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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“The new InterCity railcars are being tested right now. We have received them. As the Deputy correctly said, Iarnród Éireann mentioned to him that once they come into use in 2026 additional railcars will then be provided to other routes. Two carriages on a train at peak times is, I would suggest, insufficient. I am sure the Deputy has raised that specific issue about that train service with Iarnród Éireann. On the basis of the Deputy's intervention here, we will too. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, has already referenced in response to previous questions the very significant work that is happening around Oranmore station redevelopment and track works. There will be a new platform and a passing loop at Oranmore station. That was granted planning permission last February and construction is expected to start by the end of this year.”
“Its DART+ fleet investment will deliver 185 electric and battery-electric carriages in the coming years, with more planned. We have taken possession of the first order of them. The first units have begun arriving and will enter service in 2026, following testing and approval.”
“This includes funding for key initiatives such as the DART+ programme; the new DART+ fleet, which is being tested in Inchicore and which I expect to be tested shortly on the northern line, in particular; the proposed replacement of the Enterprise fleet; and the introduction of 41 new InterCity railcars. Iarnród Éireann has experienced strong post-Covid growth in passenger demand, matched by record investment to expand services. Capacity and service delivery continue to be considered in every decision we make. To meet demand, Iarnród Éireann is deploying all available fleet during peak times. In 2024, 41 additional InterCity railcar carriages were introduced, boosting capacity on key routes, in particular, Sligo, Galway, Westport and Belfast.”
“I thank the Deputy for his question. There is no doubt that the very strong passenger growth in recent years poses some challenges at certain times for the public transport network, including the InterCity rail network. Like the Deputy, I am eager to see improved rail services rolled out across the network. We know that when people are offered reliable and frequent services, they are more likely to choose public transport. Higher frequency also helps ease capacity issues. The Government is, therefore, supporting this shift through significant infrastructure investment, which will be critical.”
“Every Deputy in the House and other stakeholders will have an input into it through the Oireachtas joint committee. With regard to servicing of airports by our bus fleet this is happening now. I am not familiar with the matter raised by Deputy O'Hara relating to Bus Éireann. If he wants to correspond with me on it I will have at look into it for him.”
“Public transport connectivity and services to our airports are obviously critical. They are served relatively well. This can always be improved. I would expect it to be part of the input into our national aviation policy. While the existing policy from 2015 needs to be updated, it is not redundant at all. If anything, if we look at the growth in numbers in our airports throughout the regions and focus on our regional airports, particularly over the past five years, it has been significant. New routes are required. I have met the Shannon Group myself. I had a very good meeting with it. I know my colleagues have also met it. It has some specific asks which we will consider as part of updating and reviewing the national aviation policy.”
“We saw this in Cork last week, when the Taoiseach and the Ministers of State, Deputies Buttimer and Canney, were there, with regard to a €200 million capital investment in Cork Airport. We have also seen investment in Shannon Airport to be able to grow its numbers. This is something we want to support our airports to do. It is not one or the other. It is not Dublin Airport or the regional airports. We can grow all of our airports”
“I cannot give Deputy O'Hara a timeline, and I am not at all being evasive, because we have commenced the preparatory work for the review. There will also be an updating and there is a clear commitment in the programme for Government on updating the regional airports programme. There will be a new programme for 2026 to 2030. This means we would need most of the work concluded this year or by the end of quarter 1 next year. This very much depends on stakeholder engagement and engagement from all members and on how the Oireachtas joint committee operates. There is capacity in our regional airports and I want to see it used but the Government cannot direct airlines to fly out of other airports. Airlines decide where they fly. Our airports need to be hungry to go after this business also.”
“It will go in front of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport at the appropriate time and I expect the committee will more than likely hold hearings with stakeholders to get their views. This will be a piece of work to be done across the House.”
