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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“When I was a student in Maynooth, there might have been one or two trains to Dublin a day whereas, today, there is a conveyor belt, which is great. The Leas-Chathaoirleach and Senator Ryan referred to Shannon Airport. I was there recently and had a very good meeting with the chief executive and members of his team. The national development plan recognises and calls for a regional airports programme that befits our country in terms of getting people in and out. The example that Senator Duffy has always championed is Knock Airport and its success illustrates how important our regional airports programme is. That means supporting smaller regional airports, looking at the schedule of passenger air services, and that the aviation sector cannot just look at Dublin. The Minister spoke about the cap.”
“I know Deputy Neville, who is in the Gallery, has been a strong advocate for County Kildare in the context of progressing that kind of “beyond the Pale” mentality and joining up the dots on connectivity. As a Government, we are firmly of the view that we need and must have balanced regional development. That means looking after Galway, Limerick, Waterford and the town of Drogheda, which was mentioned earlier, but also recognising that redesigning our bus network will be challenging and will present difficulties for everybody. That is why we have to work with people when we make our submissions. As a former student of Maynooth University, I would like to ensure that the 66 bus service takes me into Dublin quicker or that there are many transport options, for example. When I go back to Maynooth, I can see the train service there now.”
“We have to give those young people in the Gallery an opportunity to live in a world where we are not car dependent. That is why the programme for Government is strong in this regard. It is also why BusConnects has been a central tenet of the National Transport Authority programme to improve public transport, and not just for Local Link, Rural Link and so on. I do not have the information for Senator O'Reilly today, so I ask her to contact the NTA in that regard. I very much welcome the commitment of the National Transport Authority on BusConnects. We have seen it in Dublin in terms of the approval of the 12 bus corridors by An Coimisiún Pleanála and the wider plan for BusConnects around the country.”
“It is about the network being able to meet the demands of a growing population but also the needs of people. We must remember that everything we do, as politicians, as community activists and as legislators, is about putting people first, whether rural or urban. Senator Ryan referred to international connectivity, which is pivotal. I emphasise that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney and I are deeply committed to ensuring that we provide all people with reliable, convenient and suitable public transport and mobility options, as in the programme for Government. We also recognise that, as Senator Kelleher said, whereas there might be one or two cars at a house today, we need to reduce it to one or none in the context of the 15-minute city.”
“We have seen the growth from Galway down to Limerick, so it is an option we cannot miss. I thank the Senators. I did not hear all of the contributions as I was not here earlier. Their contributions show the depth of commitment by all in the House to meet the challenges, but also to seize the opportunities and recognise that we have travelled some distance as a country. There are young people in the Public Gallery. They have grown up in an Ireland where we have the Luas, motorways and enhanced public transport. I remember that going on a train as a young person was like going on an aeroplane today. I am making the point that we have grown and evolved as a country. However, we all agree that we have challenges that we must meet. All of the speakers have articulated a fine case for their own areas. It is about having strong public transport.”
“The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, was here earlier to discuss the importance of public transport and the strategic importance the Government places on connectivity, for example, at Shannon Airport. Senator Conway spoke about Waterford, and Senators Boyle and Blaney raised the issue of the A5. I would not mind being in Gweedore today as it would be nice in that part of the world, in fairness. Senator Comyn referred to the scale to which Drogheda has grown. Senator Ryan spoke of the importance of Limerick. It just shows the importance of the M20 at one level, although we are perhaps partisan about that in Cork and Limerick. Senator Boyle spoke about going to or coming from the match. We have seen it coming from Limerick on the evening of the Munster hurling final and it shows the need to bypass Charleville, Mallow and Buttevant.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh cuairteoirí an Teachta Neville. Ar an gcéad dul síos ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil agus comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis na Seanadóirí a bhí páirteach sa díospóireacht faoin gcóras iompar poiblí agus earnáil na heitlíochta. Díospóireacht an-tábhachtach agus láidir a bhí ann ar mhaithe leis na ceantair ar fad. Tá an ceart ach go háirithe ag an Seanadóir Ó Céilleachair that the national development plan is the roadmap of travel and the trajectory we are going to be on. Therefore, it is imperative that within any balanced regional development, we have at its core communities, people and that overarching theme of connectivity. I thank the Members for the opportunity to come to the House today to speak on behalf of many different projects.”
“I was struck by the local archive and local history sections in a number of libraries I visited in Waterford and Dungarvan. In my own city of Cork we have a wonderful public library and I hope we can transform the central library on Grand Parade in time. We are very fortunate with our library service. It is a jewel in the crown.”
