Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their most informative presentations. I have questions for the NTA and Bus Éireann. We are all very concerned about our environment, and my colleagues alluded to that this morning. I come from the constituency of Cavan-Monaghan. Are there any realistic or serious plans for a rail line from Dublin to Navan, continuing on to Cavan, where there was a line previously. Some of it is used for the mines in Navan. If we are serious about our environment, city congestion and making the cities realistic working places, which, as it transpires, they continue to be for people living in more rural parts, I would like to know Ms Graham's views on that and whether there is any sense of priority about a rail development like that which would bring commuters from Cavan and Monaghan into the city. Unfortunately, we depend very much on our public transport. Fortunately, we have a good bus service but we have no rail line. I would like to hear Ms Graham's comments on that.

I do not see the environment in Cavan-Monaghan changing any time soon - the number of visits by the IDA to Cavan and Monaghan is a single-digit figure - in terms of any real investment or employment. Unfortunately, we are back to a day when, like ten years ago, predominant employment for builders and skilled workers is in the city. Any day travelling on the M3, one will find car loads of people stuck in traffic on that corridor. That is why a rail line should be a realistic priority and something we think seriously about to service people in that area.

On a positive note, the feedback I get from constituents is that the local link is a positive development. We have to look beyond 11 p.m. at weekends, if we are serious about rural isolation, servicing and providing real transport for people living in rural areas like Cavan and Monaghan. That needs to be expanded upon. While there have been initiatives announced recently, I wonder if there are plans for expansion in Cavan-Monaghan. People come into my clinics from small villages, like Redhills, which are linked into the main towns of Cavan. It also provides a great service for students attending Cavan Institute. I would like to hear Ms Graham's comments on that. What is happening is positive and we need more of it.

On Bus Éireann, I have spoken to Mr. Hernan before about its adjustments, which he has called "enhanced services" for the M3 corridor. I would like Mr. Hernan to reflect on those services and the changes that have been made. What is the feedback on them? Are they as effective as they were expected to be? I would particularly like Mr. Hernan to comment on the change of bus drop-off points at the Mater hospital because for me and for my constituents it was a real bone of contention and a real disappointment when those changes were made, particularly for the elderly and people who are ill, attending the Mater hospital. That was a very important stop to them. I know changes were made to that. Could Mr. Hernan reflect on that for us?

I do not want to repeat what has been said already but I concur with much of what was said about school transport. While I understand that Bus Éireann is the provider and has to go by the policies laid out by the Department of Education and Skills, I concur with what was said. I came across a family of four siblings, three of whom were going to Virginia college. The only school the youngest child could get to was St. Clare's in Ballyjamesduff. There were three children in one family going to one school, and the last child was sent to another. Could Mr. Hernan comment on whether there was a phasing-out period? That would have been a logical thing to do, and perhaps it was done. I am sure it is the same for my colleagues but the most frequent and probably the most frustrating representation made in my clinic is by parents coming in about school transport and Bus Éireann. I spoke with my staff before I came in here. They said last year they were getting responses much more quickly than this year. Could Mr. Hernan tell us to whom we can go to deal with representations about school bus transport?