Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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130. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on whether direct supports need to be given to local authorities on a staffing level to ensure active mobility officers and engineers are hired to ensure this funding is prioritised and utilised to its full extent given the increased opportunities for funding for local authorities to invest in active travel transport such as cycling and walking; the steps his Department is taking to ensure this funding for staffing is provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3927/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The new Programme for Government – Our Shared Future sets out an ambitious and wide-ranging set of commitments in relation to walking and cycling, supported by an increased multi-annual budgetary allocation amounting to some €1.8 billion over the lifetime of the Government.

As I stated to the Deputy last week, I recognise that in the area of active travel a key constraint in recent years has been the lack of sufficient resources within local authorities to oversee and deliver the design and roll-out of new infrastructure, and this constraint must be addressed if the significantly enhanced funding levels announced are to deliver the desired outcomes. Indeed the Programme for Government – Our Shared Futurecommits toward an expansion and enhancement of dedicated expertise on active travel across our local authority system, and indeed within the National Transport Authority (NTA) and the Regional Design Offices.

The NTA has been working with local authorities in considering the resources required to deliver upon Government’s ambition in the area of active travel. Last week I announced that I had written to the County and City Management Association (CCMA) indicting my support for the proposals developed thus far, committing to funding those proposals and requesting the CCMA consider the proposals as appropriate to ensure the issue is progressed.

I look forward to working with the CCMA and local authorities in this regard as we look to fundamentally change the nature of transport in Ireland and roll out high-quality, safe and segregated active travel infrastructure in urban and rural Ireland.