Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

We maintained the revenue diesel rebate scheme to recognise that we were in difficult times. We will defer the increase even though it was proposed to provide for the cost of inflation, particularly in road maintenance and operations, which are important. We must maintain that service for the Irish public and we will do that. That money will not come from cuts to the road maintenance budget because it is important we keep maintaining the roads rather than coming back later. It is cheaper that way. Nor will it be taken out from the public transport budget, which particularly for rural Ireland is increasing significantly. I will give the Local Link rural transport services as an example of where there has been a major expansion. The budget for Local Link has increased from €12 million in 2016 to over €28 million this year and we are not stopping there.

I am proud that we are starting to roll out Connecting Ireland bus services from County Limerick into Limerick city, from Galway to all over the country, and in west Cork. They provide regular return services that were not provided in the past because we recognise we have to make this change.

It is not an easy time in the country or in the world. It is difficult and challenging but all of those measures have been done. They are provided for in the budget and elsewhere to try to protect people through this difficult time. We also need to maintain services and income streams to pay for services. The cost of bitumen has gone very high, making it very expensive to put a dress or topping on a new road. That more than anything else is expensive. We need revenue streams to pay for that. It is how the world goes around and keeps working. This Government is doing that and is serving our people to the very best of our ability.

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