Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 22 Oct 2024

The Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan was meant to connect rural communities. However, there is no regional or Local Link service connecting the communities living between the towns of Athlone and Ballinsloe, a stretch of 20 km. In 2021, the Bus Éireann Galway to Dublin regional route, the 20 and X20 routes, which connected towns and villages in the west, were removed because there were private providers on the route: Citylink and Aircoach. However, since April of this year, Aircoach has withdrawn from the route.

I have raised this on a number of occasions. I worked on video campaigns for the Connecting Ireland programme to promote submissions about this connected route and most recently as a Commencement matter last May.

The loss of the 20 and X20 routes a number of years ago had a major impact. How do people get to medical appointments in Portiuncula University Hospital or primary care? How do students get to college in Athlone? How do they even make their way to train stations? This is a 20 km section of road that is not served. One of the goals of Connecting Ireland was connecting medical and educational establishments.

Moore is a vibrant community. It is very successful and it won more than €100,000 recently to renovate its community centre. It has training and exercise programmes, Fit Farmers, the Movement Mentor and they were on Virgin TV last week. They run concerts and plays and they are the heart and soul of a rural agricultural area.

Moore Community Council, which represents the people in this area, worked on a survey for south Roscommon to gather feedback from these local communities. More than 1,000 responses were received and I would like to share some of this feedback with the Minister of State.

One of the key messages was that without local public transport, it can be very isolating and that their voice should be instrumental in shaping the future of the transportation services to ensure that the needs of communities are met and that no one gets left behind. This is about connecting to essential services, education institutions, and businesses in both Athlone and Ballinasloe, which is crucial. This community wants to be able to boost the local economies by increasing access for people to get into our local shops and, of course, for tourism. It is also about having an affordable travel option for people who do not drive, including older people, young people and those who do not have a car, or where there is just one car per household, and about social inclusion and access to community services.

In this survey, 50% of those surveyed would use this service for further connections. Some 500 people alone would use the service to get to the train station. We discuss loneliness, anxiety and isolation. We know that people are living healthy and active lives and that is what we want to see. We had a gentleman living to 107 years of age in County Roscommon. According to this survey, 900 people alone would use this service for social activities. These are such activities as recreation, shopping, going to the cinema, meeting friends and having a coffee. According to the census office, the number of people aged 65 and over is estimated to have risen by in excess 40% in Ireland between 2013 and 2023, from 569,000 to 806,000 and it is expected to double again to 1.6 million people in Ireland in 2051. The census found that twice as many women aged 75 and over were likely to use the bus at least weekly at 13% compared with only 7% of men.

I am calling to the Minister of State for a review of this regional route? I want us to consider the reinstatement of the Bus Éireann 20 or X20 route as a way to connect rural communities between Galway and Dublin. It existed for decades, it was taken away and now these communities are left with nothing and no access to coaches. It is fair enough that the M4 and M6 motorways can be used but this region in south Roscommon does not have a link for older communities and we are being left behind.

I thank the Senator for raising this important topic, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan.

I would like to clarify that the Minister has responsibility for policy and overall funding in respect of public transport but neither the Minister or his officials are involved in the day-to-day management, operation or planning of public transport services.

The statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally rests with the National Transport Authority, the NTA. The NTA works with the public transport operators, who deliver the services and who have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters. That said, I reassure the Senator that 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. That commitment is demonstrated through the significant investment that has been made in both services and infrastructure in recent years.

As Senator Dolan will be aware, a key objective for local authorities is to continue to address rural social exclusion by integrating Local Link with other public transport services. I am pleased to say that the Government has invested significantly in these services over its lifetime. This includes increased funding for the rural transport programme, from €21 million in 2019 to €57 million this year.

To support this objective, under budget 2024, a funding package of €613.463 million has been secured for public service obligation, PSO, and Local Link services. In recent weeks, the Department of Transport secured €652 million under budget 2025 for public transport, including funds for the continued roll-out of new services next year under the Connecting Ireland programme and the roll-out of new town services. This package includes funding for the continuation of the 20% fare reduction on PSO services, the extension of the young adult card on both PSO and commercial bus services to include 24- and 25-year-olds and the continuation of the 90-minute fare until the end of 2024. Funding has also been secured to support the continued roll-out of new and enhanced bus and rail services this year.

