Jerry Buttimer
Cork South-Central · Fine Gael · Ireland
“Its priority is to provide scheduled public transport services on the TFI network. It works with event organisers, operators, local authorities and An Garda Síochána to provide additional transport supports where it is possible to do so.”
“I commit to relaying the points the Senator has made on the floor of the House, and has conveyed to me in private, to the Department of Transport. To be fair to the Senator, it was not only this morning that he has articulated this. The travelling supporters of Kerry and Mayo deserve additional transport.”
“I understand from the company that the Expressway team is currently examining whether additional services on route 22 will be added on the morning of Sunday, 26 July.”
“In this case, for Kerry and Mayo, as the Senator rightly said, it will see a high demand for scheduled and additional services. The Senator has outlined the volume of tickets sales. This is the busiest time for scheduled intercity services anyway, given that it is peak summer time, and that is a priority.”
“I understand from speaking to Irish Rail that it hopes to be in a position to confirm the number of additional services later this week - I am hoping this will be today or tomorrow - and it will advise customers as soon as these services are available to book.”
“The Senator mentioned Sneem and Ventry. He and I will remember our great friends, the late, great John Egan and Paudie O'Shea, as well as the Senator's brother Tim. I get emotional because they were great GAA people. Cork and Kerry have the best supporters of the GAA.”
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“I make the point that it is incumbent on the local authority as the lead agency on the ground working with the development companies to deliver and put in place that blueprint and road map. As I said in reply to Deputy Rice earlier, I got involved in politics because we had no library in Bishopstown. There will always be local activism but leadership needs to be provided by the local authority and Government. In our case, we are providing the funding and working with the council. I look forward to continuing to work with the Deputy in delivering because he is right that Carrigtohill and Midleton are pivotal to the development and growth of our county.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. There is no doubt that it takes local action groups to work and get things moving, but there is a county development plan as we know well that sets out the blueprint and roadmap for investment. Everything the Deputy has spoken about this morning in terms of provision of playgrounds, community centres, you name it, the Minister, Deputy Calleary and I are very committed to. We have met with a variety of organisations in terms of demographics and projecting future needs and is critically important that we as a Department and as a Government continue to invest. That is why we have programmes such as CLÁR, LEADER and the community centres investment fund, CCIF.”
“Last year we provided almost €12 million in financial support for Cork and I can give the examples of MyPlace Midleton and the Cork Cloyne Diocesan youth services, and I can quote a myriad of other examples as the Deputy knows quite well. His point is that we must ensure that at the very heart of what we do is people, place and giving people that sense of buy-in to their local community. It is about ensuring we work collaboratively to develop not just housing estates, which are very important and necessary, but a community where people can put down roots. We can have the piece the Deputy referenced coming off that as well.”
“We as a Department and Government are committed to funding and working on a variety of schemes, whether through the community central investment fund which the Minister, Deputy Calleary is announcing a call later today on, or as we have done in the past, with the community recognition fund. The Deputy referenced the issue of the playground. We have the very proactive outdoor recreation investment scheme as well as the town and village renewal scheme and the rural regeneration and development fund. We work as a Department with Cork County Council but also with Avondhu Blackwater and the SICAP in developing the piece the Deputy referenced. The key point for us is that it is about ensuring the allocation of funding delivers.”
“Our Department will continue to work with the Deputy and all stakeholders, including community and voluntary and representative organisations and local development companies, to provide sustained financial support to community organisations throughout the country. The Deputy’s points are well made.”
“Across the community development area of our Department, funding of €260 million has been provided this year, consistent with that commitment and the strategy for the community and voluntary sector. The most significant funding programmes provide support on a multi-annual basis, including the social inclusion community activation programme and the scheme to support national organisations. Some €74 million is being allocated to the SICAP and other social inclusion supports this year, which also includes €12 million in support for community integration work, helping to support new arrivals into our country. The community service programme also supports 426 community-based organisations with a budget of €59.4 million last year to provide services through the social enterprise model.”
