Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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205. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the level of investment planned in the Local Link network for 2026, the means by which this will support the expansion of rural bus services under the Connecting Ireland Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50976/25]

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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As Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for Rural Transport I recognise the importance of boosting connectivity in rural Ireland. In the new Programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, this Government has committed to increasing Local Link services in rural areas to better connect villages, towns and cities.

Under Budget 2025, the Department has secured a funding package of €658.442 million for Public Service Obligation (PSO) and TFI Local Link services (an increase from €613.813 million in 2024). This package includes funding for the continuation of the various fare initiatives, such as the Young Adult Card, and the 90-minute fare until the end of 2025. Funding has also been provided to extend free child fares on PSO Services to include those aged 5 to 8-years old, and to support the roll-out new and enhanced bus services under programmes such as BusConnects, Connecting Ireland and new town services.

As with all such measures, further expansion will be considered in the upcoming Annual Estimates Process.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. The NTA also has national responsibility for integrated local and rural transport, including delivering the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan and New Town Services.

In light of the NTA's responsibilities for the TFI Local Link network, I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.

Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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206. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the means by which he will ensure that Local Link services are expanded to guarantee equitable access to public transport for rural communities, particularly in counties such as Tipperary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50977/25]

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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As Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for Rural Transport I recognise the importance of boosting connectivity in County Tipperary, in the new Programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, this Government has committed to increasing Local Link services in rural areas to better connect villages, towns and cities.

Under Budget 2025, the Department has secured a funding package of €658.442 million for Public Service Obligation (PSO) and TFI Local Link services (an increase from €613.813 million in 2024). This package includes funding for the continuation of the various fare initiatives, such as the Young Adult Card, and the 90-minute fare until the end of 2025. Funding has also been provided to extend free child fares on PSO Services to include those aged 5 to 8-years old, and to support the roll-out new and enhanced bus services under programmes such as BusConnects, Connecting Ireland and new town services.

As with all plans, any additional funding for rural public transport services would be subject to the annual Estimates process.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. The NTA also has national responsibility for integrated local and rural transport, including delivering the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan and New Town Services.

In light of the NTA's responsibilities for the rollout of new and enhanced services, including in County Tipperary, I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.

Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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207. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will outline plans to integrate Local Link services more closely with Bus Éireann and rail services under the Connecting Ireland programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50978/25]

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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As Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for Rural Transport I recognise the importance of boosting connectivity in rural Ireland. In the new Programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, this Government has committed to continue the roll-out of Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan and to increasing Local Link services in rural areas to better connect villages, towns and cities.

The Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility plan has been a huge success, with over 170 new or enhanced services introduced since 2022. This means that over 240 towns and villages have been connected to the public transport network, providing connections to 61 Healthcare facilities, 41 Higher education facilities, and 71 rail services.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. The NTA also has national responsibility for integrated local and rural transport, including delivering the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan.

In light of the NTA responsibilities, I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.

Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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208. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide multi-annual funding certainty for Local Link services, so that rural operators can plan and expand routes with confidence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50979/25]

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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As Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for Rural Transport I recognise the importance of boosting connectivity in rural Ireland. In the new Programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, this Government has committed to continue the roll-out of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan and to increasing Local Link services in rural areas to better connect villages, towns and cities. Funding for the Rural Transport Programme has increased significantly in recent years from €16 million in 2022 to over €25 million in 2025.

My Department supports the expansion of Local Link in line with the recent commitment in the Programme for Government to expand these services. As with all such measures, an increase on funding for all public transport services (incl Local Link) will be considered in the upcoming Budget 2026 discussions, which is an annual process.