Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 4 Jul 2024

This question was tabled when the scene was not so clear in relation to negotiations in the Aer Lingus dispute. I understand and appreciate the fact that those negotiations have progressed in the meantime and I hope, at this stage, that positive progress can continue. Anything the Minister can do to facilitate and encourage that would be appreciated.

I thank Deputy Durkan for the question. As he as said, there have been significant developments in this matter overnight and in the last couple of days which I very much welcome. My Department has been monitoring this industrial relations dispute for several weeks and I have been closely engaged since being appointed to this role this day last week. It is important to state that neither I nor the Minister, Deputy Ryan, have any statutory role or powers to exercise in this dispute. The industrial relations mechanisms of the State, mainly the Labour Court, are intensively engaged and are assisting the parties to this dispute to reach a resolution.

As is well known already, both parties to this dispute, Aer Lingus and the Irish Airline Pilots Association, IALPA, which is part of the Fórsa trade union, have availed of the assistance of both the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, and the Labour Court in this dispute and have engaged more intensively in recent times. I very much welcome the fact that in the last few days the Labour Court formally intervened in the dispute using its statutory powers under section 26(5) of the Industrial Relations Act 1990, which enables the court, of its own volition, to enter into sessions with the parties and then to make recommendations. It is a very important procedure that is seldom used but which is entirely appropriate in this context. The procedure involved written submissions being made by both parties, after which the Labour Court held oral hearings. It is now considering what it has heard and will bring recommendations to the table. I hope that whatever recommendations the Labour Court makes will be given the fullest consideration and will be both acceptable to and accepted by both parties. As I said, this is a seldom-invoked procedure. Since enactment of the Industrial Relations Act in 1990 it has been invoked four or five times in three decades. The very fact of it being seldom used underlines the seriousness of the dispute and I trust that both parties will reflect on that very seriously and afford the mechanism the deference and consideration it deserves. I hope they will reflect on that and act accordingly.

I welcome the fact that the pilots' union has indicated that its members will not take any further strike action while the Labour Court recommendations are awaited and that it will ballot its members on those recommendations when they are made. The travelling public deserves no less. The people who are watching this dispute, who have holidays booked, travel plans made and engagements coming up, deserve no less and they need to know what is going to happen.

I congratulate Deputy Lawless on his accession to the august role that he now finds himself in and I wish him well in the future. Naturally, I will be keeping a close eye on his activities, encouraging the positive and pointing out anything that might be going wrong. I also congratulate the Minister, Deputy Ryan, on his contribution to politics in this country and to this and previous Governments. I wish him well in whatever role he sees for himself in the future.

I also welcome the developments that have taken place and encourage them. I have similar views to the Minister of State and agree that when a major dispute occurs that can have an impact not only on one sector but on the country and economy in general, including on business and industry throughout the country, then there must be a more rapid recognition of the fundamental impact of same. In such situations, there is a need for the earliest possible intervention.

I thank Deputy Durkan. I would expect no less than a watching brief from my constituency colleague and will take on board the points that will be wisely made by him. I agree with his comments that this is critical, which is why I particularly welcome the intervention of the Labour Court, not just to hear the parties on request but to act on its own volition under the aforementioned section 26(5) procedure.

In terms of those affected, it is important to point out that EU Regulation EC 261/2004 ensures that when a flight is cancelled passengers have a right to compensation. They have a right to rerouting or refunding and, depending on the circumstances, to compensation. Airlines have an obligation to inform passengers of those rights. I understand that Aer Lingus has provided that information on the travel advisory page of its website. The Irish Aviation Authority is also providing advice and assistance but it should not come to that. Although those rights exist and are enshrined in law, including European law, that is actually cold comfort to someone who has a holiday booked or a flight booked and cannot travel. Again, I stress that there is a weight of expectation on the shoulders of the pilots and the airline to take very seriously the Labour Court recommendations, consider them and, hopefully, move forward with them.

