In the context of today's discussion, I want to focus on bus services and their discontents, and in some cases their near-total absence, across east Cork. We hear a great deal about BusConnects, strategic corridors and the future of public transport in Cork. It is vital that the ambition extend beyond the city and the immediate suburbs. In east Cork, the current standard of bus service is utterly abysmal. I strongly believe that the Midleton-Youghal rail link is an essential part of the long-term public transport future of east Cork and that commuting misery between Youghal and the city is only going to get increasingly worse until it is restored. Rail development has to be supplemented with a quality bus service that reaches all of our settlements. What east Cork urgently needs is a frequent, reliable and efficient bus network connecting our villages, towns, schools, workplaces, healthcare services, train stations and tourism destinations. At present, people living in villages such as Cloyne, Ballycotton, Whitegate, Aghada and Saleen are effectively stranded if they do not have access to a car. That is the reality. For many people, this is about whether they can get to college, attend a medical appointment, visit family or take part in ordinary community life. The impact is particularly severe for disabled people, older people, young people, those on low incomes and anyone who cannot drive or afford to run a car. It affects the wider public as well because, when bus services are inadequate, everyone is pushed into car dependency, even for short journeys that should be possible by public transport. That means more cars on already overburdened roads. It means more congestion around Midleton, Lakeview, Castleredmond and Ballinacurra. It means more pressure on families and reduced independence for people who should not have to rely on lifts from relatives or neighbours to get around. This is also an embarrassment from the perspective of tourism. East Cork has extraordinary towns and villages and also an extraordinary coastline, heritage and food culture. We are inviting tourists to come here, many from countries where high-quality public transport is standard. When they arrive, they find that getting around without a car is extremely difficult. That is not acceptable in a wealthy country. This is where the Department of public expenditure has to be challenged. The public wants better services and local communities are crying out for them. The Department of Transport understands that need. Local operators are willing to provide services but too often the cold, dead hand of the Department strangles any prospect of new services developing, as if we were living in an impoverished nation that could not afford basic regional transport. This is short-sighted in terms of our economy, social needs, tourism potential, disability considerations and, of course, carbon emissions. A functioning bus network is a basic need. If the Government is serious about sustainable development in east Cork, it must invest in the bus services that allow people to live, work, study, visit others and age with dignity and purpose in their communities without being completely dependent on cars.

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