“In regard to the sensory room issue, I was in Ennis library last week, where there is a sensory space. There was a mum with two kids in the sensory space and their joy and contemplative ease was phenomenal. I commend the staff in Ennis library on that space. It was breathtaking to see the way in which they were able to take a piece of the library floor area and use it for people with autism or other disabilities to go in and be at ease and at peace. I was struck by that. It is about the age-friendly recognition and that community piece. It is about ensuring that, as part of the strategy, we deliver on the 66 actions. It is also about ensuring that our libraries are the focal point for people and for communities. We are blessed with the staff in our libraries. They are wonderful people.”
“As a member of the local authority, long before I was elected here, I was involved in the Cork city library committee. As the Deputy said, the library is a place for people. It was the only place where people could get educated. They could get books. I remember going to the mobile library as a child and wondering when we would get a library in Bishopstown. I will happily sit down and talk to the Deputies about that. If we can improve the offering for people in communities, why not do it?”
“There is huge merit in those suggestions. I am certainly very open to that. Athy library was mentioned as an example. Birr library is another example. In other parts of the country refurbished buildings are, through a variety of means, being used. Our libraries are now community spaces. They are being used by a variety of people. Our traditional library has changed, thankfully, from a place where you cannot talk, just read, to one where there is an open door for communities. Our Department recognises the importance of public libraries in our communities. It is about community and about people. I recognise the significance of the capital investment. To answer Deputy O'Reilly, I am open to any suggestions because I am a big advocate for libraries.”
“In this context I would like to acknowledge the financial contributions made by local authorities from their own resources. I would also like to note the financial contributions made by various other stakeholders in the delivery of the strategy. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I are committed to developing the national library strategy.”
“Examples of actions under way are a national skills for life programme of resources and activities which will see 684 events take place throughout the country this year, and the fact that age-friendly recognition has been achieved in every library. The My Open Library service continues to expand and is now available in 55 branches. A national public libraries open day took place this year and almost 1,350 new members were registered. Our Department continues to work with all the local authorities, the LGMA and all other partners and stakeholders to deliver on the ongoing actions. I am delighted to support the strategy with continued investment. Since the launch of the strategy two years ago, our Department has approved expenditure of €28.3 million for libraries, including capital funding. A total of €8.3 million has been spent to date.”
“The public library strategy was published in July 2023. It contains 66 actions which will enable our public libraries to become multipurpose social and educational spaces for all members of the community to enjoy. As I said in response to a previous last question, our libraries are now transformed into places of community activity. They are no longer just for reading and studying; there are men's sheds, women's sheds and different varieties of activities going on there. The libraries development committee, comprising representation from members of the Local Government Management Agency, the County and City Management Association, city and county librarians and my Department, is responsible for monitoring the implementation of actions in the strategy. Significant progress has been made to date on the implementation of the strategy.”
“People have left prison and made new beginnings. The Glen Resource Centre is an example. I commend the Deputy again on his work on that. It shows that by working with families and children of the men and women involved, we can make it better.”
“I thank the Deputy for the work he has done. I taught in St. Aidan's Community College; I am familiar with the area. I recognise the issue he has highlighted, despite the great work by a variety of community organisations and mentoring. There is an empowerment piece, training, retraining and engagement between agencies. There are a number of people who re-offend once they leave prison. We have an obligation, duty and responsibility to work with everybody to ensure those people and their families are given that opportunity. If the Deputy has suggestions, I am open to working with everybody to ensure we accomplish the aim he articulated so that we do not miss people. We as a Department and a Government are about tackling many issues in terms of disadvantage and the people in our criminal justice system. There are success stories.”
“I will work with all involved to ensure we look at supports, in particular for those who have left prison to avoid that revolving door. A lot of work is being done. There are success stories but the Deputy is right to highlight the people being missed by the great programmes.”
“I thank the Deputy who is right to raise this matter. He has raised it previously. I have asked the Department to examine this issue. The Irish Examiner recently had an interesting profile of the north side of Cork city. It is an issue I am concerned about. We need to have a serious conversation about it. The Glen Resource Centre has a good programme for the families of those in prison. It has held a summer camp in the past few weeks. I am happy to sit down and discuss this with the Deputy because it is an important matter. Despite all the funding, outreach, activities and programmes, there is an issue we are missing somewhere. I commend the Cork City Partnership on its work, particularly in the Mayfield area.”
“He will be aware that there are currently seven local development companies delivering the SICAP programme across the eight contract areas in Cork city, Cork county and the west Cork Islands. While SICAP is a multi-annual funding programme, it is subject to the annual budgetary Estimates process. The total SICAP funding allocations for last year and this year for the seven companies in Cork came to €8,183,430. The Department has also provided additional funding through SICAP since 2022 to local development companies to support Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection and international protection applicants. A total of €1.91 million has been allocated to the local development companies in Cork for these supports this year and last year. There has been a positive trend of year-on-year increases in SICAP funding in recent years.”