I thank the Minister of State. We would all echo the hope that the discussions now taking place are satisfactory and resolve the issues in hand in the shortest possible time. This is not just about a particular sector but also about discommoding the general public and the impact on the wider economy. Lessons can be learned from this in the sense of how to deal with a dispute as time passes. We may have situations in the future that are more challenging and require more urgent attention at an earlier stage. As a result of intervention at an earlier stage, we will be able to get to a situation whereby such disputes are not necessarily as big a threat to the wider economy and the general public as has been the case here.

The Deputy is quite right that we have enjoyed relative industrial peace in this country in recent times and that is to be welcomed. It is a sign, largely, of a successful economy but also of empowered workers and unions and good relations between employers and employees. Thankfully, that has been the case, by and large, in recent times, notwithstanding the current dispute. The Taoiseach stated on Tuesday in this Chamber that there was only one way this could end. The only way any industrial relations dispute can end is by engagement and compromise. As the Taoiseach quite rightly said, it is just a matter of when that happens and whether it happens sooner or later. The sooner the better for everybody concerned because people have a right to be able to follow through on plans they have made to go on holidays, take up business travel, welcome visiting relatives or whatever the case may be. There are many reasons people want to fly. We are an island nation and we have a limited number of options to connect with the outside world. Aviation is at the core of that, obviously.

It is also worth saying that there were multiple strands to this dispute. A a number of different mechanisms were used to address the pilot pay issue, including a pilots' pay tribunal chaired by a senior counsel, the WRC and, ultimately, the Labour Court. One would hope that it will not take so many steps the next time there is a dispute and that it can be resolved in the first instance.

I want to ask the Minister about the upgrade works and the phases of the western rail corridor and where we are in respect of all that. I know he has been supportive of the extension of the western rail corridor along most of the way. We still have a section that I want to see brought all the way to Sligo, and we need to see more work in respect of that. Can the Minister give us an update as to where this is at and when we will see work commencing to move this project forward?

As committed to in the Government's current national development plan, the reinstatement of the western rail corridor is being considered as part of the all-island strategic rail review. The review is unique as it has considered the future of rail on the island of Ireland across both jurisdictions and was conducted in co-operation with our colleagues in the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland.

The review will inform the development of rail in the coming decades to 2050, in line with net-zero carbon targets in both jurisdictions. Work on the review is now at an advanced stage, and a draft report was published for a strategic environmental assessment public consultation in July of last year.

The draft report makes 30 recommendations for the rail system across the island out to 2050. Implementation of these recommendations would result in substantial improvements in the capacity, speed, frequency and reach of the rail system. Journey times by rail would be much reduced and frequency would increase to at least hourly between cities and every two hours on rural and regional routes. The network would be decarbonised, with intercity routes electrified.

As part of the review's recommendations, there would be the rehabilitation of currently disused lines, including on the western rail corridor between Athenry and Claremorris, as well as new lines to the north midlands and north west, widening accessibility and connectivity through rail. All this would at least double the market share of rail and enable it to be a stronger backbone of a sustainable public transport system for the people of Ireland.

The public consultation phase concluded on 29 September 2023 and submissions have been reviewed. It is expected that the final review report, taking account of the comments received, will be submitted to Governments in both jurisdictions this month and that the final report will be published by the end of the summer. I look forward to the report's publication.

We all look forward to the publication of the review and to advancements being made in respect of all the issues around rail on the island. It is vital infrastructure that we need to see developed. We all recognise that, in the context of climate change, rail is one of the key pieces of infrastructure which will put us in a safe place in regard to meeting our commitments. However, we still have issues in certain areas where we are not seeing it advanced at the speed we need to see in respect of this, and the western rail corridor is one of those issues.

We see the western Atlantic economic corridor down the whole western coast as a counterbalance. I often say that we need to relieve Dublin and revive the rest. We certainly see in this capital city that we are bringing in measures to deal with congestion, housing problems and all the various other problems we have, yet in other parts of the country, particularly the west, we have the least development and the most opportunity. That is why the Government needs to lead that out by providing the key infrastructure which will make that economic rebalance happen, and the western rail corridor is one of those key pieces of infrastructure. That is why it is short-sighted of the Government to look to go only from Athenry to Claremorris. We should go all the way to Sligo with the western rail corridor and ensure that happens with haste.

