I thank Deputy O'Connor for raising this important issue. As Minister of State with responsibility for rail, I thank him for the opportunity to address the House on this issue today. The National Transport Authority, NTA, has responsibility for planning and developing public transport infrastructure and for developing the Cork metropolitan area transport strategy, CMATS. This strategy has been developed by the NTA in collaboration with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Cork City Council and Cork County Council. A k…

I understand the Deputy's frustration in trying to get a clear line of sight on what might be happening here. From the outset, the CMATS review will start later this year. That is the avenue by which this project will or will not move forward. This project does not appear in the national development plan, which we have published, or in the sectoral plan for transport and the all-island rail review, in which we have picked projects to do. It is not on the radar, to be honest. We need to use CMATS to see if it is par…

It is very clear from today's contributions that in the past this country has often failed to treat people equally and it has failed to look after the most vulnerable, especially vulnerable children. In sending vulnerable children to State institutions run by religious orders in many cases, we left them unprotected and open to abuse at the hands of those who are supposed to help and protect them. The Ryan report outlines to a full and heartbreaking extent just how much these vulnerable children suffered abuse and n…

I welcome the opportunity to come to the Seanad to discuss the issue of road safety. The Government is not opposing this motion. I assure Senators that road safety is a priority for this Government. In 1998, implementation of the first national road safety strategy began. Over the course of that strategy and its successors, we witnessed a remarkable improvement in road safety on our roads. From 472 road deaths in 1997, we reduced that figure to 133 by 2021, the lowest level since records began in 1959. More recent …

I too extend my deepest sympathies to the family of Grace Lynch. Her death leaves an unfillable void in their lives and the lives of her friends and the wider community. Regarding the accident that happened in Dublin city centre this afternoon, our thoughts are with the families who are affected by that accident and everybody involved. Yesterday, we announced that we will introduce regulations as a matter of urgency to further prohibit the use of scramblers and strengthen the existing enforcement powers that An Gar…

A Cheann Comhairle----

I will not be here for the end of the debate but I will give the Deputy-----

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. I convey my sincere sympathy to the family and friends of the late Grace Lynch, who was so tragically killed at a pedestrian crossing as she was out for a walk. It is unbearable to think people are not safe while out walking like that. There is an onus on us all as public representatives to tackle the issues in this regard. I will clarify a few issues that may be causing confusion for the public. The Road Traffic and Roads Act, which was enacted in June 2023, p…

There are a few elements to this. There is the legislation, enforcement and then we come back to the basic question about antisocial behaviour. It is important that we act on all of this across government. As I outlined earlier, we have agreed to introduce regulations that ban the use of scramblers on public roads and in public spaces. That memo will come to the Government in the coming weeks. Under the 2023 Act, dangerous driving is an offence everywhere, not just in public spaces. The Act also empowers members of…

I thank all the Deputies for their contributions to this debate. While the Government has opposed this motion and tabled an amendment to it, that does not mean that we do not recognise the difficulties and additional costs that disabled people face. We are very aware of those costs. Our determination to assist people with those costs is reflected in the improvements we have made to disability support schemes in recent years and our commitments to further improvements. We are committed to introducing an annual cost-…

The Department's community welfare system is available to provide financial support for these essentials. The additional needs payment and the heat supplement exist for precisely that purpose. As a TD, I am acutely aware of that. People are getting support that way. We have to be very careful not to frighten people by putting out messages about people having to choose between food or heating their homes.

Supports are in place for the people who need them. It is up to us as public representatives to direct people to those supports when we know they are struggling. Opposition Deputies had their chance to speak. It is called respect and democracy. The Minister spoke about the Government's commitment to introducing the annual cost-of-disability support scheme. This is incredibly important but is just one piece in the jigsaw. The programme for Government and the national human rights strategy for disabled people include…

I thank the Deputy. I extend my condolences and those of the Government to those who lost a loved one on our roads in 2025. With 190 lives lost, it was the worst year on our roads since 2014 and a sobering call to action for all of us to do more to make our roads safer. Reducing deaths and serious injuries is an all-of-society challenge. It is a priority for me, as Minister of State, and for this Government. This priority is made clear by our investment. Budget 2026 provides a record €1.7 billion for investment in …

The Deputy makes a very important point. The four major causes of collisions on our roads are speeding; driving under the influence of alcohol or drug substances; not wearing a seatbelt; and distraction through the use of a mobile phone or all the technology in a car, which is more like an office than a vehicle to get from A to B. There are many issues we have to deal with but the Road Traffic Act is looking at all of these to consolidate what we can into more relevant legislation to deal with the challenges we hav…

Absolutely. It is being considered. I did not see that reply going out. We have a huge amount of work to do to update our legislation on road safety. However, going back to the point the Deputy made, personal behaviour is vital. We will provide the legislation and enforcement. At the end of the day, if somebody makes a conscious decision to sit in a car and do the wrong thing, it is very difficult to deal with that. The public must know there are consequences - not just a collision happening, the outcome of which c…

I thank the Deputy for the question and I wish to confirm straight off that my Department is working with the National Transport Authority and Iarnród Éireann to progress a number of rail projects in Galway, including double-tracking the line between Athenry and Galway. In order to progress this project, Iarnród Éireann has appointed a multidisciplinary engineering consultancy, and the Galway line capacity study commenced last summer, so the work is in hand at the moment. The development of an emerging preferred op…

I thank the Deputy for raising that issue. As someone who has been in politics since 2004, I am glad to see the demands that are now coming for rail and for investment in rail. At that time, the agenda was to close down the railways and people continued with that up to two or three years ago. I am glad to see that my colleagues in the constituency have seen the light of day and are now supporting the implementation of and investment in rail. It is a success story and we are now in growth and investment mode. There …

When I mentioned colleagues, I was not referring to Deputy Dolan but he knows the history of what people were trying to do. They were trying to close down lines and they were from political parties and none. Basically, I am saying that agenda is gone. What we need to do now is to work together to make sure we deliver what we can deliver. We have the will to do it and Iarnród Éireann is capable of doing it. We will start in a logical way. We are going to make sure that Ceannt Station is capable. In the meantime, whi…

Yes, I thank the Leas-Ceann Comhairle.

I thank the Deputy for asking the question. I know he is passionate about it, as are a lot of Deputies and Ministers, because it is something we need to get sorted. The overriding consideration in relation to age limits for bus drivers has been safety. It is a matter for relevant bus companies, including Bus Éireann, to set their own terms and conditions in relation to employment, including retirement age. Bus Éireann applies a retirement age of 70 years for drivers across its wider road passenger services, includi…