Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter for debate. I thank the Minister, Deputy Harris, for being here in the Chamber in the absence of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I raise this matter to bring attention to the critical issue of public transport in rural areas, especially in my constituency of Mayo. It is imperative that the Government continues to invest not only in urban transport but also in connecting our regions and providing adequate transport facilities in rural areas. While Government has made progress through initiatives like Local Link, which connects our rural areas to local towns, there is still much work to be done. The Connecting Ireland plan from the National Transport Authority, NTA, aims to improve mobility in rural towns and villages, but our focus must extend to improving connectivity in our regions and establishing inter-city links.

There is currently no direct bus service from Mayo to Dublin Airport, or from Castlebar or Claremorris, and the Expressway bus service travels from Ballina only. It serves parts of east Mayo with a connection at Swinford. At this stage, it is deplorable in terms of what we require in order to provide high-frequency public transport to a county like Mayo, which is the third largest in the country. This is a significant inconvenience for constituents who rely on these types of services. I therefore call on the NTA to establish additional bus services to and from Dublin city and the airport to cater for the needs of those in Mayo who wish to avail of these essential services.

Furthermore, the Government's climate action plan includes a commitment to reduce the number of kilometres driven by private cars by 20% and also seeks a 20% reduction in fossil fuel usage by 2030. Achieving these goals in our rural towns and villages is impossible without proper public transport facilities. While there has been a commendable uptake in electric vehicles, EVs, people outside Dublin often need to travel long distances where EVs are not viable.

The provision of public transport is of critical importance to our climate ambitions as it enables sustainable transportation through our public transport system. It connects counties like Mayo to Dublin more efficiently. We need a more ambitious approach around this. There is no reason we cannot increase investment in luxury coach lines with modern facilities such as USB ports, Wi-Fi and toilet facilities similar to those we avail of on rail services. Currently in both transport and bus services, there is a serious deficiency for students attending colleges in our cities and towns. It is completely inadequate. While there are plans in place for additional carriages for Irish Rail up to 2025, we cannot wait years for improved services. I call again on the Department of Transport and the NTA for an immediate increase in bus service capacity for our students, the elderly and everyone travelling to and from Dublin city and its airport. The recent acquisition of GoBus by Citylink presents an opportunity to enhance connectivity to Mayo given that GoBus has established excellent services between Ballina, Galway and Dublin. We can leverage this acquisition to provide additional connections for our constituents. I urge the Minister to take this message back to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the NTA to allow the Department to take swift action in addressing the delivery of rural transport provision in areas like Mayo. By investing in improved bus services, facilitating convenient connections and adapting a more ambitious approach, we can ensure our rural communities have the necessary transport facilities. This can also contribute to our climate objectives.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank my colleague for raising this very important matter and for his impassioned plea on behalf of his own constituents in County Mayo in terms of the need for improved public transport services, particularly improved bus capacity and airport access. In my own ministerial role, I am also very taken with the points he makes about the importance of capacity for college students. We are doing more in the north west in terms of access to university with ATU in Castlebar, which is now a university town. Indeed we are working collectively on plans for the development of a major college of further education in Castlebar. Of course, there will always be people from County Mayo who are going for education in other places too and we need to make sure they have proper public transport facilities. I will certainly feed this back to my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I know he shares this view on the importance of investment in public transport. I will also work with Deputy Dillon on making sure we can continue to make progress. Objectively, the Government has placed an unprecedented focus on investment in rural and regional Ireland. I am very conscious of the fact that rural transport and transport links are a very big part of making sure that social and economic life and well-being are sustainable and thrive in rural Ireland.

I thank Deputy Dillon for raising the important topic. As he knows, the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding. He is strongly committed to improving public transport services in rural Ireland, as is the Government, and to piloting new transport initiatives for people of all ages and abilities living there. The National Transport Authority, NTA, has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. One of the key plans for enhancing the existing transport network across Ireland falls under what the Deputy referred to already, the NTA's Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan. This plan aims to develop an integrated, accessible and sustainable network of public transport offerings across the country. Connecting Ireland is a major national public transport initiative with the aim of increasing public transport connectivity, particularly for people living outside the major cities and towns. Over 100 rural villages will benefit from frequent public transport service, in other words at least three return trips daily, for the first time. The plan will also see a 25% overall increase in rural bus services, and over 60 new connections to regional cities from the surrounding hinterlands. Collectively, these measures will not only further improve connectivity in the area but will provide viable alternatives to the private car for those living in the region.