I thank the Minister for his reply. For the past couple of years, we have been waiting for this final all-Ireland rail review. People are waiting with bated breath because, as Deputy Kenny said, we have to look at the western economic corridor. What are we talking about here? Earlier, I asked the Minister about the N17; we are now speaking about the western rail corridor. Those plans have to be in place in order that people can know and politicians can plan for what will happen. The Minister mentioned only Athenry to Claremorris; he does not mention anywhere else. People are just asking these questions. They want clarity and we are not getting clarity. All we are being told is that there is a draft review and it says this but that the Department is waiting for the final one. We are coming to the end of this Government. We need clarity on precisely what the plans are and what is going to happen.

I warmly support the proposals to reopen the western corridor and to extend it, as Deputy Kenny has said, to Sligo. I remember the time when Irish emigrants returning home after the summer holidays trailed their handkerchiefs out the windows of the trains on that same route as they returned to their jobs in Birmingham, London and various other places across the water. The scene is different now. The demand is here at home. We have an increasing population which we need to serve, and this corridor, if revitalised or reopened, will be a major positive contributor.

This is an important issue, and Deputies want clarity, as I said.

First, the delay here is because we did not have an Assembly in the North. That has been very regrettable, but we did not sit back and do nothing. The publication, as part of the strategic environmental assessment, SEA, of the review gave the broad outline of what is contained within it. I do not expect significant changes. It will go to the Government this week and to the northern administration and will be cleared this month. Also, in advance of it being finally cleared by the Government, we have commissioned the European Investment Bank, EIB, to help us with the rail investment implementation strategy. That is taking the review and moving it forward as regards which projects we will prioritise in three ten-year blocks, the first of which will be from 2025 to 2035. That work has already started. It started back in April of this year. The EIB will engage in a six-stage approach to give us recommendations as to what we prioritise.

For clarity, to respond to Deputy Harkin, and I thought we had given this clarity the last time we had transport questions, it does not and will not include extension from Claremorris to Collooney. Some Deputies may argue otherwise, but a very detailed analysis was done on that and it will not be included. It may be very beneficial for us to preserve the line that is there by protecting it in public ownership, using it as a greenway and so on, but it will not be included as a recommendation and, therefore, will not be included in the recommendation of investment strategies.

To respond to Deputy Ó Cuív, I believe the western rail corridor should get priority just like the Finglas Luas. That is my answer. I will be honest and say, as we discussed at the transport committee meeting yesterday, that is probably not just an issue for the implementation strategy but will also be a manifesto question in advance of the next government being formed. In honesty, there are different views on this, including within the Deputy's party, as to the wisdom of our investing not so much in the north west but even a fundamental question about whether rail freight will have a role in our transport system. I say that because in the previous report that was done on this section between Athenry and Claremorris, there was too narrow a lens. The question asked by a series of reports was whether there was enough passenger demand to justify a service from Claremorris to Galway. They did not think big enough about a rail corridor running from Ballina all the way down the west coast into the south east. I think that requires a certain strategic decision by the political system that we will use it for freight as well as for passenger services. That makes the economic case for the line, I believe. I would give it real priority. Not all parties seem to be clear on that, and I ask Deputy Ó Cuív, within his own party, to provide any clarity he can. That would be very useful.

It is very welcome that there has been a substantial increase in Local Link services throughout rural Ireland in recent years. The Minister has placed a particular emphasis on public transport, and I welcome that. There are areas where it is not feasible to have a bus service. There are people - many elderly people and so on - who do not have immediate family support and do not have their own transport. They have to get a hackney or a taxi to go about their weekly business or whatever.

If a system was brought in to partially grant-aid local hackney services, it would be a big help to many people on low incomes who do not have their own transport.

The regulation of the small public service vehicle, SPSV, industry is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority, under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013 as amended by the Public Transport Act 2016. As Minister, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of the industry.