“I thank the Deputy. Our Department's social inclusion and community activation programme is our country’s primary social inclusion programme. SICAP is a national programme delivered locally in both rural and urban areas by local development companies. It supports those in the greatest need to address high and persistent levels of deprivation through targeted, locally-led initiatives and approaches. The programme encourages partnerships between people, community organisations, and public sector agencies to address diverse community needs. The current SICAP programme commenced in 2024 and will run until 2028. I thank the Deputy for the work he does in his own area, particularly in Blackpool.”
“It is about ensuring the Department takes note of what the Deputy is saying and recognises the importance of the staff and the workers. I will further engage with the sector again on the matter, as he knows.”
“To be fair, we are aware of and are very cognisant of the challenges in the sector. I reiterate that it would be inappropriate for our Department to be involved in the setting of pay and conditions, while recognising the importance of the sector and the brilliant work being done. What we are committed to doing and what we will do is to look into an estimated time to boost the budget for the Department but also recognising that the conditions of employment, the whole issue of training and upskilling is part of what we do in looking to improve the outcomes for people in terms of staff and qualifications. As I said earlier, our Department has been heavily investing in professional bursaries and professional upskilling of the workforce through strengthening capacity of the workers and the different organisations.”
“It is about having a comprehensive training needs assessment specific to the needs of our small community and voluntary organisations, in particular. It is also about ensuring we can put in place multi-annual funding through SICAP, CSP, SSNO and LEADER to help us to create an atmosphere and an opportunity to retain high quality staff. We have high quality staff in the sector and we must acknowledge that and do all we can to ensure that knowledge base is not lost. I would be happy to hear any suggestions the Deputy has and I would be happy to work with him on them.”
“I am committed to continuing to provide supports to the community and voluntary sector. I am not absolving us from any role here but our Department does not set terms and conditions of pay. We are very much of the view that it is about supporting the community and voluntary sector. My priority is to create an environment where the sector can thrive, that is enabling and empowering, and that is building capacity and strengthening the sector. I am very much aware of the needs and concerns expressed and the reality some people find themselves in regarding the retention and recruitment of staff. It is about ensuring we can build resilience, skill-development and capacity among the community and voluntary groups.”
“Both funds are administered by the all-Ireland endorsement body. The funding will have the effect of expanding the professionally qualified workforce in the community workspace, strengthening the capacity of the workers and their respective organisations to respond to the complex challenges the communities they work in are experiencing. I look forward to continuing to engage, as does the Minister, Deputy Calleary, with the community development sector in the consultation process for the new strategy and to hearing their views on this important issue.”
“I am very much aware of the important role community workers play in the delivery of programmes that are funded through our Department, many of which are based in very disadvantaged areas and provide vital services to communities. I thank the staff and workers for the work they do. They make the lives of all of us better and enhance our local communities every day and week they go out and do their work. In line with the current strategy, our Department has supported initiatives to strengthen the profession of community development worker. In 2022, funding was provided to establish a two-year bursary fund to support people employed in community organisations to pursue professional community work qualifications. In addition, further funding was approved for the establishment of a one-year pre-professional bursary.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this very important matter and he is right that it is a recurring theme when we speak to people who are very committed to the work they do. The Government's five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector, Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities, was published six years ago. It is a whole-of-government strategy, led by our Department and it has been implemented collaboratively over the last five years in partnership with the sector. Last week, I announced the commencement of a public consultation process to prepare for the development of a successor strategy, which I expect will reaffirm the Government’s commitment to supporting the community development sector.”
“As Minister of State with responsibility for libraries, I look forward to working with all Members of the House to ensure the library service's capital programme, the book fund, the mobile library service and ICT is enhanced during the term of our office in the Department.”
“Since 2020, our Department has allocated Kildare County Council €11.1 million for the public library service, be it the library service to Clane or the mobile library service. It is a testament to the vision of Kildare County Council in terms of its recognition of the importance of our library service. This is maybe tongue in cheek, but perhaps the Tailteann Cup can be showcased in the new library as well. I wish Kildare every success over the weekend. It is important we in the Department work with the county council to ensure our libraries capital programme is delivered. I have travelled to a number of libraries across the country. I visited Ennis last weekend and it is fantastic to see what is happening in our libraries and in particular in the My Open Library service as well.”