The first year of implementation of Connecting Ireland was only last year, which saw 38 new and enhanced services launched. The 2023 implementation distribution has been developed by the NTA through discussions with the Local Link transport co-ordination units, Bus Éireann and other stakeholders. Under phase 2 of the plan, 69 new and enhanced services nationwide are proposed for 2023. We have gone from 38 new ones last year to 69 this year. The rural transport programme, now operating under the TFI Local Link brand which Deputy Dillon referenced, has been providing scheduled and demand-responsive public transport services with success in rural counties across Ireland for many years. Local Link services are an integral part of the public transport offering and connecting communities throughout rural Ireland. In recognition of the vital role these services play, there has been a substantial increase in funding for Local Link services over recent years, going from €12 million in 2016 to over €42 million this year. The additional funding has enabled the introduction of 100 new rural regular service routes, as well as improvements to demand-responsive door-to-door services and the piloting of evening and night-time services in certain rural areas.

Specifically in respect of Mayo and in the context of those expanding budgets these organisations are receiving, I want to assure the Deputy that I will certainly take his concerns and views back to the Minister for Transport and the NTA.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for his response. I acknowledge the work the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and his officials in the Department of Transport are doing and the commitment they have to delivering public transport that is fit for purpose. As the Minister, Deputy Harris, has acknowledged, we have seen nearly a fourfold increase since 2016 to over €42 million this year in terms of the provision of public transport. That is very welcome. Certainly the Government needs to continue on that trajectory and we need to seize the opportunity to enhance regional accessibility and stimulate economic growth. That will certainly contribute to our overall climate objectives. I trust the Minister and his Cabinet colleagues will prioritise that also for rural communities. It is really important.

I also want to take the opportunity to place on record the critical need for action on our key road infrastructure projects. One specifically is the N17 between Knock and Collooney. This project holds immense strategic importance for the west and the Atlantic economic corridor. Upgrading the N17 is not a luxury but an absolute necessity for our region. That is not just for redirecting heavy goods vehicle transport away from our villages. It will also promote the integration of active travel facilities, which is an important point. The current state of the N17 poses significant safety concerns. I urge the Minister to take the message back to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to ensure we have swift progress on this project without any unnecessary delays. While I understand there are funding considerations involved, we cannot afford to overlook the pressing need of our rural areas and the transformational impact that this well designed, safe and efficient road network will have for the west and for counties Mayo and Sligo in particular.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy resisted the urge to burst into song there when he mentioned the N17.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I certainly will resist the urge, too. I thank Deputy Dillon for taking the opportunity to highlight, alongside the need for improved public transport links for rural Ireland and County Mayo, the strong concerns and views in his own community and constituency in respect of the N17 from Knock to Collooney and the importance of that project to the west and particularly to counties Mayo and Sligo. I will certainly feed those comments back to my Cabinet colleague, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and indeed to my other Cabinet colleagues as well. We will keep in touch with Deputy Dillon. I know the importance of that project to him and his advocacy for him.

On the issue of public transport, it is a welcome development that the Government, through the Department of Transport's sustainable mobility policy, recognises that transport needs are not uniform across the country. We have to be truthful about this. The needs of those living in my town, just south of County Dublin in north Wicklow, are very different from the needs of Deputy Dillon's constituents in Mayo. We have to make sure we have plans and funding streams that are flexible and responding to those different needs. The roll-out of Connecting Ireland and the expansion of the Local Link services are two fundamental parts of that solution, in recognition of the need for diversity when it comes to solutions in public transport. The fact that we are now significantly increasing funding to Connecting Ireland and Local Link, and we are seeing new and expanded routes and increased intensity of service provision, means there is a real opportunity for the NTA to reflect in all seriousness on the points the Deputy has made today about his community. In the months and years ahead, we will look to continue to make further progress.

I assure the Deputy that the Government will continue to provide additional investment in public transport. It is important that rural Ireland sees the benefit of that, and I believe it will.