“The Government strategy to support the community and voluntary sector, Sustainable, Inclusively and Empowered communities, published in 2019, sets out a long-term vision for communities in Ireland and provides a strategic framework across government for engaging with the sector, as well as support for a range of programmes and initiatives. It included a commitment to promote multi-annual funding for community and voluntary organisations. Our Government is currently developing a successor strategy that will build upon the achievements, structures and programmes established under the previous strategy, while also responding to new challenges and contexts.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. He is right that there is a complete need for clarity and certainty around the issue of funding. The community and voluntary sector is quite diverse and receives, as he said, financial support from a wide variety of Government agencies, including our Department. The Deputy has highlighted a growth population projection of Midleton and Carrigtohill, and it is important that from a whole-of-government perspective; while working with local authorities, we get it right. That is going to be the next big part of Cork that is growing.”
“We will discuss further the question the Deputy asked, and the question Deputy Currie will ask in a second. It is about ensuring we work with all groups to provide clarity but also that navigability should not be too complex.”
“I would make the point to Deputy Ward that we already have a range of programmes on the ground that provide support and offer dedicated staff access and a pathway for applications, whether this is for SICAP, ECP or LEADER. They are assisting communities and working to engage with funding and services. For me, and I know the Deputy is the same, a core feature of what we do is not just about providing support and capital investment but about ensuring we can strengthen local areas. The Deputy is right that there is the Government’s piece and a transparency piece. For me, however, it must be about how we can help and assist community groups, as an example, to navigate and be aware of the different programmes. I think the local community development groups and the LAGs provide that kind of signposting and a roadmap.”
“In many cases, applications should not have to be declared invalid. We should be able to work with and assist, as the Deputy rightly said, community and voluntary groups in respect of building their capacity to empower and enhance their own local areas. I look forward to working with the Deputy and Deputy Roche in putting in place an administrative pathway to make applying for grants easier.”
“The Deputy is right. The Minister and I are very much committed to making it easier for people and groups to apply, whether that is the local development group or the LEADER programme. I will be answering another question from Deputy Currie in a minute with probably the same replies. It is about working, in our case, with Pobal, as an example, to make it easier for people to apply and get that online guidance and support in the context of an application. If I can use the phrase, there should be no wrong door in an application process. Having been involved in my own community association and GAA club and going through a myriad of funding applications, I fully concur with the Deputy that it should not be a complex process. If a process is started, it should not be necessary to go back to the beginning and start again.”
“The funding provided by our Department supports eligible projects relating to community groups and rural businesses, and also contributes to LAG administration costs, in terms of the budgets there, as the Minister said, to support work such as engaging with prospective applicants regarding their application. I assure the Deputy that work remains ongoing in our Department to look at the best ways to ensure that disadvantaged communities are provided with the support they need to underpin their sustainable development.”
“This includes developing their capacity to better engage with other groups, improve outcomes in their communities, and address social exclusion issues. In 2025, SICAP supported over 2,500 LCGs and networks in this way. Additionally, the empowering communities programme, ECP, enhances access to key services and supports communities to respond to area-based poverty and social exclusion. Community workers act as a local resource, as Members will know, including supporting groups with activities such as funding applications and administrative requirements. Separately, our Department’s LEADER programme is a community-led approach to local development delivered in rural areas across the country by a network of local action groups, LAGs.”
“I join with Deputy Ward in sending our condolences to Deputy Roche. I thank the Deputy for taking the question. Our Department's mission is to promote rural and community development and support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. A number of programmes provide funding for staff resources to engage with and support communities, including building their capacity to access Government funding schemes. The social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, is the State’s primary social inclusion programme. It provides supports to disadvantaged communities and individuals to improve their life chances. The SICAP initiative supports collective community engagement, providing direct supports to local community groups, LCGs, and networks.”
“The funding is ring-fenced. It is very easy for the Deputy to come in here. I have met Colette Kelleher, the chair of the action group, and I am as committed as the Deputy is. Again, it is not our Department that is responsible.”
“Deputy Rice comes in here and speaks about a cathedral of learning and it is wonderful rhetoric. I share his view. I am equally ambitious for Cork. I have been involved in public life for 21 years as a member of Cork City Council and as a Member of the Oireachtas and the library will be transformative for our city. The chief executive outlined at his briefing with us that the project in the library is one element of the overall Grand Parade project. The funding has been allocated and is ring-fenced.”
