Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful to address the issues of transport and sport. They seem unrelated, except that they share a Minister, but both need to be got right to protect our future, especially our health, social well-being and cohesion. On transport, the Minister has to admit that he is losing the battle against congestion in Dublin, as colleagues have noted. It is a nightmare for tens of thousands of commuters every morning, ourselves included, who simply need to get to work. There are plans, but they are for the future and I do not believe they are ambitious enough to allow us to catch up with other cities, never mind start to win our own battles. We need to cut through the spin. For example, at budget time, the Minister announced an additional €384 million for his Department. This figure is deeply deceptive. The vast majority of this or €357 million is to implement the national development plan, and this was cut because of the overspend on the children's hospital. That leaves only €27 million extra in current spending. The Minister announced €40 million for tourism, not linked to a no-deal Brexit. This leaves open the question as to how additional spending of €40 million can be accommodated in a €27 million budget. It is likely there are cuts hidden in the small print. All this means more congestion and even more stretched rural services for people throughout the State.

The Minister had little to say on the need for all-Ireland transport. A €60 million investment would mean four trains an hour between our two largest cities. Would not that be truly great, with a massive economic benefit, including on tourism, were it to come to pass? There is increasing demand for rail along the eastern corridor.

The big picture must be a plan to achieve free and efficient public transport. That is how we beat congestion, reduce emissions and make getting to work bearable for staff. Sinn Féin supports starting with under 18s so that the culture of public transport and demand is instilled in our youngest. I could list a bunch of roads we need or refer to airports for all but we have to shift our thinking towards free public, clean transport in urban and rural Ireland. I have seen a document released under freedom of information in which the Minister's advisers rubbished the Government's €1 million electric cars promise. It is pure pluck-a-figure politics and will not be delivered.

We must cut through more spin on sport. Many a Fine Gael Deputy and Senator was cock-a-hoop to announce, prior to any press release, details of the sports capital programme grants last week. I wonder how many of them know they were the 2018 allocations being paid out in budget 2020. This should be an annual, regularly paid, transparent process, not an overdue grant about which Fine Gael likes to tip off its local clubs, and gets to feature in its election literature.

I cannot discuss sport in Ireland without mentioning the need for and a growing demand for an all-Ireland sports structure across the board. From soccer to athletics to mixed martial arts, there is, bubbling under the surface, a people-led movement for all-Ireland sports teams and competitions, as it is proven both parts of the island work best and achieve more when they work together.

Fundamentally, investment is way behind other countries and the Government has no intention of catching up. Members will recall a recent briefing by our Olympic rowers who were paying for much of their own training themselves. That sums up the approach to sport. If they deliver Olympic medals, they are bound to have a Minister crawling up their backs, sometimes quite literally, but until then, they are on their own. That culture has to change. We must put our money where our mouth is if we want success and all the positive health, including mental health, and social benefits that go with a healthy sporting culture.

Last week, there was a press report of remarks by the chairman of Tourism NI who spoke positively of the growing rationale for linking Ireland's Ancient East with the Wild Atlantic Way via the Causeway Coast. It would be encouraging to hear the Minister's perspective on that. It has obvious tourism, economic and transport benefits. Now that Tourism NI and Fáilte Ireland are out of the traps, it is incumbent on him to encourage and foster that engagement and show his support publicly, and to initiate a process that considers economic research into the benefits of this. It makes sense from an economic, logistical and tourism perspective. It defies logic that Ireland's Ancient East stops where it does and does not continue into Downpatrick, the heartland of Cúchulainn and connect all the way up to Fionn Mac Cumhaill and the Causeway Coast.