“To be fair to Kildare County Council, it has been very progressive and ambitious around the library service and I commend it on the work it is doing. I look forward to working with all Members and Deputy Wall, in particular, on the project for Kildare.”
“I look forward to visiting the library with Deputy Wall. Just to assure him, the project has received funding of €3 million under the capital programme to support what is a very ambitious and exciting plan for the county library in Newbridge, including archives and a cultural centre. The project will be superb in terms of its size and scale. It will be 2,378 sq. m. It will be four times larger than the existing library in Newbridge and will provide an opportunity to showcase the library service in the county. As the Deputy knows, it has received stage 2 approval in the Department's four-stage capital management process. I look forward to working with Kildare County Council, the Deputy and other Members of the House in ensuring the libraries capital programme delivers for the people of Kildare.”
“In addition, €1.3 million was approved by our Department in November 2023 for the provision of new ICT equipment in public libraries. Over the past four years, a sum of €40 million has been allocated by the libraries unit in our Department for public libraries across three funding streams, namely, capital projects, current expenditure and the Dormant Accounts Fund. The €2.25 million allocated from the Dormant Accounts Fund has provided, for example, sensory equipment and equipment to support physically impaired library users for libraries in every county. I will provide the Deputy with information detailing the expenditure county by county in tabular form. In the county of Kildare, which Deputy Wall represents so well, a sum of €5.5 million has been allocated during that four-year window.”
“Within that capacity, under the Local Government Act, we are funding a capital programme this year over a four-year window from 2023 to 2027 that amounts to €22.6 million. Eleven state-of-the-art library projects across the country are being commenced and a further €2.6 million is being invested in 12 next generation mobile library services, including in two new libraries in the Deputy's county of Kildare, in Clane and Newbridge. In addition to this, investment of over €28 million was approved in May of this year under the rural regeneration and development fund for three projects including the provision of new library facilities. Our Department also provides funding annually of over €740,000 as a contribution to support local authorities in leasing buildings for the provision of public library services.”
“I thank the Deputy for his continuing support for our national library programme. When we served together in the Seanad, he was a strong advocate for library services. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I, as Minister of State with responsibility for libraries, are investing in our library services. They are a key priority for both of us and for the Department and that is reflected in the public library strategy. It is an ambitious, forward-looking strategy and one of its key commitments is the delivery of a libraries capital programme. To that end, it is important for Members to bear in mind that the provision of library services is a matter for local authorities primarily.”
“Our Department is very much committed to a people-first approach in any funding we spend to deliver for people at a local level.”
“As the Deputy knows, the Department is progressing a number of initiatives and policies that provide both urban and rural regeneration through an integrated strategic way of delivering supports, programme schemes and co-ordinating measures to address social disadvantage and imbalance in our communities or, in some cases, a lack of opportunity. I gave the example of the national policy on social enterprise, the strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland. We are working to develop new policies, synergies and partnerships, such as through Our Rural Future, and there is significant investment. Some people are still not where they should be and I fully accept that, but we are working to identify and respond in a variety of ways.”
“Both the Minister and I, along with our Department and under the programme for Government, are committed to improving many aspects of the lives of people through community involvement and community-led initiatives. Last week, I was in Clare, while the Minister was in different parts of the country. I met Deputy McGuinness in Waterford with different people. These are wonderful people lifting each other up and raising the standard of living and the standard of public buildings. I opened a number of buildings last week in Cork, including the eHub, which is different. It is about working locally and nationally to ensure disused buildings are used.”
“I thank the Deputy. If we look at the example and model we have here in SICAP, which is our country’s primary social inclusion intervention, it supports communities. I am well aware of Cleveland and Preston. I am not aware of the Ayrshire model and would be happy to discuss that further. I have looked at Cleveland’s model in particular. To give the House an example, €48.9 million in funding was invested in SICAP this year. I remind Members of the House that the place-based leadership programme under SICAP leads to improved building capacity. To be helpful, and I make this point in a non-confrontational manner, the issue of work co-operatives does not come under our Department but a different remit.”
“In addition, the rural regeneration and development fund and the building acquisition measure of the town and village renewal scheme invest in the regeneration of rural towns and villages, including measures for the acquisition of buildings for community use, which aligns with the concept of community wealth building. As the Deputy knows, Deputy Conor D. McGuinness, the Minister and I have visited many areas in conjunction with the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP. This initiative supports integrated approaches across communities throughout the country, enhances and leads community development, addresses disadvantage at local level and supports community-led initiatives in urban and rural areas. I thank the Deputy for the question and would be happy to explore the matter further with her.”
