Are we waiting for the Minister to arrive?
Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions
I am reluctant to say too much while the Minister himself is not here but there are about 15 Deputies who have submitted questions. They are expecting a response from the Minister. I mean no disrespect to the dream team that has arrived.
Did Kerry win the all-Ireland this year? Is the Deputy still cranky over that?
No, I am a bit cranky with the Minister for not turning up. It is not the first time he has not shown up. In all fairness, the Ministers of State are more than capable of deputising.
We will move on.
Public Transport
Pa Daly
Ceist:118. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport further to Parliamentary Question No. 219 of 16 September 2026, the child fares that will be reduced as stated in the response; if he anticipates that the fare hikes on public transport will lead to a reduction in the use of public transport as reported by the National Transport Authority, NTA, at the Oireachtas committee hearing on 16 September 2026; if he has considered reversing these proposed hikes; if there will be any other changes to fares as part of budget 2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter [67278/26]
Further to previous parliamentary questions, I want to ask the Minister about the child fares that will be reduced in the upcoming budget. I also ask about the price hikes that have recently been announced. In particular, does the Minister of State have any response to the response of the NTA at the transport committee that these price hikes will inevitably lead to fewer people using public transport? We are in a cost-of-living crisis and I believe it is the wrong approach for the Government to take to allow the increases of 15%.
I thank the Deputy for the question. As he is aware, the NTA in its capacity as fare regulator, recently announced the revised national fare structure to take effect from January 2027.
While adult fares will increase by an average of 15%, child fares are being reduced in several areas nationally. This represents the first broad adjustment to fares since 2018 and follows a period in which operating costs have risen sharply. In the Dublin commuter zone, in regional cities, in participating towns, and on TFI Local Link services, a new reduced child rate will apply, set at 33% of the equivalent adult fare rate. The determination will also continue to protect existing Government-supported fare initiatives, including the free travel scheme; free travel for children under nine years of age; and free companion travel arrangements for people over the age of 70. The NTA’s assessment is that, even with these changes, fares will remain approximately 8% lower in real terms than they were eight years ago. The adjustments to fares are required to help offset the cost increases in recent years. They are also required to improve fare revenue recovery and ensure the sustainability of the public service obligation, PSO, funding.
We recognise that the NTA applies detailed statistical analysis of fare elasticity to assess the impact of fare increases on passenger demand and overall public transport usage. Notwithstanding these considerations, steady passenger growth is expected to continue in 2027, supported by the ongoing expansion and enhancement of services, which are anticipated to attract additional users and further strengthen public transport demand. The NTA will continue to monitor patronage trends closely as the new fare structure is implemented.
Safeguarding the long-term financial sustainability while being responsive to passenger needs remains a central commitment under the programme for Government. Achieving this requires a careful balance between delivering high-quality reliable services and ensuring the network is adequately funded.
I thank the Minister of State for the response. Will he please expand on his comment that child fares in several areas will be addressed? We in Sinn Féin believe that fares should be abolished completely for anybody up to 18 years of age. What exact areas does he mean?
The Minister of State also mentioned that, due to inflation, fares were 8% lower in real terms but what he failed to say was that, between 2008 or 2009 and 2016, there was an incremental increase in fares.
Will he give us a guarantee that there will be improved and better services as a result of these fare increases? I do not believe there will be. The fare increases clearly should not go ahead in a cost-of-living crisis. They should be put off for another time. The Government should be investing more in it. There has been a huge decrease in the amount of new services that have been implemented this year compared to last year. The Government did not even have a transport plan published for this year until around this time last year. It shows a lack of enthusiasm, a lack of initiative, and a lack of priority for public transport.
I will give the Deputy a few examples of the reduction in the new fares for children. In regional cities like Galway, Cork, Limerick and Waterford, the new reduced fare is 33% of the equivalent fare. In town services like those in Athlone, Balbriggan, Clonmel, Drogheda, Dundalk and Kilkenny, child fares are cut to 50 cent. These are facts. What I said about fares being 8% lower than what they were eight years ago is also a fact.
