Darragh O'Brien
Dublin Fingal East · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“The appropriate next time to do that is once the ANCA decision is finalised and the public consultation is concluded, which will be on 3 September. Obviously, there will be a period required after that when the submissions to ANCA will be looked at. That is where the consultation is. That will happen over the coming months.”
“I have already mentioned the more than 3 million passengers who flew through Cork Airport and the growth of Shannon Airport, which has just had its best half a year and which now has over 40 routes. However, a small number of people are impacted and they need to be listened to.”
“Others did not want it at all. I think Shane Ross was Minister for transport at the time. That has been done. That is in place. This decision will be made. I do not have a timeframe. Hopefully it will be soon after the submissions from the public on the draft noise decision is made. That would feed into both.”
“An Investec report published in, I believe, 2022 said that to maintain the cap at 32 million between now and 2030 would jeopardise up to about 19,000 jobs. That is the reality of it. I support the workers in the airport. I am from the community myself. The airport has to grow in a sustainable way.”
“I have also made it clear that even though, and this is a fact, international aviation emissions are outside the scope of the climate action plan, we are taking actions aligned with the global approach to decarbonisation of the aviation industry, which is based on the International Civil Aviation Organization's basket of measures to ensur…”
“I have already highlighted the planning decision on the DAA’s infrastructure application. We discussed that at some length over the course of the last nearly two hours. That application seeks to raise the passenger cap to 40 million and provide for much-needed additional infrastructure at Dublin Airport.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,432 lines we hold for Darragh O'Brien, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 13 of 29.
“The CRU is responsible for grid connection policy. I will be working on reforming the CRU, something that is needed. We are also securing additional resources for the CRU, which I welcome. The CRU was assigned responsibility for regulating the electricity sector following the enactment of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999. The management of and matters related to connections to the electricity grid are functions assigned to ESB Networks and EirGrid under rules determined by the CRU. These organisations are independent of me, as Minister, in the exercise of their respective functions.”
“That is why when people see wholesale gas prices fall, there is a lag time before we see retail prices fall. We are focused on delivering price reductions over the course of this year on energy. It remains an absolute priority for me.”
“At every meeting of the Energy Council I have attended, I have raised the issue of affordability. This is an issue that is prevalent in most EU states to varying degrees. I would like to see changes to the regulatory framework happen. Most of that needs to be driven at EU level. Issues relating to, for example, the Spark app need to be dealt with as well. Those issues are being looked at European level in relation to affordability when it comes to energy, particularly for households and small businesses. What the national energy affordability task force and I will be looking at this year is what we can control ourselves. We are still heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels. We need to reduce that dependency. We hedge and we buy forward.”
“That one project alone will deliver savings of about €120 on average per household on this island, and will improve grid resilience as well. The Deputy can be assured that those who require assistance with regard to energy and energy poverty will receive the assistance they need in a targeted way. I would rather invest the close to €3.5 billion that was paid in energy credits into permanent changes in our energy system, which is what I am doing.”
“There is more work that needs to be done. That is why I established the national energy affordability task force. On what it has done so far, significantly before the last budget, it produced its interim report which guided us in the last budget. That work continues - things like looking at the structure of the bill and at how we actually pay for our grid investment. Critical to that, if we are to deliver permanent affordability, is to ensure that investment in our grid of €18.9 billion over just this five-year period actually takes place. There are 520 capital projects across the country that will enable us to bring more renewables into our system with cheaper, secure, green, clean energy. We need projects like the North-South interconnector delivered.”
“We estimate that savings of up to €1,200 per annum can be achieved through retrofitting homes. We have revised those grants very substantially make them more accessible to households and particularly middle income families. We are going to continue with the warmer homes scheme as well and improve the outputs from it. I also met our four largest energy suppliers, as the Deputy knows. I asked them to stand up hardship funds which, to be fair to them, they did. We will continue to make sure the resources go to helping those families who need it most. There is more that needs to be done and I will come back on a supplementary.”
“For the record, in budget 2026, we approved an extension of the 9% VAT rate currently applied to gas and electricity until the end of this decade, 31 December 2030, saving households up to €100 on average per annum. In January, the fuel allowance payment increased to €38 per week, equating to an increase of more than 15%. Eligibility for the fuel allowance was also extended to those in receipt of the working family payment. About 460,000 households across the country are receiving those direct support. We extended the €400 income tax disregard for households involved in microgeneration for a further three years to the end of 2028. A record €640 million will support the SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes. That is really important because we are driving permanent savings for families through retrofitting.”
