Seán Canney
Galway East · Independent · Ireland
“To obtain an operational authorisation, an operator must provide a comprehensive safety portfolio, which includes assessing and addressing both ground and air risks with appropriate mitigations. Manna Air Delivery holds such an authorisation from the IAA.”
“The national policy framework for UAS, agreed by the Government, was published by the Minister in August last year. The policy framework aims to guide high-level strategic planning and development in the drone sector in Ireland through support, growth and innovation, while ensuring safe and secure operations.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. I note Manna Air Delivery's recent statement that it will for now cease deliveries by drone in Ireland.”
“It proposes 16 actions under three main areas: the use of airspace and planning; compliance and enforcement; and enterprise and innovation. Actions in the policy framework include the establishment of a national working group on UAS geographical zones to develop transparent processes and procedures for the designation of these zones; the…”
“This new route provides passengers travelling from Charleville to Cork with a morning service at 7.05 a.m. and a service from Cork to Charleville at 5.45 p.m., Monday to Friday. This new route is part of the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan, a major public transport initiative.”
“I thank the Deputy. I reassure him again that the Department, its Minister, Deputy O’Brien, my fellow Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I are fully committed to delivering a more sustainable, inclusive and accessible transport system for the benefit of current and future generations.”
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“I understand that the Department prioritised the necessary assessment of both the proposal and the significant additional documentation provided by the airport in response to queries raised by Department officials up until July 2024. The Deputies will be aware that this detail outlined that the project costings have increased substantially above the original estimate of €12 million to €27 million, deviating significantly from the original proposal. The Exchequer contribution now has risen from €5 million to €12 million. The assessment undertaken was in line with requirements under the Department's transport appraisal framework. This framework provides guidance to ensure investment schemes in the transport sector can comply with government infrastructure guidelines.”
“Following this, in June 2019, the Government gave approval in principle for an expression of support for the expansion proposal and to providing Exchequer funding of €5 million towards the project, which was then estimated to cost €12 million. Government support at that time was not only contingent on the €2 million in local authority funding and €5 million in private investment funding necessary to complete the project being committed and any risks relating to cost escalation being borne by the non-State investors, but also on full details of the project being provided to the Department for appraisal. Despite engagement with the airport over the intervening period, this detail remained outstanding from Waterford Airport until 13 December 2023.”
“As a result, Exchequer funding is contingent on airports operating scheduled passenger services as part of that programme. Without scheduled passenger services, Waterford Airport’s operations fail to meet the connectivity objective associated with Government policy on funding of regional airports. However, it is recognised that Waterford Airport has faced serious financial challenges. I understand that, to avoid liquidation, the airport sought emergency subvention from the Department totalling €1.5 million over the period 2017 to 2020. This Exchequer funding was provided on an exceptional basis to allow time for the airport to consider future options, including a proposal to expand its runway. It was 2018 when Waterford Airport brought forward this proposal.”
“Unlike the local authorities in Waterford, Kilkenny and Wexford, the Department of Transport does not have a shareholding in the airport company nor does it have a role in the commercial operation or future business planning of the airport. Having said that, Waterford Airport was eligible for Exchequer funding from the Department under the most recent regional airports programme, which was for the period from 2015 to 2019. However, following a steady decline in passenger traffic from a peak of 143,000 passengers in 2008, scheduled passenger services at the airport ceased in 2016, with only 15,000 passengers that year. National policy on regional airports has always been focused on optimising conditions for connectivity.”
“I thank both Deputies for raising this matter. I understand their frustration. This has been going on a while. I assure the Deputies that this Government is committed to working with all stakeholders to see the Waterford Airport project to lengthen and widen the runway progress. In line with this and on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, I welcome the opportunity to update the House on the topic this evening. As the Deputies will be aware, Waterford Airport is owned by Waterford Regional Airport plc. As well as general aviation services, the airport operates as an Irish Coast Guard search and rescue base, which is currently under a commercial contract with CHC Ireland.”
“This includes supporting the special schools pilot steering group, which has been incorporated into a subgroup. The Minister wishes to restate her full commitment and that of the Department and the HSE to pursuing all avenues to ensure that access to school-based therapists for children with special needs in Cork and across the country is a priority.”
