James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister back to the Chamber. I am glad to see he is doing well. I take the opportunity today to speak about the link between transport infrastructure, climate action and energy.

The first item I will raise with the Minister is the Cork metropolitan area transport strategy. This is a €3.5 billion investment package for Cork which will include commuter rail, bus corridors, light rail, park-and-ride facilities, walking and cycling facilities and the expansion of the existing road network. The national planning framework to 2040 envisages Cork becoming the fastest growing city region in Ireland with a projected population increase of 50% to 60% by 2040. The strategy will provide a coherent transport planning policy framework and implementation plan around which other agencies involved in land use planning, environmental protection and the delivery of other infrastructure such as housing and water can align their investment priorities.

This strategy presents a great opportunity to connect small towns and villages across east Cork with the city, to cut commuter times and, in general, to stop the spread of rural decline we have seen in parts of our county of Cork. Until now, this has been forgotten under previous national development plans. Connecting towns in a sustainable way is a great way to tackle the urban sprawl that leads to poor planning of development, which in turn increases traffic congestion and, thereby, pollution. These are unnecessary consequences of poor planning.

I also highlight the requirement to address the need for an increase in the level of public bus infrastructure and to make bus travel more affordable. At present, too few routes go to too few destinations. Services are infrequent, unreliable and, in many cases, enormously expensive, as I have highlighted to the Minister before. Since I first got involved in politics, I have campaigned for bus fares to be reduced.

To be fair to Bus Éireann, it recently reduced fees on its Expressway services and expanded its services around County Cork but a significant portion of work remains. A discussion needs to be had as to how to cut the cost of public service obligation, PSO, bus services if we are serious about getting cars off the road.

We must also look at the Leap card system around County Cork and the green fare area around Cork city. This area is highly unfair. It is does not suit anybody in my constituency who lives beyond Midleton. Towns like Fermoy, Mitchelstown and Mallow are completely excluded from the benefits when those living in them could easily be availing of affordable and reliable public transport.

Let us talk about how serious a problem this is. If one goes down to the Jack Lynch tunnel at 5 p.m. one will see a stack of cars clogging up two lanes of traffic as people go home from their work in Ringaskiddy and areas around that part of the south side of Cork city, where much of the major industry in the county is located. It is absolutely staggering but what shocks me most of all is that one will not see a single bus. No bus route that is sustainable or reliable enough connects the very big residential areas in Carrigtwohill, Midleton, Youghal, Fermoy and Mallow with those parts of the city to allow people to get to and from work. I would like the Minister to consider if it would be possible to utilise the Jack Lynch tunnel for much-needed public transport services.

I would also like the Minister to look into making rail fares more affordable. I was involved in the original push to bring Leap card services to Cork, as I mentioned before when addressing the Minister on a Topical Issue matter. Work needs to be done on rail fares in the Mallow area.

School bus capacity will also be a critical part of getting cars off the road. In my own constituency, since Covid-19 hit, there has been major problems with school bus routes including the route from Glenville to Fermoy, which local councillors have highlighted to me repeatedly. Something needs to be done by the Departments of Transport, Tourism and Sport and Education and Skills. The Departments need to take a more collective approach in the future rather than the Department of Education and Skills taking almost entire ownership of the issue of school bus routes, which is an area which could be improved upon without great effort or great costs to the Exchequer.

The Minister spoke earlier about the North-South interconnector but the big project in my constituency will be the Celtic interconnector between France and Ireland. The programme for Government commits to the rapid decarbonisation of the energy sector. One of the main aspects of this commitment will be the completion of the Celtic interconnector which will be based at Claycastle beach in Youghal, County Cork.

We recognise in the programme for Government that there is a need to provide for a just transition and to enable balanced regional development across the country. I would therefore like to take some time to talk about some of the measures needed to ensure successful implementation of the Celtic interconnector in Youghal so that both the country and the community I represent can benefit. Since 2011, EirGrid has been working with its French equivalent, Réseau de Transport d'Électricité, to find the best way to develop the interconnector to benefit electricity customers and markets in Ireland, France and the EU. The project is made up of several stages and is currently in stage 4, in which consultation is undertaken regarding what exactly should be built.

Claycastle beach in Youghal is emerging as the best performing option resulting in a subsea cable potentially connecting to an underground cable which would be buried behind the beach. In the spirit of community buy-in, it is justified that EirGrid should provide funding for local amenities in the area and community to encourage more pedestrian activity and to take cars off of our roads. To take a very simple example, the only secondary school in Youghal, my alma mater, Pobalscoil na Tríonóide, has very poor access for pedestrians. The school has been trying to address this issue for years but no funding has been available locally. I am very happy to work with the Minister's councillors on Cork County Council to see if it would be possible to address this. Our local authority is cash-strapped and has been unable to provide this infrastructure. This is a very simple way to resolve the issue and the Minister should investigate whether it is possible. This is just one example of how smart investment can help to reduce the use of cars and to reduce pollution. There are also decaying coastal defences along Youghal's front strand. This must be addressed if we are to adapt to our changing climate conditions. Given the scale of investment going into this infrastructure project, it is achievable for the Government to assist with this matter.

The positive externalities that will come from investment in Youghal would be very significant for the area and would ensure the benefits of a just transition are felt by people on the ground. We must learn from the lessons of the past regarding large-scale energy projects. Ensuring that local communities are consulted and respected in the implementation of such projects is vitally important. I fully support the need to move the economy towards a carbon-neutral society, but we know from large structural changes in the past that this will require buy-in from the local community to ensure it is successful. A consultative rather than a top-down approach from EirGrid is welcomed and very much needed. Alongside this, the commitment to work with the EU to make community participation an integral part of installing new renewable energy infrastructure is also critical.

We must ensure there is always a route for community participation in projects. This must be upheld to ensure the successful execution of the project.

The programme for Government has a commitment to increase the number of sustainable energy communities, which I very much welcome. There is prioritisation of microgeneration and this will let people sell power back to the grid by June 2021. This shows community energy can play a role in reaching the goal of at least 70% renewable energy. I look forward to the Department implementation of the community benefit fund and to the Department ensuring that the community category within this option is successful. I appreciate the Minister taking the opportunity to listen to my contribution.

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