Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for taking this matter on behalf of the Minister. The Minister must to make a statement on the need for funding for the installation of wheelchair-accessible bus stops in west Cork. West Cork is a huge geographical area. The frightening statistic is that there are only two wheelchair-accessible bus stops in the entire west Cork region, one in Kinsale, which was opened last year, and one in Skibbereen. Both of these bus stops were put in place on the back of local initiatives. One was relocated by a local engineer in Kinsale into the car park. He built it appropriately so that it became wheelchair accessible. The other, in Skibbereen, was made by transition year students coming together to raise funds to alter the bus stop because one of their classmates needed access to a bus and could not get it. That is the history of the two wheelchair accessible bus stops in the entire west Cork region.

There is substantial awareness of the need for wheelchair-accessible bus stops. Health and safety measures mean that we cannot have access to these buses until proper stops are put in place. If one looks at the geography of the area, from Kinsale to Allihies, it is a frightening distance, with over 82,000 people living there. There are only two bus stops in the region and it is shameful. I have been calling for a funding stream to be made available and working with the west Cork Wheelchair Association to ensure that we get a line of funding. We noticed this year that the National Transport Authority granted funding to east Cork for the upgrade of 15 bus stops in the east Cork region. This morning, we are looking for that funding stream to continue. The west Cork region will hopefully be considered next year. A programme of works could be put in place. In our assessment, between 18 and 20 bus stops are required to ensure that the west Cork region is sufficiently served. We have people who cannot go to work or school, or even to doctors' appointments because of the lack of wheelchair accessible bus stops.

Wheelchair-accessible bus stops give people the opportunity to use public transport, which reduces carbon. Pressure is put on families, communities and support groups, which are really picking up the slack because of the lack of basic core infrastructure. The other issue is cost. Some people are paying €160 for a round trip to go to Cork University Hospital from west Cork for doctors' appointments because there is no access to bus stops. Considering all those issues, a holistic approach is required. Local organisations have done great work.I mentioned the west Cork wheelchair association. Physical infrastructure, such as bus stops, and resources need to be put in place. Patrons want to be active and independent - "independent" is a very important word - and they need to be able to be independent. We need to ensure a funding stream is put in place for next year, as well as ensuring that the west Cork geographic area is considered as a priority and receives the investment required for bus stops.