“I hope the Deputy understands that the element we speak about today, the library, on which we agree, is one element of the Grand Parade project and has been allocated funding under the urban regeneration and development fund. That funding has been provided. Equally, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and the previous Minister, Heather Humphreys, provided moneys under the URDF to Cork County Council, and we committed to and have built two libraries in Macroom and Youghal. I agree that our library staff are fantastic in Cork city. Our library needs to be that flagship for the part of the city we are regenerating. I look forward to working with the Deputy and with Cork City Council to develop that project.”
“To clarify for the Deputy so that he knows, it is not our Department that is responsible; it is the Department of housing. To help him again, Cork City Council is the responsible local authority. I think Deputy Rice was at the briefing we had as Members of the Oireachtas with the chief executive of the city council before Christmas, where we believe the city council identified a site. Work is ongoing. Our Department is committed in terms of our responsibility. The Department of housing is equally committed, as Deputy Rice will know. It should be put on record that this Government has been supportive and has funded Cork City Council and the regeneration of Cork city.”
“We all share the ambition to have a state-of-the-art library in Cork City Council. I got involved in politics campaigning for my own local library in Bishopstown, where we had none. Thankfully, we have a magnificent library now adjacent to Wilton Shopping Centre. Like Deputy Rice, we in this Department, with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, share the ambition to have a modern state-of-the-art library for Cork city. That is a project we will all support.”
“As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of library services is primarily a matter for local authorities - in this case, Cork City Council - in their capacity as library authorities under the Local Government Act 2001. The Cork city library is one element of the overall Grand Parade quarter project, which is being funded through the urban regeneration and development fund, administered by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. My officials are in regular contact with colleagues in the URDF unit in that Department on the matter. In line with a commitment in the national public library strategy, the libraries development unit in our Department issued updated public library standards and benchmarks to all library authorities, including Cork City Council, earlier this year.”
“I thank Deputy Rice for raising the matter. I concur with him that we have an extraordinary dedicated library staff in Cork city right across all sections of our library service. As the Deputy will be well aware, the current libraries capital programme 2023-2027 is investing €22.6 million in 11 state-of-the-art library infrastructure projects around the country and a further €2.6 million in 12 next-generation mobile library vehicles across Ireland. Funding of €8.3 million has been provided by our Department to support Cork City Council's public library services since 2019, through the libraries capital programme and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund. Details of this expenditure will be provided separately to Deputy Rice as requested.”
“We should travel with haste in the context of the project being implemented safely, correctly and within budget and then there is the whole piece around that next generation ticketing and the validators on the entire public transport fleet and stations. The Senator makes a very good point. There is complication and complexity and I am not quite sure why we have to make it so difficult. As somebody who is not an expert, I am looking at it like the Senator and asking why it cannot be done quicker. I hope when we do this - and I will ask the NTA in a minute when I go over to the briefing - that we get it right. It is about the next generation ticketing. It is about ensuring the solution works nationwide. I thank the Acting Chair for her indulgence.”
“If I may digress for a second, I encourage the Senator to go over in a minute to the NTA briefing because it is not the first time he has raised this matter. He has been a very strong proponent of this. The next generation ticketing was initially introduced as part of Dublin BusConnects and then going nationwide. I am not being defensive here but it is important to get it right. There needs to be careful planning, approvals and co-ordination with multiple different external organisations in terms of design and installation. The important point is to get it absolutely right because if not, the Senator will correctly come back in here and say it has been a completely diabolical and mismanaged project.”
“To conclude, I thank Senator Scahill for the points he has made. It is incredibly frustrating. We need to move quicker and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, shares that view as well.”
“This system is being deployed across all 15 TFI Local Link offices, with the full cohort to be done by the end of this year. As Minister of State with responsibility for rural transport, I pay tribute to the Local Link offices and the services being provided, particularly those we are talking about here with contactless payments making it easier for people from Laois, Offaly, Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim. Under budget 2026, a funding package of €940 million was secured for PSO, and TFI Local Link received a 43% increase from last year. This will further support subsidised bus and rail services across Ireland, while maintaining targeted fares, including initiatives such as the recently introduced free travel for children up to the age of nine, and young adult cards for those aged 19 to 25, as part of the NTA's national fares strategy.”