“I thank the Deputy. First, to correct him, we do not have the most expensive energy prices in Europe. Energy is still too costly and we have got to work on that. It is a priority for Government to bring about changes in that regard. Not all of it is within our control. That is why we need to continue to expand renewables, invest in our grid and drive affordability. The programme for Government acknowledges the increased energy cost pressures on households and commits to bringing forward measures to contain energy costs and tackle energy poverty. Government has introduced a suite of measures already to help households and businesses deal with the cost of energy.”
“I also thank colleagues for raising matters in this area prior to the debate. It is an important matter. That is why I ensured I was here myself to take the debate on the Bill. I hope that demonstrates the importance the Government and I put on this issue.”
“The transport committee and the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage are going to have significant input into this. I firmly believe the framework is the way forward. I have proposed a timed amendment because, while the Deputy can hold the Government's feet to the fire on this, we need time to further the implementation and to establish the framework committee. We have done that. The committee is in place and will meet on 18 February. We can work through these measures together. Within that 12-month period, the Deputy will be able to assess the progress being made. That is why I did not want to reject this Bill outright. It is a very useful contribution to the debate and to bringing about a balanced approach to the drone sector along with our communities. I thank the Deputy for proposing this Bill.”
“We can see this when we look at survey work and work in relation to wildlife protection, derelict buildings and the mapping, assessment and monitoring of our grid across the country. What we were able to do in a matter of weeks would have previously taken months and years. There is also a particular issue here as well, though. I have met professional drone operators but I have not met the company that has been referenced here although not mentioned. We also need to look at a framework for the licensing of professional drone operators because there are many unlicensed drone operators operating on a commercial basis. That means there is not a level playing pitch for those who are properly registered with the regulator and pay the fees associated with that.”
“There are certainly advantages to drone usage as well, with reduced traffic where we have some deliveries and other things that would otherwise be carried by vehicles, such as cars, vans and trucks, but, and I do say "but", there are genuine concerns from communities that have been impacted who never believed their homes would be overflown by this type of aircraft. There is, in my view, a noise nuisance. We do want to support the growth and development of the sector in an appropriate, sustainable and balanced way. In my response to the Deputy, I already outlined, as he did, to be fair to him, when he introduced his Bill, some of the benefits of drones being introduced.”
“The District Court could obviously see a significant increase in noise complaints about drones, and I do not think the courts should necessarily be the place to be clogged up with these complaints. We do have a distance to go in respect of fully addressing drone noise before a role for the courts can be considered. Deputy O'Gorman's Bill is very important and the engagement from Members in government and across the House is helpful. I am committed to moving forward and working with the monitoring group and the national UAS policy framework. I believe this will be the key driver for bringing forward regulations, and further regulations, which will be needed. Like the Deputy, I do not intend to try to restrict the technological growth in this sector, and there are great technological advancements.”
“In many jurisdictions, including Ireland, existing environmental protection legislation specifically exempts aircraft noise from local authority regulation. A drone at the moment comes within the definition of "aircraft". Nuisance law often relies on individual complaints and legal action, which is an inefficient and impractical way to manage the potentially high frequency of transient drone flyovers expected from widespread commercial operations. I think people would agree with that, so we need a more holistic approach. A proactive system is needed instead of a reactive, individual complaints-based system. Complaints and feedback are important. I am not saying they are not but when we look to implementing the framework itself, we have to have a better way to be able to manage it.”
“Any changes to plan-making requirements at this point, before implementation of the UAS policy framework is further progressed, could serve to undermine the clarity sought by local authorities and could delay this important work. I know that is not the Deputy's intention. The House can be reassured drone bases do constitute "development" and existing planning legislation already applies to them. We have seen a specific example of that working through in Fingal County Council. We need to allow some time for further policy development and implementation. The proposed amendment of the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992 to treat noise from a drone as a nuisance may be problematic. I do not want to be overly negative about it. There is complexity within the process but I think that needs to be looked at within the framework itself.”
“The Department of housing, for example, is of the opinion that the proposed additional consideration for the issuance of national planning statements and the requirement for local authorities to prepare objectives for the management of UAS operations in their development plans may be overly prescriptive. The purpose of development plans is to provide an integrated overall planning approach. It is a priority for Government to ensure the implementation of the Planning and Development Act 2024 and, indeed, the revised national planning framework. This work is central to tackling issues such as housing supply and infrastructure development.”
