The purpose of the meeting today is to discuss the Revised Estimates for our public services, Vote 31 - Transport. I would like to remind committee members that the committee has no role in approving Estimates. It is an ongoing opportunity for the committee to examine departmental expenditure, to make the process more transparent, and to engage in a meaningful way on relevant performance issues. I thank the Department for the briefing note provided and I welcome the Minister for Transport, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and his officials to the meeting today.

I will note the statement on privilege for witnesses. Witnesses are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable, or otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of that person or entity. Therefore, if their statements are potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, witnesses will be directed to discontinue their remarks and it is imperative that they comply with any such direction.

Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the House or an official, either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

I now ask the Minister to make his opening statement. I thank him for being here today.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to be with the committee here and to discuss the 2026 Revised Estimates for the Department of Transport. This set of Estimates before the committee provides an overall gross allocation to the Department of Transport of €4.761 billion, which is a 13% year-on-year increase. That is made up of €1.321 billion in current expenditure, a 5% increase on the previous year, and €3.44 billion in capital investment, a 14% increase on the previous year. The allocation will support our ambitions in delivering on the transport-related objectives in my Department's recently published national development plan, the sectoral investment plan and the climate action plan, delivering safe sustainable and accessible transport options in urban and rural areas. It will support our ambitions in maintaining and enhancing road, aviation and maritime safety, security and connectivity.

Turning first to programme A, which is sustainable mobility, active travel and greenways, just short of €363.5 million is allocated under this programme. This will support the design of integrated networks that will further greatly enhance safety and accessibility and make active travel an attractive alternative to the private car. Active travel and greenway projects under construction will proceed at pace.

An allocation of €2.386 billion has been made to programme B for sustainable mobility public transport and for public transport infrastructure investment in services. This funding will continue to protect existing networks, modernise our transport networks and fleet, and provide for new connections. A total of €940 million was secured for the public service obligation, which is 30% over the initial allocation of €658.4 million in 2025. The allocation for TFI Local Link services ensures that existing public transport services can operate reliably and sustainably throughout the year in the face of growing passenger demand and increased operational costs.

Some €1.384 billion is allocated for public transport investment. That is a 19% increase on the previous year. Plans for 2026 include the ongoing protection and renewal of our rail network, progression of projects, including Cork area commuter rail, core bus corridor construction, the expansion of the independent travel support scheme, and continued progression of public transport projects. Work will continue to advance projects through the approval process in an efficient and timely manner, including securing approval gate 2 consent for MetroLink and continuing to put in place the appropriate governance and resource capacity to advance the procurement process for this project.

Some €1.731 billion is allocated to programme C, road networks and road safety, including electric vehicle, EV, grants and infrastructure. This funding will maintain and renew the national roads. This is a 23% increase on the previous year, and it will also renew our regional and local road surfaces, undertake safety works, bridge maintenance and rehabilitation, meet our contractual obligations under public-private partnerships that deliver parts of our motorway network, fund the construction of new national, regional and local roads, fund vital safety related services, and progress the electrification of our transport networks. Some €131.12 million is allocated to EV grants and infrastructure, a 20% increase on the previous year.

This year will be a significant one for Exchequer-funded infrastructure, with substantial delivery across all national schemes providing high-powered charging hubs, 15 local authorities delivering EV infrastructure pilots, and shared island sports club schemes to be substantially delivered.

In relation to road safety, €7.94 million has been provided to the Medical Bureau of Road Safety to support its vital work in detecting drug and alcohol misuse by drivers. The vast majority of the Road Safety Authority, RSA's funding is received directly from services paid by the public through driver testing, licensing and the national car test, NCT, rather than being provided through the Department's allocation. However, we will continue to work closely with the RSA in all matters related to road safety, and we have oversight of all its spending regardless of the source of its funding.

