Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 17 Oct 2024

Can the Minister provide an update on the progress being made in implementing the All-Island Strategic Rail Review? We welcomed the fact that there was an increase in services. In my part of the world we definitely welcome the fact that the Belfast-Dublin service was becoming hourly. We have then had a number of revisions of timetables because there has been an element of chaos. I welcome what Iarnród Éireann has said and that it will be able to deliver on that service and sort those issues out. We then have wider issues on delivering rail connectivity and we really need to get down to business.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 72 together.

As the Deputy may be aware, the All-Island Strategic Rail Review was undertaken in co-operation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. Following two public consultations, the review’s final report was published on 31 July 2024.

The review's final report sets out 32 strategic recommendations to enhance and expand the rail system in Ireland and Northern Ireland up to 2050, aligning with net carbon zero commitments in both jurisdictions. The recommendations seek to transform the quality of the rail system to the benefit of passengers and wider society on the island, through additional track capacity, electrification, increased speeds, higher service frequencies and new routes.

The final review report will inform the development of rail on the island of Ireland in the coming decades to 2050. It should be noted that the individual projects referred to in the report will be subject to funding and relevant approvals as required under the infrastructure guidelines in Ireland.

Assisted by the European Investment Bank, the Department of Transport, the Department for Infrastructure and agencies North and South are working to progress the report's recommendations in the years ahead. This includes a more detailed identification of rail priorities to pursue over the next decade. A report on this matter is expected to be published in the coming weeks. Progress on following up on the rail review will be reported on as appropriate through the North-South Ministerial Council.

Regarding Deputy Ó Cuív's query on the criteria used to identify projects to be advanced in the first decade of the review, this analysis is being informed by criteria such as the goals of the rail review and the national investment framework for transport in Ireland, which both aim for enhanced regional and rural connectivity as a goal. Hence, it is expected that this work will take account of the issue of balanced regional development.

Deputies are aware the rail review was not looking at the metropolitan areas. It does not relate to the Dublin metro, DART+ projects or Cork metropolitan rail. It is important, when considering the funding now, that many projects have to happen in Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick as well as in Dublin. As I have said, we have engaged with the consultancy arm of the European Investment Bank and I expect to be able to bring the report to the Government in the coming weeks. It is looking at this next decade and what we do first. This is a multi-decade investment strategy. It is not completed but I expected it may show that work in metropolitan rail investment must continue apace and accelerate. There are many other projects we can invest in relatively quickly and at relatively low cost which will provide significant enhancements in speeds and service. These include passing loops throughout the main lines of network.

I will conclude as I have a minute of speaking time remaining. This will give us time to start ramping up what I see as key strategic projects, many of which have already started. There is the likes of the western rail corridor where we have started clearing the line this year. There is also building a rail link to Shannon, which refers back to what we said earlier about how we get better balanced regional development and arrive at a situation where not everything goes through Dublin. A critical piece of infrastructure such as this would be essential for the development of Limerick as well as Shannon.

There is opening the rail line from Rosslare to Waterford, which would have the benefit of creating a metropolitan rail system in the south east. We could have the new battery electric trains, which are arriving next week for testing and trial runs, running from Waterford to Carrick-on-Suir, Cahir, Kilkenny or Wexford.

We all welcome that the rail review has been done. We know the large deficits there are. We know that at one stage we had a large level of rail infrastructure which was then lifted. There are great expanses in the State where we do not have rail. Earlier, we spoke about Donegal. If we look at the entire west all the way up to Donegal, we see the absolute lack of connectivity. It is necessary that we look at all of the projects the Minister has detailed. The problem is the State does not have a great history of delivering projects due to issues relating to planning, funding and overruns. It is about making sure it happens. We saw lately that when we did have an expansion of services in the general metropolitan area, and wider when we take in the Dublin to Belfast connection, there were issues.

I am glad the Minister made reference to quick wins. In my view they could have been done in the past four years without any rail strategy. They include passing loops. Throughout the system we are getting caught with bottlenecks because trains cannot pass each other and we cannot increase the frequency. It does not take any great eye strain to work out these things must be dealt with and should have been dealt with. We spend too much time cogitating about things and too little time just doing them. Is the Minister saying that this year there will be a cleaning of the line, preparatory to developing the rail line from Athenry to Claremorris? Perhaps I misheard him. I would like clarification on that. I was looking at the timings for reopening the line to Foynes. It is a tedious job, even though it was given all of the money needed. It is a slow job. The early jobs include clearing the lines, doing the assessment, working out what work needs to be done and starting on the bridges. There is very little expenditure in the first few years. There needs to be an absolute commitment for an early start to the western rail corridor in view of the aim of achieving balanced regional development.

Twice in his response the Minister mentioned balanced regional development. Then he went on to tell us about projects in Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick as well as Dublin. There was no mention of Sligo. My question is about the Sligo to Dublin rail line. There are two issues that are crucial. We need a train to arrive in Sligo, at least from Longford or Carrick-on-Shannon, for approximately 8.30 a.m. for students and workers so that people can use public transport. There is a need for this service. There is a lot of talk in the strategic rail review of having four tracks near Heuston and Connolly stations. This is perfect but double tracking is needed on certain parts of the Sligo rail line. I am very disappointed that, once again, the north west has been left out when it comes to balanced regional development.

