I look forward to going to Balbriggan. The Deputy was to come back to me with the invitation to arrange it.

I would love to do that because it is very important to support that organisation. The Deputy raised that already. The reality is that we have seen - for example, in the community services programme - an increase of €4 million to €59.4 million this year. We have seen a 6% increase in the budget. We will reflect on the articulation by the community and voluntary sector in terms of the preparation of the strategy and in the consultative process for the new Our Rural Future. I assure the Deputy the Minister and I are …

Gabhaim buíochas leis Teachta Ó Murchú. As the Deputy knows, the process of the development of a new strategy to support community and voluntary sector as a successor to Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities is well under way. It is being informed by an extensive public and stakeholder consultation process. This process has included an in-person consultation event, which took place in Tullamore last July and which I attended. I can tell the House it was a very well-attended event. There was strong, robus…

The new strategy will take into account the new challenges facing the community and voluntary sector. It is evolving and changing and we are not oblivious to that. Richard Bruton, in the social enterprise space, will certainly drive and hold us to account. The previous strategy delivered significant progress in terms of a variety of metrics. Our future direction, policy and decision-making will be a reflection of our engagement but also of lived experience. The Minister and I live in communities involved in the sec…

The important point where we have shared commonality is that the Government is committed to supporting the implementation of a new strategy. The community and voluntary sector is an important pillar and we look forward to working continually to ensure that relationship is not just strengthened but that it is a partnership between the Government and the sector. I could list the Deputy a whole raft of projects, which I will not do, in his county that we have funded. I do not agree we have missed milestones. If we spe…

Yes. We will continue to do that but we must also recognise that we have seen a 6% increase in the budget. We have seen an increase in terms of the community service programme, which reflects that we are in an evolving and changing world and as needs change challenges must be met. This is not something we are oblivious to. We have an open-door policy. There is engagement. We are not living in an ivory tower. If the Deputy wants to come back to me one-to-one, I am happy to sit down and chat to him about some of the …

Former Senator.

I thank the Acting Chair. I apologise to the House for being late. I was in the Dáil and could not get over here fast enough. l thank Senator Ryan for raising this important matter. I would like to clarify for Senator Ryan that the Minister for Transport, on whose behalf I am taking this matter, has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport but neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. That is an important point …

I thank the Senator for raising the matter. I apologise for it taking three attempts. She should not have to raise the matter three times to get the answer from the Department. As a Minister of State and formerly a Member of this House for 19 years, it is about representing constituencies and commuters in the Banteer-Mallow area. It is an important issue. As Minister of State with responsibility for rural transport, I am aware of the pertinence of the Cork area commuter rail programme to people's lives. It is progr…

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter and again apologise for being late. I am taking the matter on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, who is genuinely apologetic he cannot be here. The Department of Transport, together with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, published the rail project prioritisation strategy last year. This strategy outlines how to best sequence and optimise the recommendations of the all-island strategic rail review, which was published in July 202…

As previously mentioned, there are no active schemes within the greenways programme planned for any section of the disused western rail corridor between Claremorris and Collooney. The all-Ireland strategic rail review sets out 32 strategic recommendations to enhance and expand the rail system in Ireland and Northern Ireland on a phased basis up to 2050. Included in these recommendations is the reinstatement of the western rail corridor between Claremorris and Athenry. This project was also identified as a major pro…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — the Government is committed to the delivery of major public transport projects, as evidenced by last year's review of the National Development Plan (NDP) allocation of €24.3 billion to transport projects from 2026 to 2030; — the NDP Sectoral Plan for Transport 2026-2030 involves a funding ratio of at least 2:1 in favour of new public transport over new roads projects, and for the next five years there will …

Deputy Bacik should come down to the Dunkettle roundabout. Deputy Eoghan Kenny will tell her about the investment in Dunkettle.

I do not think he claimed that, to be fair.

Ar an gcéad dul síos, déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Seanadóir Kyne as ucht na ceiste agus an ráitis seo mar gheall ar thábhacht an bhóthair N59, go háirithe an sliocht idir Bun an Choill agus Claremount, Uachtar Ard. Go n-éirí leis as ucht na hoibre. Bhí sé an-tábhachtach sa tionscadal a bhí an Roinn Iompair ag déanamh mar gheall ar an obair atá déanta. I thank the Senator for his work, advocacy, tireless campaigning and delivery of significant improvements in respect of the N59. It is fair to say that without him,…

Again, through the good advocacy of Senator Kyne, €10 million was allocated in capital funding to the national roads network in Galway. It is about the renewal and protection of existing road networks. The programme for Government is committed to enhancing connectivity across urban rural areas and investing in diverse transport options, including roads. In this case, in the programme for Government there is a commitment to funding for new roads and the maintenance of existing roads as part of the NDP review. The pl…

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important matter. He has been consistent in raising matters relating to public transport in the House. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport. The DART+ programme comprises five different rail projects in and around the greater Dublin area, extending the existing DART network to Maynooth, M3 Parkway, Hazelhatch and Celbridge and Drogheda and improving current DART services from Dublin city to Greystones. The programme will triple the length of the el…

I went to college in Maynooth, and Deputy Joe Neville has been on to me, as has Deputy Farrelly in the past, to be fair. Again, on behalf of the Minister for Transport, I thank Deputy Farrelly for raising this matter. This is a very important issue and I am familiar with the Kilcock issue, which Deputy Farrelly has spoken about. I do not have a definitive answer on the public consultation but I will ask officials to liaise with Deputy Farrelly on it. I will recap the developments in the DART+ South West project. It…

I thank Deputy Whitmore for raising issues of local transport in County Wicklow. As Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for rural transport, I clearly reaffirm Government's commitment to strong and ongoing enhancement of our Local Link services right across rural Ireland, particularly in County Wicklow. Under the Programme for Government: Securing Ireland's Future, we are delivering on our promise to strengthen rural connectivity, ensuring villages, towns and cities are bett…

I know Deputy Whitmore and Deputy Timmins have raised this before. We are engaging with the NTA. We are awaiting the service plan. As the Deputy will know, we do not announce routes in part. It is part of the whole national service plan. The Department has made a commitment. The NTA has advised us that the procurement process for Transport for Ireland route 199, Glendalough to Bray, is complete. We are awaiting the service plan. From our end, the Department has fully committed to the development of the route. The D…