Turning to programme D, civil aviation, €41.6 million is allocated. That is an 8% increase on the previous year. The regional airports programme provides targeted supports to regional airports that handle fewer than 1 million passengers per annum. Airports eligible for funding under the programme in 2026 are Ireland West Airport Knock, Kerry, Donegal and Derry. Current funding of €10.16 million is available for allocation in 2026. That is a 21% increase on the year before. In addition to providing operational funding to regional airports, the funding will also support the operation of a public service air service, which is provided under contract by Emerald Airlines between Donegal and Dublin. We are working on matters relating to that at the moment. I met colleagues from Donegal yesterday, as well as members of the Donegal cancer services team. Some €14.9 million is allocated to fund services such as air accident insurance and membership of key international organisations.

Some €162.5 million is allocated to programme E, which relates to maritime transport and safety. Most of that funding is directed to the Irish Coast Guard. This includes the delivery of the national search and rescue, SAR, aviation contract, incorporating SAR services and air ambulance support for the HSE and our island communities. The funding also includes investment in the Commissioners of Irish Lights and the newly formed Marine Accident Investigation Unit.

Some €76.1 million is allocated to programme F on information technology, engagement and research delivery. The digital hub is the Department's centralised structure, which brings together all core ICT and digital functions. It is responsible for overseeing technology strategy, technology and business operations, data management, data analytics and ICT project management. It comprises of five divisions that have responsibility for the support of all IT services to the Department and the national vehicle and driver file, NVDF. The programme includes two additional subheads, F4 on climate engagement and F5 on research programmes. Funding will be used to complete the delivery, full evaluation and showcasing of three public engagement pilot initiatives by the end of 2026. This includes upskilling, awareness and educational campaigns to increase the uptake of public transport, targeting children aged nine to 12 in schools and staff in workplace settings, cycle training in primary schools, and commissioning research to provide for robust, evidenced-based climate policy development, implementation, communication and reporting concerning the transport sector. This will support information campaigns such as Your Journey Counts, which highlights how individual choices can make transport more sustainable.

This year will see my Department progress major construction projects through various stages of planning, preparation and construction while also developing key strategies for new areas of investment and service delivery, such as strategic EV infrastructure. The Department will seek to ensure that we maintain the momentum we have built in delivering safe, secure and accessible transport networks that serve all of our citizens’ needs. I am very happy to take any questions members may have.

I thank the Minister for that statement and overview of the Estimates. I propose four minutes for each member. We went over time in our first session. Of course, if members want to use less than four minutes, they are more than welcome to do so. I call Deputy Boland.

In two sentences, the Minister might explain to me why the capital budget was not fully spent in 2025. Instead of carrying it over, €24.5 million was returned to the Exchequer. That equates to 49 Dublin buses. The Minister knows how obsessed I am with having more busses and trains.

To put that underspend in context, it was 0.86% of our overall budget of €2.923 billion spent last year.

I appreciate that but every time I talk to the National Transport Authority, NTA, it tells me it needs more money.

That is a fair point. However, there is always fluctuation, particularly within the delivery capital projects. Coming from a very large capital spending Department like housing in my previous portfolio, there can be challenges in relation to when the conclusion of a particular project will be and some overlap from one year into the other. By any fair assessment, and I know the Deputy is a person who engages in fair assessments, a 0.86% underspend of a capital amount in the region of just short of €3 billion is rather small, notwithstanding the fact that it would fund other things. There will always be a degree of fluctuation there. Let us not forget, this budget was added to by large Supplementary Estimates last year. Our big focus is on deploying all the resources we have. The Deputy is right to raise this, but it is a relatively small amount. My focus is spending and deploying the capital that is allocated for the projects we need.

I appreciate the investment that is going into transport, particularly public transport. I am determined that we see more public transport across the country, but I am obviously very focused on having it in Fingal.

In terms of the framework agreement for the purchase of new train carriages, it was entered into in 2021 and is a ten-year agreement for up to 750 carriages. There are five years left. We have ordered 285 carriages - that is 38% of the of the amount that the framework agreement anticipated - and none of these are yet operational. I fully appreciate that the Minister is committed to public transport, but I want to see where the ambition is. I want to see more services on the northern commuter line, DART+ West and DART+ South West being delivered. Given the long lead time, we need to see train carriages being ordered.

