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 thank Deputy Burke for raising this matter in the House this evening. I am taking the matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, who shares Deputy Burke's concerns in relation to the current cost of shingles vaccination in Ireland. Varicella is a common, highly infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus. The virus is associated with two distinct clinical syndromes, varicella, known as chickenpox, and herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles. Primary infection with the varicella zoster virus results in varicella, after which the virus becomes latent in the body’s nervous system. The virus may reactivate after a period, sometimes several decades later, resulting in herpes zoster or shingles.”
“The Department is very much aware of the needs but also wants to accelerate the provision of transport infrastructure for the future and to work with TII, the NTA and Members of the Oireachtas in that regard. I thank Deputy Geoghegan for his contribution and look forward to working with him to prioritise this project.”
“I reiterate that the proposed extension of the Luas to Poolbeg is only one of a number of projects identified in the greater Dublin area transport strategy to significantly improve the combined light rail and heavy rail network by 2042. I assure Deputy Geoghegan that projects will be progressed in line with the requirements of the infrastructure guidelines. The public consultation processes will be undertaken at appropriate stages as the projects are assigned. I understand fully the merits of the proposed Luas red line to Poolbeg, as does the Government. The Deputy is right on the issue of stop-start. Next Monday, we will see the unfurling of the Luas in Cork proposals by the Taoiseach, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and me in the Department of Transport. This indicates the importance of the point the Deputy has raised.”
“The TII, as the project sponsoring agency, and the NTA, as the day-to-day approving authority, will continue with the appraisal and planning of the Luas to Poolbeg project, while the development of the red line Luas extension to serve Poolbeg is currently one of the long-term proposals in the NTA greater Dublin area transport strategy for the 20-year period 2022 to 2042. It is recognised that the transport needs of Poolbeg will need to be met in the short, medium and long term. I acknowledge that the population will grow significantly in the coming years, as the Deputy pointed out, and that an increased provision of public transport will be needed for the area.”
“I thank Deputy Geoghegan for his contribution and ongoing interest in this very important issue. The Deputy is correct. As a member of Dublin City Council, he championed the 15-minute city concept. I fully subscribe to what he said about capital investment in infrastructure, housing and transport, as does the Government. On the current developments, the National Transport Authority has instructed Transport Infrastructure Ireland to undertake a pre-feasibility analysis of the Luas to Poolbeg project. This analysis will determine the initial feasibility of the project from a passenger demand viewpoint, as stated in the national development plan.”
“As previously stated, the NTA has the statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure in the greater Dublin area. The Department will engage with the NTA in considering the needs of new or accelerated potential transport projects in the greater Dublin area as part of the review of the NDP. Any consideration of that capacity in terms of funding will be made in due course. I thank Deputy Geoghegan again for his contribution.”
“I agree again with Deputy Geoghegan that at this time the issue of the port is important and access to it is critical. The Department of Transport and the NTA are cognisant that an increased demand for travel from Poolbeg to the city will need to be catered for in the coming years. The transport needs of the area will need to be met in the short, medium and long term. This demand may be catered to by bus, cycling and walking and, depending on the scale and phasing of development, possibly the Luas. The Government understands the merits of the proposed Luas Poolbeg project. It is one of a number of projects that have been highlighted for possible acceleration as part of the review of the NDP, which is planned for later this year.”
“Deputy Geoghegan has given us figures in terms of the housing projections of around 10,000 more people living in the area. In a report prepared by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Transport published in 2023, the Poolbeg west strategic development zone was identified as an opportunity for transport-orientated development. It is recognised as an area with the potential to deliver a mixed-use neighbourhood with a significant number of residential dwellings. It is also worth noting that in July of last year Dublin Port submitted a planning application to An Bord Pleanála for the 3FM project. This project is focused on developing additional port capacity on port-owned brownfield lands on the Poolbeg Peninsula.”
“This analysis will include updated demand modelling to assess the initial feasibility of Luas Poolbeg from a passenger demand viewpoint. This is in line with the objective on the Luas Poolbeg project outlined in the greater Dublin area transport strategy. This analysis is expected to be completed in the summer. I wish to highlight that there are four proposed extensions to the Luas network highlighted in the current greater Dublin area transport strategy. The most advanced of these schemes is the Luas Finglas project. TII submitted a planning application to An Bord Pleanála in November of last year for that project and we await a decision on the matter. The Government is aware that the opportunities for people to live and work in Poolbeg are likely to increase.”