While transport service provision has improved in both rural and urban areas, it is recognised that public bus transport cannot meet the travel demands of many people in rural Ireland. Taxis and hackneys therefore have an important role to play in meeting travel demand in rural areas. The NTA issues local area hackney licences where applicants can show that there is a need for this part-time service and that it does not displace or replace current SPSV providers. Both driver and vehicle regulatory requirements and costs pertaining to LAH licences are lower than those under the standard hackney regime. A resident of the area where the LAH licence is sought is not required to undertake the industry knowledge or area knowledge tests that normally apply to those seeking SPSV driver licences. LAH drivers must be licensed and their vehicles must be licensed and insured. There are 21 licensed LAH drivers and 25 licensed LAH vehicles active nationwide as of 31 May 2024.

The LAH pilot scheme launched by the NTA in January 2023 was a €6,000 grant-aided initiative to support rural transport needs where existing transport services were found to be lacking. A local area hackney may only pick up passengers within a designated area of approximately 10 km from a chosen point and may not pick up a new fare at a drop-off point or any other point outside its designated area. Despite significant work by the NTA, only two operators were licensed under the pilot, which ended in May this year. The NTA is currently reviewing the outcome.

Separately, the NTA is currently procuring a digital platform for access to rural open public transport, the smart DRT pilot, as part of Connecting Ireland. This platform is expected to both improve people’s access to open public transport and provide automated and optimised bus service routing and scheduling in rural areas.

I thank the Minister for his reply. It is clear the pilot programme that was rolled out was not very attractive. It has obviously been a complete failure. The Minister mentioned the transport regulator. Over the years, successive Governments have given far too many powers away to entities and statutory agencies. We need to make decisions at the political level. Most of the Minister's constituents can access light rail, the DART or the Luas, and other public transport options. A hell of a lot of my constituents, decent people, have a free travel pass but may never have availed of it in their lives because they are neither next nor near a public transport service. On a Friday morning, I may meet people who have got a taxi to my town to collect their pension, do some shopping and so on. If those people have to take a taxi a few times a week, it will cost them a big portion of their pension payment. Surely it is within the capacity of the Government and the Oireachtas to devise a system that would provide some assistance towards local hackney or taxi costs to assist people who have never had the opportunity to make use of their free travel passes. That is a great initiative introduced many decades ago but a large cohort of our pensioners are not able to avail of that particular facility. Consideration should be given to providing some help for those people when they have to go on their weekly or twice-weekly trip to the local village or town, sometimes to go to mass, church or whatever. I again emphasise that, for pensioners on a small income, paying for hackneys or taxis can mean that a substantial slice of their income for the week is gone.

I absolutely agree. We have to provide good quality public transport and transport services for all our people. I deeply regret that the local hackney pilot scheme was not successful. The Deputy is correct about that. The uptake was far lower than we wanted. We will review that and come back with further iterations. When something does not work, we can at least learn why it did not. Although the review is ongoing and I do not want to pre-empt it, I get the sense that the conditions were probably too restrictive as regards ability to pick up other passengers and so on. Those conditions were imposed out of a desire not to undermine the business case for other taxi drivers in rural areas. We will make adjustments and try again. In the meantime, we have introduced an incredible increase in rural public transport services through the Connecting Ireland system. It is not as if this is the only solution. However, we do need a better taxi service in rural areas. We absolutely accept that and will do everything we can to improve it. As to how to do that, I believe it is appropriate for the Government to set policy and provide funding but also to work with agencies like the NTA. I find the NTA works very well. The system is working for us in this iterative way. We try things and, if they do not work, we come back and try again.

I am glad the Minister agrees that we need to address the issue of there not being a public transport service for those people living in remote areas who do not have a family member or even a neighbour next to or near them. They need assistance. That must be driven politically. It will not be driven by any statutory agency or Government Department. I appeal to the Minister to make use of his political power and to give instructions to the relevant agencies to come up with a realistic hackney option rather than the ludicrous one that was tried already. That pilot scheme was a total failure and needs to be totally overhauled. I appeal to the Minister to put his political capacity behind such a proposal to ensure it is implemented before this Government leaves office next year.