Turning to rural and regional areas, which is the substantive portion of the Senator's question, the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan has been a hugely successful programme since its implementation began in 2022. Passenger numbers on Transport for Ireland Local Link regular bus services have increased by 78% year on year to 3.2 million in 2023. Under the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan, more than 130 new or additional services have been introduced since commencement in mid-2022. Under phase 1 in 2022, 38 new and enhanced services were implemented, while in phase 2 in 2023, 65 new and enhanced services were implemented. This means that more than 190 towns and villages have been connected to the public transport network and around 500,000 people have access to new and enhanced bus services.

In relation to the specific services referred to by Senator Dolan, the NTA, as part of the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan, is working on two proposals along the corridor with Local Link Galway. We are currently reviewing public transport connections between Loughrea, Ballinasloe and Athlone, serving settlements such as Kilconnell and Ballydangan. We also plan to improve evening connections between Galway and Loughrea. This is planned to go to public tender soon. Also in August of this year, an enhanced Intercity service was introduced on the Dublin to Galway rail service.

I reassure Senator Dolan that the Department of Transport, the NTA and the operators are working to ensure the optimised deployment of resources across the public transport network to match changing passenger demand patterns. The Senator made reference to a review. I will let her follow up on that and then come back to her on it.

I welcome students from Greystones Community College on their visit to the Seanad. We are having questions to the Minister of State from Senator Dolan. The Senator is expertly representing her community of Roscommon-Galway and the Minister of State is replying on behalf of the Government. I hope you enjoy your visit.

It is good to hear that there is a proposal that has been considered because it is well overdue. I understand the Minister of State is taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan. It is important that this service be put in place as soon as possible. We are already in year three of the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan. The challenge I have seen is that when the X20 Bus Éireann route was removed, leaving nothing for communities between Ballinasloe and Athlone and between Loughrea and Galway. There are people in those communities who will need to get to University Hospital Galway or Merlin Park University Hospital. We need to have access to healthcare services.

I co-ordinated a video campaign to encourage submissions at the launch of this in 2021 in Roscommon and Galway. I have raised the issue a number of times here. I highlight again that this is a CLÁR funding and just transition area. Moore is roughly 6 km from Shannonbridge. The impact of the just transition is felt there more strongly than in many other regions across the country. We need to ensure there are public transport services to enable people to get to work, hospitals and training. We cannot do so if these services are not in place.

On behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, I thank Senator Dolan for raising this important matter. The Minister and Department recognise the importance of connectivity to people who live and work in Ireland. It is key to bringing life back to our villages, towns and urban centres.

As indicated in my initial response, the NTA, which is responsible for public transport in the context of the specific point the Senator raised regarding buses, is working on two proposals along the corridor with Local Link Galway. The NTA is currently reviewing public transport connections between Loughrea, Ballinasloe and Athlone, serving settlements such as Kilconnell and Ballydangan. This is planned to go to public tender soon. There is also an enhanced rail service between Dublin and Galway.

The matters Senator Dolan raised in relation to the provision of specific public transport services or routes is a matter for the NTA, but I will bring them to the attention of the Minister. I suggest that the Senator take the matter up directly with the NTA, particularly on the basis of the work it is doing.

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber. My question relates to the expiry of taxi licences and the situation that will obtain from January next whereby cars purchased in 2015 will be forced off the road because their ten-year licences will have expired but cars purchased between 2012 and 2014 will continue to operate as taxis. Wheelchair-accessible taxis older than ten years are allowed to continue for 15 years, and vintage models to not have an expiry date.

There is a serious anomaly and inconsistency in the rules regulating the time a small public service vehicle can continue on the road. This is unfair from a cost perspective, particularly when we think of the loss of earnings taxi drivers had to endure as a result of the pandemic. They did not get the full ten years to write off the cost of financing the purchase of their cars. It is also unfair when we look at the cost of buying a new car relative to ten years ago - there is a difference of about €2,000 when it comes to the purchase price and financing arrangements. It is not environmentally consistent, given that there are other messages from the Government with regard to running cars into the ground. The ten-year expiry ignores the reality that taxis have to pass a national car test every six months. That is the measure of whether the car is up to standard or otherwise. Yet, there is also the blunt instrument of ten years as the expiry deadline on a taxi licence. It is hard to understand the rationale behind that other than some sort of blunt way of taking older taxis off the road. At a time when we need more rather than fewer taxis, I am all the more bewildered as to why the Minister for Transport and the NTA have not sought to act in the face of what we expect to be more than 1,000 taxis being put off the road from next January.

