Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I could not believe more in the third Commencement matter. I raised it in the House last week and I am fully supportive of this. The Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, is very welcome.

Mark Wall (Labour)
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I welcome the Minister of State into the House and I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this Commencement matter. I hope the Minister of State comes with good news. I have heard, in the past number of days, that the young adult card will be extended to 16- to 18-year-olds. I hope the Minister of State will confirm that in his reply. I and, indeed, other colleagues have called for this on a number of occasions in this House.

Over the past number of weeks, I have been contacted by a large number of students and parents who are worried about the cost, especially those who are starting third-level education for the first time. Some of those are only 16, 17 or 18 years of age. They sit alongside colleagues and other fellow students who are aged 19 and who are paying twice what those students pay. That is not acceptable.

I will give some examples in my own area of Kildare South. A 17-year-old who is just beginning first year in Maynooth University is paying €90, compared to the student's older sibling who is paying €45 to take the same bus. In South East Technological University Carlow, we have students who are paying €35 while those under 19 are paying €70. There is an accommodation crisis, of which I am sure the Minister of State will be aware, and a climate crisis. We need to look after those younger people who are travelling and have been left with no option but to travel to third level education.

I hope the Minister of State will confirm in his reply that he has extended this card to 16- and 18-year-olds. That extension would be accepted and welcomed by a great many people, because it is totally unacceptable to have one sibling paying less than another on the same bus or young people paying up to €200 and €250 per month more than those who are older.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I thank both Senators for raising this issue. Both are correct in the sense that the initiative has been very transformative and positive. It has been very well received. The numbers speak for themselves in terms of both climate action and reducing costs for students.

I understand that the Senators' questions concern plans that the Minister may have to expand the young adult card and student Leap card fare initiative to include all students attending third level education so they can avail of the50% fare discount on both public service obligation, PSO, and commercial bus operator services.

The Department of Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in regard to public transport. However, the Department is not involved directly in the day-to-day operation of public transport services nationally. It is the National Transport Authority, NTA, that has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally by way of public transport service contracts, and for the allocation of associated funding to the relevant transport operators.

I reassure the Senators that the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a key role in meeting this goal. To support this objective, in budget 2022 the Department of Transport secured €538 million of funding for PSO and Local Link services provided by State operators and under contract by the NTA this year. A cost-efficient public transport sector, including affordable and accessible public transport services, is vital to a functioning economy.

As Senators are all aware, in recognising the importance of incentivising more young people to use public transport, as part of budget 2022 the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, secured €25 million in funding for the introduction of the young adult card. This exciting initiative allows any young person nationwide between the ages of 19 and 23 to avail of an entitlement to discounted travel and to increase the level of discount over and above the current student discount to an average of 50% across all services, including city, intercity and rural services. Mature students in full-time education are also included in the scheme, as are eligible visitors to Ireland within the young adult age cohort.

The young adult card was initially introduced on PSO services on 9 May, and since then there has been extensive engagement between the Department of Transport, the NTA and representatives from the commercial bus sector to agree upon extending the initiative to commercial bus services as well. That extension has now been agreed and has been in place since 4 September.

This extension of the scheme to the commercial sector means the 50% fare discount for holders of a young adult card, namely those aged between 19 and 23, or a student Leap card is now available on bus services provided by participating commercial bus operators. It is important to note that the discount is in addition to the 20% average fare discount on PSO services that was introduced in May as part of a suite of Government measures to help combat the rising cost of living.

Specifically on the Senators' questions on the eligibility requirements for the young adult card, I am happy to clarify that I have been advised that the NTA is widening the age rules of the scheme to allow 16-, 17-, and 18-year-old students in third level education to apply for the student Leap card so they can also avail of the 50% discount. This is in line with the approach taken with mature students in full-time third level education.

On Senator Gallagher's question on students who travel to the North, the issue of the Border counties is one we can raise with the NTA on foot of this Commencement debate. What I have announced is good and welcome news all round. I thank both Senators for raising the matter.

Mark Wall (Labour)
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The Minister of State kept us waiting right until the very end to announce the good news, but it is very good news that he announced today, as before. I want to welcome this initiative. As the Minister of State said, it is very positive for students and public travel in this country.

The one issue I would like to bring to his attention is the commercial bus operators, to ensure that they are offering this service to as many students as possible. That is essential to this working. Particularly in rural areas, it is commercial bus operators that operate the scheme, as the Minister of State is probably aware. To get as big a bang for our buck as possible, we need to ensure that those bus operators are carrying out the scheme.

It is very positive news. I thank the Minister of State for confirming that with us today.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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It is a day of good news all around Leinster House today. It is a welcome development that the eligibility requirements for the scheme are being expanded to allow 16-, 17- and 18-year-old students in third level education to apply for the student Leap card so they can also avail of the 50% discount. I am pleased to be able to reassure Senators Gallagher and Wall that the NTA has already commenced the technical work on expanding the scheme.

I am advised that this work is scheduled to be completed in the coming weeks, at which point those third level students aged 16, 17 and 18 will be able to order a student Leap card and avail of the discount.

On the two specific questions, as I said, we will ask the NTA and get a response on Senator Gallagher's question on the Border counties and particularly on the question on the commercial operators. We will get a response on those.

I thank both Senators for raising this matter. It is certainly a very positive development that young people all over the country and their families will welcome. There is no doubt about it.