coupled with its national remit for securing the provision of public passenger transport services, enables the development of better links between local and rural transport services and scheduled bus and rail services.

A restructuring of the RTP, announced in July 2013, involves the establishment of 17 Transport Co-ordination Units (TCUs) in place of the 35 RTP Groups which have delivered rural transport services until now.  To date 11 TCUs have been established and the remainder will be very shortly. The NTA has replaced the RTP groups as the contracting party for service provision and the new TCUs will manage the contracted services on behalf of the NTA.

Recommendations 26, 27 and 28 are tourism related. A new Tourism Policy Statement entitled “People, Place and Policy – Growing Tourism to 2025” was presented to Cabinet by me on 14th January last and was approved by the Government.  The Policy Statement, which will be published shortly, notes the recommendations on tourism that are contained in the CEDRA report.  Following publication of the Tourism Policy Statement, I will establish a Tourism Leadership Group (TLG), consisting of representatives of key public sector bodies and representatives of the tourism sector, to begin work on an Action Plan to deliver the objectives in the Tourism Policy Statement.  The development and growth of tourism outside the main urban centres will be a central consideration in the deliberations of the Tourism Leadership Group.

The National Cycle Network (NCN) Programme is allocating approximately €23.5 million over the period 2012 to 2016 (including €10 million allocated under the recent stimulus package) to advance routes that will provide valuable transport and recreational infrastructure, with the added potential to enhance tourist activity for the areas concerned.  Fifteen cycling projects were completed by local authorities across the country with €7 million in funding provided under the first tranche of NCN funding for the years 2012/2013.  A further 3 projects shared in funding of €6.3 million under the second tranche of NCN funding for the years 2014-2016. 

Under the €10 million investment package for greenway development announced as part of the €200 million national infrastructure package, 11 cycling projects were selected to share in this funding.

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