Some 1,489 taxis were registered in 2015. The number registered in 2019 was 784. There was a bit of an increase in 2022, but the overall number of taxis operating on our roads is less than was the case prior to the pandemic. In April of this year, 12,990 taxis were in operation on our roads. That is 2,000 fewer than before the pandemic. What is the Minister for Transport doing about this? There were recommendations yesterday from the Dublin task force - it produced an excellent report - calling for more late-night taxis on our streets.

Anybody who lives in Dublin is crucially aware of the shortage of taxis, particularly in the early hours of the morning. If we are serious about promoting the night-time economy and all of that, we need to have a strategy in place. There is a particular urgency in asking the Government and Minister for Transport to act because we expect the Government to conclude over the coming weeks. We face the prospect of not having a new Government in January, which would mean well over 1,000 taxis being put off the road. What action plan is being put in place to ensure we see an increase in rather than a fall in the number of taxis, starting in 2025?

I thank the Acting Chair. I thank in particular Senator Sherlock for raising this important matter. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important topic, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan.

I would like to clarify that the Minister, Deputy Ryan, is responsible for policy and overall funding of public transport. Neither the Minister nor his Department is involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport, including the small public service vehicle, SPSV, sector. The National Transport Authority, NTA, is the independent regulator for licensing and enforcement for the SPSV industry.

Regulations made by the National Transport Authority in 2010 first established a maximum permissible age of ten years for new standard taxis and hackneys. The ten-year rule was adopted in recognition of the need to strike a balance between achieving standards that offer the customer confidence, comfort and safety and allowing industry members to operate successfully.

The Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016 require the NTA to seek to promote the provision and maintenance of quality services by small public service vehicles and their drivers. The Taxi Regulation (Small Public Service Vehicle) Regulations 2015 continued the ten-year maximum permissible age limit for taxis and hackneys. The NTA's extension of age limits during the Covid-19 pandemic was an emergency measure of a temporary nature. It was taken in recognition of the vehicle availability challenges posed by the pandemic and was specifically aimed at ensuring that no operator would be required to change their vehicle while passenger demand remained low, and there was a lack of suitable vehicles available for purchase. The initial age limit extension impacted vehicles with an original final operation date in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Further amendments to the maximum permissible vehicle age were made by the NTA in 2022 because of ongoing challenges relating to vehicle supply. Regulations underpinning these amendments permitted taxis and hackneys with an original final operation date between 2020 and 2024 to operate for a period beyond the maximum permissible age, set out in the Taxi Regulation (Small Public Service Vehicle) Regulations 2015. The maximum age extensions applied under the regulations ranged from 36 to 60 months. The regulations also provided for a graduated return to the ten-year age limit.

The 2022 regulations have now been in place for almost three years. They are targeted and time-limited, with varied accommodations made for a specific cohort of the fleet, to ensure the SPSV sector maintained operations during a period when vehicle supply was constrained. The vehicle supply concern that resulted in the development of the 2022 regulations is no longer present. Consequently, the NTA has no plans to further amend the associated regulations.

With regard to taxi shortages in urban areas, the Minister advises Senator Sherlock that the NTA has implemented measures to increase the number of taxis available to passengers, especially at night-time. These measures include approval of an increase of 9% in taxi fares from December 2024 ensuring that taxi fares continue to reflect the rising costs associated with operating a taxi service in Ireland, a driver recruitment campaign and the extension of the period that an SPSV licence may rest in an inactive-expired status from 12 to 24 months.

As Senator Sherlock is aware, while the NTA has statutory responsibility for regulating, licensing and enforcement for the SPSV industry, taxi drivers are self-employed individuals and, as such, decide on their own business strategies within the regulatory framework. Additionally, SPSV operators choose the times at which they operate.

