Mr. Garret Doocey:

Connecting Ireland is very much in the vein of the contributions the Deputy would have heard at the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action on rural transportation and what needs to be done. He is correct about the need for different approaches for rural and urban contexts, as was alluded to by Senator Dooley. Connecting Ireland will go out to public consultation before the end of the year. The plan is about trying to connect settlements at the smallest scale in rural Ireland into the broader network of transport between larger towns, regional growth centres and their nearest cities. It is also about providing opportunities for people to access services, for example, shopping, leisure, retail and employment, through public transport. It is a positive development. As Mr. Spratt mentioned, a pilot is under way in Leitrim. It is an example at a local scale of the intent behind Connecting Ireland. The results have been positive in terms of passenger growth and overall numbers utilising the services. One would hope that the kinds of issue the Deputy mentioned in terms of the underutilisation of certain services will be addressed through the roll-out of Connecting Ireland. This week's budgetary announcement of the support to be provided for Connecting Ireland are positive.