Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

With all due respect, what the Minister of State has read out is a wish list. The majority of what is contained in his response does not relate to projects that are actually happening and that people would be able to see and use in the near future.

He spoke about the Luas to Wicklow and modelling - just modelling - the DART+ programme. There is no actual project plan or funding there. With regard to the extension of the DART to Wicklow town, the NTA has been very clear that will be five or six years down the road assuming everything goes well, that funding is provided to it and planning permission is received for it. These are all long-term projects. I welcome them and know it takes time to get them in place but what are people in Wicklow meant to do in the meantime? Due to the capacity and issues we see in public transport in Wicklow, people in Wicklow will not be able to wait for five, six or ten years for this or the next Government to get this right.

That is what I am saying - to get back to basics. Put buses in. They are easy to buy and operate. Put LocalLink buses in, small buses that go around our towns and that pick people from their homes and their estates. Ease that traffic that is clogging up our main streets. Put extra carriages on. Why we do not have trains with a sufficient number of carriages in Wicklow is just beyond me.

The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, a Green Party TD, is the Minister for the environment and Minister for Transport, and the fact the public transport system in Wicklow is so poor is a really big reflection on his capacity to be able to deliver. This is not rocket science. All we are looking for are buses that actually perform the service they are meant to perform. We will be handing out €8 billion in fines to Europe in 2030 if we do not meet our emissions target and transport is the one area in which our emissions are continually going up. Rather than paying a cheque for €8 billion to Europe where we will see no advantage from it I ask that the Minister and whoever is in government next invest heavily in public transport infrastructure to assist and invest in our communities and to assist people in getting buses and trains to work, school or down town when they need to go shopping.

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