With regard to the review of rail services I want to ask about access to railway stations. At Clongriffin station there is an urgent need to provide safe, universal and permanent access for commuters from Baldoyle. The temporary access, which the Minister visited earlier this year, was opened in 2010 and has yet to be replaced with permanent access. For 14 years, the local community has been left waiting. A few days ago, a man was attacked there coming home from work at 8 p.m. Many people in the local community simply do not feel safe using the station after dark or even in daylight. It is completely unacceptable that people do not feel safe or cannot access their local public transport and railway service. Will the Minister instruct the NTA to CPO the land to provide permanent safe and universal access?

I welcome the Minister's comments on the Athenry to Claremorris project and the Limerick to Shannon project, for which I have been advocating for some years. I am delighted it is on the agenda. I strongly believe these should be among the highest priorities of the Government to deliver. They are not complex or difficult projects and they are not expensive projects. They should be pursued with urgency. I have a concern we might begin to speak about business cases and feasibility studies. A decision needs to be made that we get on with these. The obvious benefit is there for balanced regional development. I do not know how the Minister factors this in to any analysis or public spending code. A decision should be made and they should happen. I am concerned about the national planning framework. The targets contained in the draft do not support these projects sufficiently. The national planning framework targets and the narrative in the national planning framework need to be reviewed before the document is finalised, such that they support these types of fundamentally positive projects.

I will try to answer all of the questions. I will begin with Deputy Ó Murchú's questions. The next Government and the one after it will have to recognise that we do not have the funding for everything. We are going to have to make some hard choices. To my mind, the choice should continue to be the prioritisation of public transport. The real benefit is that it will bring us housing development that is sustainable and more economic and in line with the national planning framework. We have to invest in public transport to make our housing solutions work. This means making hard choices. We should favour the rail, bus and active travel options.

I very much appreciate and support what Deputy Ó Cuív said. He said if we are going to look at the next ten years now, in the first five years we should focus on the quick wins, such as putting in passing loops throughout the country.

These would enhance existing capacity at a relatively low cost and a relatively quick speed.

I thought clearance had already started on the line from Claremorris to Athenry. I will have to check that.

I will have to disagree with the Deputy regarding the Foynes experience. It is possible to work very quickly when we work in this way because we are not caught in planning. Irish Rail turned around the Foynes line really quickly and I hope it can do the same on the western rail corridor.

Regarding Deputy Harkin's question, I accept the need to improve access to the north west. Much of the investment on the existing mainline network I mentioned is designed to do that.

In response to Deputy O'Callaghan, as a later parliamentary question relates to Clongriffin station, I will come back to the issue then rather than using the time now.

On Deputy Leddin's point, I mentioned the three cases of the western rail corridor, the rail line to Shannon and the reopening of the Rosslare line because they are the only three new lines we will be putting in as part of this whole strategy. It is important they come centre stage because they are key strategic elements in rebalancing the country. We have an imbalanced transport system, with a huge proportion of investment going into the east. We do need to balance it out, and these three sections, along with the other investments in the north west as well as elsewhere, will be critical and need to get priority. Otherwise, we will not get housing or economic development in a balanced way.

There is still a need to do business cases. It would still take time even if we were going ahead straightaway. It is better to indicate that it will be in the second part of this decade that those projects will start to be built and delivered. In truth, the reality, which we all know, is that it takes time to get developments through our project appraisal system and planning system. This process needs to accelerate because these projects are needed as soon as we can possibly deliver them.

What we need to do is fairly straightforward. We need to first determine what the plan is and what we are going to prioritise. We must then ensure we get those quick wins, and that can then be followed up. We all know the huge benefits that result when we ensure connectivity across this State. Everyone has spoken about passing loops and the issues caused. Even the issue I spoke about previously, while it does not necessarily relate to the all-island rail review, was linked with the lack of extra lines and passing loops and the logjams we have in and around Dublin. We must ensure the work done on this matter is done as soon as possible. We must also upgrade the Dublin to Belfast line and ensure we have the correct rolling stock in place to deliver the service across the board, but particularly the Enterprise service. That said, it is about planned funding and then priorities.

I am glad Irish Rail was able to adjust the timetable on the eastern corridor because it was inconveniencing commuters. I hope the change will bring the schedule back on track. We are investing significantly in the east coast. As I said, the first line to be part of this new electrified rail system will be that running to Drogheda, which will see the use of new battery electric trains. We are putting major investment into Drogheda to upscale the power system to be able to run the battery electric trains there. Similarly, I believe we can accelerate, deliver and get those same teams working seamlessly on putting in what is a relatively easy upgrade in Wicklow station to install an electric charging point. This would allow battery electric trains to be run to Wicklow. This would transform what is a constrained area in terms of travel from Wicklow to Dublin.

While I agree that we need to build the infrastructure in the north west and the western rail corridor will help in this regard, as will investment in the Sligo line, we need to build up our other cities - Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick - as counterbalances to Dublin. This means investment is needed in those cities. Coming back to the funding issue, the funding is not there for the public transport projects we need in Galway, Cork, Waterford and Limerick, or for town bus services right across the country.