“We are projecting some 40.39 million passengers for 2025 across all airports, although that is a projection and it comes with a bit of a health warning. That is at or about what it was in 2024. We are seeing growth in our regional airports and we want that to continue. As referenced earlier, we have seen Cork and Shannon grow and the projection for Ireland West is a further increase in passengers. The national aviation policy needs to support that and we have committed to reviewing, updating and publishing a new national aviation policy. I am very happy to engage with the Deputy and colleagues across the House as we put that new aviation policy together.”
“As the Deputy said, this has already been raised by Deputy Ahern. I am happy to say, first, that we are committed to reviewing and updating the national aviation policy, which will bring about a new policy. That will involve stakeholder consultation. Effectively, we will publish a draft in the coming months. The draft will go out to public consultation and consultation in the House, and I would expect Deputy O'Hara and all interested Members to have an input into that. We have also committed in the programme for government to a new regional airports policy, the regional airports programme 2026-2030, and the preparatory work on that is being done. That does not stop what we are already doing in the sector. We want to see continued growth in aviation and I have already referenced some of the numbers across all of our airports.”
“On fares, my focus is on investing in our fleet and infrastructure. That will be Government's focus. This five years to the end of the decade can see a step change in our infrastructure. We have seen some significant projects in Ceannt Station, Galway, and Kent Station, Cork. In Waterford, there has been significant investment in a new bus depot and in the train station. We are looking at how we can do that better. Affordability in public transport is key. We have to be mindful of the levels of fares. The decision was made to bring in free travel for five-to-eight-years-olds. We want to see what we can do for students also and there have been fare reductions. I am not ruling out anything because we need to be able to fund investment in our fleet as well. On the food and beverage matter, I will have to follow it up for the Deputy.”
“The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, will know that well. I have met many of the groups myself. There is a real opportunity to do more but there has been great improvement over the past four or five years and we want to build on that.”
“I understand that. People need to be certain and sure they can rely on their public transport system. In the main, they are and our public transport operators operate very well. We saw record passenger numbers on public transport last year. People are responding because fares are affordable but there are issues from time to time, particularly in relation to our bus fleet and buses not turning up. That is why I have met the NTA on a number of occasions and charged it with reviewing the phenomenon of buses not turning up. I assure the Deputy that is not just focused on Dublin. To be fair to my predecessor in the previous Government, the availability of public transport in rural areas has been transformed. We need to go further, unquestionably, but we see the success and expansion of, particularly, rural link.”
“All new infrastructure is designed with accessibility in mind and significant progress has been made in improving accessibility. This year, my Department has increased funding by 67% for the retrofitting of legacy infrastructure to make it more accessible, particularly for those who have additional needs or are disabled and our senior citizens. Equally important is the safety of passengers and staff across the public transport network. The NTA’s 2024 passenger security report shows that while reported incident rates remain low at 2.2 per 100,000 passenger journeys, incidents are being raised. Even one incident is one too many.”
“That remains a frustration for passengers on some routes. Real-time information is key. We need to see construction start on the BusConnects corridors in Dublin and roll that out to the other cities. Most of those projects are through planning. Three are not subject to judicial review, so we can start them; others are held up and there are objections. BusConnects, particularly in our cities, will be critical to improving the passenger experience. We are supporting accessibility through our commitment to expand the availability of public transport across the country. This commitment is supported by both international and national frameworks, including the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and our national sustainable mobility policy, which promotes a whole-journey approach to mobility and inclusive access for all.”
“I thank the Deputy. The review is not concluded yet. I have not received it. He is right to highlight the importance of the passenger experience. When we think of our public transport system, passengers and customers have to be central to it. Public transport is not just about moving from A to B – it is a vital service that connects individuals to work, education, healthcare and their communities. That is why I am firmly committed to ensuring our public transport system offers services that are accessible, reliable, affordable and, in particular, safe. On reliability, we have major infrastructure plans under BusConnects for each of our five cities, as well as introducing improvements to the vehicle location system for the fleet, which will improve the reliability of the real-time passenger information system.”
“Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Ireland West Airport in Knock are all important parts of our infrastructure. Allowing people to fly to other destinations from closer to home makes a lot of sense.”