The Deputy asked about improving services. This year, we have spent €941 million in delivering PSO services. If we look at the increased number of people using public transport, that is because we have been increasing the offer in terms of public transport. Looking at what we will be doing over the next number of years with BusConnects, the all-island rail review extending train services, putting in passing loops to create more frequency, and looking at train stations to be able to take that capacity, we have a very good news story here in public transport and what we are doing with it. What we need to do is continue that trajectory, which we will do.
There are very few new services. Look at the number of new services that were delivered this year in BusConnects. It is way below what is acceptable and the progress that had been made up to that. The clock has been turned back.
I am glad the Minister of State mentioned town bus services because I want to bring up the issue of Tralee town bus services. In a recent committee meeting, the NTA said it was going to "look at" the possibility of a town bus service for Tralee, which is one of the largest towns in the country. It was going to "look at" it next year and the year after, so it is guaranteed that there will be no town bus service. I wonder whether this Government has something against the town of Tralee. In the living city initiative, which has been announced for Athlone, Drogheda, Dundalk, Letterkenny and Sligo - all towns of a more or less similar size - Tralee has been completely excluded from the regeneration possibilities that are opened up by it. To hear that, while the Culloty Tralee People's Bus Service has done great work for many years - it is important to work in conjunction with the Culloty family - the Government and the NTA have no interest in putting a new town bus service into the town of Tralee is deeply worrying.
Tralee is just one town and the NTA is looking at it. Regarding public transport, 363.6 million passenger journeys were carried out in 2025. It was a record. That was because services were being increased all over the place. Be it rail, bus or Local Link, all of those services are being expanded. However, if we are going to have a sustainable public transport system going forward, we also have to have what I would call a fair revenue, which is a vital component in that funding model. Some €941 million in Exchequer funding has been put into the PSO this year to keep it going. We need to be able to expand the services more. What the Deputy desires for Tralee can and will happen but it will take money to do that, and we need to have a proper PSO to fund it.
Departmental Budgets
Aidan Farrelly
Ceist:119. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Transport if he will detail the way in which he plans to comply with the €18 million levy applied to his Department's Vote for 2027; and if he will ensure that public transport commitments and obligations are fully resourced. [67530/26]
I thank Deputy Farrelly for the question. The application of the €18 million expenditure levy is currently forming part of the 2027 Estimates negotiations process under way with our colleagues in the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. It is fair to say that it will be challenging to absorb this levy into our current expenditure budget for 2027. The Deputy has been a long-time advocate of increasing services of his area of Kildare. As he knows, the PSO expenditure accounts for around 70% of the current Vote, as the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, has just said. What that means for the House is that reforms in motor tax, modernisations listed in the national vehicle and driver file and the road traffic Bill 2026 will generate some savings. Once the relevant provisions of the Bill are enacted, they will remove the requirement to display a paper motor tax disc, therefore reducing the Department’s administrative costs by approximately €8 million per annum.
It is important to say to the House that priority will be given to protecting the PSO funding as part of our budget 2027 negotiations to advance the progress that we have achieved in recent years and to ensure that we deliver a public transport system that is not just sustainable, but also dependable, accessible and affordable.
In response to Deputy Daly, we are ambitious. We want to see services expanded and we want to work with people in all parts of the country and with all colleagues across the House to ensure we deliver for people in terms of accessible public transport.
I thank the Minister of State for that reply. It is a bit of a leap to ask us to accept that it is still part of the negotiations. The Minister of State definitely knows by now where that €18 million shortfall is going to be made up and it is not part of the budgetary process. He could tell us. I have asked him to detail to us what that is going to look like for 2027. He is choosing not, and that is unfortunate. We will see it come out in a couple of weeks and that is fine, but this was an opportunity to outline it. Otherwise, what we are going to see are fare hikes - they are going to be part of that - and a lack of investment in services. The Minister of State is talking to us about ambition, and I accept what he says, but that ambition last year was zero. There were no new services, certainly when it came to buses.
