Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the committee for the opportunity to present the 2024 Revised Estimates for the Department of Transport. Transport is a vital enabler in our economy and society. Our ambition is to support a transport system which will keep pace with our growing economy and population and provide sustainable, accessible, safe and secure transport options across all modes of travel.

The budget is set out in six programmes: programme A, sustainable mobility - active travel and greenways; programme B, sustainable mobility - public transport; programme C, road safety and road networks; programme D, civil aviation; programme E, maritime safety and transport; and programme F, information technology, engagement and research delivery.

The set of Revised Estimates before the committee provides an overall gross allocation to the Department of €3.574 billion, which consists of €894.322 million in current expenditure and €2.679 billion in capital investment. The allocation will support our ambitions in delivering on the transport-related objectives in the national development and climate action plans, delivering safe, sustainable and accessible transport options in urban and rural areas. It will also support our ambitions in maintaining and enhancing road, aviation and maritime safety, security and connectivity.

The advance brief before the committee highlights many of the achievements of 2023, including the growth in public transport passenger numbers and the retention of the 20% average reduction in fares, to name but two. However, it also highlights many of the challenges that we face going into 2024, from the immediate - the concerning rise in road fatalities - to the long term - the challenge of rapidly reducing carbon emissions in the transport sector and the increasingly expected, but unpredictable, damage caused by extreme rainfall events.

The budget continues to focus on the Department’s strategic priorities and we are seeing the ambitions of this Government start to bear fruit on the ground in different transport sectors. 2024 will see, for example: a steadily increasing number of the new electric double-decker buses on the streets of Dublin; the new intercity rail cars entering service; the large pipeline and high quality of active travel and greenway networks continuing under construction; an increasing density of public electric vehicle charging infrastructure; more progress on the Cork commuter rail project; more major public transport projects exiting the planning system; and the continued progression of the roads programme agreed under the national development plan, NDP, with contracts signed in 2023 for Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge and funding support for the Cork to Ringaskiddy road and the Adare bypass in place.

Turning to programme A, sustainable mobility - active travel and greenways, €358.668 million is allocated. My Department continues to deliver on the programme for Government commitment of providing €360 million per annum to invest in active travel. Strategic programmes, for example, the safe routes to school programme, will support the design of integrated networks that will greatly enhance safety and accessibility and make active travel an attractive alternative to the private car. The pipeline of active travel and greenways projects under construction will proceed apace. As the outturn for 2023 demonstrates, the demand for the investment is there and we will continue to deliver.

Meanwhile, €1.636 billion has been allocated to programme B, sustainable mobility - public transport, for public transport infrastructure investment and services. This funding will continue to protect existing networks, modernise our transport networks and fleets and provide new connections. It will provide for the existing range of transport services and facilitate the ongoing delivery of BusConnects, Connecting Ireland and new town service plans, providing better connected, more frequent services and building a real alternative to use of the private car.

Some €613.463 million is allocated in PSO funding. The 20% discount on public transport fares is retained for this year. The funding provides for the extension of the upper age limit of the young adult travel card from 2023 to 2025. The NTA will continue to roll out new services in line with the BusConnects, Connecting Ireland, and new town services plans, so we can build on the achievements of 2023 in growing passenger numbers on our networks. I am delighted to see the steady growth in passenger numbers, which demonstrates the success of our investment to date.

The sum of €971.056 million is allocated to public transport investment. Plans for this year include the ongoing protection and renewal of the rail network; the progression of Cork commuter rail; the expansion of bus fleets, with the addition of 70 electric buses for Dublin and 60 zero-emission buses for deployment in regional fleets; and the continued progression of public transport projects. Now that these projects are starting to exit the planning system, 2024 and onwards should see real progress on them.

A total of €1.365 billion is allocated to programme C, road networks and road safety, including electric vehicle, EV, grants and infrastructure. This funding will maintain and renew the national, regional and local road surfaces; undertake safety works and bridge maintenance and rehabilitation; meet our contractual obligations under public-private partnerships that delivered parts of our motorway network; fund the construction of new national and regional and local roads; fund vital safety-related services; and progress the electrification of our transport networks.

The sum of €158 million has been allocated to the construction of new national roads and €70 million for regional and local road improvement schemes. Construction is continuing on a number of major roads, including completion of the Dunkettle Interchange and the Listowel bypass. Projects with planning approval that will continue to progress towards construction phase include the retendered Ballaghaderreen to Scramogue road, the Cork to Ringaskiddy road and the Adare bypass.

Some €286.750 million has been allocated to the protection and renewal of national roads, with €553.667 million for the protection and renewal of regional and local roads, while an additional €97 million is provided in PPP operational payments.

A total of €115.800 million is allocated to EV grants and infrastructure. This year will see progress towards finalising and implementing a national en routeelectric vehicle charging strategy, which will facilitate the installation of banks of electric vehicle fast chargers at key points on the motorway network, in the first instance.

With regard to road safety, €7.47 million has been provided to the Medical Bureau of Road Safety to support its vital work in detecting drug and alcohol misuse by drivers. My Department will continue to work closely with the Road Safety Authority, RSA, on all matters related to road safety.

I will turn now to programme D, civil aviation. Some €35.614 million is allocated to aviation. The regional airports programme provides targeted supports to regional airports that handle fewer than 1 million passengers per annum. The funding facilitates operational grants and PSO funding as well as investment in a wide variety of safety, security, and sustainability-related capital projects. For the first time since 2020, emergency Covid supports are not required for the aviation sector and this funding has now ceased. Some €11.171 million is allocated to fund services such as air accident insurance and membership of key international organisations.

A total of €128.533 million is allocated to programme E, maritime transport and safety. Most of that funding is directed to the Irish Coast Guard. This includes delivery of the helicopter contract incorporating search and rescue and air ambulance support to the HSE and the island communities. This year will see the transition from CHC to Bristow, as the search and rescue service provider. The funding also includes investment in the Commissioners of Irish Lights and marine casualty investigations.

The sum of €49.528 million is allocated to a new programme F, information technology, engagement and research delivery. Given the central importance of IT infrastructure to how the Department conducts its operations and delivers front-line services, such as licensing services and motor tax collection, a new digital hub has been created, bringing these services and their funding under one structure for the first time.

The Department has also introduced two new additional subheads: F4, climate engagement and F5, research programmes. This will support information campaigns such as Your Journey Counts, which highlights how individual choices can make transport more sustainable, and vital research into areas such as sustainable fuels.

I am pleased to see how the strategic direction of the Department has developed over the past few years: with real progress on investment in regional cities, not just Dublin; investment in rural areas, not just urban; in all transport modes, not just the ones we traditionally use; in modernisation and electrification to build the transport networks of the future, not just in settling for what we already have; and always with an ambition to improving connectivity across all modes. This year promises to be an exciting year for new public transport infrastructure as BusConnects exits the planning system and DART+ and Metrolink get closer to decisions, with the oral hearing for Metrolink commencing this month. I look forward to the pace ramping up for 2024 and I will seek to ensure that we maintain the real momentum that we have built up in delivering safe, secure and accessible transport networks that serve all the needs of all our citizens.

I am now happy to take any questions that the committee may have.