Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 to 24, inclusive, together.

Transport-related issues can arise in a number of different Cabinet committees, given their relevance to multiple policy areas. Climate action is one and economic growth is another, as is the provision of housing, regional development and the like. For example, the Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change considers environmental and climate change dimensions of transport, as well as the implementation of transport-related policies and measures contained in the Government’s climate action plan.

The Cabinet committee on the economy and investment oversees the implementation of the programme for Government commitments aimed at sustainable economic recovery, investment, and job creation. This includes the implementation of the national development plan under which record levels of investment in transport infrastructure are now being made. The Cabinet committee on housing deals with matters of transport as they relate to the supply of large-scale delivery of housing under Housing for All. This includes, for example, the monitoring of the progress of major transport-orientated development opportunities. Issues relevant to transport can also arise at other Cabinet committees, such as the Cabinet committee on Northern Ireland and the work we are doing relating to the A5.

As with all policy areas, transport issues are regularly discussed at full Cabinet meetings. It is the Cabinet where any formal Government decision is made. In addition to meetings of the Cabinet and Cabinet committees, I regularly meet with Ministers, including the Minister for Transport, to discuss particular issues and participate in other relevant meetings. For example, on 15 April, I met with the Road Safety Authority and relevant Ministers to discuss action in response to the rising level of deaths on our roads, and I subsequently chaired a meeting of the ministerial committee on road safety on 2 May.

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