We have an opportunity here to keep the fares as they were and actually look to further reduce them, not increase them. All I can assume is that the likes of the fare increases will go directly towards this €18 million bill that the Department of public expenditure is putting on Departments. Unless the Minister of State can tell me otherwise, what is looking likely for next year is a continued lack of investment in services and further fare increases, which is what the NTA has said, in order to meet what is ultimately other Departments' misexpenditure.
I am not going to have that particular row with the Deputy on the floor of House, but I want to make it quite to clear to him that the budgetary negotiations are ongoing. They have not concluded. The budget is on 6 October. We are very much committed to enhancing services, and an unprecedented €940 million allocation for PSO services in the budget of 2026, which was a 43% uplift, is by anyone's standard "ambition". That is called wanting to see an expansion of the services.
It is a challenging period in public transport. We are seeing an increase in passenger numbers. All of us who live in urban areas see the increase in people using it. I will give the Deputy the example of the commuter rail project in my city of Cork. It is a savage success story. More people are using it. The Deputy's colleague, Deputy Quaide in Midleton, will tell him that it is an example. Deputy Kenny in Mallow will tell him that Mallow is full. Midleton is full, as is Cobh. Deputy O'Shea is in that area as well. It is a huge success, and that shows the breadth of our ambition, but I will come back to the Deputy further in the supplementary reply.
Those policies are working because the fare points are right. We know that increased fares reduce passenger numbers. The Government has made a decision in the last couple of weeks that it knows will be tantamount to a reduced level of service demand at a time when we have climate and affordability crises and at a time when the Department is not rolling out new services. They are facts. Absolutely, there is €900-odd million being allocated and I commend the Department for that, but ultimately it has been levied with a bill by the Department of public expenditure. To me, it is being bullied by that Department into having to pay for the Department of education's overspend.
What I am asking the Minister of State for is not a conversation about a decision that the Government is going to make in the budget. I am asking him to tell us what planning has happened as to where that €18 million will come from. The Department has that decision made already. I have to expect that, given the months the Department has had to plan this - this has been going around an awful long time - the Minister of State knows where this expenditure is going to come from. What I am looking for is detail to ensure that no public transport services suffer, and no further public transport fare increases happen, because of it.
I am smiling because, as the Deputy knows quite well, the budget is on 6 October. Our Department's negotiations with the Department of public expenditure have not concluded. For me, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, our priority is very much about service expansion and the delivery of accessible and reliable services to give travelling members of the public certainty.
I want to make the point to the Deputy that we need to have a conversation about how, in the broader thrust of public transport, service expansion is not just about funding. It is also about the availability of mechanics and drivers, as well as being about how we can deliver new services. As the Minister of State for rural transport, I am acutely aware of this. Deputy Daly mentioned Tralee in the context of the new delivery of town services. We will work to deliver new services. With our colleagues in the Department of public expenditure, we will arrive at a budgetary position that will ensure that the PSO gives that uplift for new services. I look forward to working with Deputy Farrelly for the people of Kildare and delivering services for them.
The Deputy's question is a fair point in the context of people's expectations, but €940 million is a significant uplift in public transport funding. I hope that we can deliver more.
Public Transport
Louis O'Hara
Ceist:120. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on implementation of the recommendations of the all-island rail review; and his plans to improve capacity on rail services. [67279/26]
I have raised overcrowding on early morning trains into Galway with the Minister of State a number of times. It has been going on for years on all services, particularly on that train that arrives into Galway at 8.10 a.m. It is at a crisis point now. People are being put in serious danger. I have had a lot of people in touch with me, and I am sure the Minister of State has as well. What is going to be done about this in the short term?
I thank the Deputy. To take forward the implementation of the all-island strategic rail review, my Department published the rail projects prioritisation strategy in December 2025. In the short term, the strategy specifies a number of early interventions, including new passing loops and platforms to boost the rail network’s resilience and capacity. These investments are funded to be fully delivered by 2030 under the national development plan. The strategy also identifies major projects to be delivered in the long term, including the reinstatement of the western rail corridor between Claremorris and Athenry, which I am pleased to say is also funded to commence construction under the national development plan.