This is the largest investment in rail infrastructure that has ever been made in the history of the State. I know the Deputy recognises that. The railway order we have made in relation to new trains and carriages is really significant. We discussed that earlier as well. In relation to the deployment of the new rolling stock, that will occur in quarter 2 of 2027 at the latest and on the northern line first. There was testing of these trains. Certification of trains has to be done by the European rail safety agency. Some of these things are outside of our control and safety is obviously paramount.

I appreciate all of that, but I have four seconds left-----

We cannot just override safety, buy trains and put them on the tracks. They have to be commissioned. That is the reality. We all have to live in the real world, too. They will be deployed. This the biggest investment in rail ever made in the history of the State, and these trains will be deployed across the country. The very first line will be the northern line.

And every year we will see train carriages continue to be ordered.

I have just placed another order, which was the third order-----

I just saw that and welcome it very much.

We also have got to make sure that when we bring them in, we deploy them. The reason it is important for the committee to understand why there is a slight delay in these going on the line is because a safety matter came up in Australia with a battery. The reason we take safety concerns around the battery so seriously is because that was raised and further testing on our trains was required. We had no issues with those trains. There was just an abundance of caution. I share the Deputy's ambition to get these trains on our tracks and they will be deployed on them.

The NTA stated that BusConnects will reduce average bus journey times by 40% to 50%. However, the basic laws of physics tell us that, for a fixed distance, journey times only reduce if speed increases. Data I received from Dublin Bus in response to a parliamentary question shows that key bus routes in Dublin West are travelling at just 13 to 15 km/h. On the 38 route from the city centre to Dublin 15, the average speed is 12.5 km/h; on the 37 route, it is 14.1 km/h; and on the 39A route, it is 15.3 km/h. To put that into perspective, an Olympic race walker averages roughly 12.5 km/h. On a good day, a professional walker could match or even beat one of the primary commuter routes in Dublin West. I very much want to see BusConnects rolled out in Dublin West but if buses are operating on the same routes in the same congestion at the same speeds, we are not solving the underlying problem, which is why we need the BusConnects core bus corridors.

The Estimates this year say that no BusConnects corridors will be constructed. What is the funding position for the roll-out of the BusConnects B spine? What is the position regarding the funding of and delivery dates for bus corridors? Are we looking at other interventions that were mentioned in a previous session regarding enforcement cameras for people using bus lanes when they should not be using them?

For BusConnects to work properly, we need quality bus corridors. We have signed the first two contracts for them. They take a bit of time to deliver because they are priority corridors for bus and active travel. On the positive side of things, the Liffey Valley contract, which, from memory, is about €200 million, which is a very significant amount, has been signed and work has commenced. The Ballymun-Finglas contract has been signed and work will commence very soon. If we look at the projected capital outturn for this year, those two projects will not conclude this year. We are not going to spend all of this money this year but there is a build time that is required. The Deputy is right; there are things we need to look at within the city with the Dublin city transport plan, which we are awaiting as well. I am convening a meeting in March of stakeholders with regard to congestion looking at all our agencies to see whether there are things we can do in the very short term. Some good suggestions have come from this committee and other members about small changes that, added together, will make improvements to our transport time and speed. Quality bus corridors are critical. The infrastructure for those buses to run is critical.

Where are we with the B spine?

The B spine is a service as opposed to the corridor itself.

For the bus corridor.

That project is consented. It is one of 12. I am not sure whether that one is encumbered with a judicial review. I will have to check that. We have to deliver 12. They will come through An Coimisiún Pleanála. Some of them are tied up in judicial review but as each of them comes forward, it will have its final business case with it. Any that cost over €200 million have to be brought to Cabinet for approval. I have brought forward the first two. Those contracts have been signed and work on Liffey Valley has commenced. It will make a big difference but we need to accelerate the roll-out of the BusConnects programme and ensure we have the capital to support it.

The funding is ring-fenced for the-----

The NDP funding for the five-year period is very clear and has been outlined by us. Funding for public transport increases from this year's figure of €1.4 billion to €2 billion in 2027 and €2.5 billion in 2028. That scaling up is seeing when we are going to be spending a lot of that capital as we deliver more. Choices will have to be made within the 12. I do not envisage all 12 will delivered in the five-year period but a substantial number of them will. Where we can move capital within our Vote, we will do so. I mentioned Luas Finglas. For argument's sake, f we can accelerate Luas Finglas and DART+ South West, we will do so as projects come through and are consented. It is very significant that contracts for the first two Bus Connects quality bus corridors have been signed and work has commenced.

