Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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10. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the engagements that he has had to date with the Department of Transport and Connecting Ireland on the actions to be taken to accommodate transport needs for the influx of refugees to rural Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28339/22]

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Many parts of the country need upgrades to public transport. The response to the humanitarian crisis has added demand in some places more than others. Have these places been identified to Connecting Ireland? Is an agreement in place to accelerate these services for the benefit of the local population as well as the increased population coming in as a result of the crisis?

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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My Department is focused on providing short-term accommodation to people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. As we spoke of earlier, more than 23,000 people have sought short-term temporary accommodation from my Department to date. Once accommodation is allocated to beneficiaries of temporary protection by my Department, transport to that location is organised for them. I have spoken directly with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, with regard to the transport challenges faced by those fleeing Ukraine once they are in State-funded accommodation, particularly with regard to access to the supports and services that they need. My officials have engaged proactively with the Department of Transport in providing information about where the short-term accommodation contracted by us is located, and the number of beneficiaries of the temporary protection directive accommodated there, so that this can inform decision making in the Department of Transport.

On 21 April, the Minister for Transport announced that his Department and the National Transport Authority will be providing emergency public transport services to displaced Ukrainians housed in isolated locations across Ireland. New supports include measures specifically designed to reach displaced Ukrainians in rural areas. One is an acceleration of network improvements which were previously committed to, identified through the Connecting Ireland public transport consultation, including additional stops, route modifications, and more services with the aim of increasing connectivity. Additional bus services are to be deployed to cater for those Ukrainians housed away from the existing public transport network. Another is a community transport fund, which is to support occasional travel requests. This will be operated by Transport for Ireland Local Link and will allow groups supporting Ukrainians locally to apply to that fund for once-off trips. Measures include speeding up of the expansion of Local Link, specific bespoke routes for centres which are not near a link, and that fund too.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Connecting Ireland plan had a public consultation late last year and was due to be published this summer, then implemented over five years with some routes coming in more immediately. Routes such as route 40, which serves Killarney to Macroom, Ballyvourney and on to Cork, and, similarly, route 257, which serves Killarney, Millstreet, Macroom and goes on to Bandon, were identified for improvement in the context of Connecting Ireland. They are needed. More than 300 people have come to Millstreet in recent weeks and transport is needed. Have these routes been identified to Connecting Ireland to be accelerated? I know the Minister was in contact with the Department of Transport? Have those routes been identified to Connecting Ireland for acceleration? Has it acknowledged the need for those and accepted that that kind of route would be accelerated?

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I am happy to engage with the Deputy. I understand that general information was provided by my Department to Connecting Ireland and the Department of Transport about where concentrations of Ukrainian displaced persons are accommodated. The Department of Transport examined the plans for new routes under Connecting Ireland and acted to bring some forward more quickly.

On the two specific routes the Deputy identified, I propose to look at their status to see whether they are being considered in the context of the accelerated delivery of some of the routes set out in the scheme. I cannot answer on the specifics now, but we can find out the position for the Deputy.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for that. There is a large group of people in Millstreet who are in need of transport. There was always a need to upgrade those services for people who have been there over many years, long-term residents. I will work with the Minister on following up on those routes and link-up routes with them, for example the 233 going on into Cork, to give people access to services. Many of the refugees are keen to work but very few of them have access to transport. If they want to be able to get over to Killarney to work, or into Macroom or anywhere, even to be able to access services and maintain contact with family and friends, there is a need. Those needs were already present in many places that were identified. It is important that Connecting Ireland would acknowledge that these routes are identified as in need of acceleration if that is possible.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I remember during the programme for Government negotiations there was a real focus to ensure that, inasmuch as we were putting significant investment into public transport in city areas, and my own very urban constituency is benefitting from that, there was a real need to focus on enhancing the local network around the country. Connecting Ireland is the roadmap towards doing that and significant funding has been put in place to support it. Perhaps one of the positive consequences of the arrival of a large number of Ukrainians is the highlighting, if it were needed, of the fact that many towns and villages in rural Ireland do not have enough public transport, as the Deputy has just said. We are actually going to be able to get a benefit now in terms of an earlier delivery of better transport routes for those areas, which will benefit Ukrainians and everyone living in those areas as well. I ask the Deputy to come back to me with the names of those two routes.