Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Ross, and his officials to the House. In his speech, the Minister spoke about linking people and places. It is not just desirable, it is essential. That is why the overarching philosophy of the Minister to link people and places is one we must continue to develop. Project Ireland 2040 is the platform that will not only allow Government, at both national and local level, to manage and plan but to develop a new Ireland, as the Minister said, not just for today but also for tomorrow. Connecting people with place will be the Minister's legacy as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport.

Transport is the one thing we all desire and seek. It includes public transport, in terms of the efficiency of our bus and rail services and airports and it also concerns motorists who commute from work to home. I have in my mind the image of people travelling in Cork city from the Kinsale Road to the tunnel and the gridlock that has happened as a result of a growing economy and people going back to work. It also means we must plan.

In today's debate, the Minister has listened to many people. One thing he should take notice of from the Order of Business today is that the BusConnects consultation in Dublin is causing difficulty for both Members of the Oireachtas and citizens of the capital city. Members who come in here are giving views that have been expressed to them at public meetings. The Minister was correct when he said a greener and expanded public transport network will add greatly to the choice and experience of us all and will help improve our quality of life. Congestion is now the cause of much stress and it causes huge annoyance for people.

Project Ireland 2040 provides the opportunity to develop the region in which I live in Cork for its people. We will not go through the list of announcements. It is critical in terms of connectivity of roads, rail and sea and air transport. It is an opportunity for Cork, as the second city, to be the gateway to the south and a hub. It will allow for the strengthening of the connectivity both between Cork and Limerick and between Cork and the east and Cork and Dublin. The regeneration of Cork city is one I believe will happen in tandem with Project Ireland 2040. That is why it is very important that Project Ireland 2040 has staging points so we can see the tangible delivery of projects whether for the M20 or the BusConnects project for which €200 million has been announced. In the Minister's discussion with the various authorities under his remit, will he discuss whether we will see, during the Minister's tenure as Minister, an enhanced public bike scheme for Cork city? We have a university, an IT and a hospital all on the same side of the city. It makes absolute sense to see an expansion of the public bike scheme. Equally, when we speak about our cities it is also important - in the context of Cork, which I am speaking about now - to allow for the expansion of bus routes.

It is important that there is a discussion with the NTA on a Ballygarvan to Cork bus route and a direct link with Ballygarvan from Cork city. It is an area with a growing population. If we recognise that cities cannot be the only place in which to live it makes absolute sense that in the case of Ballygarvan there would be a direct link with Cork city. Under Project Ireland 2040, Cork city has the capacity to grow. The new local government arrangements for Cork city will allow that to happen.

I will conclude with one sentence. I congratulate Cork Airport on its growth of almost 4% this year and its magnificent global marketing award achieved this week. The Minister has been very supportive, I commend him on it, but it makes absolute sense for Norwegian Air to have a 12-month, 52-week service in and out of Providence. I have used it myself on a number of occasions. It is an excellent service. It makes no sense to have the route cancelled for a couple of months when the route is open in Shannon Airport and Dublin Airport. Why can we not have a service from Cork, the capital of the south, to Providence even if it is only one or two days a week?