Written Answers Nos. 340-354
341. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the minimum educational and professional qualifications required for vehicle inspectors employed at National Car Testing centres; the duration and content of their initial training programme; whether this training is externally accredited; and the body responsible for certifying inspectors prior to conducting independent inspections [15064/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra342. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the total number of quality assurance audits conducted on NCT inspection decisions in 2024 and to date in 2026; the percentage of inspections subject to secondary review; and the rate at which initial fail decisions were overturned on formal appeal in each of those years. [15065/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra343. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether NCT inspectors are subject to performance metrics relating to throughput, efficiency, or statistical failure rates; if so, to outline the nature of those metrics; and whether any incentives or penalties are attached to inspection outcomes. [15066/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra344. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the oversight mechanisms exercised by the Road Safety Authority over the NCT contractor in respect of inspection consistency and inspector training standards; and whether any contractual penalties, compliance notices, or remedial directions have been issued in the past three years. [15067/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra345. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether the Department or the Road Safety Authority has conducted any variance analysis of pass and fail rates across individual NCT centres; and whether the Minister will publish centre-by-centre statistical data for 2023, 2024 and 2025. [15068/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra346. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the current contract value of the NCT operator; the duration of the contract; and the date on which the next competitive procurement process is scheduled to commence. [15069/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 341 to 346, inclusive, together.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Car Testing (NCT) service under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 and, as Minister, I have no function in respect of operational matters. Given the RSA's responsibility in this matter, I have referred the Deputy’s questions to the RSA for direct response. Please contact my office if a reply is not received within ten days.
Pending this response, the NCT service is currently contracted out to a third-party supplier, with the contract managed and overseen by the RSA's customer operations directorate. The service is subject to a regime of internal and external audits by the RSA Training & Standards Team, which is assisted by the Supervision Services Contractor and the Technical Inspection Services Provider to monitor the service provider’s adherence to key performance indicators and service level agreements. These external audit and assurance contractors are independent from the service delivery contractor.
The NCT is accredited to International Organization for Standardization standards. All NCT Inspectors are fully qualified mechanics who undertake an intensive three-week training programme delivered through classroom, practical and online training methods. All staff complete Code of Integrity training upon recruitment and on an annual basis thereafter. On-site and annual training programmes are delivered every year to staff to brief them on new technologies.
347. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Transport following the refurbishment of the first class carriages on the intercity services from Dublin to Cork if consideration will be given to refurbishing the standard class carriages on the Mark 4 fleet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15078/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister of Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding of public transport. The operation, maintenance and renewal of the rail network, including any refurbishment of rail vehicles, is a matter for Iarnród Éireann (IÉ) in the first instance.
Noting IÉ's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to IÉ for a direct reply on the specific matter raised. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.
348. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Transport if he will outline what Irish Rail's plans are to replace the 201 class locomotive which are used on the Dublin - Cork and Enterprise train services; and if there are plans to replace these fleet of locomotives which have almost reached the end of their service life. [15079/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister of Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding of public transport. The operation, maintenance and renewal of the rail network and locomotives on the network, including any proposed replacement of the 201-class units deployed on the Dublin to Cork and Dublin to Belfast rail lines, is a matter for Iarnród Éireann in the first instance.
Of relevance, the Enterprise rail service is the only cross-border rail service on the island of Ireland. It is a well-known symbol of North-South cooperation and provides an important public transport link operating between Dublin and Belfast. In October 2024, the Enterprise moved to a near hourly service supported by funding provided by the Shared Island Fund. The Enterprise now operates 15 services in each direction between Dublin and Belfast on most days. The Enterprise Fleet Replacement Programme will replace the current rolling stock of diesel trains with a more sustainable fleet. Having completed the procurement process, the contract for the manufacture of the new Enterprise fleet is expected to be awarded shortly.
Noting Iarnród Éireann's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to Iarnród Éireann for a direct reply on the specific matter raised. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.
349. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Transport the engagement he has had with Irish Rail on introducing a half hourly service on the Dublin to Cork line at peak times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15080/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister of State, I have responsibility for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport.
The query raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for Iarnród Éireann. I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
350. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Transport to provide a breakdown, by county of the number of recipients of the wheelchair accessible vehicle grant scheme for each of the past five years for which data is available, if the table will categorise grant recipients into new or existing SPSV license holders and the total amounts allocated per annum per county, if he will further state whether he intends to reform the scheme or increase the available funding, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15100/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry, including the administration of the wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) grant, is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), under the provisions of the Consolidated Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016. I have no role in the day to day operations of the SPSV sector.