“Looking at where we came from, there was 7% year-on-year growth between 2023 and 2024 in our regional airports. That growth is happening. Shannon is profitable. I do not think anybody is necessarily looking for subsidies or additional funding – capital funding, maybe - to improve facilities. I want to see more routes flying out of Shannon and Cork and that is happening. There has been about a 17% increase in passenger numbers in our regional airports since 2019. That is good but we can build on it. We have headroom. There is capacity in Shannon and Cork and I would like to see it utilised. The airports need to be hungry for business too. They need to go out and fight for business and for airlines to have additional routes flying out of their airports.”
“We have committed to working with stakeholders to remove the passenger cap at Dublin Airport. That commitment was included in the programme for Government. However, that will not happen instead of anything else. We need to consider how to grow all our airports. There is capacity in Shannon and Cork airports that should be used. I have met with DAA officials, who operate Cork and Dublin airport and I have also met with Shannon representatives.”
“I had a good meeting with the Shannon Airport Group. It was one of the first meetings I had when I took over as Minister. The group has raised the issue of regional airports and how it might be able to access funding. There is a passenger cap to access that funding at the moment but we are considering that. Shannon Airport can stand on its own two feet. It is doing very well. We need to encourage airlines to use the other airports. We have been clear, however, that the Government cannot direct an airline to fly out of any airport. The airports need to be competitive and hungry for business, as I know Shannon and Cork airports are. The passenger growth at Cork Airport has been significant. I might come back to the Deputy on the passenger cap during my supplementary response.”
“There is a fair bit of work to be done and I do not expect this to be concluded this year. I want input. We need to grow connectivity. As a country, we are successful in the whole area of aviation. We need to see how we can update that further. I agree with the Deputy that the policy needs to be updated. We have started the work and I am happy to engage specifically with the Deputy on the matter.”
“The review will update existing policy in the context of developments in the sector in the period since 2015. Much has changed since then. The Deputy referenced Shannon Airport, where we are seeing good growth. I agree with him that there is headroom and more capacity there. Shannon Airport can take up to 10 million passengers. In 2024, there were 2.1 million passengers. We are projecting approximately 2.21 million this year. It is also good to see significant growth in Cork Airport and all our other airports. We are seeing further growth in Ireland West Airport and the airports in Kerry and Donegal. The update of our NAP is critical. The work has commenced. There will be detailed stakeholder engagement. Importantly, there will also be engagement with transport spokespeople across the House and with the Joint Committee on Transport.”
“I thank the Deputy for the important question. A number of Deputies have asked about national aviation policy. We are dealing with the 2015 national aviation policy, NAP. It established a policy framework for the development of the aviation sector in Ireland, which is critical. It is designed to create an environment that encourages the sector to enhance Ireland's connectivity, to foster the growth of aviation enterprise and maximise the contribution of aviation to Ireland's sustainable economic growth and development. While the principal goals of the 2015 NAP remain valid, and it continues to guide decision-making, my Department has commenced preparatory work, at my request, on a review of the NAP with a view to bringing forward a new NAP. We will be engaging with the transport committee on that policy.”
“We are looking at schemes and the key will be what can be delivered. We will certainly be looking at that in detail for the 2026 allocations.”
“The LIS falls under the remit of the Minister for Rural and Community Development. It does not fall within my Department. I have given the funding figures and have used Kerry as a good example. We are looking at a 10.68% increase in funding for roads this year. There is a total allocation of €33.36 million for maintenance and improvement, which is on top of the funding for new roads. That is significant. There is always more to do. We have the plan of work programme. The Deputy might ask the engineers in Kerry what they are referring to when they say tender documents have not been submitted because a project was cut. We have not cut any projects. In fact, we must prioritise projects. Much of the work in respect of the allocations for this year was concluded late last year.”
“I agree that delivery is key and critical. We want those improvements delivered and our budget expended, which I predict it will be.”
