Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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336. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the Kilrane State Facility site will be opened up to provide additional HGV parking to alleviate traffic congestion at Rosslare Europort and surrounding local villages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21141/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The primary purpose of the State site at Kilrane is to ensure that all of the appropriate statutory customs, SPS and health checks and controls required for HGVs arriving from Great Britain are undertaken in a secure, timely and efficient fashion with the minimum of delay. Any additional use of the site would need to have regard to that important priority in addition to the relevant operational and safety considerations.

A review of the design of the site for use for additional parking of HGVs is complete. This then had to be reviewed in the light of the recent decision by Revenue Commissioners to move its mobile scanner to the Kilrane site to facilitate the establishment within the port of a Reception centre for persons arriving from Ukraine. My Department has engaged with the relevant agencies to assess the feasibility of providing the additional parking on a designated area within the Kilrane site. A Health and Safety assessment is to be carried out shortly by Transport Infrastructure Ireland on the proposed designated area. As soon as this is complete, the Department, in consultation with the agencies, will review the overall feasibility of allowing the dual use of the site taking account of the Health & Safety assessment and other associated factors, including costs and the management of the site.

The Department is aware that Rosslare Europort has issued an information statement requesting truck drivers and hauliers not to park their vehicles in neighbouring villages while waiting for access to Rosslare Europort for ferry departure deadlines. It is suggested that drivers waiting for a ferry departure should park their vehicle at Gorey Service Station, Ballyellin, on the M11, or at Barntown Service Station, at Larkin’s Cross near Wexford town.