Accordingly, I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you have not received a reply within 10 working days.
351. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide details of what he envisages for inclusion in the promised Taxi Regulation Amendment Bill; the current status of the bill; when he expects to bring the bill to cabinet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15101/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), under the provisions of the Consolidated Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016. I have no role in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV sector.
My Department, in conjunction with the NTA, is currently working on amending the Taxi Regulation Act 2013. The Bill is included in the all other legislation section of the Government's Spring 2026 Legislation Programme. While drafting of heads is at an early stage and the full range of issues to be included is to be scoped out in consultation with the NTA in their role as regulator for the sector, it is envisaged that the Bill will deal with a range of matters including ensuring enforcement provisions are up to date, providing for updates to licensing provisions in consultation with the regulator and providing for technical amendments to the 2013 Act where required for the purposes of clarity.
352. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Transport if he intends to legislate or bring in regulations that would allow for the development of ride sharing services in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15119/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), under the provisions of the Consolidated Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016. I have no role in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV sector.
The focus of Ireland’s regulatory regime for taxis and hackneys is on consumer protection and personal safety. A fundamental tenet of the regulatory regime is that only licensed taxi and hackney drivers, and licensed taxi and hackney vehicles, are used for the carriage of passengers for reward, to protect the consumer and help ensure public safety.
Under legislation, the regulation of the SPSV sector is carried out by the National Transport Authority, which is the licensing authority for vehicles and dispatch operators. An Garda Síochána is the licensing authority for taxi and hackney drivers.
Dispatch operators, such as online services and app companies, must use licensed SPSV drivers to provide journeys to customers. The model where anyone with a private car (not licensed as a small public service vehicle) and an App can provide taxi services does not exist in Ireland. This is not government policy and there is no intention to introduce it. Drivers can use their own vehicles once they meet suitability standards set by the NTA, are licensed, and appropriately insured.
The structure of the taxi and hackney market has undoubtedly changed since liberalisation of the market took place, and more notably in recent years, in relation to the role of dispatch operators. I have requested that the NTA conducts a regulatory assessment of dispatch operator licensing in Ireland in the context of ensuring that the regulatory framework for this element of the overall sector is sufficiently up to date and robust to respond to developments since the enactment of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013.
The NTA is currently developing a Call for Inputs on the dispatch operator licensing framework as a priority, and expects to publish the Call in late February/early March. A sustainable taxi sector is an important element of our transport system, and I encourage all stakeholders to take the opportunity to feed into this important piece of work, as input from stakeholders will inform the NTA's process and decision-making in revising the current dispatch operator framework.
353. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide an update on the new regional airports programme 2026-2030; when it is expected to be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15165/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to thank the Deputy for his continued interest in this matter. The Programme for Government commits to continuing to invest in the Regional Airports Programme and to develop a new Regional Airports Programme 2026-2030.
In delivering on this commitment, a new Regional Airports Programme 2026-2030 has been developed by my Department. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that I have brought this new programme to Cabinet today for its information and I look forward to publishing the new Regional Airports Programme 2026-2030 in the coming days.
354. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Transport if he will intervene to ensure there is a midday flight from Donegal to Dublin, which many patients in receipt of cancer care and other forms of inpatient and outpatient require; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15191/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can assure the Deputy that this Government is firmly committed to maintaining connectivity to the northwest by continuing to provide Exchequer funded Public Service Obligation (PSO) air services on this route.
To ensure continuity of services when the current contract ends on 25 February, my Department conducted a public procurement process, in line with the requirements of EU Regulation 1008/2008. This regulation allows Governments to provide PSO air services to airports serving peripheral or less-developed regions.
Only one tender submission was received during this process. In the absence of any competition to operate this service, and having taken legal advice, the priority had been to execute a contract to safeguard services beyond 25 February. Any alternative would have imposed a consequent risk to the continuation of this important air service.
I completely understand the disappointment that has been articulated by many in relation to the revised flight schedule under the new contract. I can assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to ensuring that an effective service is provided at times that work for all those availing of it. I am due to meet with representatives from the Donegal Cancer Flights & Services Group today (24th February) to engage further in terms of how we can best move forward.
In this regard, I have asked my Department to explore what options may be available under the new contract to meet the needs of all users, while ensuring the continuity of this vital service.
