Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

A number of the questions I had intended asking have been answered already. The witnesses mentioned interdepartmental meetings that take place at a high level between the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and other Departments. Are the minutes of those meetings available? If so, where can we find them? Can we find out what is discussed at these meetings?

To give an example of another concern, a new road is being planned in Galway that is costing astronomical figures. It will cost €80 million or €90 million to build 2 km of road belting through a sensitive environmental area. Despite this there has been no consideration of how the rail network in Galway could offset road building. How does all that fit in with what the Department and National Transport Authority are doing on climate change and how transport is supposed to work?

All the discussion today has been about Dublin, which is grand but I am from Donegal. There has been no mention of anything outside of Dublin and the greater urban areas. That is fair enough because the biggest change will happen in Dublin. However, somewhere in the region of half the population lives outside of urban areas. What efforts have been made to help people who live outside of urban areas to adapt and change? If I was to come here by train I would not be able to do it in one day. If I was to come by bus it would take forever. How are we to adapt and change and how are the witnesses' organisations achieving that?

In that context, I note that a pilot rural transport scheme was financed by LEADER for the past several years. What has been done about that? What have the Department and NTA learned from that and what will they roll out for rural communities and the rural population?