The total number of SPSV drivers and vehicles is steadily increasing nationally. As of 30 September 2024, the number of SPSV drivers was 27,298. This represents an 8.2% or 2,067 increase on the 2021 figures of 25,231, when driver licence numbers were at their lowest. Drivers whose primary area of operation is Dublin account for 59% of taxi operators. In conclusion, as of 30 September 2024, the number of licensed vehicles was 20,360. This represents a 10.2% or 1,890 increase in comparison to when vehicle licence numbers were at their lowest in 2021, which was 18,470.

I thank the Minister of State. He indicated that the Minister for Transport is responsible for policy. However, the Minister is washing his hands of the matter and presiding over a situation whereby there will be fewer taxis across the country this year. I do not believe he can have it both ways. Previous responses from the Minister referred to initiating recruitment campaigns with the NTA. Yet, when it comes to the actual number of taxis, there is a retreat from or an abdication of responsibility.

It makes no sense that a wheelchair taxi is allowed to operate for 15 years but a standard taxi is only allowed to operate for ten. What is not clear from the figures the Minister of State provided is the breakdown between vintage, wheelchair and standard taxis. They are the figures to which I referred. My understanding is that there has been a decline in the number of standard taxis compared with the situation pre-pandemic.

The Minister of State's response was extremely disappointing. It represents a failure on the part of the Department to take responsibility for what is needed, namely an increase in taxi numbers. I do not believe the NTA should be left to deal with regulation. The point of the Oireachtas is to influence policy in State agencies. Right now, I do not believe it is good enough that more than 1,000 taxis will be retired next year simply because of their age and for reasons that have nothing to do with the condition they are in. At at time when we are all supposed to be much more environmentally conscious, it makes no sense to have such a blunt cut-off point when it comes to the taxi industry.

I thank Senator Sherlock. As previously stated, the NTA, as independent regulator for the SPSV sector, sets the standards and requirements for the sector which include rules about vehicle standards and vehicle age limits. For safety, emissions and quality reasons, standard taxis and hackneys must be less than ten years old to operate. Once a vehicle reaches its maximum permissible age, the licence holder may not apply to the NTA for the renewal of a licence with that vehicle and a younger replacement vehicle must be procured.

From 1 Jan 2028, the maximum permissible age requirements for taxis and hackneys will return to the original requirements, that is, ten years for taxis and hackneys and 15 years for wheelchair-accessible taxi and hackneys. The legacy age rules, which concern vehicles associated with SPSV licences before the introduction of the taxi (small public service vehicles) regulations 2015, will also have ceased to have effect by this date. It was an emergency measure at the time.

As the instigating factors around vehicle supply that resulted in the time-limited amendments to vehicle maximum permissible age are no longer present, the independent regulator for the SPSV sector, the NTA, does not anticipate introducing any further amendments to the maximum permissible age of SPSVs.

I thank the Senator for the opportunity to discuss this matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I assure her that her questions have been heard. I will convey her points on this issue to the Minister.

I had hoped that the Minister of State, Deputy Lawless, who is responsible for this area, would have been present to take this matter. I appreciate that the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, is here to take it and that I have the opportunity to raise it once again.

I reiterate my frustration not with the Minister of State but in respect of the issue I am highlighting, namely fair fares and the need for Government agencies to act and implement its policy regarding commuter fares equalisation. I have advocated very strongly and repeatedly for a better deal for the commuters of south Kildare. There is major disparity between the towns of Newbridge and Sallins, which are just down the road from each other. If I had purchased a return ticket this morning to travel from Newbridge to Heuston Station in Dublin, it would have cost €16.90. That was just the cost to travel from station to station - the ticket would not cover any of the public transport costs in Dublin city centre once I arrived. However, if I had travelled from Sallins, the next station along, the cost of a return ticket to Heuston would have been €7.20. That is a difference of 57% in the cost of travelling to Dublin from two stations that are just 12 km apart.

I have worked closely with members of my own party, with Ministers and the NTA to equalise the price differential for commuters in places like Newbridge and Kildare town, which are just outside the short-hop zone. It is not just Kildare that is impacted, it is east Meath, north County Dublin, Drogheda and Wicklow. Seven key towns for commuters are affected. Two of them happen to be in south Kildare which I am obviously happy about. Where are we now? We were given a commitment that the fares determination as agreed would be implemented in September. In fact, the fares within Dublin went up on 23 June as part of the equalisation process. In Newbridge, the planned fare determination would result in a fare drop of 45% and in Kildare town, a drop of 37%. We have waited for years to reach this point and at the eleventh hour, once again, the process is being delayed. We are now told it will be implemented in quarter one of next year, 2025, but I can tell the Minister that trust has been broken and confidence on the ground is damaged. The reason we have been given for this delay is that contractors cannot deliver the timeline for technical reasons. That is simply not good enough. This is Government policy. It should be implemented in such a way that commuters feel the benefit of the reductions in their pocket until the technical hardware is in place. These technical issues should have been factored into the original timeframes. I did have the opportunity to question the NTA about that at the Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications. I was not given any substance in response.