“The development of a Luas red line extension to serve Poolbeg is one of the longer term projects in the NTA Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy 2022-2042, as approved by the Minister for Transport, for development and delivery within the 2037-42 timeframe. It is important to recognise that the proposed Luas extension to Poolbeg is subject to the assessment of forecast travel demand arising out of development patterns in the Poolbeg west strategic development zone and environs. The comments Deputy Geoghegan made about the population increase and the ongoing work there fit into this matter succinctly. TII is the sponsoring agency for the proposed Luas to Poolbeg project and the NTA is the day-to-day approving authority. I understand that the NTA recently instructed TII to undertake a pre-feasibility analysis of the Luas Poolbeg project.”
“I thank Deputy Geoghegan for raising this very important matter, which I am taking for the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. Deputy Geoghegan has raised this matter before. There is huge merit in what he has proposed, and I commend his contribution because it is about joined-up thinking and ensuring we are ready for the next phase of the area he mentioned. As the Deputy knows, improving public transport services and infrastructure is central to improving citizens' quality of life and achieving our decarbonisation goals. The achievement of these goals has been set out in the programme for Government. I agree with Deputy Geoghegan's sentiments: this is about planning for the future and about that joined-up thinking approach. The National Transport Authority has statutory responsibility for transport planning in the greater Dublin area.”
“I thank all Members for their contributions to this debate. It was important to hear the articulation of the genuine concerns expressed on behalf their constituents living in communities affected directly by the storm. We must learn from the mistakes as well as what we did right and ensure that will be put to good effect. As science has shown us, there is no doubt that more storms of different types are coming and we must be ready for them.”
“The community and voluntary sector showed the importance of our community centre investment fund with investment at the heart of our communities. We appreciate the solidarity shown by our European neighbours, for which I thank them, in terms of the activation of the Union civil protection mechanism and subsequent donations of generators to provide additional power and resilience to assist restoration across key sectors. On behalf of the Government, I thank crews from the North, the United Kingdom, Austria, Finland, Germany, Scotland, France and Norway who came to the aid of our ESB crews to support the recovery effort. We should thank local and national media because they provided safety messaging and information to the public prior to and during the storm. It again shows the importance of our local media.”
“As Members have said, we must look at the effect of the storm and subsequent outages of power, water and communications on small and medium-sized enterprises. We have listened to the views expressed by Members tonight in that regard. In his contribution, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, spoke about generators. The Government will look at the scheme for the provision of generators and the Minister, Deputy Heydon, will look at roofs for sheds. I have had communication from members of my party, including councillors from the western seaboard, complaining about shed roofs being blown away. Equally, it is about the community centre being the hub and, as Deputy Fitzmaurice said, about that place of heat, protection and shelter. It is something we should look at again in the round.”
“The level of customer service by the communications companies leaves much to be desired. I have spoken to people on the islands and on parts of the western seaboard who have been badly affected. They spoke to me about the lack of a person to talk to and engage with in the telecommunication companies. The Ministers, Deputies O'Donovan and Calleary, and I will take that up for the Deputy. The workers in the local authorities, the ESB, Uisce Éireann and Government Departments worked long and hard to support people who needed support. People tonight spoke about the Department of Social Protection, which is still working to process the humanitarian assistance scheme applications while also looking at the whole issue of social welfare supplementary allowance applications. That is something we should acknowledge.”
“As the Minister said, teams are still working actively on issues and the review is still open. As Deputy Lawless mentioned, they can also contact the Department. Emergency response hubs are activated to assist people with basic needs such as water, hot food, phone charging, broadband access and showering facilities, with approximately 380 hubs established at the peak of the response. We should pay tribute to that enormous community engagement effort. I agree completely with Deputy Fitzmaurice that the regulator of telecommunications has a role to play. The chief executive of the ESB was very quick to come in and speak about raising prices, but the Deputy is right. That is why the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, met the communication providers and they have a role.”