The next Government will face hard choices. People who think we can do everything will have to answer honest questions about whether they will prioritise public transport and spend the money now on public transport in the same way we have done on motorways over the last two decades so we can turn our country around in a way that is more sustainable and has better balanced regional development.

Compared to the processes in place between 2000 and 2010 when we built a lot of basic infrastructure such as rail lines, roads, etc., those in place now seem now to have become forever processes. I support Deputy Leddin in saying that some things are so obvious that we are wasting time just putting paper together, filling out forms and doing studies that do not need to be done. I could never understand the system delaying over the obvious. Does the Minister agree that the biggest inflator of costs is not a lack of processes but the processes themselves? Delay is adding huge costs to infrastructure. Infrastructure built now compared to five years ago is enormously more expensive. The systems designed to save money, allegedly, are actually costing us a fortune. Does the Minister agree with that analysis of how we have created a system that is actually defeating its own purpose?

It is the stop-start nature of it. The proof of this can be found when we look at what happens when we do not do things that way. If we look at when we built out the motorways programme, which was done in a strategic way, with long-term certainty, money guaranteed and contractors knowing they had two decades of work, we see we were, in international comparative terms, able to deliver relatively lower costs, on time and to high quality. We now need to do the same in the area of public transport. We have created a car-dependent country that in the end will not work. As well as being unsustainable environmentally, it will grid-lock.

The strategic rail review has a critical role to play because it is taking this three-decade approach. If we all agree that we need to make these investments, we will give a signal to Irish Rail and contractors that this work is coming. By having a modular system, with the same sorts of platforms, passing loops and electrification process, we know there will be a multi-annual programme that will make it modular, regular and quicker, thereby reducing the cost. The Deputy is right. The fundamental question for the next Government is whether it will be willing to continue in the direction this Government has started. We have switched to public transport and active travel. The question will be whether the next Government will be willing to give that certainty. If it does not, and we get caught in processes, we will go nowhere, it will be very expensive and it will take years. Political certainty is probably the most important thing to overcome the process obstacle the system tends to cling on to.

The Minister previously gave commitments that Irish airspace was not being used to transport weapons bound for Israel. He now knows that not to be the case. He mentioned some ambiguity earlier. I put it to him that there should be no ambiguity at this stage. What is the total number of flights through Irish sovereign airspace that the Minister is aware of that have been used to illegally traffic weapons of war destined for use by the IDF and other Israeli military forces?

I propose to take Questions Nos. 52, 74, 79, 88, 92, 110 and 111 together.

In my earlier answer, I outlined the requirement to receive an exemption to carry munitions of war on civil aircraft in Irish sovereign territory or on Irish-registered aircraft wherever they are operating. I outlined the two categories the majority of granted exemptions fall into. I also outlined the difference between Irish-controlled and Irish sovereign airspace. I wish now to provide some detail on the complexity of international aviation, with a focus on what are referred to as transit rights, which comprise overflights and stops for non-traffic purposes, for example, refuelling or crew change.

The Chicago Convention 1944 and its annexes provide the framework that governs the safe operation of international aviation. Over 190 states are contracting parties to this convention, Ireland included. Article 35 of this convention sets out the requirement that munitions of war must not be carried on civil aircraft without the express permission of all states overflown and landed in.

Article 5 of the convention also provides for the right of overflights and non-traffic stops, without first obtaining permission to do so for non-scheduled flights. Similarly, the International Air Services Transit Agreement provides for the same rights for scheduled air services.

The provisions I have outlined have been provided for in Irish law, the import of which means that my Department does not receive prior notification of overflights by operators of states which are parties to such agreements, save where there is an intention to carry munitions of war.

Flight plans can be submitted up to three hours prior to operations. These are submitted to Eurocontrol, an international organisation tasked with the managing the capacity of European airspace. Once validated, flight plans are then directed to the relevant air navigation service provider with responsibility for the airspace the operator wishes to use. In Ireland, that provider is AirNav Ireland. Flight plans will contain a range of information such as the type of operation, the time and points of origin and destination and any technical or fuel stops en route. There is no specific requirement for a flight plan to include information on munitions of war being carried.

This information serves to illustrate to the House that unless an air operator has sought an exemption to carry munitions of war, there is no mechanism by which my Department will have knowledge of the type of cargo that is being carried on such overflights. As I have outlined the mechanism governing overflights, I can advise that it would be unusual for my Department to receive information indicating that an aircraft which is already overflying is carrying munitions of war. Such a scenario has not arisen in the past. It would be a complex matter to deal with in real time, and obviously safety considerations would be paramount. Should such a scenario arise, my officials would engage immediately with the air operator concerned to confirm the detail of what is being carried. Consideration would then be given to the most appropriate course of action.

The purpose of the recently communicated notice to airmen, or NOTAM, was to serve as a reminder of our legislative requirements to pilots-in-command. I await the completion of these examinations by my officials. The actions to be taken then will have to be determined in accordance with the provisions of the legislation. An offence is provided for in Irish law and my officials are exploring the legal powers which regulate this matter. Any potential action must be supported by robust evidence.

