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439 Questions— 22 February 2005. Written Answers 440244. Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Transportwhen his Department officially notified drivingschool proprietors that a change in standardsin relation to heavy goods vehicles registeredafter 1 January 2004 would come into force inFebruary 2005; if this notice was adequate toenable owners to make the necessary adjustmentsin time to meet compliance by the due date; ifadditional time to comply can be afforded inorder that tests already arranged will not have tobe postponed; and if he will make a statement onthe matter. [5639/05]Minister for Transport (Mr. Cullen): EUDirective 2000/56/EC provides for changes in thetype of vehicle that may be presented for a drivingtest. These changes only apply in respect oftruck, bus, or car with trailer driving tests. TheRoad Traffic (Licensing of Drivers)(Amendment) Regulations 2004, SI 705 of 2004,give effect to the provisions of the directive.Vehicles registered before 1 January 2004 are notsubject to these requirements and may continueto be used for driving test purposes until 2013.In February 2002, representative bodies ofdriving instructors were advised, by letter, of thedirective. In the course of information sessionsheld at most test centres in both 2003 and 2004,regional supervisors from my Departmentadvised driving instructors that changes were tobe introduced to the representative vehicles thatcould be presented for driving tests. While theimplementation date of 14 February 2005 for thechange was decided in November 2004, I amsatisfied that the correspondence and informationsessions conducted during the previous threeyears provided adequate notice of the impendingchange.Road Network.245. Mr. Naughten asked the Minister forTransport if he will use his powers under section41 of the Road Traffic Act, 1993 to direct theNRA to approve phase 1 of the Roscommon toCooltighe stretch of the N61; and if he will makea statement on the matter. [5650/05]Minister for Transport (Mr. Cullen): The planning,design and implementation of roadimprovement projects including the Roscommonto Cooltighe section of the N61 is a matter for theNational Roads Authority in conjunction with therelevant local authority, in this case RoscommonCounty Council.I do not propose to issue a direction undersection 41 of the Roads Act 1993 in regard to thisissue which is an operational matter for the NRA.Driving Tests.246. Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Transportthe assistance which can be offered to a person(details supplied) in County Wexford to bringforward their C class driving test date; and if hewill make a statement on the matter. [5668/05]Minister for Transport (Mr. Cullen): A drivingtest has been arranged for the person concernedfor 14 March, 2005. Notification of the testappointment issued to him on 9 February 2005.Road Network.247. Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister forTransport if all relevant State and EU public procurementand tendering requirements were followedin relation to the tendering process to buildand operate the West Link and East Link tollbridges; and if he will make a statement on thematter. [5669/05]Minister for Transport (Mr. Cullen): Proposalsfor the financing, construction and operation ofthe West Link bridge as a toll concession wereapproved in principle by Government in October1984. The subsequent construction of the bridge,and associated roads, was subject to a competitivetendering process run by Dublin County Counciland conformed to the relevant EEC directive forworks contracts, 71/305/EEC, and Department ofFinance guidelines for the award of public sectorcontracts, outline of Government contract procedures,prevailing at the time.Issues relating to the construction and operationof the East Link bridge are a matter forDublin City Council.Driving Tests.248. Mr. Haughey asked the Minister forTransport if the percentage of successful applicantsfor the driving test is broadly similar for allthe driving test centres; if there is evidence toshow that the driving test centre in Raheny,Dublin 5, has a much higher failure rate thanother centres; the action he will take to addressthis problem; and if he will make a statement onthe matter. [5687/05]Minister for Transport (Mr. Cullen): While thedata available for the period from 1 January to31 December 2004 shows that the pass rate inRaheny was 52.4% compared to a national averagepass rate of 54%, the pass rate for drivingtests in Raheny in 2004 was higher than the otherDublin test centres.As in other EU countries, there are variationsin the pass rate among test centres. The pass ratemay be influenced by a number of factors, includingthe number of lessons taken by the candidate,the standard of instruction available and socialand demographic factors. The work of drivertesters is monitored on an ongoing basis to ensureconsistent application of the test standard.Air Services.249. Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Transporthis views on warnings from Fáilte Ireland and
