Darragh O'Brien
Dublin Fingal East · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“The appropriate next time to do that is once the ANCA decision is finalised and the public consultation is concluded, which will be on 3 September. Obviously, there will be a period required after that when the submissions to ANCA will be looked at. That is where the consultation is. That will happen over the coming months.”
“I have already mentioned the more than 3 million passengers who flew through Cork Airport and the growth of Shannon Airport, which has just had its best half a year and which now has over 40 routes. However, a small number of people are impacted and they need to be listened to.”
“Others did not want it at all. I think Shane Ross was Minister for transport at the time. That has been done. That is in place. This decision will be made. I do not have a timeframe. Hopefully it will be soon after the submissions from the public on the draft noise decision is made. That would feed into both.”
“An Investec report published in, I believe, 2022 said that to maintain the cap at 32 million between now and 2030 would jeopardise up to about 19,000 jobs. That is the reality of it. I support the workers in the airport. I am from the community myself. The airport has to grow in a sustainable way.”
“I have also made it clear that even though, and this is a fact, international aviation emissions are outside the scope of the climate action plan, we are taking actions aligned with the global approach to decarbonisation of the aviation industry, which is based on the International Civil Aviation Organization's basket of measures to ensur…”
“I have already highlighted the planning decision on the DAA’s infrastructure application. We discussed that at some length over the course of the last nearly two hours. That application seeks to raise the passenger cap to 40 million and provide for much-needed additional infrastructure at Dublin Airport.”
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“Regarding the timelines, we are dependent on planning. For some of those elements, we have a better planning system now. Obviously, I hope we do not get objections and various things like that but let us control what we can control. For the public consultation piece on the preferred route, we are aiming for the middle of year, that is, the end of quarter 2 or very early quarter 3 if there is any slippage but it has to be the middle of this year. I will certainly keep the Deputy informed of progress.”
“The Deputy is right and I have no issue whatsoever with him raising this matter regularly. I do not want any slippage on it. The Navan rail line will be absolutely transformational in terms of quality of life, the environment and the economy. It will be a major piece of infrastructure to deliver. All I am interested in doing is making sure we hit those timeframes. In the NDP, there are major projects like MetroLink which has gone on for years and will start construction next year. There is DART+ and all of the various things. We have talked about quality bus corridors. There is major investment in public transport, and rightly so. I am keeping a really close eye on the Navan project and I want the public consultation out by the end of quarter 2. I take the Deputy's point that whenever it comes out, people will be very interested in it.”
“Some might say with a lot of justification that it has been talked about for too long but has not been delivered. We are absolutely committed to doing so. I am hopeful that if we can meet those timelines, we will have planning permission in 2029. The sectoral plan, which was published in November 2025, provides funding for the Navan rail line project to progress through this process and up to the railway order. That is the timeframe. We are looking at the end of quarter 2 for the public consultation.”
“It will support the development of a preliminary business case, which will need to be approved by the Government, in line with the requirements of the infrastructure guidelines, before any planning application. Government is committed to the Navan rail line project. It is anticipated that a planning application - known as a railway order - for the Navan rail project will be lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála in 2028. We have the public consultation on the preferred route and the preparation of the planning. In 2028, the planning application will go in. It is fully funded to do that. To be fair, the Deputy and his colleagues in Meath West have been raising this regularly, and rightly so. Navan and the area around it are growing. We have committed to the rail line.”
“The NTA's transport strategy for the greater Dublin area sets out the framework for transport investment across the region from 2022 to 2042. The strategy includes delivery of the Navan rail line between 2031 and 2036, subject to planning and funding approvals. The plan is currently on target. It is anticipated that a public consultation on the route options for the Navan rail line will take place in the middle of this year. I will ask that it be done by the end of quarter 2. We want to avoid it happening during the summer period. We want people to have input into the consultation process, which will ultimately result in a defined route for the Navan train line.”
“Lots of good work has been done and I do not mean to be negative but I have been frustrated on a couple of occasions that we only found out after the event, when issues arose with particular routes, that the operator did not have enough mechanics or had not been able to recruit drivers. We need to tighten up on that big time between the NTA and the operators. Fines will continue to be imposed. In 2024, which is the most recent year for which we have full-year figures, the main private operator was fined nearly €1.5 million. Those fines are reinvested in the network. I assure the Deputy that this matter is not off my radar. We will get improvements here. BusConnects is a good thing right across the country. There have been issues with new routes. We will work to fix them.”