Following on from Deputy Currie's question on the camera system, is there an update on that or when will it be-----

Is this with regard to using bus-----

No, road safety. I am talking about cameras that would detect drivers who are driving in bus lanes.

I have been informed that the camera strategy will be finalised within the next month. I mentioned earlier that I have met with some of our transport operators with regard to using existing equipment on existing buses that are using bus lanes and how those images and that data could be used. I addressed this in response to Deputy Moynihan earlier in the meeting. Dublin Bus is very open to doing that. It might require some changes in legislation and regulation to do that. It makes a lot of sense to use existing infrastructure to detect things like the misuse of bus lanes.

But the transport policy will be-----

In about a month.

Next month?

Yes.

Coming back to the Coast Guard, there have been concerns about working conditions and safety. Under the new rules, crews working 24-hour shifts will have their working time recorded on paper as just 16.5 hours so there are industrial action issues there. There is decreased funding for the Coast Guard.

I think I answered that earlier. That was a bullet payment in relation to the new search and rescue, SAR, contract. That is because the new SAR contract goes on to the fixed wing and the new contract with the new service provider. That was all done through public tender. The new service is in place and has now gone well. The difference in funding relates to the bullet payment made last year.

What about addressing the issues of the workers?

I know the crew in my neck of the woods. I have no information about any pending or existing staff-management difficulties. A really significant change programme has been run over the past number of years within the Coast Guard. Where an issue exists, it is for the company to resolve it. We will assist where it is appropriate and where we can but no matters have been raised directly with me, up to the Deputy raising it now.

The Minister said that €713 million has been allocated across the State for the regional roads network. That is an overall increase of 6%. Bus systems have been rolled out in larger towns like Mullingar, Athlone and Drogheda but Tralee has not been considered for that yet. Is anything happening with regard to that? It is the fifth or sixth largest town in the country but it has not happened yet.

The Deputy referenced some of the towns, for example, Athlone. Athlone is an area where the entire fleet is electrified, as it is in Limerick, and is working really well. We have seen a significant increase in the base in our public service obligation, which is a step forward because for the past four or five years, the Department tried to manage it with supplementaries at the end of each year, which is not the way we can plan for new services. I will find out about Tralee as I do not have that information to hand. I will find out and correspond directly with the Deputy.

The smart demand-responsive transport pilot project in Killarney seems to be working well. What is next?

The pilot has concluded so we will evaluate the results of it and see where we move from there.

Is it continuing in Killarney for the foreseeable future?

Yes.

In relation to the budget for roads, I have been a long-term advocate for improvements to the N71, R585 and R586 into west Cork. It has not happened. The first shovel on the roadside was probably about 30 years ago with the bypass of Skibbereen. I mentioned bypasses and the Minister said he would come back to me. I have been looking for major funding for the N71, in particular, which is the main open route from Cork city to Ballydehob and back into Bantry. We are not looking at creating something huge; we are looking for funding for passing bays. People are spending half an hour or longer behind a tractor. They cannot pass and that is creating huge danger. People are trying to pass where they should not pass. Others say they cannot and they should not but the bottom line is the road has not been given adequate funding for people to go to work in the morning in the car and pass a tractor safely. The tractor could pull into the slow lane - not all over the road, but in certain places. Is there a budget set aside? Will the N71 ever be looked at for funding?

We have no train service. We have basically nothing in west Cork, other than dependence on buses and on rural transport - which is very good, I have to say. The private operators and Bus Éireann services are very good but other than that it is the car. It is the car for most people, to be honest, when they are trying to go to work. It is impossible to travel on those roads. Not alone are there pothole dangers, but there needs to be funding set aside or a study immediately carried out on passing bays, in particular between Bandon and Clonakilty and between Clonakilty and Skibbereen. Nothing has happened in all the years I have been driving and I have been driving a good few years.

