Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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120. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans for developing a new sustainable mobility action plan to promote sustainable modes and transport-oriented development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34136/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy’s question relates to the 2025 Programme for Government (PfG) commitment to ‘develop a new Sustainable Mobility Action Plan which promotes sustainable modes and transport-oriented development to address congestion, improve air quality and reduce noise, and enhance attractiveness and accessibility of cities, neighbourhoods and town centres’.

The new plan, like its 2022-2025 predecessor, will be developed under the Sustainable Mobility Policy (SMP). As the Deputy will be aware, the SMP was launched in April 2022 and established a framework for supporting and promoting greater levels of walking, cycling and public transport use across Ireland up to 2030.

I can advise the Deputy that work to develop the new plan is already underway, and my department has been engaging with stakeholders on key areas of focus. For example, through this year’s National Sustainable Mobility Stakeholder Forum, my Department heard from a diverse range of interested parties across four events. The views expressed at these events, which were held in May, are currently being collated and will be published in a report in August. This report, and input from stakeholders more generally, will be key to shaping the next Plan – one that will span five years from 2026 to 2030.

In relation to Transport Orientated Development (TOD) specifically, this has been identified as a key policy for achieving National Planning Framework priorities in respect of compact and sustainable growth, supporting climate targets under the Climate Action Plan and meeting goals in relation to both housing delivery targets under the Housing for All plan and goals set out in the SMP. Furthermore, the National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2030 commits to investing significantly in high-capacity public transport that will facilitate TOD in major urban centres, which is further supported by PfG commitments to implement TOD.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Transport are currently considering opportunities for TOD in our cities as well as the wider Eastern Region (Counties Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow). While it expected that the new SMP Action Plan will support enhanced integration of land use and transport planning, including capital investment commitments for sustainable transport infrastructure and the advancement of ToD, the precise nature of those actions will be led by outcomes from the review of the NDP, which is due for completion next month – as per the PfG.

In summary, the development of the new Action Plan will progress through 2025 and will be finalised for consideration by Government following the conclusion of the NDP review process, and Budget 2026.