Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 2007 > Committee on Tourism, Sport and Recreation > Annual Report of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Sport and Recreation, 2006 and Work Programme 2007

TITHE AN OIREACHTAIS

An Comhchoiste um Iompar

TUARASCÁIL BHLIANTÚIL 2006
agus
CLÁR OIBRE 2007

Eanáir 2007

HOUSES OF THE OIREACHTAS

Joint Committee on Transport

ANNUAL REPORT 2006
and
WORK PROGRAMME 2007

January 2007

Annual Report 2006 and Work Programme 2007

Table of Contents

1. Content and Format of Report

This Annual Report covers the period from 1^st January to 31^st December 2006.

This report has been prepared pursuant to Standing Order 84(3), (4), (5) and (6) (Dáil Éireann) and Standing Order 69(3), (4), (5) and (6) (Seanad Éireann) which provide for the Joint Committee to—

•undertake a review of its procedure and its role generally

•prepare an annual work programme

•lay minutes of its proceedings before both Houses

•make an annual report to both Houses.

At its meeting on 7 February 2007 the Joint Committee agreed that all these items should be included in this annual report.

2. Functions and Powers

The Dáil Select Committee was established by Order of Dáil Éireann of 16 October 2002 to consider Bills, Estimates for Public Services and the terms of any international agreement involving a charge on public funds, which come within the aegis of the Department of Transport.

The Dáil Select Committee under the same Order was enjoined with a Select Committee of Seanad Éireann, established by Order of Seanad Éireann of 17 October 2002, to form the Joint Committee on Transport. Among the principal functions of the Joint Committee are to consider—

•public affairs administered by the Department of Transport

•matters of policy for which the Minister for Transport is responsible

•legislative and expenditure proposals of the Department

•scrutiny of EU legislative proposals

•certain matters relating to bodies under the aegis of the Department

The Orders of Reference of the Dáil Select Committee and the Joint Committee are set out at Appendix 1.

3.Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Convenors and Membership

Deputy John Ellis was elected as Chairman of the Joint Committee on 17^th November 2004. Deputy Peter Power was elected as Vice-Chairman of the Joint Committee on 17^th November 2004. The Chairman of the Joint Committee is also Chairman of the Dáil Select Committee.

Deputies Ollie Wilkinson and Seamus Healy are the Convenors of the Committee whose function it is to ensure the availability and attendance of Members or their substitutes for meetings of the Committee and, in particular, to ensure Members’ availability for divisions.

The Members of the Joint Committee are set out at Appendix 2

4. Meetings, Attendance and Recording

Meetings of the Joint and Dáil Select Committee took place in the Committee rooms in Leinster House 2000. Meetings were in public unless otherwise ordered by the Committee.

Televised coverage of public meetings of the Committee were broadcast live within the Leinster House complex and was available for subsequent public broadcasting.

An Official Report (Parliamentary Debates) of the public meetings of the Committees is published and may be purchased from the Government Publications Sales Office, Sun Alliance House, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2. The Official Reports may also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas website at www.irlgov.ie/oireachtas.

5. Number and Duration of Meetings

The Joint Committee met on 22 occasions in the year under report. The number of hours discussion involved in these meetings was in excess of 37 hours. The date and subject matter of each meeting is set out in paragraph 7 below and at Appendix 3.

The Dáil Select Committee met on 6 occasions in the year under report and the number of hours discussion involved in these meetings was in excess of 11 hours. The date and subject matter of each meeting is set out in paragraph 7 below and at Appendix 4.

Minutes of proceedings of the Joint Committee meetings in public session are attached at Appendix 5.

6. Work of the Committee

6.1 Joint Committee

On the 22 occasions the Joint Committee met, it dealt with the following matters:

•Annual Report 2005 and Work Programme 2006

•Report on Visit to Australia

•Motion re: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus

•Regulation of Taxi Industry

•Aviation matters

•Expansion of Dublin Port

•Scrutiny of certain EU legislative proposals

•Public transport infrastructure projects

•Road safety and random breath testing

•Irish Road Haulage

•Driving Instructor Schools

•Luas Extensions

A copy of the Joint Committee’s work programme for 2007 is attached at Appendix 6.

6.2 Dáil Select Committee

On the 6 occasions the Dáil Select Committee met, it dealt with the following matters:

•Consideration of the Driver Testing and Standards Authority Bill 2004 - Committee Stage.

•Consideration of the Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) Bill 2005 - Committee Stage

•Consideration of Revised Estimates for Public Services- Department of Transport — Vote 32

•Consideration of the Sea Pollution (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2003 - Committee Stage.

•Consideration of the Road Traffic Bill 2006 - Committee Stage.

•Consideration of Supplementary Estimates for the Department of Transport — Vote 32.

7.Groups and Individuals attending before the Committee

In the year under report, the Joint Committee met with the following organisations, groups and individuals:

•Chambers Ireland

•National Roads Authority

•Road Safety Authority

•Officials from the Department of Transport

•Irish Aviation Authority

•Dublin Airport Authority

•Irish Road Haulage Association

•SIPTU trade Union

•SRS (Aviation) Ireland Ltd.