I brought up the bridge in Lyre with the Minister before. It is still collapsed and no funding was put aside this time in the budget. Five years ago it was an access point for Lyre in Clonakilty. Also, there is a borehole in Allihies, a completely collapsed road that is closed off. The local authority is now closing off roads because it has not got the funding if the roads collapse. There needs to be a budget set aside for existing roads or bridges to be fixed. Why is that not happening?

I was just looking through my files to see if there are specific allocations for the N71. I will double-check this today but I think the TII allocations include an allocation for the N71 for this year. I will come back and confirm it to the Deputy. I do not have the figure to hand.

In relation to the bridge at Lyre, in all the funding we give local authorities, which are the roads authorities, we allow 10% within that for them to use at their discretion. I encourage them to deploy it. After weather events like Storm Chandra, we ask local authorities, above and beyond that, to try to quantify the damage and cost to the area. We work with them to see if we can provide additional allocations. I am awaiting final submissions from affected local authorities after the most recent storm event. We will respond at that stage. We have not been found wanting in recent years in providing additional capital for that.

Then we have to work on adaptation so the works being done can withstand future weather events. Climate change is real and happening right now. We are seeing the severity of weather events having an impact our infrastructure. Everything we build or restore costs more. We have to restore it to a level that will withstand future weather events.

I will come back to the Deputy on the N71. I thought there was an allocation for that but we will confirm it to him.

I commend the Minister's work on the PSO. The rationale he set out is exactly the right one. It allows us to expand services properly when we have a stable base.

I have two questions. One relates to core bus corridors which are, as the Minister says, under way. Is thought being given to ensuring that when light rail projects are expanded under the GDA strategy in the next ten to 20 years, they will interface correctly with the core bus corridor designs?

It is a really good point. That is part of the NTA's statutory planning function. For example, works are happening in the Donabate-Swords area of Fingal to realign the road and they are taking into account the delivery of metro. They have been planned together. The NTA's planning should and does take that into account. Core bus corridors are a massive opportunity for us, as I said to Deputy Currie, to provide the proper infrastructure so buses can get priority and offer efficient services in and out of the city and indeed across the city. That is being done and should continue to be done. Where we plan large infrastructure projects like this, they should be future-proofed and should look at other projects happening or set to happen in the area. That is being done right now with regard to MetroLink.

When the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, was before the committee before Christmas, we discussed fares. He stated fare revenue at the end of the year was not where it was forecast to be. He mentioned the OECD is working with the Department this year to look at an overall review. Will the Minister give us an update on that? Are we confident fare revenue for 2026 will come in as forecast?

We had intended for the OECD to do some comparative work but we may not be using the OECD for that. That has only transpired since yesterday and relates to some of the work the OECD can and cannot do. Having said that, we need to look at where our fare structure sits with regard to other European states and our nearest neighbour. The PSO increase was significant because we have increased our base. We are expanding our services, and rightly so. Everybody here, understandably, is looking for more buses and improvements to existing bus and rail services. All of those things, both urban and rural, have to be paid for. There is a gap in what we receive in fare income. Our PSO matches the current operational funding model. We have to continue to be smart about looking for a sustainable way to grow our public transport offering.

Absolutely. My question relates to the chat we had with the Minister of State before Christmas about the fact the Department's forecasted fare receipts differed from what actually came in. Are we confident our forecast fare receipts this year will be what we take in in fare receipts for the year?

We are comfortable enough with the fare projections for this year. They are at around €600 million. We see more passengers using the service and that brings more income, but when we roll out more services, that increases costs. I am stating the obvious there. We are happy to be able to roll out additional free services to school children aged five to eight. The companion pass is also a significant step forward.

Given the way the fare projections were explained at the last meeting, we might provide a further briefing on that. I think there was some confusion around that. We will clarify that and get a written note to the committee. We are quite confident about the fare projections for this year. If we did not have the PSO, the fares would not nearly cover the services we provide. Affordability is a critical part for people too. We have to leave every option on the table with regard to ensuring a sustainable public transport system going forward.

I have only ten minutes left. I had intended to give every member four minutes but I appeal to Deputies O'Gorman and O'Hara to keep it to three minutes each. I will take the final two-minute slot then, if that is okay. Apologies.