To cater for the future demand envisioned under the rail review, we are progressing rail station upgrades across the network, including at Ceannt Station, where improvement works have already increased the number of platforms from two to five. We are also continuing work at Oranmore Station, which will provide an additional platform and a passing loop, increasing capacity on the Galway to Athenry line.
Regarding the Deputy’s query on enhancing capacity on the network, larnród Eireann’s rolling stock is currently fully deployed on services across the network. Notwithstanding this, I am pleased to note that, as part of the DART+ programme, three orders delivering a total of 285 new carriages have been placed so far. When the first and second orders start entering service next year, this will allow for the redeployment of existing intercity and commuter trains to other parts of the rail network experiencing capacity issues. The reason we have the capacity issue is because when we built the line from Athenry to Ennis, we had 132,000 passenger journeys per annum. Last year, we had 750,000 passenger journeys. That is an enormous increase, and it is the fastest growing line now, which is what justifies doing all this other investment. We will continue to do that.
I raised this with the NTA last week and was told that all available carriages were in use at peak times, but I have a number of questions in relation to this and would appreciate clear answers to them for the people who have to travel on these overcrowded services daily. Why has there been no forward planning and how have we ended up in a situation where we do not have additional rail carriages? When are we going to have additional carriages on the trains going into Galway? I want a clear timeline on this because the Minister of State mentioned that new electric carriages were going to be arriving into Dublin, which would free up existing stock to go out to the regional routes. Is that going to happen in quarter 2 of 2027? Do we have a clear timeline on when that will happen? Has there been engagement will rail operators and departments in other jurisdictions about the possibility of securing stock on a short-term basis to address these capacity issues while we wait for the new stock?
Why has the Government not funded the promised new Athenry bus service? We have been waiting for that for two years. That will take significant pressure off the existing rail services into the city.
These are the questions that I am getting of commuters, and I would appreciate clear answers to them because this is not a sustainable situation and the Government cannot continue to sit on its hands.
I want to reiterate that the Government is not sitting on plans. It is very active at the moment, and the Deputy knows that as well. He also well knows that we are preparing to open the line between Athenry and Claremorris, which is something he supports, and we need to get on with that.
Next year, 2027, is when we will have additional carriages becoming available. The NTA is working with Irish Rail and the latter has been looking at other places across the world but it cannot just get carriages from some other place because the railway lines themselves may be of different configuration. It is not like getting a car from some place and putting it on the line. There is a lot more to it than that and the carriages have to be compatible with what is there at the moment. In fairness, what we have seen here, and it is something that we have to acknowledge, is the biggest growth in public transport in the west of Ireland. We have gone from 132,000 to 750,000 passenger journeys per annum on that line, making it the fastest-growing line. I agree that there is a shortage of carriages on it. We need to put more into it and I am working to make sure it happens next year.
I just cannot accept the response that nothing is going to be done here in the short term. We are told we have to wait for carriages, with very vague assurances as to when they are going to become available. I have been contacted in relation to people becoming unwell. One woman described getting on the train this week and said that people were pushing and shoving so much that she thought someone could go down the gap between the train and platform. This is the situation on public transport every morning into Galway city.
Can the Minister of State give us a clear timeline as to when the rail services going in and out of Galway specifically, and particularly that one arriving at 8.10 a.m., will have additional carriages? Can we get a clear time on that? How we have ended up in this situation where we do not have additional rail carriages? I appreciate it takes time and we cannot just get them into service within a very short period but how has there not been forward planning such that we are left in this situation? I also want to ask about the Athenry bus service. That has been promised for two years and would make a really significant difference in terms of taking pressure off these services. Why has that not been funded?
Just to reiterate, I did say that there will be additional carriages available in 2027. That is the first thing I said to the Deputy.
For Galway?