Does the Minister agree that, as the Deputy has said, the conditions of the scheme were ludicrous? People in areas such as west Connemara were refused on the basis that there were already taxis in the area. Taxi drivers who lived in rural areas and who went to the towns or cities to provide a service were considered to be providing a local service. As the Deputy has said, many areas have been left totally without hackney services as a result. The idea was that the hackney that got the licence would be tied to the area and would provide a service in that area. That is not true of a normal taxi licence. People with such a licence can provide a service anywhere they want to.

I absolutely commit to Deputy Smith to making all political efforts to improve rural taxi, hackney and, indeed, BusConnects services. This includes looking at the digital online app as part of Connecting Ireland. That will bring about improvements. It also includes working very closely with the likes of Local Link, which also provides a very significant local drop-off service. There is a whole variety of different services.

Deputy Ó Cuív is correct. The pilot scheme is only starting but, in reviewing it, we can see that it was too restrictive as regards the places in which it could be applied. That was done for a good reason in terms of not wanting to undermine existing services. As we come back for a second iteration, we might look towards a much more open scheme. As the Deputy has said, there were other conditions to the scheme to prevent competition with long-distance taxi services. That is an issue we should look at. We need to be much more open as regards the areas it may apply to.

This question may provide a response to Deputy Brendan Smith's question as well. I would like to hear about the plans for shared mobility. There are 3 million vehicles on our roads representing 60 million tonnes of embedded carbon. They use 12 million tonnes of carbon every year. Shared mobility is the greatest opportunity for carbon emission abatement at a very low cost.

I thank Deputy Bruton. Both the national sustainable mobility policy and the two most recent climate action plans contain several actions around supporting and expanding the range of shared mobility options in Ireland. As the Deputy noted, one of those actions was to establish a new shared mobility unit within my Department. The purpose of that unit is to engage with key stakeholders and to promote the use of shared mobility nationally by bringing coherence to policy in this area. I am pleased to convey to the Deputy that the unit has made good progress in the past year.

Since its establishment there have been regular engagements with shared mobility operators and partnerships. As the Deputy will be aware, the private shared mobility market has expanded considerably in recent years, with private bike-sharing schemes now available in many towns throughout the country, along with car-sharing schemes. This includes a sustainable mobility policy pathfinder projects, to expand the use of shared e-bikes in Sligo, which provides a valuable example of the potential for sharing mobility services to provide a viable alternative for travel by private car.

Engagement with sustainability mobility providers has been an important part of the unit's work and a critical input into the new national policy statement on shared mobility hubs, which is under development as per a related action under the 2024 climate action plan.

To help to inform this new policy a public consultation process was held between March and May this year. An issues paper was also prepared to help to elicit views. Close to 100 submissions were received, which is a good result. These submissions, along with the targeted stakeholder engagement that is planned over the coming months, will help to inform overall direction on shared mobility and the national policy statement.

Along with the above, the unit has worked closely with the National Transport Authority to consider suitable options for fulfilling all of the shared mobility actions and ambitions in a cohesive way. Key considerations include the need for appropriate regulation to ensure the delivery of high-quality services, addressing logistical challenges such as facilitating the use of shared mobility modes across local authority boundaries and the establishment of a sustainable model of shared mobility service provision in both cities and towns.

The unit is also working with the NTA to progress the delivery of the initial network of mobility hubs on a pilot basis. While still at an early stage, it is hoped that the project will help to inform a future operating model for mobility hubs and a national roll-out of such services, particularly in large urban centres.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

In advance of this work being concluded, and to coincide with the making of regulations and recent launch of e-scooters as a legal mode for use on Irish roads, the unit also recently prepared a comprehensive advice note for local authorities on the issue of shared micromobility services, thus helping to support and promote the use of shared mobility nationally.

I thank the Deputy for the question and I hope he is reassured by this update.

I suggest the Minister needs to put a bomb under that unit. It has far too narrow a conception of what shared mobility might offer, by confining itself to these commercial operators. The truth is that 95% of our vehicles lie idle, 95% of the time they are idle, 90% of journeys are single occupant and in a world of modern app technology, surely we can start to exploit that opportunity.

