Transport Policy
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-03
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Jerry Buttimer (FG), Cork South-Central

I assure Deputy McGrath that I, as Minister of State at the Department of Transport, working with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, want to see the projects that we speak about delivered. Delivery is critical. These projects cannot be managed remotely. There has to be a beefed-up office in Cork delivering in the city. Accountability, engagement and empowerment, which the Deputy spoke about, are needed. It is important that we deliver because that is what we will be judged on. The people of Cork deserve to have the projects we are speaking about delivered on time and on budget.
As an aside, we should look at how we can use the critical infrastructure Bill as an exemplar to deliver the Cork Luas project. The Government is committed to progressing the different projects we discussed. We have already highlighted and articulated the progress that has been made.
The proof is in the Cork area commuter rail programme, under the stewardship of AJ Cronin, and how it is being progressed and delivered.
I thank Deputy McGrath for his support and advocacy around that. It is the model that can bring about and unlock the other projects he spoke about.
I share Deputy McGrath's annoyance and frustration in terms of the airport. He has been articulating that for a while to be fair to him. I cannot comprehend the lack of joined-up thinking by Bus Éireann in terms of being able to deliver this. As the Deputy rightly said, a number of workers and passengers could use that. There is a bus coming to Cork from Waterford that stops at the bus depot that could go to the airport, for example, but it does not. Where there is a will, there is a way. From a Government point of view, we have to deliver. I thank Deputy McGrath for being a strong supporter of the projects. I look forward to working with him to ensure we see those projects being delivered in our lifetime in this Dáil.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-03/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:02+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-03