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

I thank Mr. Strachan and wish him the best of luck in his role. I want to pick up on the challenge ahead of him.

The newspapers reported yesterday on the latest census figures setting out modes of travel to work in Ireland. Mr. Strachan is probably aware of these. They indicate that 63% travel by car,10% walk, 7% cycle, 3% use rail, heavy or light, and 6% travel by bus.

A lot of it reflected public transport penetration. In rural counties, public transport provision is not of a degree that allows people to live their lives depending on it. There are anomalies. These may or may not be unique to Ireland. In the city of Galway, 70% commute to work by car. That is a big urban centre so there is something happening there.

I will note a couple of things. Along with the climate crisis, the issue of equity in access to public transport is also fundamental. I hope we are getting our heads around that. What is Mr. Strachan's perspective on the policies to deliver that modal shift? I have heard criticism of the NTA and its evolution relating to its geographical remit but also to its remit in terms of modes, particularly rail. There is a criticism there. You can follow it through and it makes sense, particularly if you are in an area that is not covered by rail. The NTA and Irish transport policy have a blind spot with regard to the opportunities presented by rail, both heavy and light. Is that a fair criticism? What is Mr. Strachan's sense of the potential opportunity as regards rail? I will make the case for the Navan rail line, as I always so. It goes through my constituency and serves Dunshaughlin. In my opinion, it is game-changing infrastructure. Last week, Bus Éireann and Mr. Strachan's colleagues came before us to talk about the difficulties with the bus service. We know there are pinch points and difficulties in that system. Will Mr. Strachan address rail as a mode and investment in it?

On the issue of projects out to 2030, Mr. Strachan has spoken about major projects. However, there is a massive funding gap in the national development plan out to 2030 and beyond. This relates to my own project. What is Mr. Strachan's perspective on the national development plan as it stands and on inflation? He mentioned that issue. We had TII before the committee before us to discuss procurement. It is good that Mr. Strachan has experience in that regard. It is about managing projects efficiently and delivering them on time and on budget. We have a long list of projects in this State and a limited amount of funding. Will Mr. Strachan discuss the NDP review and how inflation has impacted the plan? I accept that there are limits on how far we can go but what needs to happen to deliver on something significant between now and 2030?