I also put it to the Minister that, in a modern multi-storey residential block it costs €50,000 to put in a car parking space. It would be far better to take out ten car parking spaces in such a unit and provide ten shared electric vehicles. That would be a win-win-win. We need to think more radically than this unit's work programme would suggest.

I agree with the Deputy’s sense of frustration and with his sense of vision and opportunity here. I will commend my Department to accelerate the various different measures we need to make, and not just my Department but others as well. The underlying reasoning behind what the Deputy says, namely, economic gain and savings for householders, as well as improved emissions, is very real.

Private car-sharing operators have a role and they are significantly expanding. There are now a number of different operators such as GoCar, YUKÕ, Enterprise Car Club, Driveyou, Hertz, in Dublin. For example, GoCar has something like 1,000 vehicles available to book. It is expanding and growing but not at the speed and scale that I believe, and the Deputy believes, is possible. Perhaps the key project that would really allow that to expand is the introduction of some 200 mobility hubs that we are looking at, where there would be both shared bikes and shared cars. An example was built in Finglas three years ago. I have been frustrated that it has taken quite some time to take that first prototype example and look to see it expand. We have climate funding available to support that but we still have further work to do in the business case to pick the locations and devise the exact model for delivery. That will come later this year and there will be funding. We have allocated up to €40 million to help that to be rolled out. That could be a game changer in the scale and vision that the Deputy sees and talks about.

I listened to the debate with Deputy Brendan Smith. If we had a mobility hub in rural Cavan where drivers, not linked to the ownership of a particular car but availing of the facilities in the hub, could offer such services to those who wanted them, would we not have a very cheap and effective win-win for Deputy Brendan Smith's suggestion? Is it not the case that the mobility hub in Finglas has been a disaster? It is in the wrong place, it is not attracting the use it could, it needs to be located somewhere there is a genuine nub of people looking to make journeys, not on the outskirts where it is located. I ask the Minister to accelerate the development of these mobility hubs and think outside of the narrow conception. I believe Deputy Smith's problem could be addressed with such an approach, with the local authority and community organisations being at the heart of such a mobility hub.

I agree with Deputy Bruton. The underlying benefit of shared car use and ownership is, as he says, most cars are parked 95% the time and if that cost can be shared, it significantly reduces the cost to the householder, in urban and rural areas. There is a particular problem in urban areas, as the Deputy will know, where we will not be as easily able to deploy electric vehicles with charging infrastructure at home, which is a real advantage. We are right to focus on some of those areas also, so that they have access to sustainable transport solutions. This should and can be deployed right across the country. However, we need to scale it up. That model in Finglas, as I said, there have been teething problems. There will always be problems when starting something new and different. We learn from that and devise and develop further. One of the officials who was involved in that was brought into our Department because he had real expertise in terms of how this might work. It is complicated, particularly providing the charging infrastructure. That is an issue that has to be right but we will be identifying some 200 locations, municipal, public, car-sharing companies being brought in, and that project could be the game changer. It will be a pathfinder project. Once we learn from that, we can deploy more widely elsewhere.

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for facilitating me.

Will the Minister provide an update on funding provided to maintain Parnell Place bus station in Cork and an update on plans to renovated it? Right now, the Parnell Place bus station is in a terrible condition. It looks absolutely horrible. When tourists come to the city, this is their first stop. When they see the condition of it, it does not promote the country, or Cork, as a tourist destination.

The National Transport Authority has advised my Department that an accessibility upgrade project of Parnell Place bus station in Cork, which includes some station enhancements, is planned under the public transport retrofit accessibility programme. This programme funds the retrofitting of older public transport infrastructure and facilities, to ensure access for everyone, including disabled and older people. According to the NTA the preferred option identified in Cork includes improved layout, signage, lighting, bathroom upgrades, internal ramps and steps, as well as work at entrance doors. The need for a changing places facility has also been identified.

A reconfiguration of existing staff accommodation is required to facilitate the proposed works within the confines of the existing building. The project is estimated to cost €5.3 million, and subject to available funding, is scheduled for construction in 2026.

