I thank the Deputy. In response to the earlier question from Deputy O'Rourke, I said we had met both Eir and Vodafone to discuss this issue of the customer complaints service. I used that opportunity to also ask about the roll-out of broadband in other areas. There are a number of points. First, the key next stage in the development of rural broadband is the involvement of Eir and the ESB in taking these surveys, given 130,000 houses have been surveyed already, and turning it into a plan, pole by pole, for how we g…

I thank both Deputies for raising this Topical Issue matter and I welcome the chance to discuss the future of the Ballybrophy to Limerick rail line. This Government is committed to investment in the public transport network, to increase the size of the rail fleet in order to address the capacity constraints and to expand services in many parts of the country. Initiatives such as the Cork line relaying programme will improve journey times for passengers and will increase rail as a sustainable transport option. Furth…

I thank the Deputies. Deputy Browne is absolutely right that the current arrangements are not satisfactory. The timetables, journey times, lack of frequency, poor quality of the line and the fact that the carriages are left in Colbert Station in Limerick for the rest of the day are not satisfactory. Everyone recognises that. Deputy Browne is absolutely right that the services are very much analogous to the current services on the Waterford-Limerick line. In effect, we are maintaining the line but we are not really …

First, I would like to explain that once funding arrangements have been put in place through the Department of Transport, under the Roads Acts 1993-2015, the planning, design and construction of individual national roads is a matter for TII in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Overall, TII is responsible for the delivery of the national roads programme in accordance with Project Ireland 2040 and the national development plan, NDP. In that context, TII provides the Department with regular updates on …

I always keep an open mind but I should also speak my mind, although I will do so in a very respectful way because this is a useful debate. Under the national planning framework, it is clear that we want to restore life to the centre of villages, towns and cities. I will be honest. If the section from Ballincollig to Macroom costs the same as the section from Macroom to Ballyvourney, and there is no reason to expect it would not, we would be talking about at least €250 million and up to €300 million, as the Deputy …

I am very pleased to respond to Deputies Cathal Crowe and O'Dea on this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin. The management of Shannon Heritage sites, including their opening arrangements, is an operational matter for Shannon Heritage and Shannon Group plc, which is a commercial State body under the aegis of the Department of Transport. Shannon Heritage has a commercial mandate to manage a portfolio of tourism and heritage at…

I hope I can do so. The key solace is, first, that we hope to get out of level 5. King John's Castle has been closed since the level 3 restrictions were introduced. Bunratty Castle and Folk Park has some limited outdoor activities but it also had to close once level 5 restrictions were introduced. Those restrictions, more than anything else, have been a significant factor in the closures over recent months. We do not know what will happen in the new year but we hope, please God, as Deputy Cathal Crowe said, that we…

I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to address this issue. I very much welcome the decision of An Bord Pleanála to grant permission for the south Kerry greenway as, I am sure, does the Deputy, who worked very hard on this issue. It has been a long time coming as funding was first allocated to this project back in 2014. One only has to have seen some of the footage that was included in news reports over the weekend following the decision to acknowledge just how iconic this greenway will be when built. Most greenw…

There is money in cycling tourism. I know it. I spent 15 years in our family business, which my sister and her husband still run and which is involved in cycling tourism. I have to declare that background. One of the attractive things about cycling tourism is that it tends to slow people in a region down. Some of the places people want to go cycling in are the more out of the way places so this disperses funding down to the local level of bed and breakfast accommodation and local pubs, restaurants and shops. It is …

As the House knows, the Covid-19 health emergency has had a profound impact on the public transport sector since March. We all recognise that the continued operation of the public transport sector is important, which is why it has been designated among the essential services that have carried on throughout the crisis. The Government is committed to ensuring that essential transport services and passengers utilising these services are protected and supported. I assure the Deputy that public health advice has closely…

I agree that it needs to be called out. The behaviour during the recent protests on Luas journeys, to which I believe the Deputy is referring, was despicable. That is not what the Irish people represent. The vast majority are complying. It was an insult and an attack on the vast majority of Irish people on that Luas on that day. There are mechanisms that allow a public transport operator or driver to call in support from the Garda. My information from talking to the authorities in this regard is that it has worked …

Wearing masks in those circumstances or any other public circumstances where it is appropriate is a courtesy to other people. It is a sign of respect as well as good public health practice. It is a modest statement of respect for other people. Irrespective of one's political views, outlook or ideology, how could one stand against such an expression of courtesy and respect to others? Whatever our differences, people deserve that from each other. That is why I think the vast majority of Irish people have bought into …

As the Deputy stated, DART+ represents the key current investment programme in commuter rail services in the greater Dublin area, and will likely be the largest ever investment in our rail network in the history of the State. It is important to set out what it will deliver. It will double the capacity of the network in the greater Dublin area; it will mean approximately 70% of all journeys on the entire national rail network will be on electrified track and it will enable sustainable, transport-orientated developme…

In the public consultation there have already been a number of submissions suggesting, as the Deputy has, the double tracking to Kilcock, and there may well be merit in that suggestion because it is a very large and growing town, with a large part of the population that commutes, and will still commute, even in post-Covid times. As the Deputy mentioned, a similar expansion of the section from Bray to Greystones has more complexities because of the geography, the tunnel and the coastal aspect. There may be mechanism…

Another issue that arises in looking at the totality of costs is that we really need to change our entire housing, planning and transport systems at the same time as we are doing these DART+ projects. I hope to do the same in Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick. We want to move towards transport-led development that would see new housing being built within a walk or short cycle of the major public transport infrastructure in which we are going to invest. One of the main reasons we are making that investment is the…

Did the Deputy mention cycling infrastructure at the end?

My understanding was that the question was on-----

I would include e-scooters and e-bikes in that, along with cycling. I know the Deputy has had an interest in promoting legislation on e-scooters. We intend to regulate e-scooters. In that regard, a road traffic (miscellaneous provisions) Bill is being developed in my Department in conjunction with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. That is due before the Dáil shortly. I hope to introduce an amendment on Committee Stage which would allow for secondary legislation to regulate e-scooters. I believe their use sho…

I believe we have the correct structure in Dublin. The National Transport Authority, NTA, is the lead authority in designing and implementing the city transport strategy. An example of this is the BusConnects project. Its implementation will not be without difficulties. I was speaking to Deputy Lahart's constituency colleague, Deputy Duffy, last night in Rathfarnham. The Deputy will be aware of the granular detail but, in general, this scheme, although it is called BusConnects, will completely transform the city fo…

The Deputy mentioned Colombia. One of my heroes is a former mayor in Colombia, Enrique Peñalosa, who transformed the city of Bogotá into a cycling and walking city. He is like something out of a Mario Vargas Llosa novel, a romantic. He has said that pavements are for kissing and that man and woman are to walking what fish are to swimming. He had a romantic vision of how cities and streets should be designed. It is a social project because it is a project for everyone. On the matter of the hierarchy approach, every …