This is a unique situation and the legislation in question dates from the 1970s and 1980s. This legislation is already being examined in the context of considering the introduction of a system of random inspections, as signalled by me in the summer. Amendments to address any deficiencies brought to light by recent events will also be the subject of this consideration.

To summarise, we operate under international law and with our European colleagues to make sure we uphold our right that no munitions cross Irish airspace or land in Irish airports without the express permission of the Irish Government. This was the case prior to any of this information raised during the autumn period by The Ditch. We said we had to strengthen and enhance our ability to search, sample and sanction and that is what I intend to do going back to the Government, including any evidence presented. We need to see the proper evidence and we have contacted all the airlines cited in the media information provided to try to assess in each individual case what the reality was.

We are united in this House. We all agree that we do not want to facilitate the carriage of munitions, particularly if they are engaged or used in, or enable, what is an ongoing tragedy and travesty in Gaza, south Lebanon, the West Bank and the Middle East. No one seeks to approve, condone or accept any such support, but we have to make sure what we do in regulating that is in compliance with international law and gives real certainty and clarity. There are a lot of overflights, many of which, as I set out in the Department's response, are in real-time situations where there is not absolute certainty about what the aircraft is carrying. We need to enhance our ability to have that certainty and that is what I intend to do, learning from what has been seen and has happened in recent weeks and months.

To me, that response says "long finger" and "procrastinate". The Minister has been in government for five years and throughout that time there have been serious concerns. One is in respect of the use of Irish airports, particularly Shannon Airport, and that there could be a facilitation of the transportation of munitions bound for war. Not a single inspection had taken place in this Government's term.

Now we find out - not through any efforts on the part of the Minister's Department but from a media organisation - that it is very likely that Irish sovereign airspace has been abused in a way that runs contrary to both international and domestic law. The Minister's response is that his officials are looking into it. By the time they come back with a substantive response, the Minister will be out of government and it will be somebody else's responsibility.

I put it to the Minister that this is not good enough. It is a very serious matter. The Minister is correct that this House is largely united in saying we do not want to have any hand, act or part in Israel's genocide in Gaza or its ongoing flagrant breaches of international law. Most Members of this House cannot do anything about that issue but the Minister can. He could have but did not. The articles in The Ditch first started to appear in August. In response to a parliamentary question I tabled, the Minister stated that The Ditch had not furnished him with the information that formed the basis of its articles. He did not say in that response that he had not actually sought it. Will the Minister confirm that at this point there is nothing in any of the articles in The Ditch , which point to specific individual flights that traversed Irish airspace with munitions of war ultimately bound for the IDF, that he can refute? Will he confirm that each of the operators in question has been instructed that it is not permitted to traverse Irish airspace until this matter is resolved? That should be the first step, at a minimum.

It is a pity there is so little time and I am a stickler for time. We are clearly colluding with genocide when we do not conduct inspections, random or otherwise, of planes landing in Shannon Airport. As we know through The Ditch and other sources and dedicated people on the ground, a number of American soldiers have gone through that airport. The Minister set out the provisions of the Chicago Convention and referred to another agreement. He told us it is clearly against the law to carry weapons and arms in civilian aircraft. I am referring to the Americans doing that. What has the Minister done to ensure we are not breaking the law? Will he tell us that? What inspections have been carried out? What investigations has he carried out? When will the investigation he is currently undertaking be completed given the urgency of the matter?

On a regular basis, we uphold the law by refusing applications for munitions to be either carried through Irish airspace or land in Irish airports. It is a relatively small number. Each year, on a routine basis, the Minister for Transport will assess any such application and, on a regular basis, say "No" under international law and under our rights as set out in the Chicago Convention. It is important that we uphold the rights in international law and get it right in international law, so we have that power and capability.

The response to the concerns people had preceded what was published in The Ditch. As I said, earlier this summer before any of that analysis or information became available, I went into the Seanad and made it explicit and clear that we needed to strengthen our legal provisions and give us enhanced capability, first, to search aircraft on a random basis when on the tarmac in Irish airports; second, and difficult as this is, I believe it can be achieved through international law, to sample what the manifests are in overflights so we can check whether an application should have been made, and it may not have been made; and, third, to strengthen and improve our ability to sanction in that regard.

This Government was steering in that direction, publicly and had committed in these Houses to do so, before any of that information was revealed in The Ditch. In response to that information, we reiterated and put out an international restatement of our insistence that any carrier using Irish airspace or landing in Irish airports carrying munitions had to, under international law, apply to do so. We contacted every single one of the air carriers cited in those articles and are still looking for further details from them.

It has taken some time, longer than I would like, but we are persistent in getting and collating that information. Initial sight of that information would indicate that a number of the flights suggested were not in breach of international law and were not carrying munitions as might be defined by the Chicago Convention. Therefore, we have to be careful about sweeping statements and real certainty when the evidence needs to be considered in much more detail. We will continue to do that and more importantly, enhance the legislation so that we can provide assurance to the Irish public that yes, we are upholding our rights in that way. It is not easy, but it is something to which we are absolutely committed, particularly because of the circumstances of what is happening in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank and to back up the case and stand we have taken in the International Court of Justice and in supporting the International Criminal Court and UNRWA, financially and immediately, in the most important way in the middle of that crisis. There is no lack of commitment; far from it, t is the exact opposite, for us to play our part in every way we can to halt that particular war and the atrocities that are occurring on a daily basis. We need to do that through international law if we are to have real strength in our impact.

