Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Michael Collins welcomed, I think, the reduction in transport fares we have announced and now brought in - in the context of the cost of living - for public transport and for young people. It is very important that we reduce public transport fares, and the Minister for Transport can do that readily within the legal frameworks. It is not as easy with the private transport issue. We will continue to look at that to see how we can be supportive. The Government was very supportive of all the transport network during Covid-19 pandemic, for example. Perhaps the Deputy might also like to acknowledge that too. I refer to public and private enterprises, in transport and elsewhere. The Government therefore does not have any position that is anti private transport as suggested by the Deputy.

Also, across a broad swathe of policies, the Government is very pro-rural Ireland. The Government has invested hugely in rural Ireland across the board and we will continue to do so in a whole range of ways. The Brexit adjustment reserve fund, for example, is being worked on by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, along with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath with a view to ensuring significant funding goes to the parts of rural Ireland impacted by Brexit, for example, and by challenges with the fishing industry. We have been very strong in respect of agriculture and rural development. The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, has been very strong regarding community hubs throughout rural Ireland. There have been substantial investments. I refer to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and the various funding for towns across rural Ireland in the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, in conjunction with and complementing the work of the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys.

If you go through any Department, very significant allocations have been made for rural Ireland. We want to rebalance the economic development of this country. We believe there is an over-concentration and we have to rebalance that into the future. We want to develop strong regional cities like Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway that will then strengthen the rural hinterlands of those cities. Public transport is all over west Cork as well. It does not have the same frequency but it is in most towns in west Cork and is complemented by private transport. School transport is a State-funded scheme but it is predominantly provided by private operators. The Deputy should know that. That is just the way it has always worked in terms of CIÉ outsourcing to private transport operators.

In respect of the specific issue the Deputy raised, the Minister will continue to look to see what he can do to support private operators. We should not stop implementing a good policy in reducing fares for young people in particular. I think it is a very good idea.

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