Subsequent freedom of information, FOI requests came to light and I thank KFM, my local radio station, for looking at this. It showed the series of critical delays primarily caused by late software updates and some internal confusion. However, this has gone on long enough, we have had years of excuses and reasons for this not being implemented. As a public representative for Kildare and representing the community of south Kildare, I will not let this go. I will continue to bring this up in every single forum that I can until we have an adequate and appropriate resolution on the fares.

I thank Senator O’Loughlin for her inquiry on the implementation of phase two of the National Transport Authority fare determination and, more particularly, its impact on the commuters of south Kildare. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important topic, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan. From the outset I would like to clarify that the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport, but neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. The statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally rests with the NTA. The NTA works with the public transport operators who deliver the services and have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters. That said, I would like to reassure the Senator that 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 under budget 2025, the Government has provided a funding package of €652 million - an increase from €613 million in budget 2024 - for PSO and Local Link services for next year. This includes funding to support fare initiatives and for the continued roll-out of new services next year, including the continuation of the BusConnects and Connecting Ireland programmes and the planned introduction of further new town services.

As the Senator knows, as part of the programme for Government, we committed to review existing fare structures to ensure that public transport is as accessible as possible, supports the delivery of services and incentivises off-peak travel. In its capacity as fare regulator, the NTA published a new national fares strategy on 27 April, 2023, and a subsequent fares determination on 18 January this year. This strategy aims to address inconsistencies and make public transport more accessible.

I understand that the Senator's query is on the timeline for the implementation of this fares determination, particularly for commuters in south Kildare, and when those living in the area can expect to see the roll-out of the new Dublin commuter zone and a reduction in their fares.

The most significant change in this year’s fare determination is the implementation of the initial phase of the national fare strategy on Dublin commuter bus and rail services.

This delivers more consistent and equitable fares and reduces the disparities that currently exist for some passengers, particularly in the outer commuter towns surrounding Dublin.

Under phase 2, the new national fare structure will introduce the Dublin city and Dublin commuter zones. The latter will extend approximately 50 km from Dublin city centre. This area was selected on the basis of 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. The new commuter zone will include stations outside of the Dublin city zone extending as far as Rathdrum, Kildare, Enfield and Drogheda stations - it will also include Newbridge, to which the Senator referred - and will provide better value for passengers from these areas.

The Dublin commuter zone fare is designed to ensure that the cheapest fare is made available for passengers and will help alleviate boundary issues between national and city fare structures. For a journey from Newbridge to O’Connell Street, for example, passengers will benefit from the flat fare element within the city, facilitating longer distances of travel at a cheaper fare. For journeys entirely within the Dublin commuter zone, the standard national fare structure will apply.

I am advised that the implementation of these zones, initially targeted for quarter 3 of 2024, which Senator O’Loughlin referenced, has been delayed due to significant technical challenges, particularly with Irish Rail. These challenges involve integrating new stations, configuring ticketing systems and making necessary software changes. I have been advised that the technological updates to rail ticketing systems by Irish Rail's contractor are scheduled for completion in quarter 1 of 2025, a matter to which the Senator also referred.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I accept that it is complex to integrate new stations, configure ticketing systems and make necessary software changes. Obviously, there are different fares because people use annual, weekly or monthly tickets or just pay for single journeys. The FOI requests I mentioned showed that the revisions made in the NTA requirements mid-project, such as the Leap product integration, added more complexity and meant that plans had to be revised in turn.

Quite simply, the NTA has not handled this matter well. Our Oireachtas liaison, Richard Kelly, is an exceptional person. I appreciate all his help, support and engagement on it. Generally speaking, however, the NTA has failed to implement Government policy. People will be left for six months without the reduced fares. That is simply not good enough. That needs to be addressed. What is going to be done in the interim to make sure that commuters will not be out of pocket because of the NTA's failure to deliver?