“This will test contactless payments on new validators or ticket machines. Phase 2, as the Senator said, will be launched in 2028, allowing passengers on Dublin Bus and Luas services to use this new ticketing technology, including contactless payments, on validators. Plans for later phases remain under development at the moment. I share the Senator's view that it is taking far too long. There is a frustration felt by many of us in government because the old legacy system is difficult to maintain and is at the end of its life. The Senator is right that people have moved on. The world has evolved. Separately, the NTA is actively rolling out contactless payments across the TFI Local Link, with regular services allowing passengers to pay for single journeys via debit and credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay.”
“The Minister met with the company in January at its new Dublin headquarters. During the visit, he emphasised the importance of this project and the desire of all public transport users - as articulated and outlined by the Senator here - and of Government to see it implemented without delay. Last week, we had questions on this particular matter in the Dáil. This modern solution will introduce contactless payments for passengers via bank cards, mobile phones and barcodes across all public transport modes nationwide that are subsidised by the State. It will replace the Leap card system, which has served over 9 million users since its launch in 2011. The initial focus of this project is on the greater Dublin area. It will be rolled out across four phases, with phase 1 due to be launched in the summer of 2027.”
“It is important to stress that many public transport users have travelled the world and have engaged with other systems where contactless ticketing is in operation and in use. The Senator spoke about the whole Local Link service. That has been a huge success. I assure the Senator that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and the Department and Government, along with the stakeholders, are making, and will continue to make, significant efforts to implement the next generation ticketing across the country over the coming years. The Minister and the Department have made significant funding available to support the move to new ticketing technology, and the National Transport Authority has entered into a contract with a Spanish technology company, Indra Sistemas, to deliver the project.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir Scahill as ucht an rúin seo a chur roimh an Teach. It is a very important issue and I am taking the matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy O'Brien. The programme for Government is committed to the rolling out of contactless fare payments on all public transport and to keeping fares low and affordable. It is important to stress that contactless fare payments, or next generation ticketing, will be introduced initially as part of BusConnects Dublin before being delivered nationwide, including on Bus Éireann services. The Senator is right. People expect the service to be reliable, accessible and modern and I fully concur with him that many people now do not carry cash, but use cards instead.”
“Where there is a will, there is a way. From a Government point of view, we have to deliver. I thank Deputy McGrath for being a strong supporter of the projects. I look forward to working with him to ensure we see those projects being delivered in our lifetime in this Dáil.”
“We have already highlighted and articulated the progress that has been made. The proof is in the Cork area commuter rail programme, under the stewardship of AJ Cronin, and how it is being progressed and delivered. I thank Deputy McGrath for his support and advocacy around that. It is the model that can bring about and unlock the other projects he spoke about. I share Deputy McGrath's annoyance and frustration in terms of the airport. He has been articulating that for a while to be fair to him. I cannot comprehend the lack of joined-up thinking by Bus Éireann in terms of being able to deliver this. As the Deputy rightly said, a number of workers and passengers could use that. There is a bus coming to Cork from Waterford that stops at the bus depot that could go to the airport, for example, but it does not.”
“I assure Deputy McGrath that I, as Minister of State at the Department of Transport, working with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, want to see the projects that we speak about delivered. Delivery is critical. These projects cannot be managed remotely. There has to be a beefed-up office in Cork delivering in the city. Accountability, engagement and empowerment, which the Deputy spoke about, are needed. It is important that we deliver because that is what we will be judged on. The people of Cork deserve to have the projects we are speaking about delivered on time and on budget. As an aside, we should look at how we can use the critical infrastructure Bill as an exemplar to deliver the Cork Luas project. The Government is committed to progressing the different projects we discussed.”
“I thank Deputy McGrath for raising the matter. He knows, as I do, that this a need that will see projects delivered. It is beneficial for Cork. I thank him for his support for this project. It is critical that we progress it.”
