Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)

Public transport is essential for rural communities. It connects young people to education and training, older people to services and workers to jobs. It keeps our rural towns and villages alive and links people to public services, which unfortunately have become ever more concentrated in urban areas at the expense of rural accessibility.

Local Link provides an excellent service in County Waterford and across the State. I acknowledge the management, staff, bus companies and drivers who go above and beyond. However, the service must be properly resourced and empowered to make decisions and respond to local needs. I am not convinced the current structure allows that. It is too slow and too centralised. That said, we have seen progress. My colleague, Councillor Donnchadh Mulcahy, and I have worked hard to secure a long overdue Local Link service for Ballyduff Upper. Councillor Kate O'Mahoney has delivered a new connection from Ballinameela to Dungarvan and Councillor Pat Fitzgerald and his community in Ballymacaw ensured the Tramore to Waterford service now includes their area. There is more to do. There is huge frustration in Portlaw and Kilmacthomas that a service to Dungarvan still has not been approved. Councillor Catherine Burke and I will keep fighting for that. Critically, local input has to be central. Route 361 Waterford Local Link was altered over a year ago after no consultation with the local community. That top-down decision removed stops serving Ardmore, An Sean Phobal agus An Rinn and loyal passengers have been left behind. This has to be addressed. I ask the Minister of State and the Minister to intervene.

I will raise a concern about bus stop infrastructure funding. Funding has been announced and I welcomed that announcement. However, local authorities tell me they have not been given the staff or capacity to develop projects to draw that funding down. The funding is left unspent for lack of resources to administer it. If the resources are not there to deliver new and upgraded stops, then it is not real investment. When will the Minister act in this?

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