Yes, for Galway. The second question the Deputy asked was why this has arisen. It has arisen because when one orders new carriages it takes about five years to get them manufactured and delivered to one's specification. That is the timeline. The carriages were ordered four or five years ago and they will be with us next year. I do accept that there has been an underfunding of our service. It has grown over the last five to ten years and that particular line has grown substantially. We need to double-track that line from Athenry into Galway and that is also in the strategy that we have in place. What we need to do first is make sure we can put in the passing loops to get more frequency in and out with the trains we have. I fought hard to make sure that we would retain that early morning train service into Galway, which we have succeeded in doing. As for the bus service, we are working to get that in place as well but we have to make sure that whatever we put in is sustainable. There was a bus service there previously that was not sustainable. That is something we have to be very careful of, that we are not just doing things for the sake of doing them and finding that they are not sustainable. I know that the NTA and Bus Éireann are looking at that at the moment.
Public Transport
Ciarán Ahern
Ceist:121. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide the €70 million in funding that the NTA says is required to avoid the increase in public transport fares; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68009/26]
This is a simple one for the Minister of State. I am glad to hear from Deputy Buttimer that the budget negotiations with the Department of public expenditure are ongoing because my question is whether the Minister will provide the €70 million in funding that the NTA says is required to avoid the increase in public transport fares.
I thank Deputy Ahern for his question. As the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and I have said, the recently announced change in fares were the first revision in eight years. The change is aimed at supporting not just the continued expansion but also the improvement of public transport, while maintaining affordability. Any overall increase in revenue generated will go straight back into investment in public transport services, delivering better connectivity, capacity and reliability for passengers and commuters. This investment will also form part of the Department's engagements with the Department of public expenditure as part of the annual Estimates process, which has not yet concluded, for next year.
On an overall basis, fare revenue only covers approximately 38% of the cost of operating the PSO services nationally, with the remaining costs funded by the Exchequer. It is, therefore, imperative that there is a rebalancing of the critical equation in how we fund PSO public transport nationally, ensuring that fare revenue continues to make a sustainable contribution alongside significant levels of subsidy, while maintaining the affordability and accessibility of public transport. I would also highlight that this level of fare recovery is largely consistent with European averages, with our actual fares set at much lower rates. I appreciate the concerns expressed by people about the recent fare increase and many of them have contacted me. However, in line with international best practice and to bolster the State’s capacity to invest in service expansion, network improvements, and operational resilience to encourage continuous passenger growth, it is essential we prioritise this reinvestment of fare revenue, ensuring that we can maintain a well-funded, reliable system and deliver greater long-term benefit rather than reducing fares to unsustainable levels. It is fair to say that achieving this requires a careful balance between delivering high-quality, reliable services and ensuring the network is adequately resourced to meet growing demand. We saw a record 363.5 million journeys undertaken just last year.
I thank the Minister of State. Often when I ask a question of the Minister for Transport, I am fobbed off to the NTA because I am asking about operational matters but this is a funding matter. It is a hugely disappointing decision from Government and a baffling decision in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and a climate crisis. The current policy has been working for the Government. It is a really popular policy with the public, it is politically popular and I am baffled as to why the Government is doing this when we know that the low-fares policy is incentivising people to use our public transport. It is just so disappointing and hard to understand. We can support, rightfully, one cohort of transport users, namely people who drive and are reliant on their cars and of course, we should be supporting them with reductions on VAT and excise, but at the same time, we cannot be pitching public transport users against these other users of transport. We have to be supporting everyone, which is why this decision is so disappointing.
The Deputy and I speak the same language. It has been a success story and to keep it that way, there has to be an honest conversation around fare structures. To be fair, we must consider the volume of people using public transport. I know that some Deputies will dismiss the €940 million but that is a significant investment by Government in public transport. I would make the point that we have maintained a fare freeze for eight years, along with targeted affordability measures of which we are all aware. Those measures compare favourably internationally. I take the point that there are people who are unhappy and who are being affected. They have communicated with all of us and I have met them but it is important to make the point that we have implemented one of the most significant fare reforms in recent decades through the introduction of the 90-minute fare and substantial discounts for young people and students through the young adult card. Our commitment, as a Department and as Ministers, is to ensure that we have a reliable and accessible public transport system.