“We have made huge progress in Cork, as the Deputy said, with commuter rail. We have delivered huge numbers of people. There is a new through platform at Kent Station and resignalling work, and the works from Glounthaune to Midleton, and on to Mallow in the Deputy's area, are phenomenal. It is important that we continue with that. The point the Deputy made about the airport is absolutely correct. I share his view that the airport has been forgotten with regard to the provision of rail but, more pertinently and immediately, the provision of bus access to the airport. It beggars belief that Cork Airport does not have public buses to it, in particular in the mornings to get staff, customers and passengers to the airport. I cannot understand how Bus Éireann cannot sit down with TII, the NTA, the airport, and local authorities to address that.”
“It needs to be accountable for the delivery of Bus Connects, the Cork area commuter rail, Cork light rail, the Luas and the active travel programme. I apologise that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, cannot be here tonight. I am taking this Topical Issue for him. We have seen various iterations of BusConnects. I will not read out the prepared remarks because Deputy McGrath knows as well as I do that this needs to be fast-tracked. It is taking far too long. It would bring a huge benefit to Cork. We see the N40 congested every day. I was in Carrigaline yesterday. It was like being in downtown New York, with the volume of traffic on the N28. It was extraordinary. Deputy McGrath mentioned the sustainable transport corridors and active travel, including provision of bus lanes and cycle lanes. We need to continue with that.”
“Deputy McGrath and I share the view that there needs to be delivery of the plan for the integrated transport network that enables the metropolitan area of Cork to grow and develop and that also sees the Cork metropolitan area transport strategy delivered. The fundamental point is that the NTA has already established an office in Cork city, on Horgan's Quay, but the office must be manned on a full-time basis for the delivery of the metropolitan area transport strategy. We have seen the Irish Rail projects and the success that AJ Cronin has brought to the development of infrastructure and rail. I concur completely with Deputy McGrath that this office needs to be expedited, manned in Cork and delivered.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta McGrath as ucht an rúin a chur roimh an Teach. I have prepared remarks but in many ways they have been made redundant by what he outlined, because is right. Both of us agree. We have listened to the views of the Cork Development Forum, Cork Business Association and Cork Chamber of Commerce. We were both at the Future Cork event last Friday, where an Taoiseach spoke on the panel about the significant transport projects in Cork. The Government has committed to delivery of the Cork metropolitan area transport strategy. It is important to recognise in the House that it is an exciting time for public transport in Cork.”
“There should be no mystique. If it is good news or bad news, let us have it out there. At least then schools will know where they stand, where they need to be, how they can progress and if there is a vacancy or a complication somewhere else, perhaps they can fit into the slot, get the money spent and get the school built. The Deputy makes a good point. I thank her for what she is doing. The important point from a Government point of view, and I am not being defensive, is that we are investing billions of euro in capital expenditure in education. We have delivered almost 1,400 completed school building projects and over 4,000 smaller-scale improvement projects since 2020. That does not solve the Deputy's problem, I take that point on board fully, but I look forward taking her views back to the Department.”
“They deserve to have the same level and quality of school build as their peers elsewhere in the country and to be taught in a campus that is modern and fit for purpose. We can go into some of the issues in terms of the schools. I was in a school yesterday and I wondered how we can still leave it open, despite the fact that the school community is phenomenal. It is a great school. The staff and students are resilient and the education output is phenomenal. However, it is important that the Department engages and that it explains the process clearly in terms of the projects the Deputy outlined and the progression of stages. It is something that all of us, not just as public representatives but as citizens, deserve. There needs to be greater transparency. I see Deputy McGrath here. We are dealing with some schools projects in Cork.”
“As a former teacher and somebody who has been involved with schools both as a teacher, in terms of the construction of a new school in Ballincollig where I was teaching, and as a public representative, the Deputy is right. It is critical that clarity is provided and that we give certainty. As the Deputy said, that clear communication is very much required. The Department of Education and Youth and the Minister, Deputy Naughton, will continue to work with schools and patrons with regard to the schools building programme and the projects in County Mayo. It is important that we give hope to school communities and the schools. The Deputy was right to raise the issue on the floor of the Dáil. It is a desire we all share, but she outlined it for the pupils in County Mayo.”
“The Department will continue to engage with patrons and schools in County Mayo and across the country to inform the progression of projects across the capital programme. I know there are schools on the list the Deputy read out that have not been allocated funding. Even though they have not been included in the first tranche of the prioritised projects, it is important that they engage and that we, as a Government and a Department, engage with the Deputy on the individual projects to see where they are in terms of that pipeline. She raised an important point on the status of projects, the information needed and the clarity needed for school communities and parents associations. In this context the Department will fund and invest in school communities where appropriate.”
