I thank Deputy Ó Laoghaire. I absolutely agree with him. We mentioned Dublin earlier, but Cork also needs a sustainable transport system. The Cork metropolitan area transport strategy, CMATS, takes the right approach. It adopts a multi-modal approach to transport planning, provides the necessary evidence-based and plan-led framework and is an example of good long-term planning. Now that we have the strategy, we have to move on to implementation. I am glad to say that a number of important steps are already under wa…

I agree with what the Deputy is saying about that route. There is the other main spine on the north side. Introducing a suburban rail service from Midleton right the way through to Mallow with eight stations also needs to be accelerated. It was in the plan but it was further out. These projects might need to come first and one of the benefits of coming first is that we get transport-led development of Cork. Cork has been hollowed out as everyone moved to Carrigaline, Ballincollig or further afield. We need to bring…

Yes. My father grew up on Victoria Road. I know Cork well. The Deputy is right about Togher, Douglas and that whole area. That is on the BusConnects route too. It is not just that east-west corridor that needs to be built. There are north-south corridors. It is central to the BusConnects plan in CMATS so it is not just that one route. North-South public transport corridors are needed and BusConnects can do it. We can see it in Dublin. It provides the capacity and it will really serve the city well. The National Tra…

I would like to see one that involves the NTA and not just the city council. I would like to see them working together. It is a good idea.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 42 together. As the Deputy said, there are ambitious plans to expand bus services in all our cities through implementation of BusConnects, which will see improved services, better infrastructure and larger bus fleets. This type of transformative change is needed and if we are serious about improving public transport, we need to be serious about our support for BusConnects and the benefits it will deliver. The Government’s ongoing support can be seen in the expanded bus fleet …

I set out the numbers in my earlier answer. There will be an additional 240 new buses, and 200 additional buses are planned for the Dublin region in the next three years. As regards Bus Éireann, those Expressway services are not yet due to be removed but that decision was made at the same time as additional drivers were being taken on by Bus Éireann. The company is expanding and I want to see it expand further. It is making provision for new services in counties Meath and Louth where there is unmet need. That decis…

I do not have the detail on that matter but I will ask the Department to furnish it to the Deputy directly. We will provide additional buses but the key here is the BusConnects project because if we can deliver that, not just in Dublin but also in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford, it will radically improve the service, as well as the conditions and lived experience of the drivers working on the service. That is the most important step and we have to get it right at this time to make our bus system the cornersto…

The NTA has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public transport services nationally. The NTA also has national responsibility for integrated local and rural transport, including management of the rural transport programme, which operates under the Local Link brand. From a policy perspective, there is a need for a fundamental change in the nature of transport in Ireland and the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future commits to making public transport and active travel better and more accessi…

I raised that issue with officials who came back to me that there is an issue. While I do not have a final resolution, I will commit to come back again on this as a solution has to be found for the students in question. I agree with Deputy Paul Murphy on the importance of Local Link. I also believe in public transport and public service companies delivering it. However, that does not have to be to the complete exclusion of other operators. From my experience as a passenger using a range of different public transpor…

I move amendment No. 3: To delete all words after "Dail Eireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — the Programme for Government 'Our Shared Future' recognises the huge value of our aviation sector in supporting economic development, international connectivity and tourism via our airports; — the aviation and tourism sectors are major contributors to Ireland’s economy; — successive Government policies have recognised and supported this contribution and pointed, in particular, to Ireland’s reliance on inter…

I will answer because the Taoiseach, I think, has an important phone call to take. It is no offence to the Deputy or the serious questions he asks about the people in Blackpool on the north side of Cork. I do not have a specific answer as to what happened with the closure but I commit to getting an answer from the HSE and making sure it is provided to the Deputy as quickly as possible. He is right; it is some distance from Blackpool over to the Kinsale Road. We want to make sure facilities are available in every lo…

I join the Deputy in commending the support that is given to children with special needs in our education system, of which I have personal experience. It is critical that special needs assistants get all the protection and supports they need. I will ask the Minister for Health directly, and also the Minister for Education, to follow up and make sure the necessary material is available. There is an ongoing process here. The Government is committed to the school system and we will do everything we can to keep it safe…

I am informed the Bill has gone through a lengthy process of pre-legislative scrutiny. Further work is progressing on it and I expect it will proceed into the Dáil in due course. It is, however, a complex issue which explains why such extensive pre-legislative scrutiny has been done on it.

Again, I will have to refer the matter to the line Minister. I do not have details on where those negotiations are taking place. We are engaging on an ongoing basis with the trade union movement. As recently as last week, we attended a meeting of the Labour Employer Economic Forum, LEEF, at which the partnership approach involving the Government working with both employers and unions was discussed. That is the correct approach. We must be careful that we do not intervene if particular issues are being solved throug…

There will be a series of developments in this area. As the Deputy will be aware, we are seeking to make a significant switch from road spending to public transport funding. We set out the broad outline of the budgets during budget time, which sees a major positioning of new investments for projects such as the greenway investment announced yesterday. Today in County Waterford, we announced the development of a significant sustainable transport infrastructure which will lead to transport-led development. There is a…

I am glad to address the House on this serious issue. Like other Members of this House, I first became aware of these revelations when the details were reported in Village magazine. I heard from the Tánaiste at the same time as the Taoiseach did, and nothing I have heard subsequently has changed what the Tánaiste said to me, in the first instance, in his response. The Green Party stated that it was important that these issues were addressed in the House, as they were in detail last week. We welcome the opportunity …

I thank Deputies Cahill and Murnane O'Connor. They have raised two slightly connected but separate issues. I will respond first to Deputy Cahill on Eir's shockingly poor customer response performance and the lady who he said was waiting for hours to try to get on to Eir to cancel a service, but was not able to do so and ended up landed with the bill. That is totally unsatisfactory and something the company will have to address. ComReg maintains a regular assessment of the delivery of service and how companies are m…

The next step is for National Broadband Ireland, NBI, to develop the network designs to deliver to the house. One does the survey first and then connects into the house. Work has already started in counties Cork, Galway, Limerick and Cavan and the fibre connection will be in the first houses in Carrigaline before the end of the year. From the end of January, retailers will be able to resell the service in those areas, so we will be up and running. Further details on specific areas within County Carlow are available…

I thank both Deputies for raising the issue. County Tipperary is as much an important part of the national band plan as County Carlow or, indeed, any other county. I look forward to providing details of the same investment we are going to have to make in that county. That does not excuse or remove Eir from the necessity to start providing customer service in a way it is not and so that its reputation is not being damaged by the level of delay. As Deputy Cahill said, customers are finding it difficult to even make c…

The Covid-19 health emergency has had a profound impact on the public transport sector due to the fall in passenger numbers and associated drop in fare revenues. The Government has committed to ensuring essential transport services are protected and supported for the duration of the level 5 restrictions. The continued operation of public transport is vital and, as such, it is designated among the essential services that have carried on through the crisis. I thank both the public and commercial operators and their s…