“As Minister for Transport, it is my responsibility to lead the overall response and ensure co-ordination across Government. As the Deputy's Bill illustrates, many of the issues that require consideration in respect of drone operations are within the responsibility of other Government Departments, and that is why that co-ordination within the framework is critical. The provisions of the Bill do affect legislation that is under the remit of the Department of housing, as well as my other Department, the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. Following engagement at official level with both those Departments, initial examination indicates that proposed legislative amendments would present implementation difficulties.”
“The structures and actions set out in the policy framework should be allowed to be established and implemented, so that any regulatory gaps can be identified and addressed. I see the Deputy's legislation as forming part of that. The implementation of the policy framework, while being led by my Department, will very much rely on those cross-government structures and the continuation of engagement and support from sister Departments, agencies, the drone sector and, very importantly, the public. Implementation is under way. The national UAS policy framework monitoring group, which will support and monitor the progress of the implementation of the policy framework and the delivery of actions, has been established. The first meeting of the monitoring group is scheduled to happen on 18 February 2026, just next month.”
“The IAA has already begun to provide this support. In dealing with noise from drones, there are a number of mitigating measures, technological and operational, that can be undertaken to minimise the noise nuisance from drones. I have experienced this myself in the Dublin West area and I certainly take the point. The point Deputy O'Gorman has made in relation to noise is a very valid one. Mitigating measures also include spatial planning through airspace management by the designation of UAS geographical zones and through input into the planning system where planning permissions may be required. The policy framework provides for the development of transparent processes and procedures for the designation of UAS geographical zones, including for the purpose of protecting privacy and, very importantly, dealing with environmental concerns.”
“This will include ensuring that appropriate authorities have the required regulatory powers and that they have mechanisms in place to ensure the views of all stakeholders, very importantly, including residents, are taken into account. It also seeks to identify and address any policy, regulatory or legislative gaps that may have arisen due to the increased expansion of drone operations. This will be done in a holistic and balanced way. The policy framework contains actions to assist the planning community and local authorities to manage the integration of UAS technology into communities and how to take local concerns on board, and they must be taken on board. One such action is the IAA supporting local authorities and planners to acquire the necessary aviation knowledge about UAS technology, regulation and oversight.”
“In 2025, we saw significant progress made in delivering this commitment and the national policy framework for unmanned aircraft systems was agreed by the Government and published by me in August 2025. The foundation of the policy framework is cross-government engagement. As has been outlined by the proposer of the Bill, a lot of this sits within the planning authorities but in planning legislation as well. It is important to say our strategy was also informed by public and industry consultation. The policy framework sets out a number of cross-government actions that aim to address the concerns in relation to increasing drone usage and operations in balance with the realisation of the economic and societal benefits from the emerging drone sector.”
“While the Irish Aviation Authority, IAA, which is the civil aviation regulator, oversees the implementation of the EU drone safety regulations and standards to ensure safe drone operations, there is a recognised demand for clarity and guidance on the roles and responsibilities of public bodies more generally in relation to, in particular, high-frequency drone operations. Recognising that the impact of a growing drone sector needed further consideration, the Government included this in the programme for Government and a commitment to finalising and publishing a policy framework to guide high-level strategic planning and development of the drone sector in Ireland. The framework aims to support growth and innovation, while ensuring safe and secure operations and managing environmental and other concerns.”
“Already in Ireland, drones are being rolled out across services, including in emergency response, inspections of dangerous buildings and sites by local authorities, in environmental monitoring and in goods delivery. However, the rapid pace of drone innovation and commercialisation has also created significant challenges and generated real and genuine concerns among communities, particularly around issues of noise, intrusion and privacy. While there is a comprehensive regulatory framework in place for drone operations, from an aviation safety perspective, the rapid expansion of drone operations has resulted in gaps and uncertainty in certain areas.”
“The growth has been facilitated by the publication of a suite of EU aviation safety regulations that promote the safe and secure development of the drone sector throughout Europe. Drones are now accessible to a broad range of users and their use is becoming commonplace. As the technology has evolved, drone use has presented significant opportunities in both commercial and public domains. Drones present exciting opportunities for businesses and the public sector to boost productivity, improve service provision and improve safety. In the Topical Issue I answered just prior to this, I addressed the mapping of our electricity network across the island, which was undertaken predominantly by drones.”
