Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the representatives from the National Transport Authority. I thank them for their engagement. I have quite a few bits to put to them so I will go fairly quickly if that is okay. First, I wish to raise the whole issue of Local Link services, which I raised in the committee last week with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan.

Over the past 18 months, many new accommodation centres have been set up for international protection applicants and also Ukrainian war refugees. Typically, when one of these centres opens, sometimes they are in towns and cities but sometimes they are in far-flung, remote parts of rural Ireland. Typically, a bus service follows, with Local Link fulfilling it.

I discovered an issue last week. This happens to be in my county, but it could be anywhere in Ireland because this will replicate itself unless someone screams for it to stop and intervenes. The famous Loop Head Lighthouse is in a beautiful remote part of County Clare. The contract for Loop Head Lodge is now up and will not be renewed. Therefore, the Ukrainian war refugees there will be moved elsewhere in the country. That is a whole different debate. We have now discovered that the Local Link service was tied into that accommodation centre, and it will now be pulled.

I made this point to the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and he agreed in this committee. This has been tough on people who have left. This will be extremely tough on people who have fled war. It has been extremely tough for international protection applicants, but it has also been tough on local communities. It has been a rough and tumultuous 18 months. Whatever we have gained in terms of public transport, we should not be losing. Whatever strings were tied into these initial contracts should now be retied so that these services stay embedded in the community.

I would like to hear Ms Graham’s response to that and if she would generally or maybe specifically intervene on this.