I certainly will not dismiss the very significant investment in public transport which is really welcome. The problem with the PSO is that it is not keeping pace with the volume of users now and the demands. The Minister of State talked about 38% of the costs of the PSO being covered by fares but public transport pays for itself in other ways through reduced congestion, safer roads and lower carbon emissions. The idea that fares need to cover costs is not entirely correct. Talking about international comparators and Ireland being relatively lower or higher compared to elsewhere does not really butter any parsnips for people who are impacted by these fare increases. AMLÉ, the association of student unions in Ireland, has come out in recent days looking for free fares for everyone under 25. If we are going to be increasing fares elsewhere, I would love to see us focusing on a group like that.
The significant point is that our PSO programme funds public transport services, both bus and rail, and as we know, it is composed of Exchequer funding and fares. The Deputy is right and the priority for us, working with the NTA, is to deliver on BusConnects so that it takes people out of their cars and onto the bus network. I have seen it in my own city of Cork.
In the past couple of weeks, with colleges and schools back open, there has been an increased volume of traffic on our roads. That emphasises the importance of BusConnects.
The Deputy will agree that we must continue to prioritise public transport, which is what the Government is doing, and the PSO element of that is very important. Discounts for young adults and students are critically important. For my Department, this is an important part of our budget negotiations. As Minister of State with responsibility for rural transport, I am acutely aware of the need to enhance the offering across the whole country. Deputy O'Shea, who is in the Chair, has spoken to me about different bus services in his area, Deputy Pa Daly referenced the town bus in Tralee, and other Members will be speaking this morning about other bus services. We are committed to investing but there is a need for honest conversations.
Road Projects
Brian Stanley
Ceist:122. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Transport to rebalance the overall funding for roads in Laois (details supplied). [67753/26]
I am interested in the proportion of funding given for active travel versus the proportion given for rural and local roads. I am in favour of funding active travel but the specifications being given to councils are completely off the wall and are making it more expensive to deliver infrastructure projects of short duration. I have raised this issue previously and the officials have come back with standard answers. This matter needs to be looked at by the Minister or a Minister of State.
I thank the Deputy for his question, which concerns an issue he has been raising on an ongoing basis.
In accordance with section 13 of the Roads Act 1993, as amended, the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority. Work on such roads is funded from councils' own resources, supplemented by State road grants. For 2026, €718 million was allocated through the regional and local roads grant programme for the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads, with approximately 90% of the funding allocated to road maintenance and renewal. This facilitated an increased funding allocation of €26 million this year for road protection and renewal works. That represents an increase of over 25% in funding compared with 2021.
Under the 2026 regional and local roads grant programme, Laois County Council was allocated more than €15 million for the maintenance and improvement of its regional and local roads, which is an increase of nearly €1 million compared with 2025. That funding will support the local authority in carrying out an extensive 2026 programme of maintenance and restoration. In addition, it will support various climate adaptation projects, bridge rehabilitation schemes and safety improvement works.
Within the budget available for the maintenance of regional and local roads, the objective is to allocate funding to eligible local authorities on as equitable a basis as possible, taking the length of the road network into account. The main focus of the grants continues to be the protection and renewal of roads.
In addition to keeping the regional and local roads network in good repair, targeted improvements are also prioritised. All projects put forward must comply with the requirements of the infrastructure guidelines and my Department's appraisal framework. Each project is assessed on a case-by-case basis, keeping available resources in mind. The 2026 allocation to Laois County Council includes funding of €500,000 for specific improvement grant schemes. Furthermore, on 1 July, I announced additional funding of €40 million to address the damage to roads as a result of Storm Chandra. The funding to Laois County Council under this additional package was €1 million.
I thank the Minister of State for his reply. He is correct regarding the allocation to the council but my point is that €3.5 million was given for active travel. I do not have a problem with that allocation; the problem is how it is being spent. He mentioned the departmental guidelines, which is where the issue arises. The specifications and stipulations set out in those guidelines are completely off the wall.