“Furthermore, the National Disability Authority has been commissioned by the HSE to undertake an independent evaluation of the special schools pilot with a full report expected late in the summer of this year. The results of this evaluation will be used to identify how the initial phase of the pilot has gone and to improve further delivery. In addition, the cross-sectoral group on disability issues for children and young people, which provides leadership and supports decision-making for key Departments and agencies, will have a role in the delivery of disability services. This has been jointly re-established by the Departments of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. and the Education. The cross-sectoral group engages on and directs key strategic policy issues that arise.”
“I thank the Deputy and welcome his comments. I agree with him that we need a roadmap to see where we are going. It cannot be spaced out over time because children with disabilities need supports now. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, are working closely together to ensure this is rolled out as quickly as possible. Despite all of these challenges, work is ongoing to develop services that can meet the needs of families and children with complex needs, including those attending special schools. The collaborative work to date between stakeholders to ensure the effective delivery of the special schools pilot is acknowledged. This has enabled the recruitment of all posts for Cork, which the Deputy mentioned.”
“Officials in the Department of Education and Youth have begun engagement with relevant Departments and agencies on the design, timelines, alignment, integrated working and costings involved to deliver this ambitious programme of work. Regarding the provision of private therapies for children with disabilities, the Government and the Minister remain supportive of the use of available private capacity, and the funding of same. The HSE will also continue to prioritise the recruitment of remaining therapists to work in special schools, as approved and resourced by Government in 2021 and 2022. I assure the House that this Government will continue to diligently engage with the HSE, service providers and families to ensure children with disabilities receive the support and services they require.”
“This service will be delivered by the NCSE, building on its work previously completed through the educational therapy support service. It is intended that the national therapy service will commence in some special schools at a later stage in the 2025-2026 school year. The Department of Education and Youth has advised that further roll-out of the service will occur on a phased basis, with a wider roll-out commencing in the 2026-2027 school year. The Department of Education and Youth has advised that, initially, the service will include the disciplines of occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. Over time, further disciplines such as physiotherapy may be included.”
“This pilot aims to provide an integrated model of service, ensuring all stakeholders, including special schools, have relevant input and, through effective governance mechanisms, are able to verify that additional resources are implementing the required level of service for children and their families. Under phase 1 of the pilot, the HSE advises that all four schools in the Cork area have filled the therapy posts assigned through the pilot. Under phase 2, both Cork schools in this phase have filled all therapy posts allocated as part of the pilot. Under the 2025 programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, there is a commitment to introduce a national therapy service in education, commencing in special schools and subsequently extending it to schools with special classes and mainstream provision.”
“While some services have been reinstated, progress has been affected by the international shortage of health and social care professionals. In August 2024, Government agreed to support 16 schools to join the special schools' pilot for enhanced in-school therapy supports during the 2024-2025 academic year. The pilot is delivered by the children’s disability network teams, led by the Health Service Executive and its funded agencies, in selected special schools in Cork, Dublin and Galway and is supported by the National Council for Special Education, NCSE.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this important question. The core principle of progressing disability services, PDS, is to achieve fairer and more equitable access to services for all children with disabilities based on their needs. This includes access to school-based therapy supports for children attending special schools in the country, including in Cork. The Minister fully acknowledges the frustrations faced by families of children in special schools and the urgent need for therapy provision within special schools. To progress the reinstatement of health and social care supports, which were historically provided in some special schools in the State, funding for an additional 224 whole-time equivalent, WTE, posts was provided by Government across 2021 and 2022. The HSE has advised that just over 155 of these WTE posts have been filled.”
“They certainly will not get them at night but they may get them during the day. There is an issue there. This is a matter we will go back to following this debate. I will speak to the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and to the officials about this issue and we will see where we can bring it. As I have said, the idea is to provide a service that is workable and uncomplicated because this is what works best. I thank the Deputy.”
“The Deputy and I are on the one page. Complication in a system can create a lot of paperwork and problems, and it can create little by way of results. We need to have a serious look at how we are doing the business here. We must ensure we are not displacing existing taxi services, as the Deputy said. They must also make a living. It is a case of going back to first principles and seeing where the demand is, seeing where exactly we can make it work, and rotate it around having a number of drivers available for a car. We must also bring in community involvement and community groups. This is important. People's lifestyles and the way they socialise in rural areas has changed. The pub trade has changed. We will have to take all of this in the round. I know of people who would like to get a taxi at certain times during the day or night.”
