Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Hanlon for her presentation. There are a few issues of concern. I would love to talk about rail services, but, unfortunately, there is no rail service west of Cork city. I cannot talk about it being early or late because we do not have one. When we had a discussion with representatives from Bus Éireann, they gave an indication that they would link bus services with rail services from Cork, but that has not happened. Do the officials have any indication that it will happen in the future? As it appears that there will never be a railway line running through places such as Bandon, Clonakilty or west Cork, why is there no bus service linking people living in west Cork with the rail service every morning? Such a service would help workers and reduce the numbers travelling to and from work in their cars.

Another issue is the cost of fares for those living in rural communities. I hear about it from many young people who are in college or the cities. They find that fares in the cities are much cheaper than they are in rural areas, particularly west Cork. Yesterday I was talking to an operator, Damien Long in Skibbereen. He is willing to provide a service in west Cork to take people to the city early in the morning to work. The service would be in competition with Bus Éireann, but competition is the lifeblood of trading. However, he needs a licence. If he, Cremins Coaches or any other operator in west Cork wishes to provide such a service, we should encourage it. He is willing to offer it at a much cheaper rate. Why has it or something similar not been progressed? Bus Éireann has been given ample time to reduce fares to favourable rates, but that has not happened. Perhaps the officials might elaborate further on the matter.

The other issue is transport for people with disabilities who are over 18 years of age. In the last two and a half years I have raised this issue in the Dáil with the former Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, and the current Taoiseach. In west Cork - I can only talk about my constituency - if somebody is 18 years of age, he or she will not be provided with a transport service. He or she will receive a public bus pass, but that is not sufficient for many people with disabilities. People are driving here, there and everywhere for up to four hours a day to take their children to and from training or other facilities. When I mention it to the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, he tells me that it is not an issue in Dublin. Obviously, in Dublin they are being collected from their home, which is correct. However, it is an issue in west Cork. The previous Taoiseach sidelined it as not being an issue and when I raised it today the Taoiseach sidelined it and said I should deal with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. The bottom line is that once people with disabilities reach the age of 18 years, they are left totally alone, as are their parents. It is extremely stressful for their parents, most of whom might be in the 60 to 70 years age bracket. They are travelling every morning and evening and it could take up to two hours to travel each way to and from west Cork. This issue must be examined because something could be done. There are many taxis and buses that are probably paid for by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport or the HSE and they are crossing paths, but nobody is talking to anybody. Local Link has a huge chance to play a role in organising and co-ordinating such services. Obviously, it would take a little funding to put a service together, but money might be saved in the long term and everybody might be looked after. We read in the newspapers last week about Sarah Dullea from Dunmanway, a very successful business woman who has spina bifida. She cannot avail of public transport from Dunmanway because Bus Éireann has told her that it cannot collect her at her bus stop in Dunmanway owing to accessibility issues. We have signed agreements that we are now compliant with disabilities requirements in the European Union, but we are not. We are very far from it. Perhaps the officials might enlighten me on that transport issue.

I will comment briefly on roads. As we do not have rail services, people must use the roads in travelling to and from the city and places such as Bandon, Clonakilty, Skibbereen, Bantry, Castletownbere and the peninsulas. We have not received what I would call decent money. For as long as I can remember, money has not been spent on the N71 and the R586, other than on fire-fighting repairs. I was very young when the Skibbereen bypass was constructed. It was a fabulous bypass, but that is the last time a real amount of money was spent in west Cork. Let us take as an example when someone is travelling to Bandon and has to take the R586 in travelling between Ballineen and Enniskeane. There are two major factories, Grainger Sawmills Limited and the Carbery factory in Ballineen. Lorries are travelling at a speed of 25 to 30 km per hour and cars have to travel for 15 to 20 km behind them. There are no passing bays. The situation is the same if one travels from Bandon to Clonakilty and Clonakilty to Skibbereen.

I am not here to criticise anybody. However, I must face the electorate at some stage, whether it will be in one month or two years hence, and the first issues that will be raised are broadband and roads. Mobile phone coverage might the third. I have no answers. I have been here for two and a half years seeking answers and trying to see if we can create simple solutions such as providing passing bays on the N71 and the R586.

I am not looking for flyovers or anything else, only common sense. Reference was made to an announcement by the Minister, Deputy Ross, and the Minister of State, Deputy Griffin, of an investment of €8.6 billion in the report, Linking People and Places. A bridge in Lyre in Clonakilty that was severely damaged six or seven years ago as a result of bad weather has not been replaced. It has resulted in the community being split up and people having to drive a few miles in one direction or the other but no consideration has been given to replacing that bridge. It was probably built in the 1900s and money was found to construct it then, but in 2018 no money can be found to repair it. The community keep asking me why money has not been spent on repairing that bridge as it has been blocked up for the past few years. Small measures such as that one would mean a lot.

A transportation plan is being drawn up for Castletownbere. Will the officials examine the way plans are developed in the Department in terms of working with the local communities as there is a great deal of resentment to that plan? Some parts of it might be excellent but nobody sat down with the community and teased through the difficulties. The officials will say they consulted the community, they advertised what is proposed in a notice displayed on a wall, which I saw, but they need to talk to the community. We are now at gridlock and it is left to politicians like me to try to resolve very serious issues for people whose businesses are haemorrhaging in rural Ireland. They are afraid there will be further closures if they do not resist much of what is proposed in the plan. Those issues could have been noted at the beginning of the process and now councillors are being asked to oppose the plan. It comes back to officials sitting down with the local community and teasing out the issues. That can be done in many communities but if people feel they are being ignored, that will not happen.

The officials might say I am viewing developments in a negative sense but I am not. I see many improvements in towns like Drimoleague where a great deal of money has been spent on a fabulous resurfacing project. Similar investment has been made on the N71 in Leap in west Cork, but we are firefighting. All we are doing is repairing damage. We are not looking to the future. West Cork has been neglected for a long time and it needs to be prioritised. Funds need to be moved from the second part of Ireland, which is Dublin, and we need to focus on the other part of Ireland, which is rural Ireland. I would appreciate if the witnesses would consider those points.