Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The motion before us today is very much focused on Dublin. It is designed to address concentrated urban areas but fails to target towns and villages in rural Ireland. Donegal has no motorways, no railways and no county-wide public transport options for people. The rural link service is starting to address some of these challenges but it needs to be rolled out much more significantly to make a real difference. The truth is that Donegal's transport needs have never been met. The county became largely car-dependent due to chronic underinvestment in the rural transport structure by the current Government as well as past Governments. There are many consequences of this underinvestment.

An effective public transport system would benefit those physically or socially isolated in rural parts of the county and also people with disabilities, if such public transport were wheelchair-friendly. Ms Vicki Matthews was successful last week in her campaign for a wheelchair-friendly bus seat on route 480 from Donegal to Sligo, which is an Expressway route and not a local route. Ms Matthews gathered more than 8,000 signatures to highlight the restrictions the lack of access to public transport in rural areas places on people with disabilities. Bus Éireann, thankfully, responded and set a precedent for other companies to get on board. An activist should not, however, have had to campaign for what is a fundamental need. Ms Matthews required the wheelchair-friendly transport so that she could access IT Sligo from where she lives in Ballyshannon.

The lack of rural transport also means economic growth is consistently stifled. Towns and villages which are better connected experience greater growth, new sustainable jobs and better retention of public services. The Government has neglected rural Ireland and this has resulted in the closure of post offices and Garda stations, the retreat of general practitioners and even the withdrawal of banking facilities. Rural villages were already under pressure without effective transport connectivity before experiencing the effects of these Fine Gael policies directly attacking rural services. The lack of a proper and effective transport system will hinder Donegal's transition to a low-carbon economy and will also jeopardise a just transition for people living in other parts of rural Ireland. Vast amounts of money will be required for Donegal to mitigate climate change and catch up with Dublin and other urban centres across Ireland on climate action. I am not sure the Government is willing to provide that money.

Let us not forget that a just transition for rural Ireland in respect of climate action does not just mean a sustainable future. It is a model that, if properly implemented, could revitalise rural towns and villages in Donegal and elsewhere as sustainable mobility, interconnectivity and local sustainable jobs are created. I pushed very hard in the Joint Committee on Climate Action to have my proposal on rural transport inserted in the final report for that very reason. Thanks to my proposal, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport now has to undertake a review of policy. That review will have to examine ways to expand the rural transport programme to include all transport modes and provide integrated public transport and shared mobility solutions for all rural areas. It will have to be done in conjunction with local authorities.

If the Government commits to its implementation, this proposal will see an integrated public transport network including Local Link, Bus Éireann and private operators. All ancillary services, such as park-and-ride, bicycle sharing, electric vehicle charging and lift sharing are to be completed no later than 2030. There will also be a review to examine how to provide comprehensive link services for all rural areas. Alternative transport options are not available to be people in Donegal and we need to wake up to this fact. We need to stop treating Donegal as if it is on the moon. It is right here in the Republic and it is owed an equal share in Project Ireland 2040. It is a disgrace that funding for the A5 upgrades have been delayed to facilitate Government overspending on the national children's hospital. The Government cannot manage money to save itself. I have repeatedly said that we will see no improvement in rural Ireland as long as Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael remain in power or in a partnership Government. Change will be delivered when that is no longer the case.

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