To give one example, I was calling for action from the council on Triogue Way 25 or 26 years ago. One section of footpath was put in there across Millview car park. It has worked out to be the most expensive car park in the world because of those specifications. The footpath part alone, which is 74 m in length, cost €105,000. Other work was done as well, with the whole project coming in at more than €400,000. That is crazy money. The amount of concrete that went in underneath it would support a section of motorway. An articulated truck could be driven down it. It is over 13 ft wide in places. That is absolutely ridiculous. It is happening because the Department is telling the council it must be done a certain way. Concrete was being poured for months, with a private contractor crew working on it for four months. Meanwhile, overseers and engineers cannot fund even drainage works or basic repairs to rural roads. That needs to be looked at again.
I understand the Deputy's frustration. I am sure he will agree that the funding allocation for Laois County Council for local and regional roads is good enough. His frustration seems to be in relation to the €3.5 million allocated to active travel projects. He is of the view that the works are perhaps being over-specified and the standards are too strict. I will take his points back to the Department. When doing this kind of work, we must ensure public money is spent in such a way that we deliver the best outcomes and get as much bang for our buck as possible. I will communicate the Deputy's important feedback to the Department. I do not think anybody is engaged in over-designing. There might be reasons that it looks that way, such as underground structures or whatever. I cannot comment on that. It is just a matter of ensuring we get value for whatever public money is spent. The local authorities want to do that.
On the overall funding, if the Minister of State has more millions of euro, he should send them down to Laois, because they are needed. The cost of repairing roads has been increasing by 15% per annum. I do not have a problem with the €3.5 million for active travel; if he has another €3.5 million, I would welcome it. The problem is the specifications and what we are getting for the money. That is the point I am making.
Does a footpath really need to be 13 ft wide? Ten-wheeler wagons were drawing in concrete at Triogue Way. I know all this because I park in the car park beside it and I saw what was going on every day. The amount of concrete that has gone into it would support a section of motorway, never mind a footpath and cycleway. The good footpath that was already there had to be ripped out because of the Department's specifications. A row of bollards could have been put alongside it in the car park, a perfectly good cycleway could have been installed and the car park resurfaced. Everything would have been fine and dandy.
What is being done is absolutely ridiculous. We need a sense of proportion and we need to be practical. The Minister of State is a practical kind of person. He must speak to officials in the Department about this. We need to get bang for our buck. That is the point I am making. Allowing rural roads to deteriorate to the point they need substantial works will mean spending more money in the longer term. An area office is needed to get work done.
I reiterate that any funding we allocate should be spent wisely and in such a way that we get as much out of it as possible for the benefit of the taxpayer. I do not believe anybody is wasting money. It may be that the specifications and design standards need to be looked at, which is something I will take back to the Department. We must get as much done as we can with the money we have. As the Deputy rightly said, costs are increasing. We must be more prudent and agile in how we spend it. I will convey his comments to the officials.
Bus Services
Emer Currie
Ceist:123. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Transport to retain a bus service in Dublin West (details supplied). [67775/26]
I want to make a simple, evidence-based case for retaining an all-day direct bus service from Littlepace to Dublin city centre. Under BusConnects, the 70 bus service, which is one of the most popular routes in Dublin West, will be split in two, with a direct service at peak times only and a local service during the day to the Blanchardstown Centre. Having surveyed 1,300 homes in three weeks, I got 978 responses, 98% of which wanted the daytime direct service retained. Will the NTA look again at this proposal?
I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter, for her work on the survey she mentioned and for engaging with such large numbers of people. As she said, this is an important service.
The changes proposed for the 70 bus route are part of the wider BusConnects Dublin network redesign. One of the core principles of that work is to provide a more frequent, reliable and better-connected public transport network across the greater Dublin area. The redesign seeks to provide improved service levels and reduced waiting times for all passengers throughout the day.
Under the proposed network, the existing 70 service will be replaced, as the Deputy has said, by two new routes, namely, L64 and P64. The peak-time P64 service will continue to provide direct links between Dunboyne and Dublin city centre. I am told that the L64 will operate between Dunboyne and the Blanchardstown Centre and is currently projected to run every 15 minutes. Both routes will also connect with Dunboyne rail station, providing access to rail services into the city. For journeys to the city centre outside peak periods, passengers can travel to the Blanchardstown Centre using the L64 route and transfer to one of four B spine services, which are expected to operate every four minutes.