“The issue of rural transport services is an ongoing focus for the Department. It is something that I, the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, have already discussed. We must look at the issue in depth to see how we can have a system whereby people will be attracted to take up this local area hackney service. Deputy Kelly mentioned some ideas. I am willing to engage with him further in this regard because, at the end of the day, we want to achieve a result rather than talking in five years' time about how it is still failing.”
“There is also a licence to drive a local area hackney, which is obtainable from An Garda Síochána. This is not required if a person already holds a valid licence to drive SPSVs. As of 25 April, there are 22 licensed local area hackney vehicles and 19 licensed local area hackney drivers. The NTA launched and administered two local area hackney schemes in recent years, one in 2019 and another in 2023, to support and promote it. The take-up of the 2019 pilot was very disappointing with only two of the 15 locations taking it up. The subsequent impact of Covid on the industry in 2020 impacted pilot operations. A further pilot was undertaken in 2023. This was launched in January 2023 in 21 locations and provided a grant of €6,000. Notwithstanding significant work by the NTA, just two operators were licensed.”
“These special licences are limited to a local area of operation, typically where an applicant resides, and applicants are not required to meet a few of the standard licence application requirements. For example, a resident of the area in respect of which the local area hackney licence is sought is not required to undertake the industry knowledge or area knowledge tests, and the licensing fees are significantly lower for the local area licence, at €50 per vehicle and €20 per driver. A condition of the local area licence is that only passengers within a designated range of 10 km can be picked up, as Deputy Kelly said, and a new fare may not be picked up at a drop-off point outside of that area. As Deputy Kelly stated, two licences are required. There is a licence for the vehicle, which is a three-year licence.”
“That being said, I want to clarify that the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, has taken over the brief for rural transport. He has visited many rural areas over the past few months. He recognises the crucial role played by local taxi and hackney services in combatting loneliness and isolation in rural areas, and their importance in enhancing tourism and hospitality offerings in local rural areas. Taxis, hackneys and local area hackneys have an important role to play in meeting travel demand. In recognition of this, the programme for Government commits to improving local taxi service provision. The NTA currently issues local area hackney licences where applicants can show there is a need for this part-time service and that it will not displace or replace current SPSV providers.”
“I thank Deputy Kelly for raising this issue. I am from the most beautiful place in Galway. It is a very rural area called Belclare. The Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, Deputy Connolly, is laughing at me. It is beautiful but there is scarcely a taxi or hackney there either. I appreciate the issue raised by Deputy Kelly and I thank him for raising it. I will read some of the reply and then I will speak to Deputy Kelly about it. Neither the Minister for Transport nor his Department are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport, including with regard to small public service vehicles. The National Transport Authority is the independent regulator for licensing and enforcement for the SPSV industry under the consolidated taxi regulations.”
“The new contract operated by Bristow Ireland will increase the capacity and capability of the Coast Guard to provide a range of essential services that are of strategic importance to the State, including maritime and inland search and rescue, environmental monitoring and aeromedical support. I recognise the critical importance of the service to our offshore islands, which rely on the Irish Coast Guard to provide day and nighttime aeromedical support to these communities. The Department will not allow any risk to be taken in a rush to meet contractual deadlines. The safety of the crew is the overarching priority. I reiterate that during this transition phase, a continued safe, efficient and effective aviation service is the overarching priority for the Government.”
“As I stated, the transition timeline following engagement and agreement between the two operators has been extended to February 2026 at no cost to the Exchequer. The operation of four bases provides resilience for service delivery so that when individual bases become temporarily unavailable, the workload is shared among the other bases, with the specific requirements for each mission being assessed as they arise. In the case of both contracts, the availability of any base can range from full availability to partial availability or temporary availability.”
“Following an engagement process with both contractors, the dates of transfer for the remaining three bases have been revised, as follows: Weston, 1 July 2025; Sligo, 15 December 2025; and Waterford, 31 January 2026. I reiterate that the Department of Transport is prioritising the safe and effective transition of this aviation contract without interruption of service and is ensuring that the two contracted operators, CHCI and BIL, are providing sufficient capacity, expertise and resources to maintain safe search and rescue operations on a 24-7 basis across all areas of the country throughout this process. The Department is engaged with both contractors to facilitate revised transition timelines.”