“The National Emergency Co-ordination Group and its relevant subgroups met every day from the date of its establishment on 22 January until Monday, 10 February, with the Government Information Service issuing daily press releases to keep people informed. The key priority of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group after the storm passed was, and remains, the restoration of power, water, telecommunications and other services to homes, farms and businesses and the provision of humanitarian assistance to those worst affected by the storm. It should be noted that, as soon as it was possible, local authorities, working with the support of the other members of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group subgroup on humanitarian assistance, led and co-ordinated a local level response to the needs of people significantly impacted by the storm.”
“Sadly, there was one fatality, but the activation of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group saved lives. We need to look at this again. Some people criticise the different colour-coded warnings or say there has been one warning too many or it is a case of the boy who cried wolf. Storm Éowyn showed the importance of storm warnings and colour coding. As previous speakers stated, once the storm passed, the focus was on the restoration of power and services and the provision of humanitarian assistance. I thank the ESB crews and other crews who went out after the storm to restore power in very difficult and treacherous conditions.”
“First, the key role played by the community and voluntary sector must be commended and those involved must be thanked. There was a meitheal-type response in many ways and I thank everybody for their efforts and for stepping up to assist their neighbours, families, communities, businesses, sporting groups and voluntary organisations. During Covid and in the response to Storm Éowyn, it was the community and voluntary sector that stepped up and showed how we, as a country, epitomised the best of neighbourliness and showed person-to-person engagement. It is also important to recognise the public sector organisations which worked tirelessly to support people affected by the storm. If we are to have a post mortem or a reflection on the response to Storm Éowyn, the most important issue will be the protection of life.”
“If we are being honest, we must take stock of the fact that science is telling us our weather events will become more severe. I live in Cork city which was flooded. We were told it was a one-in-100-years event. As Deputy Gould will know, Cork floods regularly now. Some people do not want to see any progress regarding flood relief works in Cork city. They need to look into the science. As the Minister, Deputy Calleary, stated, we must learn lessons from the storm. Flexibility, compassion and guidance were themes in Members' contributions to this debate and will have to be the hallmark of the Government's response. While I recognise the valid contributions of Deputies who expressed frustration and concern, there were aspects of the response to the storm that worked well.”
“I thank the Minister, Deputy Calleary, for his hands-on approach post the storm and the flexibility and compassion he showed. As all speakers noted, everyone living in our communities understands the challenges posed by Storm Éowyn. They were exceptional. As Deputy Connolly stated, there were 183 km/h winds in Connemara. These hurricane winds were recorded along the western seaboard. Many different people and communities were severely impacted and left without services or power, as Deputy Mattie McGrath eloquently stated. The Government understands the frustration, upset and trauma. We have spoken to many of the people affected. I listened to the concerns expressed tonight in respect of the supports available to householders, businesses and farmers.”
“Chuala muid an díospóireacht. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis na Baill a thug páirt sa díospóireacht iontach sin agus gabhaim buíochas leo. Go mórmhór, gabhaim buíochas le Sinn Féin as an rún a chur os comhair na Dála. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis na hoifigigh agus leis na baill den phobal a thug cuairteanna agus tacaíocht dá gcomharsana tar éis na stoirme agus gabhaim buíochas leo. I begin by congratulating the Ceann Comhairle on having the confidence of the House and wish her well in the term ahead. It is important to thank all Members of the House for their contributions and for raising many pertinent, relevant and real issues. I thank Deputy Fitzmaurice, in particular, for his balanced and genuine approach. I thank Sinn Féin Deputies for their contributions as well.”
“Members might not be aware but today is a very sad but exciting for all of us in the Oireachtas. A great colleague and friend of ours, Aisling Hart, the private secretary to the Cathaoirleach’s office, is retiring. On my own behalf as a former Cathaoirleach and a Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas for 18 years, I thank Aisling most sincerely for the warmth of her personality, sincerity, care, kindness and professionalism, but above all, for being herself. She is one of the most genuine, nice and honest people I have ever worked with. I say “Míle buíochas” to her and thank her. She is a wonderful person who keeps the office going and keeps all of us in check. I wish her a happy retirement.”
“When phase 2 is implemented, it will involve the introduction of the new Dublin city and Dublin commuter zones, which will lead to a significant reduction in Leap card multimodal caps, and the introduction of Leap card credit at all Dublin commuter rail stations, which will be a further positive step towards a more equitable approach to public transport fare pricing. The Government is committed to delivering a cost-efficient and sustainable public transport network. I will bring the Senator's comments back to the Minister for Transport. I ask for the Acting Chairperson's permission and indulgence for one moment.”