“I 100% agree. There have been issues with Go-Ahead Ireland, for example, with regard to mechanics. That has been rectified and those mechanics are now in place. We have had issues with driver recruitment across our network. One of the reasons for that is we have near full employment in our economy, with record numbers of people - nearly 3 million - working. Having said that , there are very good and well-paid jobs that give a path to progression within our bus operators, including in Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and others. The Deputy is right, and I have said this to the NTA, that when an operator bids for a route and is awarded it, we must be absolutely certain the resources are there to manage it. The people need to be there to do the job.”
“The NTA is assessing it right now and will engage with the operators. Lessons have been learnt. I want very clear avenues set down for how we can improve performance in that area. Financial penalties applying is no consolation to people. We need a reliable service. I will remain fully engaged with the Deputy on those two particular routes on the F spine.”
“It is the second one and will make a big difference in terms of giving priority to buses and also on the active travel side. There are issues with congestion. I am convening a meeting with stakeholders on 18 March to discuss, in particular, congestion in the city core but not just there. We will look at interim and short-term measures that can be taken to improve bus journeys in particular. More and more people are using public transport and it is great to see. There were 363.5 million passenger journeys in 2025, which was the highest number ever. Bus Átha Cliath carried the greatest number of passengers among all our operators. People are responding but I fully acknowledge the frustration with the roll-out of some of the new routes in terms of how they operate in practice versus what was said in principle. I am actively looking at that.”
“The Deputy has been advocating on this issue for some time. The F spine routes have only been in place only since October, and there have been issues with them. The NTA is monitoring them. BusConnects is and should be a positive development but we have seen very specific issues with some of the new routes that have been rolled out. I absolutely assure the Deputy that I will work directly with him on this on behalf of his constituents. I have already highlighted the issues, particularly on the 23 and 24 routes, to the NTA. There have been issues with some resources within the bus operators. Leaving that aside, BusConnects is a positive development and an investment in our public transport. The Ballymun-Finglas quality bus corridor is approved and going to construction.”
“I will mention the automatic vehicle location system, which will make a big difference. With it, at least people will know if there is a delay or cancellation because they will be able to see it on the app. There will be real-time data. That is going into pilot this quarter, with full roll-out and completion scheduled for 2027, which is next year. That is notwithstanding the fact that we must improve the core quality bus corridors, which we are doing. There are plans in Dublin 15 and west Dublin for that, as the Deputy knows.”
“Dublin West will get and is getting that massive investment. We have €24.3 billion to invest in transport between now and 2030. The Deputy is right to highlight the issue. I know Dublin West very well. The Fingal area is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. There are good jobs there. New families are setting down their roots in the housing we have built over the past five years. There are more than pinch points in certain areas and the Deputy is right to raise those as an issue. I will in particular raise the specific routes that the Deputy has mentioned. I am aware of the issues. It is our job to work hard with the transport operators to improve the services that are there. There are some routes that are working very well but there are others that, quite frankly, are not. An 8% cancellation rate is unacceptable.”
“There are nearly 3 million now working in the economy. The economy is going well. People are well-trained and well-educated. There is a pro-enterprise Government. That does pose strains. I am not in any way dismissing the point the Deputy has made, particularly about the 238 bus. I will look specifically at that matter. I have a meeting on 18 March with bus operators and other stakeholders about congestion.”
“I am pleased that people are responding and using public transport at rates we have not seen previously. That is good. I acknowledge that particularly on certain routes, there are issues. A cancellation rate of up to 8% in a month on the 238 route is unacceptable. I will raise that matter directly with the operators. The operators do get fined and significant fines are levied on them for non-performance. I have the 2024 figures for Go-Ahead Ireland, which are the most recent figures I have for a full year. It was fined well over €1 million. That money is then reinvested. Bus Átha Cliath is running a jobs campaign at the moment. They are good, secure jobs with good in-house training. There is good career advancement. The Deputy said the situation is ridiculous if we cannot find people to work in those jobs.”
“If the app is showing the bus is coming but then it just disappears, people cannot make alternative arrangements. A big issue with Go Ahead has been with mechanics. It has employed ten more but they were delayed in getting here. They have been trained and are now working, so we should see an improvement there. While Dublin Bus is generally performing very well, one of its issues is with driver numbers. It is recruiting a further 100 drivers from South Africa right now and they are coming in. There are still good jobs for people in Dublin Bus. We have work to do there and I am continuing to do it. The Deputy should trust me - I take this very seriously. It is a serious issue. I will come back in with some more details in a minute.”