I reassure Senator O’Loughlin that the Government is strongly committed to delivering a cost-efficient and sustainable public transport network. The ongoing review of existing fare structures has a key role to play in achieving this goal.

The Minister for Transport has welcomed the publication of the NTA’s fare determination which represents the first step in delivering the national fare strategy. However, the Minister fully acknowledges the frustrations of commuters and of Senator O’Loughlin on behalf of the people of south Kildare who have been impacted by the delays in the roll-out of phase 2 of the fare determination.

When phase 2 is implemented, it will involve the introduction of the new Dublin city and Dublin commuter zones, a significant reduction in Leap card multimodal caps and the introduction of Leap travel credit at all Dublin commuter zone rail stations. This will be a further positive step towards a more equitable approach to public transport fare pricing.

I trust this clarifies the Senator’s queries with regard to the implementation of phase 2 of the fare determination for commuters in south Kildare. I thank her for the opportunity to discuss this matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I appreciate the Senator's understanding and will convey her concerns to the Minister. I thank her for raising this important matter.

We have had four Commencement matters this morning relating to the portfolios of two Green Party Ministers, neither of whom has appeared. The Minister of State has the difficult task of standing in for them.

If ever there was a matter that should be sung into the record, this is it. However, I will not inflict that on the Seanad this morning. I work with a man named Frank Foley. He is a pivotal member of the Kilmainham Inchicore Musical Society.

I have the honour of supporting it next week as it runs "Rock of Ages" in the Inchicore College of Further Education. As the annual outing of the musical society, it involves an incredible number of people from the community. The society has more than 70 members and the local community gets to go to an event being performed locally by people they recognise and family members and friends.

Frank Foley is also the national secretary of the Association of Irish Musical Societies. There are 130 such societies on the island, each of which has over 70 members and engages its community in the same way. In a musical society there is a role for everyone. From the extroverts who can take centre stage and the behind-the-scenes people, everyone can get involved. Yet, since Covid musical societies across Ireland have not been receiving funding from the Department of the arts or the Arts Council. This year, they are branching into secondary schools to try to engage pupils in a mentoring programme. This is very important, especially now that speech and drama is taught until junior certificate. These societies are providing extracurricular music activities under the Department of Education and the Arts Council but they have not received funding. No value is placed on the important art, cultural and community impact that these organisations have. It is incredibly remiss of the Minister not to ensure the Arts Council funds musical societies. Art and culture are found in a multiplicity of ways. We must engage people where they are and in what they are interested, and a musical society is exactly the way to do it.

I live in the Dublin South-Central constituency. Arts facilities have been closed down across the constituency. The Rupert Guinness Theatre, which was available to musical societies, is closed. Diageo has made it available to the community provided Dublin City Council runs it and the Minister funds it but there is no sign of that funding coming through. Yet again, musical societies are being let down. The Tivoli Theatre on Francis Street was knocked down to make way for student and tourist accommodation while the community suffers a deficit as a consequence. There seems to be no intent to support the arts at the community level either in my constituency or across the country. How many rural communities benefit from local musical societies?

I hope there is good news in the Minister of State's answer or that we have missed something somewhere in the budget. I have trawled through it and cannot see anything that would be dedicated to this crucial community-based activity that is rich in culture, in community engagement and in bringing people together in their area and in something in which they have ownership, participation and involvement.

I thank the Senator for raising this very important matter which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. The Programme for Government: Our Shared Future includes the interest to develop innovative support schemes for amateur drama and musicals. In 2021, with the support of the Department, the Arts Council provided funding to the resource organisations that support the amateur drama and musical societies. For example, the Drama League of Ireland received Arts Council funding of €135,000 and the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland was received Arts Council funding of €138,000. I am not sure if the latter is Frank Foley’s group.

The Arts Council’s music policy, published in 2023, plans to identify optimum models of provision of a national network of accessible performance, rehearsal and recording venues for new and emerging artists in a range of specialist music genres and practices and for community music-making; engage proactively with other national, amateur music-making organisations to establish supportive partnerships; and avail of the Arts Council and local authorities’ strategic partnership to develop more strategic funding of local voluntary and amateur music-making. In addition, a network of cultural infrastructure exists throughout the country, with the majority in the ownership of local authorities. Annual support, including programming and revenue supports, is provided to these arts centres by local authorities and the Arts Council.