For all of those actions on the part of the Irish Government, if we want to be generous and describe them as such, here is what we know for sure. Israel could not be conducting a genocide in Gaza, carrying out its relentless attacks on the West Bank or be engaged in its invasion of Lebanon, including putting Irish peacekeeping members of the UNIFIL mission at risk, were it if not for the arms and munitions with which it has been supplied. We have had a number of very positive, strong statements from members of Government, but when it counts, this Government has been falling short every time. We had the ludicrous situation where the Taoiseach was sitting in the Oval Office and did not put the very particular demand of the Irish people to the US President that the US needs stop arming and financing Israel. He said it was not for him to tell a country what to do. Therefore, even if we take that at face value, which I do not, by the way, we have to look at what is happening here.

The Minister said that some of the information is not correct. Will he state which information published in The Ditch articles is not correct? How can he come to the determination that some provisions in those articles are not practical, yet he cannot come to a determination in respect of them all? Let me ask the Minister this very clearly. Have any munitions of war to his knowledge been transported through Irish sovereign airspace? Is the Minister satisfied that this has indeed been the case, despite the fact that he was very open in saying that there were absolutely no circumstances in which it was happening? Previously, the Minister issued a tweet, in fact, to give assurance to the Irish people. That tweet, and the assertions in this House that this action simply was not happening, have now been challenged. The Minister has not been able to say that is actually not true. Therefore, we have to assume that, in fact, Irish sovereign airspace has been used for that purpose. We need to know what the Minister is going to do about that.

While the Minister is telling us he is going to search, sample and sanction, he has given us no details of that. In an earlier reply, he said he was bringing a memo to Government with regard to searching, sanctioning and sampling. When is that going to happen? Why has it not happened before this? The Minister stands here and tells us that he wants to reassure the public. The only way to reassure the public is to stop reliance on the reassurance of the American Government, because they are our friends. That is what we have been told repeatedly in this Dáil.

I want to pay tribute to the people on the ground who have peacefully protested and shown their concerns, who have ended up before the courts and in jail, and who have begged us to inspect the planes and to stop taking the reassurances. When will the search, sampling and sanction happen? Will it happen before this Government falls? What steps are necessary to ensure that? Why have they not been taken before given that America is utterly complicit in genocide of the Palestinian people, which as now extended into Lebanon?

I was in New York at the United Nations General Assembly where I was asked to present the Irish Government's position in an initiative we are taking with Arab and other European states to advance the two-state solution. At the sidelines of that meeting, I had the great privilege of meeting the Prime Minister of Palestine. He could not have been more supportive of what the Irish Government and Irish people have been doing. He could not be more explicit as to how we have actually stood up and tried to protect the rights of their people. I heard it previously. I remember going on an Oireachtas visit to meet the head of the Arab League, who similarly spoke about what the Irish soldiers have done in south Lebanon. At the moment of greatest risk, when villages were subject to attack, the Irish soldiers stood on the bridge and said, "You shall not pass”. He said they would never forget that. That is what our soldiers are doing today, putting themselves in danger and standing up for what the Irish people believe, that is, international peace and the rule of law. I cannot go through every particular article or different example, but I have asked my Department to do so, and it is following up to check every single incident mentioned. I do not refute that is an issue of concern. If we find there are munitions being carried that way, that is something we will take with the utmost seriousness and to which we will have to respond. The response is legislative, and that does take time.

I will cite what I heard Senator Black say yesterday. She made the valid point that even now, when advancing the occupied territories Bill, there is a realisation that we cannot introduce legislation, particularly in this most complex area, that of aviation, of international law. We need some time to work out the complexities as to how we would apply-----

-----better searches, better sampling and better sanctions. That will not be delivered in the lifetime of this Government but absolutely, it is my intention to go back to my Government colleagues when I have the information provided by the analysis being done by the Department to report on this issue, and also-----

In the coming weeks. At the same time, I will indicate what progress my Department, which has been working on this for some six months now, is making on the complex issues of how we improve our legal powers in this area, which we need to do. That does take a certain amount of time because we need to get it right. In the interim, we will do everything we can. I have already put out a notice to all carriers reiterating and repeating our rights under international law that no munitions would be carried without the express approval of the Irish Government. That is something we do and will continue to do an ongoing basis.

This Government and the Minister, in particular, have advocated very strongly for people to use public transport, and I am very glad that new and additional services have been provided to areas like my two counties of Cavan and Monaghan. Next Monday, a new Local Link service linking Cavan, Cross Keys, Ballyjamesduff, Virginia, Mullagh, Moynalty, Kells and on to Baile Ghib will be introduced with good frequency. My particular concern, however, is the lack of adequate capacity on the Cavan-Dublin commuter belt, particular the No. 109 and No. 109x services. There are peak times in the services, both morning and afternoon into early evening, when people are being left behind or delayed for far too long before they can access their bus journey home. We need additional capacity and revised schedules.