“In respect of Listry Bridge and other specific issues in the Deputy's constituency, we will take a note as he raises them. I assure him that the figures I have given are real. There are significant increases in funding for new roads and for maintenance and renewal. I agree with him that speedy delivery is key. The funding provided for the N86 from Tralee to An Daingean is not just for fencing. A total of €1.25 million will be available in 2025 and it would want to be a very expensive fence if that were all we were doing. I assure the Deputy that is not all that we are doing. As I mentioned, we are advancing the review of the NDP and hope to have it concluded by July or early August. We will have a significant roads programme for the remainder of this decade and 2026, in particular. I can see the funding that is coming along the way.”
“Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources and are supplemented by State road grants. Of these grants, the vast majority, approximately 90%, are targeted at the maintenance and renewal of the network with approximately 10% of the remaining funding invested in new roads and bridges. In 2025, Kerry County Council was allocated €33.36 million for the maintenance and improvement of their regional and local roads network, which is an increase of more than €3.2 million, or 10.7%, on its 2024 allocation. Of this, €28 million was allocated to road protection and renewal.”
“The protection and renewal budget will allow for the progression of numerous road improvement works, such as pavement renewal and measures to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians on the national road network in Kerry. Allocations have also been provided to upgrade the N86 between Tralee and Dingle, and, as the Deputy knows, to continue the development of the N22 Farranfore to Killarney project. A number of new national roads projects, which are included in the current NDP have been delivered, including a bypass of Listowel. With regard to regional and local roads, each local authority has statutory responsibility, in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act, for the improvement and maintenance of their regional and local roads.”
“I thank the Deputy for his question. I am pleased that the Government has earmarked €5.1 billion for capital spending on new national roads projects from 2021 to 2030 as part of the national development plan, NDP. For the information of the House, we have commenced our review of the NDP. I will seek additional funds for the capital side of my Department. As it currently stands, a further €2.9 billion has been earmarked for the protection and renewal of the existing network. In addition, I can confirm that approximately €600 million of Exchequer capital funds were provided to Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, for national roads in 2025. Kerry County Council received €10.2 million for protection and renewal of national roads and €3 million for the construction of new national roads from this overall allocation.”
“Even for you, you are in gas form this morning. There is a reason the climate action plan was not published. It was a thing called the general election and Government formation. That has been done. The climate action plan will be coming to the Government within the next two weeks and it will be published then. In addition, we have no Oireachtas joint committee at the moment and that needs to happen, so there were reasons. There was nothing taken out and, if anything, we have added to it. I am looking forward to getting to work on CAP 2026, which is the really important one. I look forward to the Deputy’s constructive engagement and suggestions in that regard, which I would very much welcome. It will be within two weeks, or maybe next week if I can get it to Cabinet, although it might be the following Cabinet meeting.”
“People respond to it incredibly well. I will be looking at ways to increase that budget from 2026 onwards to deliver more projects. We are now seeing these active travel projects and networks start to link up, which is positive. I am happy to work directly with the Deputy and, using Galway as an example, to speak to the Deputy’s point about under-resourcing, which I would like to understand better.”
“What we are trying to do is look at what can be implemented on an annualised basis. To have €360 million this year is significant. The review of the national development plan that we are undertaking will continue to significantly increase active travel, which the people want. This goes back to the Deputy’s point about the residents in Galway city looking to move towards zero waste 20 years ago. They were ahead of their legislators at the time. Legislators have caught up and we are now funding it at a rate we have never done before. Do we need to do more to support communities? Of course, and I get that. The biggest changes we will make are at ground level within communities. The response to active travel has been exceptional. I have seen this all the way across the country, including in my own area of north Dublin.”