“As I have said and the Deputy knows well, the Minister has published a list of the 105 school building projects that have been announced. In terms of the issues raised by Deputy Keogh, clarity has been provided to schools on annual December to January payment period for minor works and ICT grants to schools. The minor works grants for the 2026-27 school year were issued in December and the ICT grants were issued in January. The Minister, Deputy Naughton, is also commencing arrangements for increasing minor works funding at primary level and introducing minor works funding at post-primary level. Investment under the plan will also involve the delivery of 297 projects under the climate action summer works scheme. This includes 16 projects in County Mayo.”
“Of the total €7.5 billion investment, it is envisaged that around €5 billion will be used for project roll-out to support the delivery and modernisation of school buildings across the large scale, additional accommodation, modular, and annual September accommodation needs programmes. Over the course of this year and next year, there will be construction work at around 10% of the school estate. These projects will, when completed, provide an additional 57,000 modernised school places with a strong special education needs focus in all projects. The Department will continue to lead and to build on the progress made over recent years with the continued roll-out of projects on a prioritised basis to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities.”
“Since 2010, a total of €37.12 million in capital funding has been provided for ASA projects in County Mayo. There are currently 27 ASA projects at preliminary design stage, 21 projects at detailed design, one project at tender stage and 11 projects on site at construction stage. In addition, 42 ASA projects have been completed since 2020. As the Deputy will know, the Department recently published the NDP - she referenced in terms of the number of schools not included - for the period from 2026 to 2030. This NDP sectoral plan places an emphasis on maximising existing capacity and the prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. It is fair to say that in this context, the emphasis on special education roll-out is being applied.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an Saincheist Tráthúil a chur os comhair an Tí maidir le cursaí oideachais i gContae Mhaigh Eo. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter of schools and the various stages they are at in the Department of education in County Mayo. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for education. She apologises for not being able to be here. The Deputy highlighted a number of schools. I have made a list of them that I will refer back to the Department for the Deputy. She is right. Schools need certainty to plan for the future and that is the fundamental that we should all adhere to. The Department provides details of all live and completed projects. Information for ASA in schools in County Mayo is available on the Department’s website and further engagement is being made available.”
“Government with the NTA and the council have allocated funding. This is a very important route. Living in and being from Cork, I recognise the volume of traffic has increased, and the number of accidents has increased. It is a priority for us in government. That is why we have allocated money after having had a pause. I will take the areas the Deputy mentioned back to Cork County Council because the issues he raised are a matter for the council in the main. I will articulate the views of Deputy McCarthy to the council. I will make the point to Deputy O'Shea that we have allocated €139 million in Exchequer funding to Cork County Council for national roads this year, which is an increase. I hope that as part of that allocation of funding, we will see the route and the junctions the Deputy mentioned are addressed by the council.”
“We have already seen a huge allocation of resources to the improvement of the road at the tunnel. This will further augment the work being done there.”
“Deputy O'Shea, speaking on behalf of Deputy McCarthy, is right that the N25 is an important road. It is the road to Rosslare Europort and funnels traffic into Cork city. As I said, the interventions for junction safety on the N25 are a matter for Cork County Council in this case. It will identify the points the Deputy has outlined and the need for enhanced safety measures to be taken. Funding has been allocated to it. The important point for our Department is that this road has had a number of accidents and fatalities. We have allocated resources to the council to ensure we can have the on-ramp, off-ramp, access points and egress improved. I will take the points the Deputy made back to Cork County Council and back to the NTA on behalf of Deputy McCarthy because it is about ensuring that road is safe.”
“In addition, over the past number of years, TII has provided funding to Cork County Council for identifying smaller, more localised interventions on this section of the N25, including €100,000 this year for junction safety improvements. These are badly needed and we would all welcome them. While interventions on this section have proven challenging due to the number of access points, limited land in public ownership and budgetary constraints, one measure that has been developed and proposed by Cork County Council is at Milebush, where it is hoped to provide improved access by utilising lands owned by the local authority. I hope that will be progressed this year.”