James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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56. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on the Local Link services in the Cork East constituency: if there are any plans for new routes in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42103/24]

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

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As I am sure the Deputy will be aware, the National Transport Authority's Local Link rural transport programme is managed and administered in Cork by the Local Link offices in Bantry and Fermoy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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An easy question for the Minister to answer.

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