“I know that the Deputy is a big supporter of the initiative and is passionate about it. Last week, I met one of her constituents, a múinteoir as Na Forbacha, through the Irish cycling network. Bhíomar ag caint faoin stailc agus na fadhbanna sna Forbacha agus i mBearna freisin. Déanfaidh mé mo dhícheall cabhair a thabhairt do na daoine i mBearna agus sna Forbacha. In relation to the overall subject, I am happy to look specifically, as an example, at the CARO in Galway. We are about ten weeks into this job and all of us, including the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, and I, are getting used to the new infrastructure and the stakeholders that are there. I had a very good meeting last week on the Irish cycling network. The active travel budget is substantial, although I know it does not cover everything that is asked for every year.”
“I intend to be in Galway over the summer and I will also be visiting all of our climate teams and active travel teams. We had a very good conference in Limerick recently, attended by all of the local authorities, where we saw the brilliant work which is being done on active travel, supported by €360 million of Government Exchequer funding. It is making a real difference out there to allow people to walk or cycle safely to work or school and for leisure purposes. We want to continue to invest in that and to increase investment in it further.”
“In 2024, that increased again, to €5.815 million in annual funding. Under this agreement to date, some €5.6 million of that has actually been paid out. I agree with Deputy Connolly that implementation is critical. I have seen some of the work already across the local authorities. I was in Kilkenny on Monday and saw some very good work by the climate and active travel teams there. We have to support those plans and the implementation of them on the ground. On the reporting of these plans later this year, I will get the Deputy the information on exactly which quarter that will be. I do not have that information to hand. It will show how each of the climate action plans at a local level are performing and the assessment of that. I will get the Deputy those details as to when exactly that will be published.”
“I agree with the Deputy that many communities have been ahead of successive Governments on this but, to be fair, the Government is here to support communities and local authorities. To specifically answer the Deputy's question as regards the financial support for local authorities, first, local authorities have never been better funded than over the past five years. By any fair assessment, if one looks at the funding streams and the level of funding they have received, it has been very significant. This is particularly the case in respect of the local authority climate action plans and the decarbonising zones. If I go back to 2022, €3.2 million was paid out by my Department to the sector to begin phase 1. In 2023, that increased to €4.7 million and that was paid for the sector to develop phase 2.”
“These are really good community projects which need to be supported by our local authorities. I will be supporting them as Minister. Over the past four and a half or five years, I have got to know pretty much every director of service right the way across the country. I have been in the Deputy's own dáilcheantar, as she knows, many times and I look forward to visiting Galway again. On the specific measures, I have sought further details for the Deputy on which I will correspond directly with her but the full report will be published later this year.”
“The implementation and monitoring of local authority climate action plans and indeed the decarbonisation zones is, in the first instance, a matter for the local authorities. They are required to do that on a statutory basis. As Minister, I can assure the Deputy that I will work closely with the local authorities to maximise the potential from the implementation of the plans and decarbonising zones and to showcase progress nationally. The specific progress on each of the plans will be published later this year. On foot of the Deputy's question, I have sought specific details relating to Galway City Council and Galway County Council. I assure the Deputy, and experience in my previous portfolio will assist me in this, that the local authority network is critical to ensuring that our climate plans are implemented on the ground.”
“Decarbonising zones offer a significant opportunity for every local authority to drive, promote and showcase climate action at a local level. The week after next, we will, in conjunction with four local authorities, be looking at the progress made in their own climate action plans. To support local authorities, my Department established a decarbonising zone advisory group with the SEAI and it is providing €5.8 million annually to support implementation of those plans. We are also providing €2 million annually to the climate action regional offices, which are supporting local authorities to implement their climate plans and the decarbonising zones. Local authorities recently showcased their work on climate action at an event in Wexford.”