“I again thank Senator Clifford-Lee for her contribution. She makes valid points regarding the people of Balbriggan and Skerries. I will bring them to the Minister on her behalf. As the Senator said, the Department of Transport has been working with the NTA over recent years to simplify fares across bus, rail and light rail services and introduce a fairer distance-based structure. The programme for Government is committed to review existing fare structures so that we can ensure that public transport is as accessible as possible, supports the delivery of services, and incentivises off-peak travel. It also commits to rolling out contactless fare payments on all public transport, keeping fares low and affordable and examining the further expansion of free public transport for children.”
“The Department of Transport is continuing to engage with the NTA as it works with Irish Rail to minimise or reduce this delay and has advised that phase 2 of the fares determination will go live shortly, as the technological updates to rail ticketing systems by Irish Rail's contractor are due to be completed shortly.”
“For example, for a journey from Newbridge to O’Connell Street, passengers will benefit from the flat fare element within the city, facilitating longer distances of travel at a cheaper fare. Unfortunately, the implementation of phase 2 has been delayed due to a number of technical challenges, but I have been advised that Bus Éireann, Irish Rail and Luas are all working closely with their ticketing contractors to enable implementation of the phase 2 fare changes. The implementation of the changes to the rail fares is being led by Irish Rail and the work requires updating ticketing systems, ticketing machines and the installation of new Leap card validators at stations that will come under the new fares structure.”
“This area was selected based on a review of future public transport network proposals, for example, the implementation of DART+, along with analysis of ticket sales information to determine travel demand. Later phases will include the introduction of free transfer flat fares in the regional cities and certain towns and distance-based fares for the rest of Ireland outside towns and cities. The new commuter zone will include stations outside of the Dublin city zone extending as far as Rathdrum, Kildare, Enfield and Drogheda station, including Newbridge, and will provide better value for passengers from these areas. The Dublin commuter zone fare is designed to ensure the cheapest fare is made available for passengers and will help alleviate boundary issues between the national and city fare structures.”
“In its capacity as fare regulator, the NTA published a new national fares strategy in April 2023 and following this, in January 2024, it published the first of a series of fares determinations related to the strategy. This was aimed at simplifying fares and introducing a fairer distance-based structure. I understand the Department of Transport is engaging with the NTA on the implementation of the second phase of the strategy, which will introduce more integrated and equitable fares in the Dublin commuter area. As part of the fares determination 2024 strategy, a Dublin city zone extending to approximately 23 km from the city centre and a Dublin commuter zone extending to approximately 50 km from the city centre, with Skerries and Balbriggan located in commuter zone 2, will be introduced.”
“The points made by Senator Clifford-Lee regarding the price differential are valid. That said, the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. To support this objective, in budget 2025, the Department of Transport secured €658.5 million of funding for PSO and TFI Local Link services, an increase from €614 million in 2024. The package includes funding for the continuation of the various public transport fare initiatives, as the Senator acknowledged, and funding to extend free child fares on PSO services to include those aged five to eight, and also to support new and enhanced public transport services.”
“I thank Senator Clifford-Lee for her contribution and for raising very valid points, in particular on the price differentiation. She is right about the Dublin commuter zone. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. I thank Senator Clifford-Lee for her constant advocacy for public transport and for the people in Balbriggan and Skerries. I will take the Senator’s points back to the Minister. As Members will know, the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in respect of public transport, but neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. The NTA has responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation, PSO, contracts.”
“Hopefully in urban areas and towns we will see the various classes of roads being looked at by local authorities in conjunction with various stakeholders with regard to bylaws. Meath County Council will have a role to play in having special speed limits that may differ from the default speed limits. I would not be afraid to ask An Garda Síochána, despite Kilmessan having no Garda station, to look at the issue of technology. We have the GoSafe vans and speed cameras. Equally, Meath County Council has a critical role in setting special speed limits on roads, or on sections of roads, where it believes specific circumstances mean a speed limit that differs from the default is required. I will be happy to work with Senator Nelson Murray on this.”