The NTA will provide more detailed timetables closer to implementation, taking into account demand levels, operational requirements and available funding. Based on current assessments, approximately five to six direct peak-time services to and from the city centre are envisaged. These changes will also be supported by the 90-minute Leap fare, ensuring that passengers making multi-modal journeys do not incur any additional costs. Furthermore, the planned development of the Blanchardstown to city centre core bus corridor will also reduce journey times and improve interchange facilities.
The benefits of these new services include the introduction of significantly better all-day frequency, not just during peak commuting hours, and better network connectivity options within the 90-minute Leap fare. I will speak with the Deputy and bring her information from the survey back to the NTA.
I thank the Minister of State for that reply. The people of Littlepace know the plans inside out. Some things can look good on paper but are counter-intuitive. Nothing annoys people more than when the NTA, supported by the Government, focuses on fixing something that does not need to be fixed and decides to remove something that is working for them and gets them to work, college or appointments on time during the day.
The Minister of State will recall that I previously highlighted the problems we were having in Dublin West, where popular commuter bus services required more capacity but did not receive adequate investment. He knows that I did a lot of work on the figures behind that to make the argument evidence-based. The 70 was one of those routes. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, ensured that more investment came to that service.
The people who responded to my survey were overwhelmingly regular users. They said that the service is now reliable. Some 93.5% of them said that the service is now reliable. This change seems illogical. We are giving residents something they did not ask for. They just want the 70 to work well.
I thank the Deputy and appreciate where she is coming from. I hear the frustration. I appreciate the views of neighbours. As a public representative like the Deputy, I fully understand that sometimes what is proposed does not align with reality. It is important that I, having taken the question this morning, articulate and communicate the Deputy's views and those of residents back to the NTA. I am not obfuscating responsibility but, as the Deputy knows, the NTA is charged with the project. As a Minister and Ministers of State, we do not have any direct, day-to-day engagement. I will sit down with the Deputy to look at the situation and will ask the NTA to do so. If it is not broken, why fix it? We need to ensure that our overarching policy is about an enhanced bus experience. It is about ensuring that bus corridors are brought in, we have a continuous bus lane and improve active travel facilities.
The points made by the Deputy are hard to go against. The travelling public who use the service in a place understand. They use it every day. I will certainly reflect with the Deputy and take her views back to the NTA.
I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate it. He will know, having been a public representative for decades, that when you do a survey and get that kind of response, you have to listen to it. Out of 978 people surveyed over a three-week period, only 12 said they would have no issue with having to change buses at the Blanchardstown Centre. Some 99.1% of them described the direct service as either "extremely important" or "very important" to them. Worryingly, 60% of people said that if this change makes their journey longer or less reliable, they are more likely to drive instead. The biggest issue that they identified was increased journey time. Some 80% of people said that was the issue.
I appreciate that the Minister of State will bring this issue to the NTA. I ask the NTA to meet the community. I have sent it this survey. The results speak for themselves. It is important that the NTA shows it is willing to engage with communities about issues that impact them. Nearly 1,000 people in a three-week period responded to my survey when I only dropped it to 1,300 homes.
All of us, no matter where we are from, want Bus Connects to succeed. At its core, it is about bringing new service and providing better all-day frequency and more reliability. Every day, we get complaints about the quality of a bus service, whether in Cork city or Dublin. We are not immune. As a Minister and Ministers of State, we are determined to ensure that we can deliver that.
It disappoints me, as a Minister of State and a public representative, that the NTA would not meet residents. Ultimately, the NTA is the solution-maker for any issue. It will be putting the network in place. It has a duty to meet residents, community groups and whoever else in Littlepace, in this case, to sort out the matter, work, listen and have that engagement. Public engagement allows them to be informed. It allows us all to have a better outcome in the end, we hope. I commit to sitting down with the Deputy and articulating with her on behalf of the people she represents. All of us must work together to have a better bus system that will benefit the travelling public who want to use the service.
If I were using a bus, which I do occasionally, and the journey became longer, I would ask whether I wanted to use it. The connectivity piece is important. The success of Local Link has been that A to B connectivity for people.