Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Is the Minister ambitious to see the scheme of fares reductions extended beyond the end of 2023? It is of interest to me that the NTA and so many were surprised by the response and uptake in public transport because my party and I had for some time advocated for a reduction in fares yet were consistently met with the argument that a reduction in fares would not necessarily see the type of uptick in use that we might expect. Now we have got a very real evidence base in an Irish context. Will the Minister push for the fare reductions to remain in place?

On the national development plan, very many projects have been included on the long list of the NDP. Will the Minister review the overall budget envelope for the NDP out to 2023? I ask because it strikes me that the projects in the pipeline are getting more expensive by the day and that the budget envelope will go less and less of a distance.

My last question concerns the funding for the national and regional roads programme. There seems to have been a significant decrease in funding for the maintenance and repair of national roads. Why is that the case this year?