Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)

Cuirim fáilte roimh cuairteoirí an Teachta Neville. Ar an gcéad dul síos ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil agus comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis na Seanadóirí a bhí páirteach sa díospóireacht faoin gcóras iompar poiblí agus earnáil na heitlíochta. Díospóireacht an-tábhachtach agus láidir a bhí ann ar mhaithe leis na ceantair ar fad. Tá an ceart ach go háirithe ag an Seanadóir Ó Céilleachair that the national development plan is the roadmap of travel and the trajectory we are going to be on. Therefore, it is imperative that within any balanced regional development, we have at its core communities, people and that overarching theme of connectivity. I thank the Members for the opportunity to come to the House today to speak on behalf of many different projects. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, was here earlier to discuss the importance of public transport and the strategic importance the Government places on connectivity, for example, at Shannon Airport. Senator Conway spoke about Waterford, and Senators Boyle and Blaney raised the issue of the A5. I would not mind being in Gweedore today as it would be nice in that part of the world, in fairness. Senator Comyn referred to the scale to which Drogheda has grown.

Senator Ryan spoke of the importance of Limerick. It just shows the importance of the M20 at one level, although we are perhaps partisan about that in Cork and Limerick. Senator Boyle spoke about going to or coming from the match. We have seen it coming from Limerick on the evening of the Munster hurling final and it shows the need to bypass Charleville, Mallow and Buttevant. We have seen the growth from Galway down to Limerick, so it is an option we cannot miss.

I thank the Senators. I did not hear all of the contributions as I was not here earlier. Their contributions show the depth of commitment by all in the House to meet the challenges, but also to seize the opportunities and recognise that we have travelled some distance as a country. There are young people in the Public Gallery. They have grown up in an Ireland where we have the Luas, motorways and enhanced public transport. I remember that going on a train as a young person was like going on an aeroplane today. I am making the point that we have grown and evolved as a country. However, we all agree that we have challenges that we must meet. All of the speakers have articulated a fine case for their own areas. It is about having strong public transport. It is about the network being able to meet the demands of a growing population but also the needs of people. We must remember that everything we do, as politicians, as community activists and as legislators, is about putting people first, whether rural or urban.

Senator Ryan referred to international connectivity, which is pivotal. I emphasise that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney and I are deeply committed to ensuring that we provide all people with reliable, convenient and suitable public transport and mobility options, as in the programme for Government. We also recognise that, as Senator Kelleher said, whereas there might be one or two cars at a house today, we need to reduce it to one or none in the context of the 15-minute city. We have to give those young people in the Gallery an opportunity to live in a world where we are not car dependent. That is why the programme for Government is strong in this regard.

It is also why BusConnects has been a central tenet of the National Transport Authority programme to improve public transport, and not just for Local Link, Rural Link and so on. I do not have the information for Senator O'Reilly today, so I ask her to contact the NTA in that regard. I very much welcome the commitment of the National Transport Authority on BusConnects. We have seen it in Dublin in terms of the approval of the 12 bus corridors by An Coimisiún Pleanála and the wider plan for BusConnects around the country. I know Deputy Neville, who is in the Gallery, has been a strong advocate for County Kildare in the context of progressing that kind of “beyond the Pale” mentality and joining up the dots on connectivity.

As a Government, we are firmly of the view that we need and must have balanced regional development. That means looking after Galway, Limerick, Waterford and the town of Drogheda, which was mentioned earlier, but also recognising that redesigning our bus network will be challenging and will present difficulties for everybody. That is why we have to work with people when we make our submissions. As a former student of Maynooth University, I would like to ensure that the 66 bus service takes me into Dublin quicker or that there are many transport options, for example. When I go back to Maynooth, I can see the train service there now. When I was a student in Maynooth, there might have been one or two trains to Dublin a day whereas, today, there is a conveyor belt, which is great.

The Leas-Chathaoirleach and Senator Ryan referred to Shannon Airport. I was there recently and had a very good meeting with the chief executive and members of his team. The national development plan recognises and calls for a regional airports programme that befits our country in terms of getting people in and out. The example that Senator Duffy has always championed is Knock Airport and its success illustrates how important our regional airports programme is. That means supporting smaller regional airports, looking at the schedule of passenger air services, and that the aviation sector cannot just look at Dublin. The Minister spoke about the cap. I know that airlines vote with their feet but it is not all about Dublin. That is why it is important that the regional airports programme takes cognisance of, for example, Cork and Shannon. I congratulate Cork Airport on winning the best airport in Europe with under 5 million passengers category award. It is not about being in competition with anybody. It is about all of us working within the parameters so we can all achieve a certain amount of the travelling public. I was impressed by Shannon Airport's plans on sustainability and its new solar farm, and that it has seen such a growth in passenger numbers. It is important that we all look at how we can support each airport in the development of the next iteration of the regional airports programme.

We recognise that the decision by Ryanair to have a fourth aircraft at Shannon Airport is very important. It is about the winter and the off-season, but it is also about the positive proactivity of the management of Shannon Airport with airline partners. I was very impressed by that determination on the day I was in Shannon, in particular the determination of the board and the chief executive regarding their ambition for the airport in terms of growth, passenger access and the passenger experience.

The western rail corridor was raised by Senators Kyne and Duffy, who made strong comments. It is part of the all-Ireland strategic rail review that was undertaken by the Department of Transport in co-operation with the Department for Infrastructure in the North. The review’s final report, published last year, has 32 strategic recommendations to enhance and expand the rail system in Ireland and the North. The recommendations relate to transforming the quality of the rail system and include the reinstatement of the western rail corridor between Athenry and Claremorris.

In the time remaining to me, I would like to make reference to the points raised by Senators Blaney and Boyle regarding the decision on the A5. Senator Boyle had a Commencement matter that referenced the A5 extensively. It is an important project. The Senator is right that somebody dropped the ball. There is a commitment by the Government to deliver that project. It is of huge importance, as the two Senators articulated very eloquently. It is about informing the Northern Ireland Executive and both Governments of the need to bring the project to fruition, but also the strategic importance of it for the people of Donegal. I will be in Donegal in the coming weeks and look forward to further engagement with people there.

I think we are all in agreement that our public transport system matters. It is about it being affordable, accessible and reliable. It is not just about getting people from point A to point B but also, as people have said in the House today, about encouraging investment, putting in housing and putting in a plan around it. It is about giving those young people in the Gallery today the freedom to go wherever, to go home or to work, and it relates to the piece about remote working.It reduces stress. Through BusConnects, Connecting Ireland, the all-island strategic rail review and the national aviation programme, we are making a difference in Ireland. We are investing in the regions.

I that all the Senators who spoke for their contributions. We will listen and engage. The national development plan is the way forward. I encourage Members to put their projects and thoughts to the different Departments because that will be the blueprint for the future. I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for her work in the Chair. I know she represented the Oireachtas with distinction this week in a different institution. I thank her for that. My information is that she was a wonderful ambassador for the Houses of the Oireachtas, so gabhaim buíochas for that.