Written Answers Nos. 284-290
285. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Transport his plans to provide a bus shelter at bus stop number 4895, Fernleigh Close, Diswellstown Road, Carpenterstown, Dublin 15; if so, can the NTA provide timings on this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16159/26]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including the provision of bus stops/shelters nationally.
There is a commitment under the Programme for Government to ensure that public transport operators provide safe and accessible access for all passengers and a commitment to work with local authorities and national bodies to improve public transport options and infrastructure.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.
286. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Transport the position regarding the launch of the N8 airport route (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16162/26]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.
In light of the NTA’s responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
287. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Transport if exceptional funding packages will be made available to local authorities that were affected by storm Chandra, namely Tipperary county council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16223/26]
View answerThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from Councils' own resources, which are supplemented by State grants for regional and local roads.
On 17th February I announced an Exchequer investment of €718 million in our regional and local roads across the State. This will facilitate an increase in funding allocation of €26 million this year for road protection and renewal works.
In 2026, Tipperary County Council has been allocated a total of €49,379,670. Of this, €36,234,670 has been allocated for the protection and renewal of Tipperary's regional and local roads. This is an increase from the initial 2025 allocation of €35,343,390 for protection and renewal grants.
Government is committed to assisting affected local authorities in the aftermath of Storm Chandra. My Department is liaising with affected counties, who are continuing to compile and assess damage on the ground to enable proper estimation of the total damage caused and the estimated cost of remediation.
It should be noted that Exchequer funding for regional and local roads is intended to supplement realistic contributions from local authorities’ own resources. Local authorities are also advised to set aside a contingency from Department allocations and own resources for severe weather events. As the statutory road authorities for their areas, it is also open to local authorities to prioritise investment on regional and local roads.
288. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Transport to report on his most recent meeting with the NTA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16279/26]
View answerThe Minister met with Anne Shaw the then newly appointed CEO of the NTA, on the 15th of December 2025. It was an introductory meeting with , and covered a number of topical matters pertaining to the role of the NTA
289. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Transport for an update on the roll-out of Phase 8 of the BusConnects programme; when he expects the roll-out to commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16280/26]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services, in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.
As the Deputy may be aware, BusConnects is a transformative programme of investment in the bus system, providing better bus services across five cities, including Dublin. BusConnects is the largest investment in the bus system in the history of the State and is managed by the NTA.
Following on from three rounds of public consultation which concluded in 2020, new bus services in Dublin are already being delivered, with the first seven phases of the Network Redesign rolled out in recent years. The most recent phase, Phase 7, which commenced in October 2025, saw the introduction of the F Spine connecting Finglas to Tallaght.
In terms of services, we secured an unprecedented allocation of €940 million for PSO services in Budget 2026, a significant 43% uplift in the allocation from Budget 2025. This allocation will ensure that existing public transport services can operate reliably and sustainably throughout the year in the face of growing passenger demand and increased operational costs. Matters relating to bus service delivery and planning, including bus routes, fall under the remit of the NTA, in co-operation with the relevant transport operator, and are subject to resource availability.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's questions to the NTA for a direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
290. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Transport his plans to expand dedicated bus lanes across Dublin; the amount of funding earmarked in the National Development Plan Sectoral Investment Plan for Transport for the construction of new bus lanes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16281/26]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the planning and development of public transport in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), which includes BusConnects.
As the Deputy may be aware, BusConnects is a transformative programme of investment in the bus system, with the aim to provide better bus services across five cities. It is the largest investment in the bus system in the history of the State and is managed by the NTA.
In Dublin, the major infrastructure element of BusConnects comprises Core Bus Corridors (CBC) schemes. The CBC project involves the development of continuous bus priority infrastructure and improved pedestrian and cycling facilities on key radial corridors across the Dublin region. The CBC project encompasses the delivery of approximately 230 kilometres of dedicated bus lanes and 200 kilometres of cycle tracks in 12 separate schemes across Dublin.
An Coimisiún Pleanála has approved all 12 of the BusConnects Dublin Core Bus Corridor Schemes. However, legal proceedings are ongoing in relation to six: Belfield/Blackrock, Blanchardstown, Kimmage, Swords, Templeogue/Rathfarnham and Bray schemes.
The first scheme, Liffey Valley to the City Centre, entered the construction phase in 2025, and the contract for the second, the Ballymun-Finglas to City Centre scheme, was signed in December 2025. Construction on this scheme is expected to commence in 2026.
The Government published the National Development Plan (NDP) Review in July 2025 and the Department of Transport published the Sectoral Plan for Transport in November that year, which sees the allocation of €22.3 billion in Exchequer resources to the transport sector from 2026 to 2030, along with an additional allocation of €2 billion from the country's Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund to support the development of MetroLink. Of this total allocation, funding of circa €10 billion for public transport infrastructure is earmarked from 2026 to 2030, in addition to the €2 billion for MetroLink, primarily in line with the Department’s NIFTI intervention hierarchy of Maintain, Optimise, Improve, and New. This approach involves prioritising investment in the protection and renewal of existing assets before investing in new ones, on economic and environmental grounds.
The Sectoral Plan provides for the construction to continue or commence on at least four BusConnects Dublin CBC schemes over the period, including the Liffey Valley and Ballymun-Finglas schemes. The commencement of other schemes will be subject to consideration by the NTA, based on a range of factors including ongoing legal challenges.