“I thank Senator Nelson Murray and I reassure her the Government is fully committed to providing a safe and secure transport network - Kilmessan is very much a part of this - that will help to serve the needs of all members of society. From my perspective in government, the Government's road safety strategy is the bible we used to improve road safety and make our roads safer for all. The strategy is about delivering Vision Zero, with zero deaths on our roads by 2050. It is also about ensuring, in the case raised by Senator Nelson Murray, that we have consistent and appropriate speed limits that will help improve road safety. The proposed speed limit review was undertaken by the Department of Transport in 2023. The first phase of this has had an effect. The next phase will be the change in going from 100 km/h to 80 km/h.”
“Rather, it is about working with local authorities to conduct speed limit reviews to aid them in setting correct speed limits, looking at traffic calming measures, and working with An Garda Síochána on enforcement. As Senator Nelson Murray has said, the accumulation and gathering of speed data is important for each local authority. If there is an anomaly and we are not getting the proper information then I, as the Minister of State, am not afraid to look at it and speak to the relevant people. In the case of Kilmessan, the average peak and off-peak speeds should be collated so that we can ensure accurate information is provided. I look forward to working with Senator Nelson Murray on the matter and with the Ministers, Deputies O'Brien and Calleary.”
“It tries to monitor, regulate and change driving behaviour through, for example, mandatory drug testing at the scene of a collision, penalty points system reform and the introduction, which Senator Nelson Murray might want to see in her area, of safer default speed limits as recommended by the speed limit review. The speed limit review will bring decreases in speed limits from 80 km/h to 60 km/h and from 50 km/h to 30 km/h. We have done this in some larger urban areas. In a debate this week, Senator Noonan made reference to a friend of his who was involved in a fatal road traffic accident. It is about ensuring that, in urban areas such as Kilmessan, we have safer speed limits. It is not about applying targets.”
“I hope we can work with local authorities to ensure we deliver for Senator Nelson Murray. Senator Ryan and the Leas-Chathaoirleach referenced the Castletroy junction in the House previously. This week, Senator Kennelly made a point on the issue in Kerry. It is about working to have the Vision Zero targets achieved. This means a combined effort, taking on board some of what Senator Nelson Murray has suggested and perhaps changing some of the parameters. Under the action plan, which is phase 2 of the strategy over the next two years, we will focus on delivering actions that can have a high impact on the road safety outcomes we all want. As Members know, the Road Traffic Act is the Government's response to road safety trends.”
“As I mentioned in the House this week, some of this is about personal responsibility, some is about the combined approach of the Government, agencies and Meath County Council in the Senator's case, and working with people and public representatives such as Senator Nelson Murray to ensure we tackle behaviour, bring in education and enforcement and create driver awareness about the long-term effect of speeding. We also need to bring in legislative reform. As Senator Nelson Murray said, the speed limit changes were introduced in February and were backed by legislation. They are part of the Government's response to systemically address the most dangerous of behaviours. The current national framework for road safety is set out in the Government's fifth road safety strategy.”
“I wonder whether the school has applied to participate in the safe routes to school programme. I am happy to work with the Senator in this regard because it is important that we collectively work with, for example, as she said, Skane Valley Community Council and Meath County Council, to get back on track towards a steady reduction in annual fatalities on our roads. Each fatality is a person from a family, from a village and from a community. As I said earlier this week in the House, last year there were 175 road deaths, which was down on the year before, but this figure was the highest since 2014. As the Senator rightly said, there are four causes of deaths on our roads: speeding, distracted road users, not wearing a seatbelt and intoxicated driving. The matter she has raised relates to erratic speed and the volume of traffic.”
“I thank the Senator for raising this important issue relating to Kilmessan. I am taking the matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy O'Brien, who sends his apologies. I fully understand where the Senator is coming from. I assure her that the Government, road safety partners and all the agencies are working to address the alarming trends in road fatalities and serious injuries and continue to focus on priority actions. I will bring the Senator's request to measure and collate data and to use it as a part of a road safety campaign relating to traffic calming back to the Department. In the context of the response by the Department, which I will come back to, the Senator made a very good point regarding the school, its 231 students, their parents and teachers and the entire school community.”