“In April of this year, BIL was notified by the IAA that the stretcher in use by Bristow Ireland was not yet fully certified for HEMS activity. I understand the IAA directive relates only to the use of stretchers on board HEMS missions and the decision, therefore, has no impact on the delivery of primary Coast Guard aviation services, most notably search and rescue activities. This temporary HEMS stretcher restriction only applies to the Shannon base and the Coast Guard continues to provide nationwide HEMS support to the HSE and the NAS from its bases at Sligo, Waterford and Dublin. I understand Bristow has identified a replacement solution and expects this issue to be resolved shortly.”
“The new integrated aviation service will enhance the Coast Guard’s ability to deliver on its core services, including maritime and inland search and rescue, conduct maritime environmental monitoring, including pollution checks, provide aeromedical supports to the HSE and the National Ambulance Service, including helicopter emergency medical support and inter-hospital transfers, provide day and nighttime aeromedical support to the offshore island communities and provide other aviation support to State organisations. The new contract also provides improved crew accommodation facilities and enhanced mission management technology. The regulatory certifications secured in 2024 included approval to conduct helicopter emergency medical services, HEMS.”
“The fixed wing service, which recently commenced operations, is a notable addition to the State, enhancing the Coast Guard’s SAR capabilities, including inland and maritime, provision of “top cover” communications for longer-range helicopter missions, an air-droppable life raft capability, maritime environmental protection measures, including investigation of pollution and ship casualty reports, and capacity to transport up to three walk-on patients for emergency national or international transfers.”
“The new enhanced contract specification provides for the operation of six AW 189 helicopters, five of which are newly built and have already been accepted into service by Bristow, with the sixth helicopter scheduled to enter service in September of this year. In addition, for the first time, the new contract includes a fixed wing element, which will be delivered by 2Excel Ireland, subcontractors to BIL, using two King Air aircraft.”
“Bristow Ireland was established in August 2020 and is a subsidiary of Bristow Group Incorporated, a US-based multinational company. Bristow Group Incorporated currently operates similar contracts for SAR services for Governments in the UK and the Netherlands, and it also has extensive experience in supporting the oil and gas business internationally. The total cost of the new contract, signed on 11 August 2023, for the standard ten-year contract term for the rotary wing element, plus a five-year minimum term for the fixed wing element, amounts to €816 million, including VAT. The Minister has the discretion to extend both the rotary and fixed wing elements to a maximum of 13 years.”
“As Minister of State with responsibility for international and road transport, logistics, rail and ports, I welcome the opportunity to participate in this debate on the new Coast Guard aviation service. The Irish Coast Guard search and rescue, SAR, aviation services are provided under a contract that is currently transitioning to Bristow Ireland Limited, BIL. The previous contractor, CHCI, had operated the service since 2012. On 30 May 2023, the Government approved the decision to award a contract for provision of the next national SAR aviation service to Bristow Helicopters. The decision to award the next contract for the delivery of an enhanced contract specification followed a comprehensive and robust public procurement process, which was undertaken fully in accordance with all national and EU procurement rules.”
“It is shocking because we have front-line workers and young people in this situation and their lives are being disturbed so much. They lose confidence in everything if they do not get their driver licences.”
“To respond to Deputy Crowe, as I said earlier, nothing is off the table. In the past, we have used private instructors to do testing, so nothing is off the table as far as I am concerned. Turning to Deputy Burke, what he said is exactly the point. I want to see what is going to happen on a weekly basis, how the numbers are going to be reduced and how the additional testers will be put in place. I need to see the workings of this process. I will not accept half-hearted programmes. I need to see this done clinically and we need to monitor it continuously. Hopefully, we will get the waiting time reduced, and we will start to do it straightaway. It is a big problem but in fairness we are working on it. I accept everything the Deputy said is true.”
“We know there is increased demand and people need to get their driver licences so they can go to work or college. Many people cannot find college accommodation so they have to commute some way, especially if there is no public transport access. We must deal with this issue. As I said, this is an emergency. I am in ongoing discussions in this regard. No idea is off the table in trying to reduce the numbers as quickly as possible. The Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, are working closely with me on this matter to ensure we deliver earlier times and get the ten weeks back as the acceptable norm, and to reduce it even further. If we can reduce it in the first instance, then we can keep reducing it. We also want to create certainty in terms of when a test might be happening.”