These arts centres are where artists and audiences meet and this is a key part of the Arts Council strategy to invest in public engagement. The Department focuses on providing capital grant funding to assist development and to maintain these arts and cultural facilities. For example, the Civic Theatre in Tallaght and Mill Theatre in Dundrum have received capital funding from the Department in recent years through applications for specific grant schemes.

The Department has a number of measures in place to support the arts at amateur and professional levels. Annual funding is provided to Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann for its work in the protection and promotion of Irish traditional music and culture. In 2024, €7.6 million, which is the highest level of funding for Culture Ireland since its establishment, will support more Irish artists to launch and develop their careers on an international stage. This Department managed to secure the highest ever allocation of €8 million for Culture Ireland in budget 2025.

The basic income for the arts pilot scheme is a three-year, €105 million scheme involving 2,000 artists and creative arts workers nationwide. There is increased funding for the Safe to Create programme, including Minding Creative Minds, which supports all artists and creatives.

A new pilot capital support scheme for arts, culture and the night-time economy will support the development of vibrant late-night arts and culture scenes in Irish cities, towns and villages as well as additional capital to assist in the provision of building and equipment needs, artists’ workspaces, and adapting facilities to reduce energy needs and carbon footprints.

The music capital scheme managed by Music Network provides funding for the purchase of musical instruments to both non-professional performing groups and ensembles, and professional musicians.

Creative Ireland programme funding is supporting the delivery of a number of creative projects nationwide. Funding is provided for cultural events such as St. Patrick’s Festival, Other Voices and Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, which in turn helps to sustain the arts at all levels.

The relevant Oireachtas joint committee recently published its report on the development of local and community arts. The recommendations from this report broadly align with policies and programmes in place in this Department in areas such as local arts infrastructure, disability, and arts and health. One of these recommendations was that the Arts Council formally recognise musical theatre as a distinct art form. The report is a helpful and positive contribution to policy development and the 16 recommendations set out therein continue to be reviewed by officials in the Department.

Following meetings this summer with Senator Malcolm Byrne and members of the Drama League of Ireland, the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland and the Association of Irish Musical Societies, the Department will continue to engage with stakeholders on musical theatre and drama.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I note the last paragraph which refers to meetings this summer with the Drama League of Ireland, the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland and the Association of Irish Musical Societies. The three of them are listed there. However, when it comes to the provision of funding, only two of those three entities are named and the one that is left out is the one for which I am specifically making representations. I am heartened that the Department will continue to engage with it. I will certainly bring that back to Frank Foley and all the people across the country his association represents.

I am also heartened at the capital funding because we will need capital funding to reopen the Rupert Guinness Theatre in Dublin 8 and to make sure that is available to the community across the Liberties and Dublin South-Central. It is very disappointing that they met during the summer and a budget was announced but that no specific allowance was made for musical theatre.

Musical theatre is an amateur pursuit for most of those involved and it has established a sustainable model of operation. It relies on voluntary commitment and enthusiastic audiences. As the Senator mentioned, 130 musical societies throughout Ireland are members of the Association of Irish Musical Societies. This involves approximately 14,000 people directly involved in musical theatre, engaging an audience base of in excess of 1 million. It is a hugely positive activity for those involved and for the wider community. I acknowledge that a number of commercial sponsors contribute through the national associations towards the annual costs of amateur drama. I take the opportunity to acknowledge with thanks the generous support of sponsors of national bodies towards their special presentations.

The Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, remains committed to this area and has allocated funding in budget 2025 for the continuation of the basic income for artists, direct allocation for the arts and the Department's annual schemes to assist practitioners in this area. Departmental officials continue to work with the Arts Council to progress the recommendations of the Oireachtas joint committee report on the basic income for artists report published earlier in the year.

On the specific point made in respect of the Association of Irish Musical Societies, I will bring the matter to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. I suggest that the Senator writes to the Minister on that matter. The funding was made available to the other two organisations. Certainly, the Oireachtas joint committee has highlighted musical theatres in its report and I expect that a constructive discussion will continue with the Department and her officials.