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding with regard to public transport. However, I am not 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 National Transport Authority, NTA, including the management of the public service obligation, PSO, programme. Bus Éireann operates several PSO routes along the M3 motorway corridor as part of its direct award contracts with the NTA. These contracts set out the level of service Bus Éireann provides on the route, including the schedule, frequency, fleet, etc., while the fares are determined by the NTA in its capacity as fare regulator.

In recent months, Bus Éireann has undertaken a performance review process on all of its public service obligation routes that operate along the M3 corridor, including the 109 and 109x Dublin to Cavan via Kells service. The performance review also examined route No. 111 serving Athboy to Dublin; route No. 111a serving Cavan to Delvin via Granard; route No. 111x serving Dublin to Clonmellon; and route Nx serving Navan to Dublin. While Bus Éireann has advised that there are no plans at present to implement a new or direct service between counties Cavan and Dublin, on foot of the performance review, the company intends to introduce revised timetables from 27 October, which will better meet the needs of passengers using these services by reducing capacity issues and improving service reliability on the routes.

Bus Éireann will continue to monitor customer travel patterns along the M3 corridor after the timetable changes are implemented at the end of October and if service issues continue, Bus Éireann, in conjunction with the NTA, will examine what additional interventions could be put in place to improve services for the public.

I thank the Minister for his reply. I must say I am disappointed that the performance review does not recommend some changes to the Dublin-Cavan route. What I am talking about, in particular, is the need to introduce, in the morning time leaving Cavan, direct services from Cavan, through Virginia, Whitegate, which is on the Cavan-Meath border, then to Dublin. Similarly, in the late afternoon and early evening, I would advocate, as others would, for direct services from Busáras to Whitegate, Cavan, through Virginia to Cavan town.

What is happening at present - I hear it from commuters and Bus Éireann staff as well - is that when the 109 and 109X leave Busáras, sometimes they are full. They are not able to pick up passengers who are expecting to be able to get home on a scheduled service and there are passengers bound for County Cavan being left behind in the city of Dublin and in west Dublin and on into Meath.

I accept what the Deputy is saying. I happen to be meeting with Bus Éireann in the coming days and I will raise directly with its representatives this issue the Deputy has raised.

I will make a couple of points. One issue we have is we have seen real success, particularly in the last two years, in public transport numbers. Last year they went up 23% nationally and this year, 12% so far. Part of what we are seeing is a phenomenal success due to fare reductions and other measures. We need to build on that.

There are real constraints on Bus Éireann. More so in Cork and some other locations, there are still real constraints in getting drivers and mechanics. That is an issue that we have to be aware of.

I believe one of the ways in which we can most improve the service is if we can provide bus priority measures right across all the routes so that the bus drivers and buses we have are not delayed in traffic and we improve the service. That allows us then to maybe start looking at additional capacity measures because the bus schedule works much more efficiently. That could be one of the ways in which we enhance the service.

The point I want to make is there are people getting on the buses that are bound for Cavan who are not travelling to County Cavan. They are getting off between Dublin and Cavan. When the buses arrive to either Virginia or Cavan town, those buses are not full. Cavan people quite understandably say to me - they would say it to Bus Éireann workers and others - that they were left behind. There were people on that Cavan bus who have very good services to other towns in County Meath, whereas if those few buses in the morning and few buses leaving Dublin in the evening time did not stop before they reached County Cavan, the problem would be eliminated.

We are not talking about huge extra capacity. We are talking about a reconfiguration of existing services in order that those who want to get to Cavan town will be fairly sure, after a hospital appointment in the Mater, Beaumont or whatever, if they go out to the bus, that they can expect to get on the bus at 4.30 p.m., as they cannot wait until 7 p.m. It is about a bit of common sense, and not looking for additional capacity as such. A reconfiguration could mean so much.

I have a question on this issue, as Question No. 78 is on this specific route as well.

These issues have beengoing on for years. A parliamentary question response from the NTA over a year ago stated that a revised timetable for routes 109 and 109X with capacity improvements was scheduled to go live on 24 September 2023 and that it continues to monitor passage usage levels, and yet the Minister is saying now something else has to go live in another few weeks' time. Obviously, whatever they did was not sufficient at the time. What we have are people being left standing at bus stops, sometimes for hours and often in the rain. Often elderly people come from hospital appointments, especially in the James Connolly hospital. It is totally unfair. We need additional routes.

I agree with Deputy Brendan Smith in asking the Minister to consider having routes that go directly from Dublin to the county of Cavan and have separate routes to go to Meath and service the town of Kells, in particular. That would solve the problem.

This is ongoing, as I said, for too long, and it needs to be addressed.

My question in relation to Question No. 54 is to do with the process that the NTA engages in response to overcrowding on service provision which is an ongoing issue. They are not responsive enough. I have seen this in my constituency. I have seen this on DCU-bound services from the north east, which would, of course, include counties Cavan, Monaghan, Louth, Meath and even Westmeath, where services are full when they reach the outskirts of Dublin or even at source and the NTA does not seem to be able to respond quick enough. Surely the organisation should foresee an uptick in people wanting to use the service at the commencement of the academic year every September. I have an ongoing issue with its capacity to respond to recognise that there is a problem with the provision and that it therefore should put on more services. I am specifically referring to those contracts.