“I will say two other things, in fairness. Over the last two years, 8,000 people have not shown up for their driving test. That is not acceptable either. People are not even notifying the driver testers that they are not going to be there, which would give an opportunity to somebody else. Over the past two years, we have lost 8,000 tests because of people not showing up. This needs to be highlighted as well. It is very selfish of people not to show up for their tests or to at least provide notification if they cannot show up. I accept an emergency can happen on occasion but to have 8,000 no-shows is not good enough. The demand for driving tests has increased. The busiest year in history was 2024, when 253,000 tests were carried out. This was up from 196,000 tests in 2023.”
“I thank both Deputies for their contributions. I think every TD has received correspondence from young people or parents in the same position. I received an email last week from a parent about their son, whose test has been postponed eight times since he applied for it. The dates have been shifted out. That is not acceptable to anybody. My meeting with the RSA leadership last week focused on the need to reduce the current waiting times. I have instructed them to identify further measures that would bring forward the date. As I have told them, nothing is off the table as to how we address this. I will meet them again next Wednesday. They have given me assurances that the service will be restored in a reasonable time. I do not accept the wording "reasonable time"; I want to see specific dates by which that should happen.”
“As a condition of the sanction given in September, the RSA was required to put in place a plan to restore the ten-week waiting time target as soon as possible. When this plan was first put forward by the RSA, it envisaged a return to the target by November 2025. I have told the authority that this is not acceptable given the level of delay already being suffered by learner drivers. I have instructed the RSA to review the plan and identify further measures that will bring forward the date for achieving the target. The RSA has assured me that service will be restored to the target level in a reasonable time, and I am determined to ensure that this happens. As I said, I will meet the RSA again next week. I want to see its plan, which I will monitor continuously.”
“I met with the RSA last week to discuss this issue and instructed the authority to return in two weeks with sustainable proposals which will provide a faster resumption to the service level agreement of ten weeks' waiting time. To support the RSA in increasing testing capacity and improving service delivery, in September 2024 my Department sanctioned an additional 70 permanent positions for driver testers. This increases the total number to 200, which represents a doubling of the number of testers from 2022. The recruitment process is under way, with the first tranche of new testers now being deployed into service. As additional testers enter the system, testing capacity will increase and progress should be seen on reducing waiting times in the months ahead.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 14, 52 and 272 together. I thank Deputy O'Shea for his question. As he knows, under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority, RSA, has statutory responsibility for the national driving test service. I have been advised by the RSA that, following a recruitment process, the number of testers in Cork has increased from nine to 16 and it is envisaged that this number will increase to 18 by the end of the year. I acknowledge that current waiting times for driving tests are far in excess of what is acceptable and I reassure Deputies that measures are being taken to address this issue.”
“There is no doubt that if we provide the infrastructure for public transport, people will use it. The fares are reasonable. All the time we are trying to get young people to think "If I am going someplace, I will go on a bus or a train". If people are living close to a train station, they do not need a car. We need to look at the planning framework for that as well.”
“I am aware of the issues the Deputy has raised on the bus connections from Athenry to Galway. I believe a private operator was doing it but it was pulled. Basically I do not disagree with anything the Deputy is saying. It is important first of all that we look at the immediate steps we can take to start improving things, such as the provision of additional carriages and the installation of a passing loop in Oranmore. Double tracking is a more medium- to long-term project. It is part of the all-island rail review that I will be looking at. I am charged with the delivery of that rail review. We have lots of exciting projects on that. We need to just get them prioritised and get those done quickly that can be done quickly. We need to plan for doing the others in a way that ensures there is continuous work.”
“It is great that we are talking about this because five or six years ago a lot of people were saying that we should be closing the line, especially from Athenry right down to Ennis because nobody was using it. Some 650,000 people are using that now. There is a statement in this that we have additional demand because the services are being provided. In the Department of Transport we are making sure that we not alone meet current demand but that we plan for the future as well.”
“I share the Deputy's frustration about the length of time it takes to get projects delivered. This Government has been in place for three months. Our mantra is that we are a Government of implementation rather than a Government of strategising and that is the important thing. We will continue to work on that. The passing loop will be very effective. It will be very important and construction is going to start on that towards the end of this year. I will be putting my shoulder to the wheel with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, to make sure we get that started at the earliest possible date. There is long-term ambition in the all-island rail review to ensure that we actually do a lot of passing loops right across the country as well as opening up existing railways again.”
