Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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2. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the actions he is considering to address the ongoing financial difficulties at Iarnród Éireann; the actions he plans to take to secure the future viability and success of the company; if line closures, fare increases, increases in funding for the free travel pass, increased subvention, compensation for previous under funding and increased capital investment have been considered, which of these actions are likely to be pursued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42240/17]

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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What actions has the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport taken to address the ongoing financial difficulties at Iarnród Éireann and to secure its future viability and success? Will there be line closures, fare increases or increases in funding for the free travel pass because none of this is clear in the budget?

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I refer the Deputy to my reply to Priority Question No. 1 because it contains some of the content that Deputy Munster will need.

The National Transport Authority, NTA, has statutory responsibility for regulating fares charged by public transport operators, while the funding of the free travel scheme is primarily a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

I recognise that there are issues for consideration in relation to how we fund our rail network and by extension Iarnród Éireann. In August 2015 my Department published the strategic investment framework for land transport which outlined the funding pressures across both our rail and road networks and made a number of recommendations in respect of our key priorities and principles for future investment.

In respect of rail, the strategic investment framework recommended the development of a new rail policy and, as a step towards this, the Rail Review Report 2016 was published and was issued for a public consultation by the NTA. As I have mentioned, just last week the Department received the NTA's report about that consultation process and the range of submissions that were received. As noted within the rail review, its analysis predates the finalisation of the national planning framework which is being developed under the leadership of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to guide national, regional and local planning opportunities throughout Ireland together with investment decisions for at least the next two decades.

Last week, the Government began a public consultation on the draft framework that has been prepared and which is entitled, Ireland 2040 – Our Plan. I look forward to the finalisation and adoption by Government in the coming months of the new National Planning Framework following the current consultation. The approach it adopts toward land use planning and settlement patterns for the country will have significant impacts on the potential of rail and other transport infrastructure and services into the future. When finalised, the new national planning framework will form an important context for my consideration of issues raised by the rail review report and for any recommendations that I may bring to Government in due course.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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We are years behind our European counterparts when it comes to investment in our rail infrastructure. Does the Minister accept that it is the State's responsibility to invest in our public rail network and that Iarnród Éireann is on the brink of collapse due to financial problems caused by lack of funding and investment for years? This led to serious safety issues being raised in the company but the Minister did not think our national rail network, Iarnród Éireann, merited mention in his budget or his press release on the budget. In view of the dire financial crisis it is in what specific new additional money has been ringfenced for capital investment and public service obligation, PSO, funding in Iarnród Éireann?

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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As I have already stated in reply to Deputy Troy, an 8% increase in the overall Exchequer funding for PSO services will be distributed across the bus and rail networks. As is normal the allocations to the companies, including Iarnród Éireann will not be decided by me. It is consistently peddled in this House that somehow I have got an involvement in the day to day running of, or allocations to the individual Córas Iompair Éireann, CIÉ, companies. I have not. This will be decided, and rightly so, by the NTA in the exercise of its statutory mandate in accordance with the various contract arrangements in place with public service providers. Using dramatic words such as being on the verge of collapse is a repetitive narrative but Iarnród Éireann is in a very critical financial situation. That is no secret. The rail review has made recommendations and pointed out the crying need that this and all the CIÉ companies have for capital.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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A paltry 8% increase in PSO funding across our bus and rail public transport network make it clear that the Minister is no fan or friend of Iarnród Éireann, Bus Éireann, public transport or rural Ireland. His boss, the Minister for Finance, said yesterday in respect of the budget that a paltry increase of €9.6 million was to be spread across public transport services and our crumbling road infrastructure and network. That is unbelievably shameful given the crisis in our public transport network and the roads infrastructure. It shows the Minister's true colours. I do not think he has taken this crisis in public transport seriously at all. He seems to have completely abandoned public transport and the people who rely on it and need it, along with the roads infrastructure. He is happy to have got the Stepaside Garda station reopened as his prize and to hell with public transport or roads infrastructure funding. The Minister knows fine well that the two portfolios crucial to preparing this country for Brexit are transport and agriculture and there is nothing in this budget that shows the Minister is taking that seriously.

The Minister got his prize and he rolled over, and his attitude is to hell with public transport and our roads. There is nothing in this. It is one of the worst allocations. What efforts did he put into it? It is dismal.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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Briefly, as an aside, I would like to thank Sinn Féin from the bottom of my heart for the stalwart support its members gave for the reopening of Stepaside Garda station.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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That is not even the Minister's brief, this area is his brief.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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It could not have been without the Deputy and her colleagues-----

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister abandoned his brief for parish-pump politics.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Allow the Minister to continue without interruption.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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-----campaigning for it so strongly, and I thank her very much for that.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Minister not to invite interruption.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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This area is the Minister's brief. It has been given the worst allocation of all.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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The Minister was shafted.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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Now let me get back to my brief having thanked the Deputy so much for her help.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister has only 30 seconds remaining. He will be out of time.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister did not put up a fight for it.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I know I will be out of time and the Chair might ask the Deputy not to interrupt me. That is not paltry money. The Deputy need not talk to me about paltry money. Overall Exchequer funding, including public service obligation, PSO, and capital investment, for Iarnród Éireann this year is expected to reach €315 million.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Munster, we cannot have more interruptions.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister rolled over.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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Do not tell me that is paltry money. That is not paltry money. It is serious money.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am going to move on to the next question.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I just want to cite one other figure and it is fair that it would come out. Between 2008 and 2016 the taxpayer has made more than €5 billion available to the three CIE companies across both PSO and capital investment programmes.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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That is their tax money.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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That is not paltry money. That is money which I hope has been and is well spent. It is my job to see that is well spent and I will see that it is well spent. The taxpayer is entitled to value for that money, not empty rhetoric from Deputy Munster.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister got his prize and he has rolled over on transport.