Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy McNamara proves that with the best of good intentions, it is difficult for us to control our emissions and to keep them in check as much as we would like. I respectfully disagree with his point about the report being finito as soon as it has been compiled. In my opening address, I clearly outlined the progress made since the report's publication and how it is very much a living document. As for his concerns about emissions, our programme for Government clearly refers to the different approaches to different sectors and the different ranges set for different sectors. He mentioned agriculture. There is a lower range, from 22% to 30%, for that sector because the programme for Government intrinsically recognises the societal importance of agriculture to our rural economies in particular and to our overall economy.

We have a shared overall ambition but there are different targets for different areas for very good reasons. Key strategies have been put in place over the last couple of years. We now have a focus on moving to delivery. I talked earlier about bringing people with us. For us to have credibility as a Government, we must also remove anomalies and there are anomalies. Deputy Whitmore touched on some of them.

In my own experience, we have a burning issue in Kildare South in respect of the short-hop zone for rail users. The differentiation between rail users in Sallins and those seven or eight minutes down the track in Newbridge is colossal in terms of the difference in fares and the ability to use the Leap card in a short-hop zone. It is a really significant source of contention and annoyance to south Kildare commuters that there is a €6 difference between Newbridge and Sallins for an adult single ticket for such a small area. A monthly adult ticket costs nearly €90 and a monthly student ticket is €60. We must remove these anomalies. The commuters in Kildare South who commute to Dublin should have fairer fares. It is something my colleagues and I have continuously raised and something on which I will continue to work as a representative for Kildare. This is a burning issue for me.

If we want to bring people with us in terms of this change, we must address these anomalies. We must see a situation where the short-hop zone is extended. People must enjoy the benefits of a more graduated system, whereby the cliff edge between an area that is inside the short-hop zone and an area that is not is addressed. In recent years, the Department of Transport has had to invest significantly in a new car park for Sallins train station because the people of Kildare South are driving to Sallins in Kildare North for cheaper fares, which is understandable when one sees the price difference. This is not about pushing the people of Newbridge, Kildare town, Monasterevin and Portarlington into their cars to drive and move away from public transport. We need to do the opposite. We need to incentivise the use of public transport by having fairer fares for these commuters. They will get back on the train if it is more equitable in terms of the cost incurred by them. That is something on which we will continue to work. The benefit of extending the short-hop zone and use of the Leap card across Kildare South, as well as other areas like counties Meath and Wicklow, is absolutely critical. That sensible approach is what people can see and they will respond positively.

Deputy Whitmore touched on Local Link. As chairman of Fine Gael in the previous Dáil term, I was proud to lead a campaign with my colleagues that sought to extend Local Link services to Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. I made the proposal to the then Minister, Shane Ross, who responded favourably. At the time, it was derided in the media, which called it the "drink link". There was great merriment at the idea that we were putting on these buses in the evening. It was hugely successful, however. The Local Link companies adopted and embraced it. There were examples in Kildare South, County Kerry and different areas. Local groups like the Irish Countrywomen's Association put on events in the evening because they knew local people would be able to get a Local Link service into the village. The Local Link bus service led to the development and further roll-out of community engagement activity. Whatever people want to do when they get to their destination is their own option, but putting on those transport services and linkages in rural Ireland is absolutely critical. We have people living in dispersed areas all around the country. Everything we do needs to be about balanced regional development. The Acting Chairman knows that all too well in her constituency. We must have these linkages in our rural areas so that when we talk about battery trains and buses and all the rest, people do not just think it is a Dublin-centric or urban-centric approach. This must be for everybody living in this country. We have more people living in rural Ireland now than ever before. They have a good quality of life but we need to make sure transport links fit in with the overall strategy. They are the bits that will bring people with us and make those changes in local areas.

My final point relates to the school transport issue, on which Deputy Whitmore also touched. The change from the nearest school to the second nearest school will address an awful lot of our issues in school transport. The synergies that exist between Local Link, rural transport and our school transport system is an area that has to be extended further.

Returning to the report, I commend Deputy Leddin and his committee on their work. I look forward to seeing its ongoing roll-out as part of Government policy in the years ahead.

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