I will come back in with a supplementary reply.

On the last point regarding the increases in some areas, there have also been massive decreases in other areas because the new ticketing and fare system for Dublin has created a fairer way of dealing with this. To go back to the affordability of public transport, it is important to state there have been many fare changes in recent years. For example, the Government is expanding free child fares and maintaining the young adult student leap card at 50% off, and there is also a 90-minute fare. These are initiatives to…

I understand the Deputy’s frustration in terms of lines having to be taken out of service but that is a health and safety issue for passengers. Maintenance has to be done. I can guarantee the Deputy that no matter what day of the week or hour of the day it is done, it will not suit everybody. It is a reality in public transport.

Absolutely. In general terms, a huge amount of work has been done in the area of public transport, be it BusConnects, Local Link or the train network right across the country. We have a huge amount yet to do. We have to make it more efficient and more attractive. In particular, we have to give young people the experience they need so when they are going out into the workforce, their first project will not be to buy a car but to use public transport, which they have had a good experience of. I look forward in my min…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 8 together. The National Transport Authority has statutory responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation, PSO, contracts. Obviously this statutory responsibility supports the implementation of agreed Government priorities. I assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to delivering an accessible, reliable and affordable public transport system for all our citizens, includ…

I thank both Deputies. I, too, acknowledge the work done by the former Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, in developing and bringing forward more public transport initiatives and services and making them more affordable. I want to acknowledge this in the House. Coming back to the question on quarter 3, I do not have the exact date but I will meet officials and I will come back to Deputy O'Gorman with a date when we have it. It is important to say that universal free transport for all, and not only for those under …

Again, I thank the Deputies. I would say, first of all, when we talk about the national development plan, there will be huge competing asks within that plan. Of course, the three Ministers here will be putting forward our best foot in terms of projects within transport, be it roads, public transport or whatever. It is important the Deputies understand that we will be putting in plenty of projects that need to be done which the Department and the officials have been working on. There is a huge ask within the Departm…

I thank Deputy Dolan for the question and I share some of his frustration as well, no more than the earlier comments from Deputy O'Hara. I know the Deputy is intensely interested in this issue. As we said earlier, there is no doubt there has been very strong passenger growth in recent years. It does pose challenges at certain times on the public transport network, including on the Athenry to Galway corridor. That has been recognised by Irish Rail. The good news is that a range of measures is being examined to addre…

I share the Deputy's frustration about the length of time it takes to get projects delivered. This Government has been in place for three months. Our mantra is that we are a Government of implementation rather than a Government of strategising and that is the important thing. We will continue to work on that. The passing loop will be very effective. It will be very important and construction is going to start on that towards the end of this year. I will be putting my shoulder to the wheel with the Minister, Deputy …

I am aware of the issues the Deputy has raised on the bus connections from Athenry to Galway. I believe a private operator was doing it but it was pulled. Basically I do not disagree with anything the Deputy is saying. It is important first of all that we look at the immediate steps we can take to start improving things, such as the provision of additional carriages and the installation of a passing loop in Oranmore. Double tracking is a more medium- to long-term project. It is part of the all-island rail review th…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 14, 52 and 272 together. I thank Deputy O'Shea for his question. As he knows, under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority, RSA, has statutory responsibility for the national driving test service. I have been advised by the RSA that, following a recruitment process, the number of testers in Cork has increased from nine to 16 and it is envisaged that this number will increase to 18 by the end of the year. I acknowledge that current waiting times for driving tes…

I thank both Deputies for their contributions. I think every TD has received correspondence from young people or parents in the same position. I received an email last week from a parent about their son, whose test has been postponed eight times since he applied for it. The dates have been shifted out. That is not acceptable to anybody. My meeting with the RSA leadership last week focused on the need to reduce the current waiting times. I have instructed them to identify further measures that would bring forward th…

To respond to Deputy Crowe, as I said earlier, nothing is off the table. In the past, we have used private instructors to do testing, so nothing is off the table as far as I am concerned. Turning to Deputy Burke, what he said is exactly the point. I want to see what is going to happen on a weekly basis, how the numbers are going to be reduced and how the additional testers will be put in place. I need to see the workings of this process. I will not accept half-hearted programmes. I need to see this done clinically …

My apologies, I was not here at the very start. I thank Deputy Brady for raising this matter. The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding regarding the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, and in line with the national development plan, the operation and management of individual national roads is a matter for TII in conjunction with the local authorities concerned…

A benefit of doing this project will be to improve the congestion issues faced by road users by increasing capacity on the existing route and identifying opportunities for bus priority measures. This will allow for more reliable and safer journeys for commuters and vulnerable road users. It aims to reduce the frequency and severity of collisions along this route. The proposed project will improve connectivity between Dublin Port and Rosslare Europort, allowing efficient and greater access to international markets f…

The current status of the project is to provide for the bus priority measures, active travel, junction safety and strategic network resilience on the N11-M11 between junctions 4 and 14. This major scheme is at the options selection phase - preferred route open selection. It is important that we look at this in the context that it is being delivered by TII in conjunction with Wicklow County Council. Wicklow County Council considered all submissions received when assessing the various options.

I am glad the Deputy raised this question because it is a problem throughout the country. I understand his frustration. I will first provide an outline. The Road Safety Authority Act 2006 gave statutory responsibility for the national driver test service to the RSA. At the end of April, the average estimated time for invitation to test for a candidate was 25 weeks. I am told the waiting time for invitation to test in Kerry is 23.5 weeks, so what the Deputy said was the truth. This is far above the acceptable servic…

I recognise and feel the Deputy's frustration because I know and feel it myself in my own constituency. People contact me to say their test has been postponed up to five or six times. They are young people, healthcare workers, the whole shooting match. I assure the Deputy that I am treating this as an emergency. I met RSA representatives last week and asked them to come back to me next week with firm proposals on what will happen. I will work with them very closely to make sure there are improvements. We have to ma…

I am delighted that Deputy Gogarty is talking about coming to Galway. We want people to come to Galway. At the outset, I wish to clarify that while the Minister for Transport, Deputy O’Brien, has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport, neither he, the Minister of State nor our 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 rests with the NTA. The NTA…

The Deputy makes a strong case. I am listening. I assure him that the Minister for Transport recognises that transport connectivity is hugely important for people who live and work in Ireland and that expanding the public transport network and increasing service levels throughout the country will lead to more balanced regional development and greater connectivity. The Deputy spoke about Lucan and places like Adamstown. It is important that we provide a good service. Where the service is not good enough, we need to …