“It proposes a series of amendments to the Planning and Development Act 2024 and the EPA Act 1992. To summarise, it creates new obligations on the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and on planning authorities to have regard to the objective of the regulation of drones in the public interest of private and commercial drones in a national planning statement, as Deputy O'Gorman has outlined, and in development plans, respectively. It also would see noise from a drone addressed as a nuisance, allowing complaints to the District Court by any individual or local authority or the EPA. The Government understands the background to these proposals, and I fully recognise the Deputy's intentions in the preparation of this Bill. The use of drones for commercial and other purposes has grown substantially over the past decade.”
“I will use the opportunity here to inform the House of the progress we are making there and where I see this going further. I acknowledge Deputy O'Gorman's work on this Bill and on this issue and, particularly, his engagement on this issue. This is not the first time he has raised it, and other colleagues who are here in the House, including Deputy Currie, have raised this issue on a number of occasions directly with me as well. In particular, it is very important that the concerns and views of local residents and communities impacted by the increase of drone usage are represented here, and it is right and proper that they are articulated here in the Dáil. The Bill deals with planning and noise considerations arising from commercial operators. It seeks to provide for the regulation of commercial and private drones in the public interest.”
“I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following: Dáil Éireann resolves that the Regulation of Drones Bill 2025 be read a second time on this day 12 months, to allow for the actions set out in the National Policy Framework for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and agreed by Government to be progressed and to allow for a full examination of the legal and policy implications of the Bill's provisions to be undertaken. I thank Deputy O'Gorman for tabling this Bill. It is a very useful part of the debate. It is pretty much Fingal representatives in this room, with the exception of the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, but it is an issue. We are one of the first countries to have brought forward a policy framework on this.”
“After Storm Éowyn, it was the first time that the grid had been fully surveyed nationwide across the 26 Counties and, indeed, across the 32 Counties because we operate a single electricity market. That was done mainly through drones, which I will discuss shortly. I assure the Deputy that I will work directly with him on the specific issues in his constituency. He has articulated very well the impact they have had on residents. Things are now starting to improve. A major investment programme over the next five-year term will make a difference.”
“It is incumbent on those who own forests, be they privately owned, State forests or owned by institutions, that they are managed properly. That is why the licensing arrangements for new forestry need to reflect that. It cannot always be down to the State to manage forestry on private land. We have to put the responsibility on landowners. The Deputy mentioned the upgrading of the existing Ballygar 38 kV substation. That will have a very positive effect on the area. In my constituency, in north county Dublin, in particular in Donabate, there have been regular outages which has been rectified by the installation of a new substation. Many more of these will be delivered in the coming period. The winter resilience plan is under way.”
“As I said, the meeting was important and gives the Deputy a clear view of what is happening. Work is under way in Tuam. Recent outages in the wider Tuam area and surrounding areas have primarily been caused by lightning events, timber vegetation, as the Deputy mentioned, wildlife and equipment failure on the network. There is a major programme of pole replacement. We have work to do on forestry corridors and timber cutting. Storm Éowyn brought down years of timber that would have been harvested. We are bringing forward legislation to clarify the rights the ESB already has because they go back to the 1929 electricity Act in terms of access to land. That will be done this year. My Department is working with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.”
“That allows them to borrow and leverage from that equity investment to invest in our grid. Those plans are for the next five years. It is about three and a half times the level of investment in the previous five years. If we needed to be taught anything, Storm Éowyn, even if it was an exceptional weather event, although, let us be honest, exceptional weather events are becoming much more frequent, showed that it is incumbent on us to improve the resilience of the distribution network in our grid. We have already embarked on that programme. I am directly involved with EirGrid and ESB Networks in relation to specific projects. I will come back on what we can do in Galway, the reasons for that and what we can do for the Deputy's constituents.”
“It follows on from price review 5 which concluded at the end of last year. It is up to €18.9 billion of investment in our grid and 520 capital projects across the country to do the very thing the Deputy sought on behalf of his constituents, namely, improve grid resilience, upgrade lines, replace poles and ensure electricity corridors are fit for purpose so we can bring more power onto our grid, distribute it, bring more renewables onto the grid and ensure there is a safe and secure supply line of electricity. To facilitate that, and with the Deputy's support, we are investing €3.5 billion in equity in EirGrid and in ESB Networks. This is the first time this has been done. We passed the legislation before Christmas for the first €1.5 billion. It has now gone to ESB Networks and €2 billion will go to EirGrid.”