•IMPACT trade Union

•Aer Lingus Craft Group of Trade Unions

•Aer Lingus Management

•An Garda Síochána

•Blackwater Engineering

•National Safety Council

•Railway Procurement Agency

•Mr. Martin Cullen T.D., Minister for Transport

•Mr. Pat “The Cope” Gallagher, Minister for State at the Department of Transport

•Irish Drivers Association

•Driving Instructor Register of Ireland

•Irish Residential Driving School

•Representatives from MOG Car Safety Programme

•Irish Tourist Industry Confederation

•Dublin Chamber of Commerce

•UCD

•Rehab Group

•Irish Congress of Trade Unions

•National Transport Users Association

•Commissioner for Taxi Regulation

•Dublin Bus

•IBEC

•Dublin Port Company

•Irish Ferries

•Irish Ports Association

•Convenience Advertising, Mr. David Stanley

•Mr. Cormac Rabbitt.

8. Joint Committee Reports

During the year under report, the Joint Committee published the following reports:

•Annual Report 2005 and Work Programme 2006

•EU Scrutiny Report No 11:

COM (2003) 91: Council Regulation (EC) No 411/2004 of 26 February 2004 repealing Regulation (EEC) No 3975/87 and amending Regulation (EEC) No 3976/87 and Regulation (EC) No 1/2003, in connection with air transport between the Community and third countries.

•EU Scrutiny Report No 12:

COM (2003) 674: Opinion of the Commission pursuant to Article 251 (2), third subparagraph, point (c) of the EC Treaty, on the European Parliament’s amendments to the Council’s common position regarding the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the safety of third countries aircraft using Community airports amending the proposal of the Commission pursuant to Article 250 (2) of the EC Treaty.

•EU Scrutiny Report No 13:

COM (2004) 73: Amended proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation 3922/91 on the harmonisation of technical requirements and administrative procedures in the field of civil aviation.

•EU Scrutiny Report No 14:

COM (2005) 319: Revised proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on public passenger transport services by rail and by road.

•EU Scrutiny Report No 15

COM (2003) 473: — Amended proposal for a DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on a transparent system of harmonised rules for restrictions on heavy goods vehicles involved in international transport on designated roads.

•EU Scrutiny Report No 16:

COM (2004) 361 (Amending Proposal Com (2003) 155): Amended proposal for a Directive OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on intermodal loading units.

•EU Scrutiny Report No 17:

COM (2004) 475: Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council determining the general rules for the granting of Community financial aid in the field of the trans-European transport networks and energy and amending Council Regulation (EC) No 2236/95.

•EU Scrutiny Report No 18:

COM (2004) 477: Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the implementation of the deployment and commercial operating phases of the European programme of satellite radionavigation.

•EU Scrutiny Report No 19:

COM (2005) 602: Proposal for a Council Regulation on the establishment of a Joint Undertaking to develop the new generation European air traffic management system (SESAR).

•EU Scrutiny Report No 20:

COM (2005) 579: Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules in the field of civil aviation and establishing a European Aviation Safety Agency.

•EU Scrutiny Report No 21:

COM (2005) 590: Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the fundamental principles governing the investigation of accidents in the maritime transport sector and amending Directives 1999/35/EC and 2002/59/EC.

•• EU Scrutiny Report No 22:

COM (2005) 586: Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on compliance with flag State requirements.

•• EU Scrutiny Report No 23:

COM (2006) 245: Proposal for a Regulation of the Parliament and of the Council determining the general rules for the granting of Community financial aid in the field of the trans-European transport networks and energy and amending Council Regulation (EC) no 2236/95.

•EU Scrutiny Report No 24:

COM (2006) 169: Proposal for a Decision of the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, on the one hand, and the United States of America, on the other hand.

•EU Scrutiny Report No 25:

COM (2005) 634: Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the promotion of clean road transport vehicles.

•EU Scrutiny Report No 26:

Report on: COM (2006) 79: Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on enhancing supply chain security.

•EU Scrutiny Report No 27:

Report on: COM (2005) 587: Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council, on common rules and standards for ship inspection and survey organisations and for the relevant activities of maritime administrations (recast).

•EU Scrutiny Report No 28:

Report on: COM (2005) 588: Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on port State control (recast).

•EU Scrutiny Report No 29:

Report on: COM (2004) 654: Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on market access to port services.

•EU Scrutiny Report No 30:

Report on: COM (2005) 651: cabotage and international Proposal for a Council Regulation repealing Regulation (EEC) No 4056/86 laying down detailed rules for the application of Articles 85 and 86 to maritime transport, and amending Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 as regards the extension of its scope to include tramp services.

•Second Report:

Road Safety: A Case Study from Australia: Report of the Delegation of the Joint Committee on Transport.

•Third Report:

Report by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport on the proposed sale of Aer Lingus and its implications for the national economy, the traveling public, the company, the tax-payer and the workforce.

•Travel Report:

Report by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport on the European Transport Safety Council Conference in Paris on assessing risk and setting targets in transport safety programmes.

9.Travel

The Joint Committee undertook the following travel in accordance with its Orders of Reference in connection with its work programme:

10. Functions and Powers

The Joint Committee will continue to consider its present procedures and role.

_______________________

John Ellis, T.D.,

Chairman,

7 February 2007