“Permission was granted in February and construction is expected to commence by the end of this year. These infrastructure projects will deliver additional capacity and efficiency to the rail network. On medium-term measures, the Deputy is aware that the new DART+ fleet is currently being tested and will begin entry into service over the coming year. While this new fleet is DART-specific it will have a knock-on benefit of allowing the release of existing fleet for deployment elsewhere including from Athenry to Galway. The question of where these are to be deployed is currently being reviewed by the NTA and Irish Rail.”
“With regard to the short-term measures, last year a revised timetable was introduced that saw an increase in services for Athenry, resulting in total daily services increasing to 39 per day. The changes also increased the number of pre-9 a.m. arrivals into Galway from Athenry from two services to three services every weekday morning. These measures were assisted by the entry into service of 41 additional intercity rail carriages last year, which has helped with capacity issues on the network generally. More, however, needs to be done. In addition, the upgrade works at Ceannt Station are scheduled to be completed next year. These works, along with the new passing loop at Oranmore station, are vital short-term measures to create additional frequencies getting in and out of the city.”
“I thank Deputy Dolan for the question and I share some of his frustration as well, no more than the earlier comments from Deputy O'Hara. I know the Deputy is intensely interested in this issue. As we said earlier, there is no doubt there has been very strong passenger growth in recent years. It does pose challenges at certain times on the public transport network, including on the Athenry to Galway corridor. That has been recognised by Irish Rail. The good news is that a range of measures is being examined to address the issues raised by the Deputy, but to be clear some of these measures have short-term, medium-term and longer-term time horizons so I cannot promise to fix all issues at the one time.”
“At the end of the day, what we need to do is to take more cars off the road. We need to make sure the public transport is there. The other issue in relation to all of this is that we have residential settlements close to train stations so that you can walk to the train station. If you look at what is happening in Ceannt station in Galway, it is linking the development to the pedestrian accesses around the city which is putting it all together. There is a lot of forward planning going on.”
“If you take Ceannt station in Galway, what is happening in Kent station in Cork and the fact that we are now looking at putting in the passing loop in Oranmore to create additional frequency into Galway city where we have huge problems with traffic congestion, we are doing these works. There is a pipeline of works to be done. The all-island rail review, which was commissioned by the previous Minister, Eamon Ryan, is now the basis for investment in rail across the country. On Deputy O'Gorman's question about identity cards, I am not so sure we need to be using identity cards. Discretion is there to be used. Nobody should be not allowed onto public transport but, of course, there has to be a limit. Fair play by consumers in the use of the system will keep it viable.”
“Again, I thank the Deputies. I would say, first of all, when we talk about the national development plan, there will be huge competing asks within that plan. Of course, the three Ministers here will be putting forward our best foot in terms of projects within transport, be it roads, public transport or whatever. It is important the Deputies understand that we will be putting in plenty of projects that need to be done which the Department and the officials have been working on. There is a huge ask within the Department of Transport for funding for capital projects but the capital projects are to enhance our services.”
“It is important for students and for young people, as the Deputy said, to get a good experience in terms of reliability, safety and punctuality and to have it at a reasonable price. If we can continue to give that experience to young people, they will continue to use public transport for the rest of their lives. The aim of all these policies is to encourage people to use public transport, take cars off the roads and avoid the congestion. We will have a better society and a better life as well. This comes at a cost and we cannot do it all at once. We have to bring in measures which will be effective, which we can afford and which will be rolled out. With public transport, we have seen a huge increase in numbers right across the different services. It is good news. It is a good story but we need to continue that to incentivise people.”
“I thank both Deputies. I, too, acknowledge the work done by the former Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, in developing and bringing forward more public transport initiatives and services and making them more affordable. I want to acknowledge this in the House. Coming back to the question on quarter 3, I do not have the exact date but I will meet officials and I will come back to Deputy O'Gorman with a date when we have it. It is important to say that universal free transport for all, and not only for those under 18, would require an additional €786 million in Exchequer funding annually, before considering increased demand. A large amount of money would be required to provide free transport for everybody. The Government is expanding the child fares, and maintaining new adult fares and the student Leap card 50% off.”
“This move aims to makes fares equitable, more consistent and easier to understand, with significant reductions for many commuting from outer areas, aligning prices more closely with distance travelled. Obviously, I acknowledge that while the new structure is fairer for all, it does mean that some people are now paying a little bit more. I assure the Deputies that I am committed to making public transport as accessible and affordable as possible, while also ensuring that our system remains financially sustainable in the long term.”