441 Questions— 22 February 2005. Written Answers 442Tourism Ireland that aviation restrictions, whichare curbing access to Ireland from Europe andNorth America, are detrimental to the touristindustry here; and if he will make a statement onthe matter. [5689/05]Minister for Transport (Mr. Cullen): First, Iassure the Deputy that there are no economicrestrictions of any kind on aviation business fromthe EU. The aviation market in the EU is fullyliberalised, and EU airlines are free to fly wherethey wish in the EU, subject only to the normalsafety and technical requirements. Regardingtransatlantic aviation, I am aware of the concernsset out in the report of the tourism policy reviewgroup to the Minister of Arts, Sport and Tourism,dated 30 September 2003, regarding restrictionson aviation services between Ireland and the US.As I have indicated in the House on a numberof occasions, my officials have been engaging inexploratory discussions with U.S. officials aboutpossible changes to transatlantic arrangements. Ihave ensured that the concerns of the tourismindustry are taken into account in the course ofthese discussions.Airport Development Projects.250. Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister forTransport the details of and implications arisingfrom the recent European Commission initiativeto promote the development of regional airportshere and to encourage new flights by providingdevelopment aid; and if he will make a statementon the matter. [5740/05]Minister for Transport (Mr. Cullen): The EuropeanCommission has recently issued draft guidelinesentitled Community guidelines on financingof airports and start-up aid to airlines departingfrom regional airports. The draft guidelines areavailable on the Commission’s website, www.europa.eu.intand the Commission has invited viewsand comments from interested parties by 7March 2005.The Commission has also written separately toall member states seeking comments on the draftguidelines and intends to arrange a meeting ofmember states in Brussels next month for anexchange of views on the proposals. My Departmentis currently examining the draft guidelinesand is consulting with Irish airlines and airportson the matter.Public Transport.251. Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister forTransport if a decision has been made to allowbuses approaching Dublin to use the hard shouldersof roads in order to reduce delays to trafficcongestion; the roads and sections of roads whichare to be included in the scheme; and if he willmake a statement on the matter. [5741/05]Minister for Transport (Mr. Cullen): I refer theDeputy to the answer given to ParliamentaryQuestions Nos. 158 and 151 of 15 February 2005.There has been no change since this reply.Question No. 252 answered with QuestionNo. 242.Traffic Management.253. Mr. J. Breen asked the Minister for Transportif, in order to reduce the amount of trafficon roads, he will consider designating stretchesof dual carriageway for persons who carpool andallowing such persons free travel on toll roads;and if he will make a statement on the matter.[5767/05]Minister for Transport (Mr. Cullen): The planning,design and implementation of nationalroads improvement projects is a matter for theNational Roads Authority and the relevant localauthorities concerned.I have no plans to designate stretches of dualcarriageway for persons who carpool. The provisionof free travel for particular categories ofvehicles or users on toll roads is a matter for theNRA in the context of toll by-laws for individualprojects.Driving Tests.254. Mr. O’Dowd asked the Minister for Transportif Drogheda town will be considered as alocation for a driving test centre; and if he willmake a statement on the matter. [5775/05]Minister for Transport (Mr. Cullen): Thepresent network of driving test centres comprisesof 54 test centres nationwide. This is generallyconsidered to provide good coverage across thecountry and represents a reasonable balancebetween convenience to test applicants and theneed for economy in delivering the driver testingservice. I have no proposals to provide a testcentre in Drogheda as the existing test centres inDundalk, Navan and Finglas provide adequatelyfor the demand in Drogheda and the generalarea.Air Services.255. Mr. Kelleher asked the Minister for Transportif there are any legal impediments eitherunder EU law or Irish law to transatlantic flightsgoing directly from Cork Airport to the USA; if,in the context of the bilateral agreements, therewas never a legal basis for not allowing the operationof transatlantic flights from and to CorkAirport; if, with the restructuring of Aer Rianta,the Cork Airport Authority is now free activelyto pursue cross-Atlantic business; if there are anyobstacles remaining, they will be removed; hisviews on whether transatlantic business would beof huge benefit to the commercial and touristeconomy of the greater south Munster area; if hewill make a statement on the Government’s positionin relation to Cork and USA flights; and if
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