Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am deputising for the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, who is unavailable tonight. It is clear that Deputies on all sides of the House are committed to improving transport infrastructure in regional and rural Ireland. I think it is clear we are all committed to improving transport infrastructure in rural and regional Ireland. Nobody has a monopoly on this issue. It is clear this Government is committed to improving transport infrastructure across the country. That commitment is evidenced in the national planning framework and the Our Rural Future policy but is also backed up by the funding allocated under the national development plan for the next ten years and the funding allocated under budget 2022 to allow Connecting Ireland launch next year. To pick up on a point made by an earlier speaker, sometimes projects do get delayed. That is part of the planning process. Were the Department of Transport, a Minister or local authority to interfere in that, I am sure that some of the Deputies who spoke would take issue with the same Government for a different reason. All Deputies will remember the tribunals that took place for different reasons. Planning processes are independent and for a good reason. We all agree that an improved transport system has an important role to play in promoting balanced regional development and enhancing rural connectivity but also crucially addressing climate change. There is no dispute from any side of the House, let alone the Government side, that these improvements need to be delivered. However, there are aspects of the motion that seem to wish away best practice in terms of project delivery. It is clearly the case that costings and schedules for projects are subject to uncertainty in the earlier stages of development. The earlier the stage of planning, the more uncertain the cost of the project and the timelines around delivering it. The purpose of the public spending code’s decision gate approach toward Government approvals is to gradually develop that certainty, in order that when the Government is asked for decision gate 3 approval, the cost and schedule estimations are then as certain as they can be and are the baselines against which to measure success. It is simply the case that within the national development plan you have a variety of different projects at different stages of their project life cycle, so for some the cost and schedule estimation process is well developed and for others it is much less well-developed.

I also share the motion’s wish for improved investment in our national rail network. That is why the Department and the Minister welcome the increased funding provided by the NDP to do just that. I know there are passionate views expressed by Members from all parties, and none, about various proposals to further improve our rail network. The Minister and I recognise the long-standing advocacy of groups such as West-On-Track in terms of their campaigning for the reopening of the western rail corridor, which Deputy Canney and others mentioned. As noted in the motion, earlier this year West-On-Track published a report it had commissioned on the proposed reopening. I do not think it would surprise anyone to know that a report commissioned by an advocacy group advocated reopening the line. What the Government has approved is not to consider issues like the western rail corridor in isolation but instead to look at our inter-regional rail network in its entirety, not just to consider it on the basis of the State’s network but to look instead in the context of the entire island of Ireland. That is why we have launched a strategic rail review and I encourage everyone to take part in its public consultation, which should launch very shortly.

The Minister and i welcome the motion’s acknowledgement that the impact of all Government measures on rural communities needs to be assessed closely. I have no doubt but that the proposers will welcome the fact this is already a requirement. All memorandums for Government decisions must provide an assessment of the impact on rural communities. Furthermore, the national planning framework places the concept of balanced regional development at the very heart of everything the Government must do across all its policies and strategies.

I endorse the comments of my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Naughton, on Connecting Ireland. The initiative could potentially be transformative for public transport in rural Ireland. It will expand bus services across the country, linking local communities with the destinations they need to access, be it for work, education or leisure. This is something previous speakers referenced, especially in the context of Covid. Obviously, in rural Ireland the car will always play an integral part in people's transport needs. As we strive to meet our climate action targets, those cars will increasingly become zero-emission vehicles. While I welcome the continued funding committed in the NDP towards the protection and renewal of our regional road network, if I could be parochial for a moment and consider my own County Limerick, the Government has committed to funding the improved active travel, bus and rail infrastructure that will benefit both the urban and rural areas of the county for generations. The Limerick greenway, Limerick BusConnects, Connecting Ireland and improved rail infrastructure services will be funded under the NDP and I look forward to seeing that being delivered.

In conclusion, I reiterate my view that the House broadly agrees on the need for investments in rural and regional transport services and state as fact that the Government has demonstrated a commitment for ongoing investment across these services. I thank the Acting Chairman and Deputies for giving me the time to respond to the House on that. I am sharing the remainder of my time with Deputy Calleary.

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