Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, is most welcome to Seanad Éireann this morning. The first Commencement matter is from Senator Nicole Ryan. The Senator submitted it previously but the answer provided by the Department did not even address one of the matters raised in the question. I have used the rules of the Seanad to allow this Commencement matter to come back in again.

Nicole Ryan (Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Minister of State. The last time I raised this matter, the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, was here. The question was around Leap cards and it was specific to Millstreet and Banteer stations in north Cork. While I received an answer, it had nothing to do with the question I asked. It talked about Kent and Midleton stations, neither of which is a concern for me or my constituents, to be honest. I raised the issue of the accessibility and use of Leap cards from Millstreet Station to Cork city as well as an issue with regard to trains at Banteer Station. At the time, the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, asked how many students were affected and I said I would do a survey, so I did. I got the survey results, and what they revealed was staggering, although it was something I already knew. I did the survey across the Duhallow area to gather data on the lived experience. The response was overwhelming and I am happy to share it with the Department and officials.

I will highlight the key findings from the survey. A significant majority of the respondents – the vast bulk of them – travelled to Cork for college, apprenticeships or post-leaving certificate courses at least four days per week. Many reported that Monday is the most difficult day of the week because there is no early train to Cork from Banteer or Millstreet stations, with options either being far too early or too late. Students told me they are regularly missing their 9 a.m. lectures on Monday despite having perfectly workable transport options from Tuesday to Friday. Some students reported paying for accommodation on a Sunday night purely because they cannot rely on the Monday morning train.

Importantly, several families noted that without Leap card access at Millstreet Station, the cost of train travel is pushing students into cars and adding both financial and traffic pressure. These are not abstract complaints. Rather, they are real obstacles that young people in rural Ireland face every single day. My question to the Minister of State is this. Will the Leap card boundary be extended to Millstreet Station? It sits just outside the Leap card zone, which is unfair and illogical. Students in neighbouring parishes receive discounts and subsidised fares while families who use Millstreet Station have to bear the full cost of the same journey. Extending the Leap card to Millstreet Station is a simple administrative change which would have a substantial impact.

Will the early train from Banteer to Cork be reintroduced? From Tuesday to Friday, the 6.50 a.m. train gets students to Cork in good time for their 9 a.m. lectures. On Monday, however, that service disappears. The alternatives are totally unworkable. The 5.32 a.m. train, which does not even stop in Banteer, arrives in Cork far too early and the 8.15 a.m. train, which arrives at 9.15 a.m., is far too late for students. Not a single student who responded to the survey said that the timetable on Monday works. There is a demand there for students. The service exists on four other days of the week, from Tuesday to Friday, but does not exist on Monday.

Essentially, I am asking that both of these issues, namely, Leap card access and the missing Monday train, be addressed. I am asking for clarity and a commitment for the students because it is unfair that because they live just a little bit outside the Leap card zone, they have to pay the full fare. We cannot access Leap cards in the area. This issue relates to my constituency but the same issue affects rural areas in different constituencies. Some clarity on that would be great.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Ryan for raising this important issue. I see it in my area of Carlow-Kilkenny. Carlow is now a university town and county and that brings challenges. It is important we have transport for students, and I am mindful of that.

As the Senator knows, I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Darragh O’Brien. If I do not have some of the answers today, I can go back and look for the clarity the Senator seeks. Some of the issues she raised will be important.

The Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport, but neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. That is the first point. They do not have a say in that. I will come back to that.The statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally rests with the National Transport Authority, NTA. The NTA works with the public transport operators, which deliver the services and have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters. The NTA also has responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation, PSO, contracts. This is what we need to work on and see what we can do.

That said, I reassure the Senator that the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable options. Public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. To support this objective, in budget 2026, the Department of Transport has secured €940 million of funding for PSO and TFI Local Link services, providing a significant increase of 43%. The allocation further supports subsidised bus and rail services across Ireland, as well as maintaining targeted fare initiatives such as the recently introduced free travel for all children up to the age of nine and the young adult card, as part of the NTA's national fares strategy.

