Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The mind boggles. We are talking about transport and the Minister is not present. That is incredible.

The issues of delays with passport applications and the long delays at airports are a disgrace and need to be sorted out. My party colleagues have set out these issues in great detail. As I only have a short time, I will not dwell on them, except to say we have a great reputation as a tourist destination and this is being damaged because of incompetence and greed. This greed saw a short-term view being taken when the DAA made a third of its workforce redundant. The authority is reaping what it has sown and must engage with SIPTU to address workers' concerns if this issue is to be solved in the long term.

Rural areas of Kildare and Laois are poorly served by public transport. If the Minister is serious about climate action, this needs to be addressed. A few town links are not the answer. Kildare and Laois need a central bus hub in the likes of Newbridge and Portlaoise where town links converge and where it is possible to transfer to other services. We need to ensure that someone can go from Carbury to Naas General Hospital or from Monasterevin to Intel in Leixlip as easily as possible. We need a reliable and regular service if the Government is to entice people out of their cars. What is in place at the moment is not working.

It is great that electric cars are becoming more popular, but we are facing a ticking time bomb if the Government does not provide local authorities with funding to enable them to expand the car-charging network. What does the Minister think they are going to do and where does he think they are going to get chargers if he does not provide them with funds? Now is the time to invest in order that we are not left stranded in eight years' time.

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