In response to the three Deputies, we have mechanisms and encourage and the NTA delivers so-called "enhancements". Where we are finding that there may be a service that is under real pressure and a bus is full, we have the capability of funding and providing for additional buses.

That is different to what I heard Deputies Tully and Smith talking about and I take the point. Are we are seeing buses full with what are relatively short-hop passengers, to Navan and Kells, meaning that passengers to Cavan are frozen out? I will raise that with Bus Éireann when I speak to it.

It is not only Bus Éireann that is relevant. There are private operators. Often some people think private operators have an advantage over the PSO routes, which may be compelled to stop in a number of locations on route. Often private operators, if there is that gap in the market, have successfully delivered non-stop or one-stop services from the likes of Cavan up to Dublin or further afield. What we saw during Covid is a lot of those operators ran into real difficulty. Prior to that they had continued to see massive expansion. I believe it benefits us that we have both a strong Bus Éireann but also a strong contract or private bus operated services because they provide a useful role often where there is a gap, particularly where one might want one-stop services. The private sector also has a role.

I want to ask the Minister for Transport about the updating of the Local Link services. In my constituency, where they have been rolled out, they have been successful. That is good but I want to make the point that we have villages, such as Lady's Bridge, Ballymacoda, Lisgoold, Shanagarry and Garryvoe, that need further services. In some cases, and many of the villages I have just referenced, they have no Local Link services and we need further services in those areas. Is this something the Minister could look at for the east Cork region? Is it something the Department is looking at funding further given the success?

As I am sure the Deputy will be aware, the National Transport Authority's Local Link rural transport programme is managed and administered in Cork by the Local Link offices in Bantry and Fermoy.

I am pleased to confirm that I have secured Exchequer funding under budget 2025 for the roll-out of even more new and enhanced bus services throughout rural Ireland next year. This includes funding for Connecting Ireland, and new town services. In Cork, the NTA has advised that it plans to implement new and enhanced bus services along nine corridors in the Cork area next year, including services in Youghal, Mallow and Fermoy.

As the Deputy will be aware, Local Link services allow passengers to travel from their local village or town to access a wide range of public and social services, training courses, colleges, healthcare, business or to connect with the national bus and train network.

Funding for TFI Local Link services has increased significantly in recent years, from €12 million in 2016 up to €57 million this year.

This targeted investment has resulted in substantial increases in services and in passenger numbers, from 1.76 million passengers in 2015 to 4.7 million passengers last year. With overall passenger numbers up to late September 2024 showing a year-on-year growth rate of 52% compared to last year, it speaks to the success of the services nationally. Passenger numbers in Cork for the year to date are 160,178, which already exceeds the total number of 154,000 carried in the county to the same time last year.

In recent years there has been considerable investment in regular rural service routes in Cork, including the enhanced route 523, which now has five daily return services from Monday to Saturday, and four daily return services on Sunday, between Mitchelstown and Mallow.

This year marks the third year of the delivery of Connecting Ireland and the returns on this investment are evident across the country. Throughout rural Ireland people now have access to public transport services that simply did not exist just a few years ago and are using those services to great effect.

I thank the Minister for that information. He is right in what he is saying. Passenger numbers are looking positive. Services have been rolled out in the towns that have been mentioned, in Youghal, Mitchelstown and Mallow. On behalf of the people of Ladysbridge, Ballymacoda, Lisgoold, Shanagarry, Garryvoe, of those important local villages in the east Cork area, I want to make the case here in Dáil Éireann that it is really important we improve connectivity by having regular services. Ladysbridge is the only one. It has one service a week. I want to see Ballymacoda, Ladysbridge, Shanagarry and Garryvoe all having that connectivity to their local primary towns, namely, Midleton and Youghal. It is a service that would be very much appreciated. These people are not serviced by proper rail or Bus Éireann services in the area. We need to look at putting in Local Link. The people in that area would appreciate it.

On Connecting Ireland and the Local Link services, this new massive expansion in rural public transport has primarily been delivered by Local Link services. Bus Éireann has had a role too but Local Link has been central. I am glad that hopefully now NTA has agreed contract terms with all the Local Link providers for the next phase of their contract. We have also commissioned a review of the Local Link system. It shows its real strengths such as community, bottom-up knowledge at local level and a whole variety of different services that the offices provide. I have been meeting with some of those Local Link operators and will be sharing the review with them. The next step is how we really enhance, support and modernise our Local Link structure so we can grow further from here, including the likes of all those villages and locations the Deputy mentioned. To get that right we need to think now about the next phase of Local Link.

I appreciate the Minister's engagement on this. It is probably our final exchange in the current Dáil term. I do not know if we will be back again for another round of these parliamentary questions. Throughout your term, Minister, I have enjoyed dealing with you. We have very different political views on many issues. I wish you a long and happy retirement from this House. You have done a lot of work for the State.

The Local Link service has been one of the shining lights of Government policy in recent years in how successful it has been. The reason I am standing in the House today is that it is wanted by communities that do not have it. We are coming to the end of our mandate. In any future programme for Government negotiations that may come up in the coming months, I strongly encourage that we would look at places like those I have referenced, which could badly do with having a good Local Link in place. Where it has happened in east Cork it has been very successful and I want it to continue in other areas of the constituency as well.