More broadly, Cork is growing and needs a new bus network that works for a developing city. BusConnects Cork is a key part of the Government’s policies to improve public transport and address climate change in Cork. Its aim is to deliver an enhanced bus system that is better for the city, its people and the environment. It is designed to provide a better, more reliable and more efficient bus service in addition to providing safe cycling facilities along key routes.

Various upgrades and improvements are due to take place, such as building a network of new sustainable transport corridors, redesigning the bus network, introducing a state-of-the-art ticketing system, transitioning to a new zero emissions bus fleet, new park-and-ride sites in key locations and new bus stops and shelters with better signage and information.

I am sure the Deputy will agree that these changes through BusConnects Cork are positive developments that will overhaul the current public transport system in the Cork metropolitan area.

The Minister discussed BusConnects but that is not what I am here to talk about today.

I am here to talk about the condition of the Parnell Place bus station. The Minister has outlined over €5 million for works that will be started if funding is got in 2026. The bus station is a disgrace to Bus Éireann and to the people of Cork, and it is a disgrace to this Government that it would allow people to go in there. To give the Minister an idea, a lady who contacted me uses the bus service and has to travel long distances to visit family. She has to wear incontinence pads because she cannot trust that the toilets will be operational because they close in the evening time. When they are open during the daytime, some days they are in a condition where they cannot be used. I want to say that this is not a reflection on the staff. This is a reflection of a lack of investment and a lack of money from the Government that allows this to happen.

I do not disagree with the Deputy. We have to have really good quality public transport bus stations and Parnell Place bus station clearly does not meet that criterion. That is recognised by the fact that a detailed design and assessment has been done, an estimate of the cost and a due scheduled investment so that the works start the year after next. I would prefer them to start next year. However, no one could argue that this Government has not been investing in public transport. There has never before been anything like this in terms of taking a lot of political hits to deliberately say we are going to invest twice as much in public transport as in roads. A lot of people do not agree with that because, understandably, they want new roads but we did that and put it into the programme for Government on the basis that there had been underinvestment in public transport.

That state of Parnell Place bus station is because of decades of underinvestment and that is changing. I am very confident the money will be provided, and that would be in the budget cycle of the next Government. I see that coming because I cannot believe there would be a political party that would not support an ongoing allocation of funding prioritising public transport for a variety reasons, one of the first being that it is socially just because it benefits everyone when you make that investment. I absolutely agree; we need to upgrade Parnell Place bus station. The plans are there, the funding will be there and it should be done.

I just want to make it clear: the Minister agrees with me that Parnell Place bus station is in a shocking condition at the moment and then in the same tone, he said that funding might be there in two years' time. We need funding now. We need a proper bus station now. We need proper bus, toilet and changing facilities. The Minister outlined everything that is being done but another question being asked in Cork is whether Parnell Place is the right location for the bus station. Would we be better off investing in it right now to bring it up to standard? People have asked whether it would be better located next to the train station. I have not looked into the data about that. Maybe the Minister has and maybe Bus Éireann has but what I can tell the Minister right now, today, is that Parnell Place bus station is a disgrace and it is under the Minister's watch. Is he going to provide funding for works to be started now?

How much money is spent on maintenance? I went in there recently. A number of people have contacted me to say they were ashamed of their lives. It is dirty and filthy. How could you bring anyone into the city? Whatever about tourists, what about our own people, young people and older people, who are going in there now? I am asking the Minister if he will commit today to providing funding to get immediate works started there and a plan put in place. Right now, it is not good enough.

We provide the funding and Bus Éireann has to manage its resources under the whole schedule of different works. There is a major problem in Cork - the Deputy knows this - with regard to the need for new mechanics and bus drivers. We need to invest in a whole variety of ways in our public transport system. Bus Éireann is stating that is the schedule and these are the types of works that need to be done and I am fully supportive of it being done. However, it is Bus Éireann that has to make sure that the spending and investments are made. Yes, it needs to be done and I will do everything I can to make sure it is done as soon as possible.