Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and his staff for coming in. It will be a mammoth task to reduce emissions by 50%. I will get into a few of the small details. It is my understanding that more densely populated areas are the ones in which we would be able to have most impact because we can put public transport in place that is not going long distances and is moving rapidly through the area. As the Minister mentioned in his opening remarks, these reductions will require making more space for public transport. I am aware the idea is that through bus and other forms of public transport in particular, the number of journeys and capacity will be trebled. To do that, what investment will need to be put in place and how quickly will that be done?

I think the public are up for this. They wants to play their part, but people find it difficult to believe in it when they go to get public transport that is always late, does not turn up or is not available at the times they need. If I were to take the train to Dublin from Leitrim, where I live, the last train leaves at 7.15 p.m. and I am usually not finished here until well after that time. Such is the case for many people. We need to have an understanding there has to be big investment for this to work and the investment will have to come from Government, initially, to front-load it and get people to build their confidence. I would like to hear the Minister's response to that.