Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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244. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the protocols he has in place with the RSA to ensure a speedy reply to questions referred on by him for direct reply; the reason this Deputy has not yet received a reply to Parliamentary Question No. 353 of 3 November 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37009/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As the Deputy will be aware, under Standing Order 51(1), a Minister in their reply to a parliamentary question may refer the matter to a body under the aegis of their department for direct response. In these instances, a reply should issue from the Oireachtas liaison to these bodies within 10 working days and Deputies are asked to notify my private office if they have not received a response within this timeframe.

I also confirm that each agency and body under my Department, to which a matter has been referred, receives an electronic notification that a question has been referred to them for response at the same time as my office notifies the Oireachtas that a question is being referred for direct response. If alerted to late responses via the Ceann Comhairle's office or by Deputies directly, my private office will also engage with both the Deputy and the agency or body concerned to secure a response in a timely manner.

In this instance, I understand that my original response to the Deputy referring the matter to the Road Safety Authority was made on 3 November, and so the full 10 working day period will not elapse until, today 17 November. As the Deputy will be aware, the RSA is experiencing significant administrative challenges in all areas of its operations as a result of the impact of Covid-19, but that in general, it has maintained a high level of compliance with the 10 working-day timeframe for response to parliamentary questions.  

I trust that the Deputy will notify my private office if he has still not received a response on the matter by close of business today.