“In my supplementary reply I will come back with more detail on what is happening there. The most significant factor in recent months has been traffic congestion. For example, Dublin Bus is currently delivering 98% of contracted kilometres set by the NTA. However, punctuality is being affected by rising traffic volumes in the city in particular. Buses delayed going out and coming back in are having an effect. I have convened a meeting on 18 March with stakeholders specifically to discuss congestion in the city core but also around the M50. Some things need to be planned better within our transport operators, particularly relating to resources, something Go Ahead has acknowledged. I have been in touch with the operators directly on many occasions, particularly on the issue of being able to trust the data on the app.”
“I assure Deputy Coppinger that I do take it very seriously. It is a real frustration and inconvenience for passengers who are affected by ghost buses or services that do not show up. There have been particular recent bus cancellations on the Dublin Bus and Go Ahead Ireland networks. We need to acknowledge that last year there were 363.5 million public passenger journeys across the State, which is up 6% on the previous year, the highest amount ever, so people are responding. However, it behoves the operators to ensure that the services as listed turn up. Issues happen from time to time and they arise for a range of reasons, including driver and mechanic shortages which has been an issue on the route the Deputy referred to, particularly with the services operated by Go Ahead.”
“This is 2025 to 2026. There are 212,500 EVs on our roads. It is going in the right direction, and the target was exceeded. As I said in the committee yesterday, I always keep these under review. We look at what we have done on the residential side. The impact that has had already is really good. We will keep this under review, but this is absolutely going in the right direction right now.”
“We want to make sure that the grants are deployed in an equitable manner, in particular for low and middle income families. I alluded to that at the committee yesterday. Deputy Daly will see where we have made changes on other SEAI grants, such as for home retrofit. My whole focus was on low and middle income families and to break the grants up. We keep these grants under review. They are a good incentive for people. The figures do not bear out what Deputy Daly is saying, notwithstanding the fact that we will always keep schemes under review to try to incentivise more people to use them. I could go through every county in Ireland. There are really significant increases in EV registrations from last January to this one. I am not going to bore him with the details, but I will supply him with them. Mayo is up by 67%. Monaghan is up by 65%.”
“This January, there were 2,720, which was a good increase, just short of 20%. In Kerry the increase was 65%, in Kildare the increase was 45%, in Kilkenny it was 80%, in Laois it was 60%, in Leitrim it was 70%, in Limerick it was 60% and it was 100% in Longford. I am just giving Deputy Daly the real figures.”
“I am not 100% sure what figures Deputy Daly has there and I do not want to just dispute them for the sake of it. I can go back to 2024, but they are not the numbers I have. What is very interesting is that in the first month of this year we are looking at really significant increases in EV registration. If I take the Deputy's own county of Kerry, in January 2025, there were 86 EV registrations. In January of this year there were 142. That is a 65% increase. If I take Galway, in January 2025 there were 164 EV registrations. This January, there were 247, which is a 50% increase. The growth in EVs is based on actual registration of EVs, which is much more significant now in the regions and in rural areas than it is in cities. I will give the Deputy an example. In Dublin, there were 2,277 registrations in January 2025.”
“TII is leading on the delivery of that infrastructure along motorways and national primary and secondary routes. I have launched grant aid programmes for the delivery of significant high-powered charging infrastructure on these roads over the next year to provide all EV drivers with reliable access to charging points across the country.”
“Rural motorists are often in the most advantageous position to make the switch to an electric vehicle, due to the large number of dwellings in rural Ireland that are suitable for home EV charging, which we also support. Home charging means lower running costs and many EVs are now capable of doing over 400 km on a single charge, which will meet most people's daily driving needs. Having an effective and reliable charging network is an essential part of enabling drivers to make the switch to EVs, which they are doing. The public charging network has grown in recent years, and the continued expansion and modernisation of the EV charging network will ensure drivers can use EVs with confidence. We published the national EV charging strategy. I got approval for that on Tuesday this week at Cabinet.”
“We are fully committed to supporting the transition to zero-emission vehicles. We regularly review the EV incentives and grants to ensure they are delivering value for money and supporting the delivery of the ambitious targets we set. Last year, the target was 195,000 EVs on our roads by the end of 2025. We actually exceeded that. The final figure was 212,500 EVs. The supports are certainly assisting. Over €120 million has been allocated this year to support the continued transition to EVs, which includes grants for the EVs themselves and EV charging. The road tax for EVs is also lower. Changes have been made on the benefit-in-kind side as well to further incentivise EVs. The purchase costs of EVs have come down significantly in recent years.”
