Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests for the conversation and discussion. It would be appreciated if the NTA would respond in correspondence to Deputy Cairns's questions about the consultation on the rural Local Link. We are looking at the availability of public transport for people with disabilities through TII and the NTA, especially in rural areas. There needs to be a recognition that while there are challenges for transport in urban areas, the scarcity of transport in rural areas for people who are vulnerable, isolated or living with a disability needs to be at the forefront of our guests' minds at all times. It is a challenge.

We must ensure that people with disabilities are at the forefront of decision-making about the transport infrastructure of Ireland, including roads, trains, buses and anything else. There are people who will not be able access those facilities fully and we need to look at that. Before weighty decisions are made, advice should be sought from disability groups and organisations. There should be a reach-out to the disabled community to ensure that informed decisions are made by the NTA and TII. I ask our guests to do that because it is hugely important. We look forward to further engagement with our guests. We will come back to them again. I ask them to bear those recommendations in mind and to come back to Deputy Cairns's question about Local Link. I stress that our guests should bear in mind at all times people with disabilities, vulnerable people and those in rural areas who are isolated, as we have referred to in numerous conversations. I thank our guests for their time and the members of the committee for their engagement. We look forward to working with our guests again.