I thank the Deputy for his kind words. I was only thinking of him yesterday. I happened to be reading up on all the various parliamentary questions and so on. I was reading an update on the Castlemartyr and Killeagh bypasses. Hopefully in the not-too-distant future we are going to get where we want, that detailed report as to how we would address the traffic congestion in those two villages. The Deputy and I have had very good engagement over the last four years on that and other issues. I think he is right about Local Link and the Connecting Ireland services. It is transformative. Young people are flocking to it. That is what I notice around the country. There is a demand that was never understood. It is only when we provide the services that it comes out. People would have said there would be no demand or need for those services. Lo and behold, every time we provide decent public transport, people flock to it. Irish people are hungry for this kind of connectivity. I appreciate the Deputy's kind words in that regard.

I first should clarify that both the 30 and X30 bus services are part of Expressway, a commercial branch of Bus Éireann. Expressway services receive no State subvention, and decisions regarding service enhancements are based on commercial viability. The National Transport Authority is responsible for the licensing of public bus passenger services under the provisions of the Public Transport Regulation Act 2009, and neither I nor my Department have a role in this process.

Bus Éireann fully acknowledges the concerns raised regarding the efficiency and reliability of both the 30 and X30 Expressway services connecting Cavan and Dublin Airport. At the beginning of this year, the company conducted a review of the route, based on customer feedback and punctuality data, and subsequently in February 2024 applied to the NTA to introduce an improved timetable to better align with the needs of customers and the communities along the route.

Due to the unique nature of the Cavan to Dublin Airport route, which traverses the Border, the timelines for consideration of such applications are extended. This is primarily because of the necessary considerations and approvals required from both the NTA and the relevant authorities in Northern Ireland, and engagement with relevant local authorities. I can confirm that the NTA approved Bus Éireann’s request for a licence amendment on 7 October 2024. However, during the application process, local authorities required some alterations to the original timetable proposal, which will add some time to the implementation of the changes.

I understand that Bus Éireann is on track to roll out the new, improved timetable, which will increase the frequency of services at certain stops along route 30, in the coming months. Additionally, Bus Éireann have made adjustments to create a more realistic and dynamic timetable, which the company believes will benefit customers.

This is a huge issue. One couple, who divide their time between Britain and Ireland, contacted me. They have been using the bus service to the airport approximately once a month over the last three years and not once has the bus come on time. It is consistently late, anything from 30 minutes to an hour. We are not talking about five or ten minutes, nobody would mind that. We know that buses can get held up. The last time they went to get the bus it was 50 minutes late and then the driver said he needed to take 30 minutes to have his break. Everyone is deserving of a break but that should be factored into the bus timetable. It should not affect the bus. The bus therefore was almost an hour and a half late. When they contact Bus Éireann they are told to leave lots of time to get to the airport, but how much time do you actually need? It is taking hours of additional time to get there. I hear from holidaymakers who might only use the service once or twice a year. They say the bus has never been on time and they have to leave a couple of hours' additional time to get to the airport to make their flight. It is just not an efficient service and it needs to be addressed.

I welcome that the Minister agreed to my earlier question that he would raise with the National Transport Authority and Bus Éireann the possibility of introducing early morning and late afternoon direct services between Cavan, Virginia and Whitegate and Dublin. That would ease a lot of the problems in relation to the disappointment so many commuters have on an ongoing basis in not getting a bus at the scheduled time. They are standing at a bus stop, many of them coming from hospital appointments and so on. It is not acceptable.

I want to raise route 336 with the Minister. A lady was in contact with me who has to travel from Kilmihil to Ennis Monday to Friday for her further and higher education course. It is 29.8 km and it costs her €81 per week, which is not sustainable for anyone doing a course. I also want to point to route 343. It has been split into two routes, 330 and 343. This is leading to people having to pay twice what they had to pay before for the same distance. Some are appealing for the 90-minute Leap card to be used in that instance. Also, they have relocated the route. It now goes along the R472 and it is too narrow. There have been a number of near-collisions.

To Deputy Tully, the uncertainty of such a bus, particularly going to the airport where people might be nervous, is unacceptable. They are told to go earlier but the airport times have lengthened in recent years.

That imposes a cost and burden on the consumer, so we need greater certainty. The same applies to the questions put by Deputies Smith and Wynne.

Bus Éireann is working well as a company and the passenger numbers are way ahead of projections, but we need to continue to evolve and get greater efficiency and flexibility in how the company works. It is in a difficult environment. As I said, these bus services are competing in the market and are not regulated by the State, given they are not public service obligation routes. I will meet representatives of Bus Éireann early next week because we are really thinking big about the company, such as about how we can integrate the school transport system with our public transport system. Where there might be five services a day on a current route, we might get up to seven services a day if that could be integrated, which would make the timetable work more effectively for everyone.

Bus Éireann does have challenges, because of difficulties getting drivers and mechanics and problems with congestion in large parts of the country, which is their biggest impediment, but we as public representatives can help the company there by providing bus gates and enhanced bus priority. I am confident the company will respond to what it has heard here today and assess the timetables, which Deputies Smith and Tully raised in the context of those Cavan routes, and give feedback in due course.