“Pobal has, as the Deputy knows, independently assessed the community centre investment fund. Information will be given back to the community centres in question and I will talk to the Deputy further after that. As regards Deputy Clendennen's point, the idea of the portal is a good idea. He is right that people move on and there is a lacuna then and a burden of administration placed on the voluntary effort. I will talk to Deputy Clendennen with the Minister, Deputy Calleary, about the suggestion of the online portal because it is good and deserves merit.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht an mhéid a dúirt sé mar gheall ar an Roinn. My Department provides guidance to the local community development committees on the eligibility criteria. The guidelines require projects to be in keeping with the ethos of the programme. The Government is very much aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary groups and we are very much committed to supporting them. Both the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I will work with community development committees to ensure that they qualify but also that we support them because, as I said, they are at the core of what we do in our towns and villages and in our rural and urban areas and they play a critical role. We would be lost without them as a country.”
“The funding can be used to support parish halls, community centres, local development associations, social clubs, senior citizens' groups, men's sheds, women's sheds and much more. The local enhancement programme is designed to ensure that local priorities are identified and met. Given the local focus of the programme, the local community development committees are best placed to assess whether projects address local priorities and are targeted at addressing areas of disadvantage.”
“As Minister of State with responsibility for community, along with my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, we fully understand and recognise that community and voluntary organisations are at the heart of our country. We see it every day and we look at our Members across these Houses who advocate and support our community groups, and it is very important to what we do. Since 2018, €65.9 million has been provided in funding for the programme, under various iterations, supporting over 23,000 community groups and organisations. The 2025 local enhancement programme is a €7 million fund launched in November of last year. The funding consists of €6 million in capital supports and a further €1 million in current funding for community groups to assist with their energy and running costs.”
“I congratulate Deputy Clendennen on his election. The local enhancement programme is targeted towards enhancing facilities in disadvantaged communities identified in local economic and community plans. The programme seeks to provide small grants to a wide and diverse range of local community groups, to assist with the purchase of equipment and improvements or repairs to their facilities. Deputy Clendennen, as a former chair of the LCDC in his county, and being centrally leading in the administration of the LEP in Offaly, will recognise that 113 projects and 13 women's organisation to the tune of €186,553 were approved last year in Offaly. I thank Deputy Clendennen for his work on that. The funding is administered locally by local community development committees across the country, with support from their local authorities.”
“There are different factors around the issue of roads in terms of geography, the conditon of roads and the amount of road area to be covered. I will communicate the point the Deputy made to Donegal County Council because it is a vast county. It is a beautiful county. The road network there has been improved, to be fair. There are some areas that need to be enhancedhnio the allocation to Donegal.”
“-----end social isolation and enhance connectivity. There are different factors when it comes to roads, such as geography, the condition of roads and the amount of road area to be covered. I will communicate the Deputy's point to Donegal County Council. It is a vast and beautiful county. To be fair, the road network has been improved. There may be some areas that need to be enhanced. We have seen a year-on-year increase in the allocation of funding to Donegal. The Department will engage further. It is a matter for the municipal authority as to how the county spends the money already allocated. I encourage the Deputy to engage with the roads director there as well. I thank the Deputy for the question. Deputy Jerry Buttimer: -----social isolation and enhance connectivity.”
“As the Deputy is aware, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I are very committed to this scheme. It is a very important one and at the heart of what we do about rural Ireland. It is about connectivity and it goes back to the question raised by Deputy Wall. It goes back to Deputy Ward's point about people who live way off the road and are trying to-----”
“There will be a review of the NDP and we will look for more money for the LIS. Donegal has been very good in this area and I hope it can avail of some of the unspent money in future years. I commend Donegal County Council for the work it has done in spending the allocation. I thank the Deputy for the question.”
“I agree with the Deputy that it is important we ensure people have accessibility and it is about giving them comfort. Donegal has been very good at spending the money allocated to it and has been very successful, with 224 roads completed. It is about ensuring there is flexibility in certain areas where there are pressure points. I will engage with the Deputy and the Minister, Deputy Calleary, in terms of Donegal County Council looking at the points where there are issues that need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Local authorities are very good at drawing down the money and Donegal has been exceptional in this regard. I look forward to working with it. The base funding has increased year-on-year. It is a capital expenditure scheme. The Government has committed to this scheme.”
“I am, as is the Minister, Deputy Calleary, committed to ensuring the LIS continues to be well funded in the coming years. As we all know, it is a fantastic scheme. It is one that many want to avail of. The Government, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I are very committed to engaging to ensure we receive, as we have done year-on-year, an increase in scheme funding. As regards Donegal, the allocation for this year has not yet been submitted.”