“We have to improve reliability and journey times, which will not be easy in all cases, particularly with regard to journey times in the city. I will have a meeting with stakeholders on 18 March, specifically looking at congestion within the city core and on the M50. I have a meeting with stakeholders on 18 March, specifically looking at congestion within the city core and on the M50.”
“We will. When questions like this are tabled and they fall within the remit of the NTA, I meet the NTA. It is useful that these matters are raised when we meet. To be fair, the F1, F2 and F3 routes were only rolled out in October last year. I appreciate people's patience with this. I am committed to looking at what interim measures we can take. The frequency on the F1 route is every 15 minutes at most times between Tallaght and Ballymun, and the F2 and F3 routes give a joint service around every five minutes. That is a big improvement. We always need to improve things and look at the experience on the ground. What leads me to be confident about this is that people are responding. Last year, 363.5 million public transport passenger journeys were made, which was a record number. The Government will continue to invest in this area.”
“In the medium term, passengers on the F1 route will also benefit from faster journey times due to the delivery of the planned core bus corridor between Kimmage and the city centre. That project received planning permission in May last year and it will be critical. We have started the first two quality bus corridors, namely, Liffey Valley to the city centre and Ballymun-Finglas to the city centre. Both of those contracts have been signed and the first one is under construction. That will be transformational. The quality bus corridor for the Deputy's constituents on the F1 route will make a big difference too. We are looking at interim measures.”
“I do not disagree. The frequency is there and is improving but the Deputy is right that the journey times on some of the services are longer because the route is more interconnected to take in more people. Having said that, we are working with Dublin City Council and other stakeholders to deliver additional bus priority measures within the city. A lot of it as we get into the city. On 18 March, the Ministers of State, Deputies Buttimer and Canney, and I will meet stakeholders to discuss congestion and see if there are more immediate short-term measures we can take. Some of that will be bus priority measures and some of it will be bus gates and those types of measures.”
“While some increases in journey times are expected as part of the balancing involved and the redesign of the network, both my Department and the NTA acknowledge that certain journey times on this route should be improved. That is being monitored right now. The Deputy's input is valued in that because it is the lived experience of constituents in the Deputy's area who are using this route. That will feed in and it is being reviewed and monitored. The F-spine is a good thing. There is really good frequency there but we need to make sure the focus is on reliability.”
“The reason is that there is a higher demand on that part of the route. Together, routes F1 and F3 provide a combined high-frequency service of around five minutes between Kimmage and the city centre, before continuing towards Glasnevin and other northside locations. Beyond Kimmage, the routes diverge to maintain good bus network coverage across the surrounding areas south of Kimmage. To be fair to the Deputy, I acknowledge that the recent network changes have had varying impacts on journey times for passengers and customers. I have said this to the NTA directly. When rolling out phases of the BusConnects network the NTA has committed to monitoring those new services, identifying issues and implementing fixes when and if they are needed.”
“I assure Deputy Ahern that the Department of Transport, the NTA and the public transport operators are working very closely to ensure optimised deployment of resources across the network to best meet passenger demand and reduce their journey times, where possible. The F1 route the Deputy refers to was introduced just last October. We have seen some issues with some routes, such as the Chapelizod route, and those issues need to be addressed. I would prefer if there were no issues at the start of the deployment of a route. That formed part of the BusConnects F-spine, which is the route the Deputy refers to. It operates every 15 minutes for most of the day between Tallaght and Ballymun, with additional peak-time journeys on the northern section to meet higher demand. That is the response I have.”
“It is not an exact figure but they give the Deputy an indication. Those shelters will be installed and we will see a big ramping up. I am more than happy to look at the planning aspects of the issue. I have seen in my area of Fingal that it can be cumbersome. To be fair to the NTA, this is the first time we have had a particular focus on this area. On working with the local authorities, the Deputy cited three specific areas in his county. It is up to the local authorities as well to make sure they continue to interact with the NTA to prioritise bus stops. We are working with the local authorities on this.”
