Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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133. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the oversight his Department had with Iarnród Éireann in setting the terms of references for a report (details supplied) on the western rail corridor; his views on whether it was reasonable to ask the consultants to give only one option for the development of phase 2 and 3 as a 90 mph rail service when most studies would have given a number of options, for example, freight-only, 70 mph, 90 mph; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11442/21]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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174. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the level of scrutiny applied to a report (details supplied) into the western rail corridor by his Department to ensure it was accurate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12534/21]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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175. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a company (details supplied) had the opportunity to review the submissions that were made by local authorities, regional development organisations and business organisations when reviewing a report on the western rail corridor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12535/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 133, 174 and 175 together.

As the Deputy is aware, in line with a decision of the previous Government, in 2019 Iarnród Éireann commissioned EY Economic Consultants to undertake a financial and economic appraisal of a proposed re-opening of the Western Rail Corridor Phases 2 and 3. This Decision related to a commitment given in the previous Programme for Governmentand reiterated in the National Development Plan(published in 2018), both of which contemplated a re-opening of the line to passenger and freight services, and committed to having the proposal appraised.

In line with that Government Decision, Iarnród Éireann developed terms of reference for the proposed study in order to procure consultants. As those terms of reference were being finalised, my Department received a copy and provided written observations to Iarnród Éireann with regard to references to the Public Spending Codeand the Common Appraisal Framework for Transport Projects and Programmes and related issues. Management of the contract with EY, payment of fees, oversight of EY's work, and acceptance of their Report as the output of that work, were matters forIarnród Éireann in line with their contractual arrangements.

Upon completion and submission of the EY report by Iarnród Éireann, my Department’s initial review focussed on a technical assessment of the report as an economic appraisal with reference to relevant Public Spending Codeand Common Appraisal Frameworkguidance. Separately, my Department also commissioned JASPERS - an agency of the EU Commission and EIB - to conduct an independent review of the proposal generally, and the JASPERS Review is available to view on my Department’s website.

As the Deputy will acknowledge, issues such as the frequency and speed of proposed rail services are always of interest in proposals like this, and indeed were raised by consultees during the public consultation process as reported in section 3 of the EY Report. I note that the EY Report states that the operational and design scenario adopted in the analysis ‘was most in line with the comments received during the public stakeholder consultation’ while the JASPERS Review comments that it is ‘ambitious’.

The Deputy is right to note that an extensive public consultation process was organised by EY as part of their work for Iarnród Éireann. As detailed in the EY Report (see section 3, Appendix B and Appendix C) the consultation process elicited 6,572 unique responses to the online survey and 113 written submissions which are comprehensively summarised in the EY Report itself. I can confirm that the JASPERS Review did not individually review those responses or submissions.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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134. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the basis on which he derives the authority to announce two feasibility studies for the western rail corridor given the fact that this is in direct contravention of regional policy objective, RPO, 6.13, a legitimate stand-alone development objective of the Government-endorsed regional spatial and economic strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11445/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Deputy will acknowledge that the authority of Government and Ministers is as set out in Bunreacht na hÉireann and legislation passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas, such as the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 (as amended).

In line with that Constitutional and legislative framework, the previous Government requested Iarnród Éireann to commission a financial and economic appraisal of the proposed reopening of the Western Rail Corridor Phases 2 and 3, and also decided that, upon completion of that appraisal, the Department of Transport would ensure an independent review of that appraisal.

In December 2020, the Government noted the conclusions of Iarnród Éireann’s financial and economic appraisal (the “EY Report”) and the independent review of it that had been commissioned by my Department and conducted by JASPERS, an agency of the European Investment Bank / European Commission. This independent review noted a number of shortcomings in relation to the proposed re-opening of the Western Rail Corridor Phases 2 and 3 as presented, in particular around issues such as the need to demonstrate the strategic role of the proposal and how it sat within the broader proposed development of the network.

Government also noted my intention to launch a Strategic Rail Review of the rail network, which will be conducted in co-operation with our colleagues in the Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland), and will examine the potential role of rail in all-island inter-urban and inter-regional connectivity, including its potential for freight.

I am aware of the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy as referred to by the Deputy, and the Regional Policy Objectives therein. I am also aware that the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategyprefaces its description of those Regional Policy Objectives with an acknowledgment of the role of Government as described above in relation to the Western Rail Corridor.