Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The switch to this renewable and local fuels future will have to be accelerated and I accept that. It is here and I just checked my phone to get the latest figures. As we speak we are using about 5,500 MW of power for lights, heating and our electricity systems. About 3,500 MW of that is coming from wind, particularly from the west, the north west and the south west, including in west Cork. We can use that and we can start planning to store, share and switch it. We can turn things on and off so that we use it in efficient ways as part of the solution and we will have to accelerate that. Our country will be rich and prosperous on the back of that; we will never be safe, secure or wealthy by giving our money to distant countries and regimes that we do not agree with. Let us work together to deliver that more quickly.

It is not just in electricity but we will also have to do it in transport. I agree with the Deputy and we have talked at length about the need for better rural bus services. The Connecting Ireland bus plan that we have is the most radical and probably the most important public transport project we have. I would love to work with the Deputy on how we would run a bus service from Lowertown out to Goleen and back to Schull, Skibbereen and every town and parish along the route.

I agree with the Deputy that private operators will also be critical; it will not just be Bus Éireann or public bus services. Those companies have done a remarkable job, particularly during the Covid period and we stood with them during that time. I met them at various stages and when they asked for support we agreed. At every turn when I went to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, to ask for more money because their fares and numbers were down he agreed because we needed to keep them running through those difficult times when the passengers were not there. They continue to provide that service and they are also part of our public transport service. We have continued with that support.

Even though the masks are off, schools are back and people have returned to work, we are continuing to provide Covid support to the private bus operators and we did so deliberately for a variety of reasons. For example, we recognised that we cannot provide the 20% reduction as easily, quickly or immediately for those private operators as we do for public transport companies. There is a simple reason for that. It is no lack of regard or respect for those companies or the work they do but we do not control, set, manage, monitor or operate their fare systems. What the customer pays the driver for those services is nothing to do with the public bus service. We have no control or management system to put the sort of change the Deputy would like to see in place. We will continue to work and look to give every support we can to them because they are a vital part of our transport network. Part of what we do in responding to Mr. Putin and saying we will not use his fossil fuels is to switch to public transport, including private operators.

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