Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)

I thank Senator Boyle for raising the matter and for his ongoing advocacy on behalf of the people of Donegal regarding transport and specific routes, including the areas he mentioned. It is a beautiful part of Donegal from Ardara to Glenties to Portnoo. I hear the Senator about the gaps and I look forward to going to Donegal in July to visit with the Senator. I hope we can meet some of the people involved.

A number of Connecting Ireland proposals on the Inishowen Peninsula, Fanad Peninsula and north-west Donegal were implemented last year. We are currently in year four of a five-year Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan with further new and enhanced routes planned over the coming years, including ones in County Donegal.Further enhancements are planned for the corridors between Glencolumbkille and Donegal town and between An Clochán Liath and Donegal town. Further enhancements are planned for the east Donegal area.

I will specifically address the matters raised by the Senator. The Ardara to Glenties corridor is currently connected to Donegal town by Bus Éireann route 492. We can talk again about the need to provide further connectivity. The National Transport Authority, NTA, is in discussions with Bus Éireann to enhance the frequency of this route under the Connecting Ireland programme, subject to funding and resources. Ardara is also connected to Killybegs by route 991, which is operated by McGeehan Coaches.

The ambition to improve rural transport services was further strengthened by the national sustainability policy and the related action plan, which covers the years 2022 to 2025. The policy, which was published in April 2022, is a cornerstone of Ireland's strategy to transform how people move around the country. As we approach the end of the current action plan and reflect on the progress made in three short years, I confirm that my Department is now developing a successor plan that will outline what can be achieved between 2026 and 2030. My Department has responsibility for policy and overall funding for public transport but neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. The statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally rests with the NTA. It works with the public transport operators to deliver the services and has responsibility for day-to-day operational matters.

That said, the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. In the new programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, the Government has committed to increasing Local Link services in rural areas to better connect villages, towns and cities. The Senator rightly made reference to travel for health and social care issues. Funding for rural transport programmes increased from €16 million in 2022 to €25 million last year and 150 new or enhanced services have been rolled out under the Connecting Ireland programme since 2022. This roll-out has been successful and, under the plan, 240 new towns and villages have been connected to the public transport network. Some 61 new connections have been established to healthcare facilities and a further 41 new connections have been made to higher educational facilities. The services introduced to date have, as the Senator said, increased exponentially. In excess of 330,000 weekly vehicle kilometres have been added to the TFI public transport network. Passenger numbers have seen a fivefold increase since the roll-out of Connecting Ireland began in 2022, with a record number of passengers. Some 100,000 journeys were recorded in October of last year.

There are a number of corridors in the region, as the Senator has outlined, where the NTA hopes to enhance services, particularly to provide additional evening and weekend services. It is currently exploring the mechanisms available to enhance commercially operated vehicles.

The Department, the NTA and the operators will work to optimise the deployment of resources across the public transport network to match passenger demand. Following the Senator's invitation to visit Donegal, I look forward to meeting him and others involved in the provision of local transport links in the county.