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

I thank the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, for being here for this debate. First, I want to acknowledge the continued work and effort they have both shown in the Department. I have been working with some of their officials on a continual basis and they have been excellent to deal with during these incredibly difficult and challenging times. They are not only dealing with Covid but also Brexit and the impact it is having on our aviation sector and on other areas which come under the Minister of State's remit. In addition, the Department is dealing with the transition towards a greener transport system for the country.

I have a couple of points to raise with the Minister in that context. First, the active travel measures were a fantastic initiative by the Government to encourage more people to engage in more sustainable methods of travel and transport such as cycling and walking. It should have been done long before now but it is good to see a focus being put on it. I thank the Minister for his work in that area.

An issue that has come to my attention from talking to county councillors and people working in local government is that there is a significant number of blockages and a lot of red tape around projects in a number of communities, including in my own town of Youghal and in Cobh as well. Local authorities are trying to invest in sustainable travel and transport options such as cycleways and footpath improvements. However, when it comes to medium-sized and large-scale projects, a lot of projects are being held back because there is a fear of investing in them. I would like to see more targeted funding going towards projects that are specifically identified by local area representatives or county councillors in communities, as well as Oireachtas Members, in order that footpaths can be constructed in areas that should have been serviced long before now. That is just one helpful suggestion I am offering the Minister. I ask that he take it on board and, if possible, give me a reply.

The national development plan is an incredibly important part of the programme for Government. It is an opportunity to address many of the inadequacies that are currently there by focusing on increased investment in our rail capacity and road network. I have raised with the Minister on multiple occasions the situation in Castlemartyr and Killeagh. I take this opportunity to stress once again the requirement for that project to be included in the national development plan. I have brought to the Minister a far greener option than what some officials in our semi-State bodies and the local authority may have wanted. I know that process will be concluding shortly and I hope the issue can be reviewed with some degree of urgency.

I take this opportunity to talk about the eastern side of Cork city and the east Cork region. In terms of cycling infrastructure, we are seeing very significant investment in the Midleton area and in Youghal. I would like to see Cork city being joined up to those metropolitan towns and areas around the city in order to allow people to cycle to and from work and perhaps walk some of the shorter distances. At present, there is no real link between Midleton and Cork city. That is something we should try to address. It is a cyclable distance, particularly for people working in Little Island, which is a huge employment centre in Munster and one of the largest in the country. It would be fantastic to see those issues being addressed at a national level and a more localised focus from the Department in this regard.

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