I was in Galway over the weekend canvassing in the by-election. Our candidate, Niall Murphy, asked me to ask the Minister what the delay is with BusConnects Galway. In 2023, it was said to be due to be rolled out in 2025-26. When I tabled a parliamentary question in November of last year, I got a reply saying it would be 2027-28 and citing operational readiness and funding. The NTA is specifically singling out funding as an issue. Is funding an issue in the delay in the roll-out of BusConnects for Galway?

There is a sequencing matter as well. Galway is a heavily congested city.

As the Deputy knows, I know Galway very well. There are a number of reasons for that. Public transport offering in Galway and the surrounding areas has improved over the years. We are committed to the continued roll-out of BusConnects. It has to be done on phased basis. The allocation for the NTA is about €1.6 billion, which is significant. Specifically, I will seek a revised timeline as to when that service will roll out in Galway. I will correspond with the Deputy directly in that regard.

There is a whole transport strategy for Galway. The Deputy and I debated this in the Dáil Chamber last month. There is an absolute need for the Galway ring road and the physical infrastructure within Galway to improve.

On the point of physical infrastructure, we visited the Seamus Quirke Road. It has good quality bus lanes in place at the moment. It was a wet day and the cars were full but the bus lane was empty. The infrastructure is in place in parts of Galway to sustain increased bus services but the NTA is saying the funding is not there. I would appreciate if the Minister could come back with a revised timeline. The Minister will get plenty of questions on this, no doubt, between now and the by-election. Clarity is needed on BusConnects as an immediate solution. Whether it is the relief road or Gluas, a Luas for Galway, all of those are going to take a long time, but a BusConnects service can bring benefit to commuters in Galway very quickly.

The Deputy is not wrong. Within Galway, on the positive side, there has been major investment in Ceannt Station. I have visited it myself. There has also been investment in Oranmore Station and the passing loop there, as well as in the rail network itself. We are looking to electrify the bus depot. We have two BusConnects projects as well, one of which is under judicial review.

Can I ask about fares? The Minister made a point to one of my colleagues about looking at other fares. He referenced our nearest neighbour in particular. Is he looking at pegging in some way our fares to those of the UK? I would be concerned about that because public transport fares in the UK are very expensive.

Absolutely not. I wish to be very clear in that regard. Sometimes, it is important that we take a step back and do a comparison with EU countries and, indeed, our nearest neighbour. There is no question of pegging to any UK rates.

The Minister mentioned the Galway ring road. Does he have any update on when we might get a decision on it?

No.

The Minister has no update.

No. I would love a decision very soon but it is a matter for An Coimisiún Pleanála. Unfortunately, I do not have a date. It is a critical piece of infrastructure that needs to be delivered-----

The Minister has made that point. I wish to move on because I have limited time. The Minister has made his point already.

I welcome the funding that has been allocated to the western rail corridor. Galway County Council has been engaged with Irish Rail regarding the east end of the Athenry relief road project, which was allocated funding in the latest road allocations. This new road and the rail line will intersect and a rail bridge will have to be raised as a result. Galway County Council expressed the view that both projects should ideally progress together. My understanding, from replies to parliamentary questions, is that the project is with the Minister’s Department for internal discussions between the roads and rail divisions on how it should progress. Will the Minister comment on that or can he come back to me with detail around this and when a decision will be made on it?

It will be easier to correspond with the Deputy because I will be able to finish my answer.

Come on now. There is no need for that. In all seriousness, this road project is important for Athenry and I would appreciate an answer on it.

I will answer it. It is an important project. We will get back to the Deputy on it. It is not my understanding that, as the Deputy said, my Department is assessing the interaction between road and rail or that something is with us in that regard. That is not my understanding. I will find out for the Deputy. I will correspond and provide him with the details.

That is fair enough. I have raised with the Minister a number of times the overcrowding on rail services into Galway city, particularly at peak times and especially early morning services, such as the train that arrives at 8.10 a.m. The Minister mentioned that we are still looking at 2027 before we might have new carriages arriving. The double-tracking of the rail line between Athenry and Galway is, obviously, part of the rail review. That was not included in the Department’s sectoral investment plan, however. Obviously, we have the passing loop at Oranmore, and that is welcome. When it comes to full double-tracking to ensure the rail line is future-proofed and able to handle future demand, particularly once we have the western rail corridor reopened, why was that project not included in the sectoral investment plan? Can we expect to see progress on it?