“The Deputy's question is valid and the points he made are valid. In fairness, he acknowledged that it is a new scheme. I have given the Deputy details of some of the works that are ongoing. Work on another scheme in Mullingar commenced this week. It will include a further 60 bus stops, the majority of which were completed in 2025, but the remainder will be done there now. I agree with the Deputy's point with regard to the planning aspects, which can be cumbersome. I met the NTA about this yesterday in the Department. I am looking at how we can accelerate it. One of the issues has been the change in supplier. That has happened and a new supplier is in place for bus shelters. I was informed yesterday there are some 200 bus shelters have been produced and are on their way here.”
“In the Deputy's area of Cork and Kerry, the Clonmel contract - separate from BusConnects Cork - had 192 stops. Route 109 had 30 stops. Bus Éireann business-as-usual upgrades, which are to existing stops, numbered 343.”
“It is €500,000 per local authority. I have projected and we reckon the drawdown next year will be about €15.5 million, because we can see the pipeline that is coming through. In fairness, the Deputy has recognised this is a new programme. So far, under the bus stop enhancement programme, 100 bus stop locations and installations were done in 2025. There were ten new bus shelters, which is not a lot, throughout the State. There was an issue with the provider - I checked this out - because there is a new supplier of bus shelters. A significant number that have been ordered are in transit right now. I do not want to talk only about the enhancement programme. In 2025, BusConnects Dublin had 750 new stops installed. Portlaoise town services had 73 stops.”
“We ask the local authorities to submit their plans. This covers not just the bus stops or shelters, as the Deputy knows, but also hard-core surfaces or the extension of footpaths to make them safer. The Deputy's question is valid. There is significant funding going into this programme and I want to see that ramped up. There is a very good pipeline. I will add more in my supplementary reply.”
“That programme is a multi-annual initiative, which only commenced in 2024 and will run to 2029. Through the programme, funded by my Department, €500,000 is provided per local authority, not nationally, to enhance bus stop facilities at locations within the local authority administrative areas. Along with such funding, the NTA provides local authorities with bus shelters through its contractor, while also making the contractor available for the installation and subsequent maintenance of the bus shelters. Local authorities are required to undertake preparatory work ahead of the installation of shelters. It is intended to streamline the delivery. As the numbers show, the programme is ramping up. It is important that, for the first time, local authorities, through the NTA, have identified all the existing stops.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist. Tá brón orm go raibh mé déanach. Shíl mé go raibh na ceisteanna ag tosnú ag 10.30 a.m. I welcome the Deputy's question on the bus stop enhancement programme. It is a relatively new programme. Choosing sustainable transport is not just a matter of where a bus or rail line goes on a map; it is about creating an interconnected network. For that, people need places to stop, start and make a change in their transport journey that is safe, comfortable and accessible. The NTA undertakes upgrades to bus stops and shelters across a number of schemes, including BusConnects, which is not included in the figures I will give the Deputy, Connecting Ireland, the active travel investment programme and, as the Deputy mentioned, the bus stop enhancement programme.”
“It is so we can look at all our territorial waters, map them on a sequential basis and build up that pipeline for the development sector to deliver them. Our real focus is on renewables, reducing our dependence on fossil, reducing our emissions and delivering clean, green affordable energy for our people. There are communities, and I respect this as well, who have issues on the ground. There needs to be better engagement on the ground. We are looking at reworking the community benefit fund. I can respond in more detail in writing.”
“That is the reason I am bringing forward the floating gas reserve, so that we will have a gas reserve to use as a back-up. On the designated maritime area plan, DMAP, side of things, I have been in Shannon Foynes at least twice. It is really impressive. There are great plans there and it is a great port. We are accelerating and have brought forward a national DMAP. There is the east coast and the ORESS 1 auctions. We had Tonn Nua and will have Lí Bán early next year, which is another auction. I want to build a pipeline of offshore renewable projects. We have already commenced and we got about €165 million of funding in the capital development plan for the national DMAP. Why is that important?”
“Any planning application that goes in is a matter for the planning authority. The Senator knows this; I am stating the obvious. The local authorities decide themselves and then if it is appealed to the board or An Coimisiún Pleanála, they will make the decision. There is no question of us pausing for the development of renewable energy sources. If we have learned anything, and we have learned a lot, particularly since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, it is that the overdependence on fossil fuels from third countries is not something we can sustain. About 25% of our gas resources come from the Corrib, and that is diminishing. The rest is imported through two pipelines from Scotland. It would be problematic if anything were to happen to either of those pipelines.”