“The Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, the independent regulator, is accountable to the Oireachtas committee. It is responsible for the economic regulation of the electricity system and its system operators. The operators are tasked with building safely, operating and maintaining a fit-for-purpose electricity system. Our grid is made up of two interlinked networks, namely, the transmission network operated by EirGrid, which allows us to transport electricity around the country, and the distribution network operated by ESB Networks, which brings power to communities, businesses and homes. In December, the CRU published its final determination of what is called price review 6. That is the capital investment programme for our grid in this five-year period. It is badly needed.”
“I am aware the Deputy met ESB Networks representatives today. I am glad he found that meeting informative and constructive. I will work with him on this specific issue. He articulated very well the impact it has on the communities he mentioned in Dunmore, Glenamaddy and elsewhere in Gaillimh. I will outline a couple of initiatives for the electricity grid and then get to the specifics in my second response. It is important that we look at this at a national level, although there are local area issues too. The Deputy knows the delivery of infrastructure on the ground is down to our network teams. We support that and the capital investment programmes being rolled out by EirGrid and ESB Networks. We have a role in assisting to fund that and in ensuring the right environment exists to enable the delivery of critical infrastructure.”
“I cannot tell the Deputy that it will be this quarter but it is well under way. I met officials yesterday evening and got a progress update on that. Where we can take corrective measures, we will, and we have a real opportunity to do that in the transport sector.”
“To put to bed this mistruth in relation to the ratio, the Deputy is not correct and has been peddling this mistruth. The 2:1 ratio always was and always will be a relatively rough and ready reckoner. Having said that, based on the NDP sectoral plan, the ratio is as at more than 2:1 in relation to investment in public transport versus new roads. That is a fact. The Deputy cannot dispute that. We are looking at an investment package in the NDP that is heavily weighted towards public transport. On that basis, the ratio is about 2.6:1 in favour of new public transport over new roads. That is a fact. To get back to the Deputy's question, the corrective actions modelling project is progressing very well. That will feed into the 2026 climate action plan. It will be completed in the coming months.”
“With that in mind, my Department has been working very closely with the NTA over the past 12 months to deliver the CAP corrective action modelling project that the Deputy has asked about. The aims of the project are essentially to identify potential policies and measures to correct the trajectory, which we are doing; determine whether the transport sector can go beyond this in order to address the issue of unallocated savings for carbon budget 2-----”
“We will get back to the point of agreement in this regard. I thank the Deputy for the question. It has been widely acknowledged that transport is and continues to be a difficult sector to decarbonise, but we are making progress. The development of the transport chapter of the climate action plan identified and set out policies intended to put the sector on a pathway to achieve an emissions reduction of 50% by 2030. Current indications, however, are that the carbon budget 1, 2021-25, target of 54 MtCO2eq has been exceeded and any overshoot will therefore be deducted from the carbon budget 2, 2026-30, target of 37 MtCO2eq. Achieving that more demanding target will be a challenge. Again, we have to be honest with people on that.”
“I refer to continued electrification of our public transport network and of our car fleet. We have exceeded targets, by the way, with regard to electric vehicles. We have targeted the supports there for people through tax measures and grants. We will accelerate retrofitting of homes as well. In no way has anyone raised a white flag in that regard. Of that I can assure the Deputy.”
“I am committed to advancing the progress we have made. However, we also have to be very honest with ourselves about where we will land at the end of the decade. I gave a view on that, which was based on projections I have, and it is important people know that. That is not to surrender anything at all. I can see where we will further accelerate our progress between now and the end of this decade and in the early 2030s. That conversation itself needs to change, and we are having an honest conversation with people and stakeholders and further advancing the good work that was done by my predecessor and the previous Government. However, we need to be honest with people too. That is where the discussions we have had even here this morning about the competing demands, and rightly so, with regard to public transport will be critical.”
“First, no one has raised the white flag. I read with real interest and, actually, amusement the Deputy's comments in that regard since he is someone who served in the Government in the past five years and his former party leader did a very good job in that area. We are reducing emissions while the economy and the population are growing. A lot of the projects we have been talking about today will help to further decarbonise our transport system. Transport is critical in that regard. I am being honest with people and changing that climate conversation to ensure that people see the benefits of the transition that is under way in this country. Really significant progress has been made across many sectors, including agriculture, transport and, in particular, energy. We are clear on the climate obligations we have.”