The passing loop must be done first. The other is a medium-term project that we will proceed with after that. The passing loop has to be done first.

Is there any timeline for the full double-tracking?

No.

To wrap up, I have one question. I welcome the €1.5 billion allocated to local authorities across the country last year, particularly all the different elements such as the maintenance grants and the investment in local, regional and national roads. I also welcome the specific allocations. I refer to those small allocations for climate adaptation measures and bridge rehabilitation works. In particular, there was an allocation of €16 million for 280 projects under low-cost safety improvements schemes. This comes back to what we discussed earlier around road safety. I am familiar with the applications made by my local authority, Tipperary County Council, but as is the case with every local authority, these investments ultimately save lives. They tend to be focused on black spots. These small investments that could average €40,000, €50,000 or €60,000 can save a life. I can point to examples in my constituency because the Minister provided €890,000 to 16 projects in Tipperary. That investment will save lives.

I have an appeal to the Minister in this regard. A total of €16 million was allocated for these works, which is 1% of the overall €1.5 billion budget. I wish to plant in the Minister’s head that he might consider increasing the amount he puts aside for the low-cost safety improvement scheme. It is a terrible thing to say but every Minister might have a few bob up his or her sleeve before the end of the year. If there is an opportunity, like we do with the community involvement scheme, CIS, and the local improvement scheme, LIS, I ask the Minister to allocate an extra small amount of money to local authorities and ask them to submit further applications for the low-cost safety improvement scheme so that we can save lives.

It is a good point. First, I assure the Cathaoirleach that in all of our programmes, safety is at the core. We use data to identify black spots or areas where there have been regular fatalities. The Cathaoirleach has brought cases to me, as have other Deputies. That is something we are acutely aware of. Where we can deploy other measures or smaller measures like that €16 million funding line to enhance safety, we will. At the core of our overall programme, across national, regional and local roads as well, safety is key. I can point to a number of examples where we have looked to accelerate certain parts of a road upgrade where there might be a bend, for example, that needs to be realigned because there have been accidents there. I can absolutely assure the Cathaoirleach that those types of things are actively looked at and are a major part of the consideration when we are scheduling works.

I repeat my appeal for additional funding for low-cost safety improvements, both for this year and next year.

I thank the Minister, on my behalf and on behalf of the members, for attending today and for the positive and constructive engagement across many areas within his remit. Further to the select committee meeting today around the Revised Estimates for Vote 31, the clerk will send a message to that effect to the Clerk of the Dáil. I will now bring this meeting to a conclusion.

Can I come in, Chair?

Absolutely.

I thank the Cathaoirleach and members of the committee for their interaction and the constructive manner in which that has been done. I thank them for their regular input. Members, both those of Government and Opposition, make regular inputs and I appreciate it. We do not have the answers to everything, nor are we the oracle. That constructive engagement is something we appreciate.

My colleague here with me, Mr. Garret Doocey, will be leaving the Department as of tomorrow. He is the assistant secretary and he has done an incredible job on public transport and roads. He will be taking up the role of deputy secretary general in the Department of housing, which is a critical role. With the knowledge, expertise and drive that Mr. Doocey has, he is going to be a major force and he will have a positive impact in the Department of housing. He is a big loss to us and we are sorry to see him go. He would love the fact that I have mentioned this here today. That is why I particularly wanted to do it. I wish Mr. Doocey all the very best.

I will not embarrass Mr. Doocey any further but, on behalf of the membership, I thank him. I have no doubt that the Minister will be taking him out this evening. I have no doubt that the best restaurant is booked.

On that note, the select committee meeting is now adjourned until another day. I thank everyone, particularly for their time management. I apologise but when we have two sessions, I cannot give that longer slot. We managed it well, however, and we finished on time. I thank all the members, as well as my team for all their support, including the clerk and the policy officer.