“When we look at the purchasing power index, we are kind of mid-table, but we need to do better than that. That is why people need to see the clean green sustainable energy we are creating actually make savings in their pockets. Only today, coincidentally, Wind Energy Ireland had an independent report published through Baringa, which estimated that onshore wind drove about €1.4 billion worth of savings last year, and solar about €165 million. That is actually looking at what we are deploying versus if we were to continue to import gas and fossil and use it that way. I will come back to the wind energy guidelines in a supplementary comment because I recognise the community benefits. We need to ensure there is a community benefit for people, and they need to be planned properly.”
“Ireland was the only EU state late last year that had a successful offshore wind auction off the south east coast, which was the Tonn Nua or New Wave auction. What I am really saying to the Senator is that our energy future and electrification will be very much driven by renewables. If I look at solar for argument's sake, seven or eight years ago, one tenth at 1% was all we were generating. To put it a better way, maybe ten or 15 years ago, we had 2 MW of solar, that is it. We have 2 GW now, and that does not include the 1 GW of rooftop solar we have that is not connected to the grid. The Senator rightly raised the point in relation to affordability. We still have challenges here in Ireland and across Europe with regard to energy affordability.”
“A lot of our developers are now developing out those storage facilities in conjunction with the renewable energy facilities, be that wind or solar. We have about 1.3 GW of storage now and we are expanding very quickly on that. That will help on curtailment. Next week, and the Senator's question is very timely, I would expect Ireland to reach a milestone of 8 GW of renewable energy capacity in this country, which is really significant. Obviously, offshore is where we are going as well, and I expect the first offshore schemes on the east coast to be in construction by the end of the decade. The original plan was to have them electrified, although they will not be because of planning. However, some of them will be coming out of planning very soon.”
“That is nearly four times the cost of price review 5, PR5, the investment programme that concluded at the end of December and cost between €4.5 billion and €5 billion. The investment is needed. It will improve resilience. It will allow us bring more renewables into our grid. Importantly, it will ensure that we can use the energy we are generating and will reduce curtailment and, therefore, curtailment costs. Storage is a big part of that, as in how we can store renewable energy and then disperse it at the appropriate time, particularly to deal with peaks in energy demand. Only last week, coincidentally, I was in County Offaly where two major battery storage facilities opened. In PR 6, we will see not only generation in grid; a lot of it is battery and it is storage, and that is critical.”
“I thank Senator Collins for her questions. I am delighted to be here in the Seanad today to answer them. I will preface my remarks by saying I will not comment on individual applications that have been submitted and I know the Senator will appreciate why. I will speak generally. As an island nation, we have some of the best wind resources in the world and we are uniquely positioned to lead Europe's renewable electricity future. In Ireland, we are the best in Europe at integrating renewables into our grid. Senator Collins mentioned the grid and I will touch on that in a moment because the grid is critical. Actually, I will touch on it now. The grid investment programme we have published, which is basically the capital plan between 2026 and 2030, will see up to €18.9 billion investment in our grid.”
“The preliminary design and planning has to go through and then we can move towards funding. We have the funds to deliver these projects.”
“Last year approximately 200 kilometres of cycling and walking routes were delivered across the country. Interestingly, in the coming days the NTA will publish last year's 2025 walking and cycling index for Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. We hope to see positive signs of that continued modal shift arising, in part from the improvements to the active travel network, because people are responding to it. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. We will keep an eye on it and I am sure he will keep in touch with me. As he said it is important we work with colleagues in the local authority to ensure they get those options and designs done and get them submitted to the NTA so they can be given consideration for funding next year to advance the project.”
“As I said, I am very supportive of these projects. I said Cork County Council area but it was Cork City Council area that was allocated €27 million this year under the NTA’s active and sustainable transport investment programme. What happens is the NTA will do the allocations. The draft allocations come to us. We have a very good active travel team within the Department but the local authorities are the critical link to make sure proposals they have are prioritised. That design work is really important and the options. It looks to me from what I have read that it is likely it will be the bridge option, but this is a very early stage. I am confident with the allocation we have through the revised NDP that we will be able to continue to deliver these projects at scale, including this one.”
“It is a prime example of where intervention would actually join those dots. The allocation has been made at €4,000 to do the preliminary design work and to look at the options. That comes in and we can look towards funding that project into 2027 because we have committed to a minimum of €360 million per year for the term of this Government. It is important to note that Cork County Council was allocated €27 million this year to support approximately 70 active travel schemes, including that proposed severance link and the issues at Tramore Valley Park. I am aware of this now. I encourage the Deputy over the course of the year to make sure that the local authority progresses that preliminary design and the options. We can get it in for a full funding application for next year.”