Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy O'Rourke for introducing this motion. I call on all Deputies to support it. The lack of reliable public transport in the north west means that households have fewer options for travel and are more dependent on their cars in order to access basic services and commute to and from work and school. This is even more stark now as the cost of running a car has shot up. This reflects the real cost of Government underinvestment in the north west, including my county, Donegal. The people of the north west need to see a public transport system that delivers for our communities, one that is affordable and reliable.

This is a chance to make inroads towards environmental sustainability. That is why the Connecting Ireland plan must be accelerated. In Sinn Féin's alternative budget, we proposed an additional €195 million for the public transport system in the next year: to reduce fares, invest in new rail infrastructure, accelerate the roll-out of rural bus services and to ensure citizens have the access they deserve.

There are issues specific to the north west and to Donegal that must be addressed. Due to the lack of investment, our people are more reliant on commercial bus operators to travel, yet the 20% fare reduction that came into effect in April does not apply to commercial operators, an oversight that is clearly unfair. Sinn Féin has been calling on the Government to extend the fare reduction to commercial operators to ensure that citizens in Donegal benefit equally.

When it comes to students, we see the Government has introduced a 50% discount to young adults and student holders of Leap cards, but the discount does not apply to young people in Donegal who study or work in Derry or Belfast who go to Queens or to Coleraine, Jordanstown, Magee or elsewhere in the North. They are being discriminated against by the Government. The Government will tell us that the cross-Border trips cannot be included, yet a senior citizen going to Belfast is able to avail of the free travel pass. The Government must get its act together. This can be resolved by extending the scheme to commercial operators that provide routes to destinations in the North, and it should be done as soon as possible.

One of the first questions I was asked by a fellow Senator when I was elected to the Seanad many years ago was if I got the train up. I told him that the last time a train rolled out of Donegal was in the early 1960s. That must be addressed, especially in light of the climate emergency. The new all-island strategic rail review that is currently under way must have the north west at its centre. Extending access to rail services in Donegal is crucial to empowering communities and to unlocking the potential for the people of the north west.

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