Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I refer the Deputy to my reply to Priority Question No. 1 because it contains some of the content that Deputy Munster will need.

The National Transport Authority, NTA, has statutory responsibility for regulating fares charged by public transport operators, while the funding of the free travel scheme is primarily a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

I recognise that there are issues for consideration in relation to how we fund our rail network and by extension Iarnród Éireann. In August 2015 my Department published the strategic investment framework for land transport which outlined the funding pressures across both our rail and road networks and made a number of recommendations in respect of our key priorities and principles for future investment.

In respect of rail, the strategic investment framework recommended the development of a new rail policy and, as a step towards this, the Rail Review Report 2016 was published and was issued for a public consultation by the NTA. As I have mentioned, just last week the Department received the NTA's report about that consultation process and the range of submissions that were received. As noted within the rail review, its analysis predates the finalisation of the national planning framework which is being developed under the leadership of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to guide national, regional and local planning opportunities throughout Ireland together with investment decisions for at least the next two decades.

Last week, the Government began a public consultation on the draft framework that has been prepared and which is entitled, Ireland 2040 – Our Plan. I look forward to the finalisation and adoption by Government in the coming months of the new National Planning Framework following the current consultation. The approach it adopts toward land use planning and settlement patterns for the country will have significant impacts on the potential of rail and other transport infrastructure and services into the future. When finalised, the new national planning framework will form an important context for my consideration of issues raised by the rail review report and for any recommendations that I may bring to Government in due course.

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