In relation to the Senator’s specific query regarding the need to extend Leap fare access to students, I would like to clarify that there are currently two Leap card options available that offer 50% discounted travel for young people and students. The Senator is probably aware of this. The young adult card is available to all young adults aged 19 to 25 and the student Leap card is available to full-time students aged 16 to 18 and those aged 26 and over. To qualify, students must be in full-time education or training for at least 16 hours per week. Any student who meets the criteria, supported by a valid student ID indicating full-time status or a letter from their institution, will be issued a student Leap card. The NTA encourages all customers to use the TFI Leap card to ensure they receive the best possible value on fares. Leap card users can save up to 30% compared with paying with cash, making it a more cost-effective option for the regular traveller.

In relation to train services, we have invested significantly in recent years in our national rail network to create a more efficient, safe and better rail service for the people of Ireland. The Senator is well aware the opening of a new through platform at Cork Kent Station in April represented a landmark day in the delivery of the Cork area commuter rail programme. It is a really good initiative and I am sure the Senator is well aware of it. This platform will facilitate Cork commuter trains to travel through Kent Station from Mallow to Midleton or Cobh without requiring passengers to change service, which will support a better rail service. A public consultation on phase 2 of the programme, which includes the delivery of eight new stations, provides upgrades to existing stations, including Mallow, and provides for electrification of the Cork commuter rail system, concluded in July. Phase 2 works will be advanced following the completion of phase 1 and subject to funding and relevant approvals.

The national development plan sectoral investment plan for transport, which was published by the Department of Transport in November, provides funding for the completion of the Cork area commuter rail phase 1 and elements of phase 2 works. I understand that some of what I am telling the Senator is just for information but I will say the Government is committed to working on the issues she highlighted today and she might want to come back to me with more questions.

Nicole Ryan (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State. It is not her remit and it is not her Department but we are back to the exact same scenario where I am not getting the answers I am looking for. I do not need to know how Leap cards work. Everybody knows how Leap cards work. The issue is that students who get on at Millstreet station cannot use the Leap card. They know what Leap cards are. We are talking about Mallow to Cork, Midleton and Cobh but again, I do not need to know about those train stations. I am looking for the train to be put on from Banteer as it does not stop on Mondays.

I will have to resubmit this Commencement matter because I am not getting the answers I am looking for. It is not the Minister of State's fault but is a load of waffle and it is not getting to the core of what I am asking. I will submit the Commencement matter again.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for highlighting it. Public transport for any age is in the programme for Government and there has been a lot of investment in it. I understand the Senator's own area. I can see it in my own constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. I am always working to see whether it can be changed and if we can look at train times or get extra carriages. I see the need for that. The one thing I can assure the Senator is that the Government is committed to working on the areas we need to address.

I will definitely go back to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, on this really important issue. I might set up a meeting between the Senator and the Minister to try to sort out the issues. I thank the Senator because it is a really important issue that we try to work on for young people.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. We will be taking this Commencement matter again. This will be the third time I have had to pick this Commencement matter. It is not because of the Senator or the question; it affects all Senators. I will read out the full question: the need for the Minister for Transport to extend Leap card fares access and improve train service for students travelling from north Cork, including Banteer and Millstreet, to Cork city. The reply does not mention Banteer or Millstreet. It mentions Cobh and Midleton. The answer does not provide any reference to the particular towns that were mentioned.

I understand about the operational issues. I understand all of that, as we all do, but there are elements in this that have no relevance to the answer the Senator was looking for. I appreciate the Minister of State is taking this on behalf of the Department. It is not her Department but, this time, we will ask for the Minister or a Minister of State from the Department to come in and actually answer the question. I ask any Senator who feels they are in a similar position to Senator Ryan, where they put in a question and it is not even referred to in the answer, to please let me know so we can address this issue. I know it is an issue that has come up in the Dáil in relation to TDs getting similar answers that do not refer to the question they have posed. We will picking this for a third time.