Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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198. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his Department will liaise with the NTA to see if a review is complete with respect to a service (details supplied) in County Cork which they state they would undertake following correspondence received in September 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49122/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.

In light of the Authority's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question related to a review services in County Cork, to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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199. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will examine removing the two-year validity of the EU parking permit for disabled drivers to avoid people with disabilities having to re-apply every two years; if he will outline, given that a disability is permanent, what the rationale is for only providing the card for two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49171/23]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The two-year validity period for the disabled parking permit is set out in the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997, as amended. Following a stakeholder consultation in 2009/2010, it was decided to retain the defined period for all permit holders.

My Department and the bodies which issue the permits, the Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland (DDAI) and the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA), are aware that the renewal requirement may be inconvenient for people with permanent mobility impairment. However, the DDAI and the IWA consider that extending this period, or providing a lifelong permit, would compromise permit security and increase the potential for fraud. Regular renewal ensures that the photograph is current and that enforcement authorities (An Garda Síochána and local authority traffic wardens) can confirm the permit holder’s identity and their entitlement to the permit.

A defined validity period also restricts the time that a lost or stolen permit, or a permit for a person who is since deceased, can be used. An Garda Síochána. as part of Operation Enable in 2017, identified the latter as a particularly widespread problem, even within the two-year limit. To extend the expiry period would greatly expand the potential for this kind of fraud.

Permit fraud takes disabled parking bays away from those who need them and undermines the Disabled Parking Scheme. While most permit holders are fully compliant with the scheme, it is important to maximise security and minimise opportunities for fraud and misuse. Accordingly, the issuing bodies consistently stress the need to keep track of who possesses a permit and to ensure that permits issued to people who have since died are taken out of circulation as quickly as possible. Given this, there are no plans to extend the current expiry period.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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200. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport what plans he has to ensure the roll-out of wheelchair accessible public transport on buses and rail to ensure equality of access for all persons and to make it easier for wheelchair users to get on and off public transport. [49172/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding for public transport.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for developing an accessible, integrated and sustainable public transport network. It is the individual transport companies, which have responsibility for the operation of public transport services, in conjunction with the NTA.

In light of the NTA's over-arching responsibilities in relation to public transport accessibility, including in relation to the accessibility of vehicles, I have forwarded your question to the NTA for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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201. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has engaged with Irish Rail on an issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49173/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As the Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operation and provision of public transport.

While the safety and security of both public transport passengers and staff is of utmost importance, arrangements to deal with anti-social behaviour on public transport are matters which first and foremost must be managed by each public transport company, in conjunction with An Garda Síochána where appropriate.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) is further engaged with public transport operators regarding the issue of anti-social behaviour. My Department has also been engaging directly with the NTA and the individual operators on the issue of anti-social behaviour and in relation to ensuring the safety of passengers and staff. In their responses, operators stressed their strong and close working relationships with An Garda Síochána in relation to these issues.

As such, the issues raised by the Deputy are operational matters for Iarnród Éireann and I have therefore forwarded your question to the company for a more detailed reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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202. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport what plans he has to invest and further roll-out local link services in counties Galway and Roscommon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49174/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. The NTA also has national responsibility for integrated local and rural transport, including TFI Local Link services and the rollout of services under the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan.

In light of the NTA's responsibilities for new and enhanced public transport services, including services in Counties Galway and Roscommon, I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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203. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport what plans he has to increase capacity on Irish Rail train services (specifically additional carriages) for train passengers in counties Galway and Roscommon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49175/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has, on a non-statutory basis, responsibility for the development of public transport infrastructure in Galway and Roscommon with regards to increasing capacity.

As the Deputy may be aware, the Government continues to invest heavily in improving our rail network. This includes initiatives such as the DART+ Programme, and previous Government approval for the purchase of an additional 41 InterCity Railcars, or “ICRs”.

While the existing Iarnród Éireann operational fleet is already fully deployed on scheduled services, delivery of the additional 41 ICRs commenced late last year, and I am pleased to confirm that Iarnród Éireann has, earlier this year, taken delivery of the final batch of these. Once fully commissioned, these will serve to enhance passenger capacity across the rail network.

The National Transport Authority have advised that there are plans to utilise the 41 new ICRs to extend the length of multiple train sets operating on the current rail network, and passengers can expect to see longer trains in operation from Q1 2024 once the commissioning phase for the new carriages is complete.

As part of ongoing work by the NTA and Iarnród Éireann with regard to the deployment of the ICRs, consideration is being given to providing new and additional carriages where passenger demand, available carriages, and suitable infrastructure support such provision. Decisions on this will be made over the coming months.

I am sure that the Deputy will agree that these new carriages and redeployment of existing carriages will greatly assist the NTA and Iarnród Éireann in addressing the issue of growing demand across the rail network.

Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a more detailed reply to the specific questions asked. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.