Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is a timely opportunity to discuss transport, particularly given the biblical scenes we had in Dublin Airport over the weekend. I note the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is not here and I hope he is reading the inside of his passport where it states:

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ireland requests all whom it may concern to allow the bearer, a citizen of Ireland, to pass freely and without hindrance and to afford the bearer all necessary assistance and protection.

I hope when the Minister has read that, he hands it over to the head of the DAA because the delays that Irish citizens experienced last weekend, before they even got out of the State, were a disgrace. I believe the scenes are indicative of what goes on and how we work in this State. There are many queues. When one peels back the expensive veneer, there is dirty chipboard underneath. There are queues at the airport and in soup kitchens. There are invisible queues for healthcare services and for children seeking places to cater for their special educational needs.

Transport organisations and the Government must realise that after major events, such as pandemics and wars, the relationship between employees and employers needs restructuring. The terms of conditions of workers in the DAA must be considered.

Around sustainability and transport, closer to home in north Kildare, the DART service goes as far as Maynooth. There is a proposal for a station a mile from Kilcock but the line will not go as far as Kilcock. We have written several times to the Minister on this issue and I have spoken to him about it. The station is already there. The commuters are there. Kilcock is a thriving village.

We need to bring it as far as Kilcock or at least have a park-and-ride facility there to accommodate all of the people who live in north Kildare.

This weekend we will be hearing about the Kildare bus routes, Nos. 120 and 115 and the absolutely chaotic service for the thriving towns of Straffan, Prosperous, Clane and Kilcock, where the buses either arrive full or do not arrive at all and passengers are none the wiser as they wait. If a Green Party Minister cannot see the emergency in public transport in our rural towns and villages, what hope do we have? Public transport in rural areas is essential. A few cycling lanes in Dublin is just not going to cut it. Climate change is upon us and we cannot act as if it is in the future anymore. We need to pull out all the stops and deliver on public transport all across the State.

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