Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and all who are in attendance here today. We appreciate their time. These are three sensible regulations and I am happy to support them. I am delighted to see them being brought forward. It is always about the small things, both in life and in politics. These might seem like minor interventions, but they are really important. I thank the Minister of State and everyone who has worked on bringing forward the regulations.

With regard to street furniture and restaurants, restaurants and other businesses already have to maintain the public path where they place this street furniture. It is, therefore, a sensible move to remove this cost from them. I welcome this. I am presuming that all the local authorities are on board with this. Have they made any representations to the Department or have they raised any concerns with the Department about any potential financial impact on their standing? I stress that while we hope this will support the hospitality sector, we hope that those who frequent the restaurants and bars will also benefit from any cost reductions. That would be welcome.

Bus stops and bus poles are really contentious issues. Bus shelters are welcome infrastructure on our streets, particularly in the city but also in the countryside. We are all trying to use public transport more but if there is not even a shelter in place, this actively discourages people from taking the bus. These regulations, therefore, are really welcome. Maybe Mr. Creegan can answer my next question. Local authorities will maintain the control of the location. How will that work in practice? Will that go through a local authority tagging process or the traffic advisory group process? What is intended there?

The actual location of the bus stop is often a really important and contentious issue. With BusConnects, there has been much debate in the city about how the new bus stops will operate. I ask Mr. Creegan to address how that will be worked out in practice.

The reverse vending machines to be introduced next February are very welcome, but where will they be located? Who is going to put them in place and maintain them? Do we have any estimate of what the impact will be on littering as a consequence? Those are my questions; they can be taken in whatever order.