Jerry Buttimer

First of all, it is not acceptable that there is that level of frustration and lateness for work. I accept that the issue is there. As I outlined in my initial response to the Deputy, there is engagement with Bus Éireann. We need to ensure that the frustration of people is now replaced by delivery of services. That is why the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and I ha…

I do not have the information the Deputy requested but I will ask my officials to communicate with him. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and I, as a Department, have asked that a report on the route be directly given back to us. As the Deputy said, it is a critically important route. What is happening is unacceptable. We have been very clear on that. For us, pun…

I thank Deputy McGuinness for raising this matter. For context, Bus Éireann operates both PSO services and Expressway intercity services. The latter operate on a commercial basis and do not receive any State subvention. We are aware that Bus Éireann recently announced the withdrawal of some services which operate under its Expressway banner. Deputy McGuinness referenced route 4, the Waterford via …

The new 365 route will provide four daily returns, which will provide access for passengers travelling from Waterford and Carlow to Dublin via the counties in between. Passengers travelling onwards will benefit from connections in Carlow to existing bus and rail services to Dublin and beyond. As I said, the route will be operated by Bus Éireann on an interim basis. The new service will provide fou…

First of all, the point the Deputy made in regard to communication is critically important. The NTA should communicate clearly and succinctly people. The route 365 will have four daily return journeys. There will be that continued access but I hear the points Deputy McGuinness has made. I understand what he is saying. Connectivity is important. We have seen the success of Local Link and it has gro…

I am taking the question on behalf of the Minister. As the Deputy knows, offering a more affordable and sustainable alternative for many people, public transport has had a particularly important role to play in responding to the demand driven by fluctuating geopolitical developments, as we have said, which are consequently and consistently impacting the cost of fuel. As we all know, rising fuel co…

The fundamental point Deputy Murphy misses is that we secured an extraordinary allocation of €940 million - an uplift of 43% - for our PSO services in the budget. I reiterate what the Minister said earlier, namely that the focus for this year is on stabilisation. It is about ensuring services that are already in place can operate reliably and sustainably and that we see progressive improvements in…

We are meeting them in terms of moving away from fossil fuel vehicles to-----

I am saying that we are moving towards the electrification of the fleet.

We are electrifying the-----

Did the Deputy read the NDP?

Sure that is-----

I know Deputy Murphy does not want to hear good news.

It is the job of the Opposition to hark and bark, and that is all right. We are politicians, and I understand that. One in every four euro is going on public transport investment and one in every eight euro is being spent on public transport. I reiterate that there has been 43% uplift in the budget for this year.

I ask Deputy Murphy to read the NDP for transport. Has he read it?

The Deputy will have read about the Government's commitment to the provision of public transport, the electrification of the fleet, the purchase of new vehicles and the move away from diesel engines.

The Deputy does not want to hear good news. If he had his way, we would have no BusConnects, no Cork commuter rail, no MetroLink and no DART and he would be asking what are we doing.

The reality is that we are developing a transport plan-----

Deputy Ó Broin got his answer earlier and did not like it.

I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister. In accordance with section 13 of the Roads Act 1993, as amended, the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority. Work on such roads is funded from councils' resources, supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter …

Who has failed?

I will ask the NTA to liaise with Kilkenny County Council. As Deputy McGuinness knows, it is mainly the responsibility of Kilkenny County Council to decide its programme for road maintenance. On the safety issue, I will certainly ask the council to liaise and engage, particularly as safety is paramount. I know that Kilkenny County Council has received significant moneys for road protection and re…

As the Deputy will appreciate, I do not have information in respect of that issue. I will certainly ask about the Black Quarry roundabout and ask people to liaise with Deputy McGuinness on the matter. I take the point the Deputy makes that too many cooks spoil everything, but it is important Kilkenny County Council, as the lead agency, can liaise with other stakeholders. I will ask the Minister, …

Safeguarding long-term financial sustainability while being responsive to passenger needs remains a central commitment under the programme for Government. Achieving this requires a careful balance between delivering high-quality reliable services and ensuring that the network is adequately resourced to meet growing demand. Passenger numbers have continued to rise in recent years, with a record-bre…

Everything will be considered in the budgetary deliberations for next year. As the Deputy knows, all deliberations between our Department and the various agencies under it are subject to a thorough assessment in terms of their service provision, cost and requirements. There is a strong commitment to and focus on ensuring that value, fairness and accessibility for all passengers is achieved. Lookin…