“The Galway City Council decarbonising zones includes parts of Newcastle, Rahoon, Shantalla and Westside, while Galway County Council selected Oileáin Árann as its decarbonising zone. Galway City Council has established a community one-stop shop in its decarbonising zone to provide guidance to households on retrofitting and a training accelerator programme for the construction industry. Galway County Council is already involved in several climate action projects on the Aran Islands, including Athchúrsáil Árann Teoranta, an award-winning waste collection, recycling and reuse project. Detail on the progress of the local authority climate action plans and the DZs will be made available later this year in line with the statutory annual reporting requirements.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 15 together. Local authorities play a key role, working with local communities and businesses, in delivering climate action. The Deputy can be sure of my continued support for local authorities to do that. This role is underpinned by the statutory requirement for each local authority to prepare a local authority climate action plan. Following approval by each council’s elected members, all local authorities adopted their plans in the first quarter of 2024. Galway City Council and Galway County Council adopted their plans in February 2024. Each local authority established a decarbonising zone, DZ, as part of its plan. DZs are intended to be the focus for a range of climate mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity measures.”
“We are going to be investing heavily in our grid through price review 6, which will be coming to Government shortly. It will be the most substantial investment in our electricity grid in decades, if not ever, to bring onshore the offshore renewables that we will develop over the coming few years.”
“Everything from his side is purely oppositional for the sake of opposition. There is a serious global climate crisis. We are all aware of that and should be working together to accelerate the delivery of renewables. Gas demand will not start to decrease until approximately 2035. It will be a transitionary fuel. As I said to Deputies in response to earlier questions, we should compare the situation with where we have come from. There is now no peat in our energy system. From June, there will be no coal in our energy system. We are accelerating the delivery of onshore renewables. We want to see more wind and solar onshore and substantially more renewables offshore. We will have a real opportunity in the years to the end of this decade to make a significant step change in that regard.”
“No, it is not. What I accused the Deputy of was being fixated with LNG and with a floating strategic gas reserve that we actually need. It has been very clearly set out that the fact that we do not have a strategic gas reserve is a risk to our society, our country and our energy stability. I did not mention climate in my response to the Deputy at the start or accuse him of being fixated with climate change. I am; I am the Minister responsible for climate. I am the Minister responsible for ensuring we increase our renewables and unlock the potential we have around our coasts for the delivery of offshore renewables. I will state for the benefit of those watching the Deputy's track record on climate matters. He did not support the climate Act. He does not support the carbon tax. He does not support any of the measures that have been-----”
“-----for opposing it. I brought the Bill forward. On one hand, some Deputies opposite will say they want a green transition and to move towards renewables - we are doing that - but when we bring forward any legislation that actually assists in doing that, they oppose it just because it is the Government that brings forward the legislation,.”
“-----that he goes out and starts telling people we are buying fracked gas from the United States. That is not the question at all, but it suits the Deputy's narrative that he will be able to stoke up anger in this regard. We are doing pretty well as a country with regard to our transition to green energy. On an average day, approximately 33% of our energy is generated through renewables. We need to do a lot better, and we are going to accelerate that. That means things like the Planning and Development Act we passed last year to help us accelerate the delivery of renewables, an Act, by the way, the Deputy opposed. He also opposed the marine planning Act, which was incredible. We did not have a planning architecture for our maritime area, and, to try to streamline that, we created and established MARA.”
“Yes, you do. The reality of it is that I cannot ignore the risks the State has with regard to our energy supply. It would be dereliction of my duty as Minister on behalf of our citizens if I ignored the independent advice I have with regard to the risk to our society, economy and country should there be a disruption to our gas supply. I said this earlier, but I appreciate that the Deputy was at the Business Committee. I told colleagues that the legal advice that was received by my predecessor in this regard was very clear that a distinction could not be made in respect of the type of gas that would be imported through LNG. No one is saying, by the way, that this is US imported gas. Deputy Murphy is saying that. That has not even been determined. The procurement-----”
“The strategic gas reserve is not intended for commercial use. The liquified natural gas will be held in reserve for use in the event of a significant disruption to gas supplies and will be divested when no longer required to secure our energy systems. The policy decision ensures the risk of stranded fossil fuel assets is reduced. As I said, the reserve will be for emergency use. The source of the LNG supply for the reserve has yet to be determined. The operation of the strategic gas emergency reserve will be underpinned by policy and legislation that my Department is progressing as a matter of priority.”