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

I thank the Minister for his presentation. I also thank his officials. I wish the Minister all the best. In light of his announcement that he will not be rejoining us after the general election, I take this opportunity to say that it has always been a pleasure and privilege to work with him.

I want to raise a couple of matters. As has been mentioned in the context of rural issues, the Local Link service has developed and done great work throughout the country. However, I am aware of a number of services that have been set up locally and that, having applied, are still awaiting funding. The in Sligo to north Leitrim service is just sitting there. I spoke to Anne Graham last week and she informed me that everything is ready to go but that the NTA is stuck for funding for the service. There has been a huge outcry in respect of it. There are many other examples in this regard. That is not to take from the good services that are being provided in many places but there are still a lot of areas that feel left behind and that do not have the level of service they require.

I met people earlier today to discuss issues relating to car hire. There is still a problem with people using electric vehicles. Even when the electric vehicles are available, people are not taking the option. When people call to hire cars and are told that an electric car is available, 19 out of 20 say, "No, thank you". This comes down to the anxiety relating to charging. The roll-out of public charging points across the country is absolutely vital. I have made the point to the Minister before that the people who need to use electric vehicles most are those who travel most and who put up the most mileage during the year. Generally, they cannot either afford electric vehicles or who live in areas in which there are adequate charging points in place. It would make a big difference if there were additional investment in that area. This is one of the key things we need to deal with.

My third point relates to rail. On Sunday last, there was an event to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Luas. The Luas has been a tremendous success for Dublin city and for commuters. At a conference I attended last week, one of the contributors put up the newspaper articles from the time when the Luas was being planned. They were full of negativity and stated that the project was a waste of money and time, that nobody would ever use it, that it would be another white elephant and so on. There were many reports from academics and various agencies that dismissed the Luas at the time. These stated that it should not proceed and was not necessary.

That brings me to a point I want to make about my area in the context of the western rail corridor and the link from Coolaney to Sligo and on to Galway. Again, we have a situation whereby there is resistance to something that could make a major difference to people in a rural area. There needs to be an element of grasping the nettle and stating that something which is going to work today will also work in 100 or 200 years' time and that it needs to be put in place. I would welcome the Minister's comments in respect of that matter.