“In addition, the community services programme currently supports 427 community-based organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model. The national rural development policy, Our Rural Future, has, over its lifespan, provided significant investment and supports, strengthened local economies and improved the lives of many people in rural communities across Ireland. The LEADER programme, which supports economic development and job creation in rural areas, is a prime example of community-led local development.”
“I thank the Deputy for her question. Community wealth building is, indeed, a long-standing commitment of the Deputy and her party. As she knows well, the concept refers to a range of approaches to local economic development. While the Department under the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and me does not have a dedicated community wealth building fund as such, our wide range of policies and funding programmes provide support for local economic development and community-led local development in line with many of the principles of community wealth building. The creation of an environment in which social enterprises can thrive is a key element of community wealth building. Our Department leads on the implementation of the Government's social enterprise policy and a new policy, Trading for Impact, was launched last year.”
“We will have a further written consultation on Our Rural Future, but I look forward to the Senator engaging with me and the Department to ensure we have a strategy that promotes remote working and sets targets that can deliver for people.”
“The shared ambition is to ensure that the benefits of remote working continue to be available to our workforce throughout the country. As the Senator said, we have seen first-hand how important the remote working revolution has been. The Government is committed to this. There has been a lot of consultation as part of the Our Rural Future roadshow and the feedback is very clear. I was in charge of it. We have made significant strides in the areas of remote working and in facility provision, but we must now work on a rural development policy which will seek to build on this success and ensure we can have further dividends for people in rural Ireland. I thank the Senator for raising this matter.”
“That is why the programme for Government commits to further development of the connected hubs network and why we will build on the learnings from the hub initiatives to see how we can raise the potential of the network to expand further in the coming years. To support the ambition the Senator has spoken about and that the Government has, the Department will publish its first national hub strategy later this year. For the first time, the strategy will chart the vision for the future and further development of the range of remote working enterprise hubs currently in place across the country. It will examine the benefits already delivered and set out a clear set of actions to help us to ensure a sustainable future for these important assets.”
“Again, I thank Senator Scahill for his very valuable contribution. The Government is committed to the concept of remote working and is firmly of the view that it is about delivering real benefits in rural communities. As the Senator said, it is about high-paid, knowledge-based jobs and working with people like Tracy in Grow Remote to achieve that fourth pillar he rightly spoke about. We cannot just stop now and say that we have done X; we must continue to ensure we do have these quality jobs, as the Senator has called for. He gave the example of a woman living in Ballyhaunis getting a good wage.”
“I look forward to working with the Senator in the area of west Roscommon to ensure we can enhance the value and offering to people in rural parts of Ireland.”
“As the Senator said, it is about bringing the different actors together to offer a variety of services such as hot-desk facilities, enterprise supports and direct access to high-quality education. In this case, this was done in partnership with the South East Technological University. In other parts of the country, it will be done with other third level institutions. This Government is committed to the concept of remote working. It is now firmly embedded in many of our lives. It is a change in our working world which has brought huge benefits. The Senator raised the GAA and other sporting organisations as an example. It is important that we build on what we have achieved and that we are held to account.”
“Similarly, a range of other schemes operated by our Department has also provided significant levels of funding for the development of remote working facilities in rural communities across the country in recent years. These schemes include the town and village renewal scheme, LEADER and the rural regeneration and development fund. As Minister of State, I have been fortunate to see many of these high-quality projects first hand as they come to fruition. In June, I was in Mitchelstown and Cobh, where I opened two remote working hubs. Both of them are co-located in the local libraries and will be key assets in each town. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, visited the Station House hub in Hacketstown, which was funded through the town and village renewal scheme.”
“It is important to note that the range of funding supports available for the development and establishment of remote working hubs and facilities has been key to the success of this initiative to date. In 2021 and 2022, some €14 million was allocated to a range of hubs across the country under what was termed the "Connected Hubs Call". This competitive funding stream allowed hubs to apply for funding to increase and improve the facilities they could offer to remote workers. A wide array of improved facilities was delivered under this scheme, including the provision of privacy booths, additional hot-desking facilities and the provision of more own-office facilities. This ensured that the hubs on the network were able to respond to and address the varying needs of remote workers across the country.”
“To this end, Connectedhubs.ie was launched in mid-2021. I am happy to confirm that there are now 387 hubs live on the network, which continues to grow and expand. Connected Hubs provides workplace solutions for remote workers, entrepreneurs and businesses. The hubs are more than workplaces; they are vibrant communities designed to create creativity and foster connections. The initiative is managed by the Western Development Commission in conjunction with our Department. I am sure that many Members, particularly Senator Scahill, are well aware of and have experienced at first hand the benefits of these hubs and the high-quality remote working options that are on the Connected Hubs network.”