“The first two BusConnects corridors have started and there has been major investment in rail, road and our bus network as well. We have lots of good things. This period of time could be transformational. There were 343 million public transport journeys in 2024. That was throughout the full year. That will have substantially increased further in 2025. People are responding to the investment the Government is making. This is good for our climate and quality of life. We need to continue to improve it, and we will by working with people.”
“It has to be done in a planned way. We have to look at the network in its totality, all the way across the country. Deputy Dolan raised specific issues in his own constituency that we will work through. I am concerned that the Deputy said he wrote to the NTA and got no response. That is not acceptable. I ask him to bring those to us. Every Deputy deserves a response and for their input to be respected. We will make a further improvement this year in 2026. Am I going to be able to keep everybody happy with all the services they want in 2026? No, I am not. However, we are going to see a further step change in that regard, an increase and improvement. We particularly have to serve our newer communities. We cannot look at this in isolation to the NDP capital investments. We are talking about the bus network.”
“By the range and depth of the questions and contributions here, we see all of the different demands on the Department of Transport. That is good. We have advocates right the way across the House, but we have a Government that needs to deliver. We need to continue a phased and sustainable improvement in services. My predecessor in transport, the former Minister, Eamon Ryan, did a good job and we worked with him in that regard. We needed to get that funding on a sustainable footing and I was not going to continue what was done previously. It meant having to go back every single year and look for short-term moneys to plug the gap. We need to be able to plan in a sustainable way. That is how the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, answered Deputy Whitmore earlier when she asked for a bus service to be announced.”
“Deputy Currie mentioned the N8 and has asked me direct questions on that before, as have Deputy O'Gorman, the Minister, Deputy Chambers, and others. I intend to get that route in place in 2026. I am clear about that. We have to work with partners in the NTA and we have a budget to manage. We do not have infinite resources either. Let us be clear about that, too. Getting the PSO onto a sustainable footing was critical. I was not going to do what was done over the past five years, which was to depend on large supplementary budgets coming in at the end of every year to support service expansion. That is not the way to do business. That is why my two Minsters of State and I insisted that we get a significant increase into the base in the PSO. That gives us a real platform to move forward into 2027 to 2028 and beyond.”
“We will take Dublin as an example. I am using Dublin because two Dublin Deputies have asked this question. We had 164 million passenger journeys on Dublin Bus alone last year. Those are record-breaking numbers. That has been supported by new services being rolled out and improvements to existing services, even acknowledging that there have been human resource challenges. We still have issues in some areas with reliability of services. The ghost bus phenomenon needs to be addressed because the customer needs to be central to everything our bus and rail operators do all the way across the country. It has to be about serving the paying customer because people are responding to the investment. We will not be able to do every new route that everyone wants in one particular year. We have to step that out and move it through.”
“Once we receive the draft plan, the Ministers of State and I will assess that. I expect there will be new services in 2026. We have to consolidate the new services brought in during the past couple of years. We have to manage the resources properly, which we will. I do not have the service plan yet, but I expect to get it imminently. We will take the feedback we get from all colleagues, Government and Opposition, with regard to services that are needed. People are using public transport at a level they never have before, which is great, and we want to continue to support that.”
“We need to get the PSO onto a sustainable footing. We have taken a real step forward in that regard. As the Deputy is aware, supplementary funding has become a recurring requirement and we wanted to move away from that. Accordingly, the 2026 allocation prioritised advancement of ongoing programmes and commitments in line with operational readiness and resource availability. This includes recently announced changes to the route alignments under phase 7 of BusConnects and the upcoming roll-out of new town services in, for example, Mullingar, County Westmeath, in quarter 1 of 2026. I will continue, with colleagues, to engage with the NTA as it finalises its 2026 service plan, ensuring that planning and strategic decisions are informed by operational and resource considerations.”
“Improving accessibility, reliability and affordability of public transport while ensuring the system remains well funded and responsive to passenger needs is a core priority under the programme for Government. While my Department sets the overall policy direction and funding framework for the delivery of public transport services, the NTA has the statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public transport services nationally. In this context, we secured an unprecedented allocation of €940 million for the PSO services in budget 2026. I mentioned this in my previous answer to the Deputy. That was a 43% uplift in one year alone. It has raised that base. As I mentioned earlier, we did not want to continue the practice of the previous five years of going back for continued supplementary budgets because you cannot plan properly.”
“Deputy Carthy would also acknowledge that this situation will not be fixed in one year. We have got to be able, on a phased basis and in a structured way, to continue increasing that funding. We are coming through, but are still in, a high-inflation environment where more money has been allocated but, in some instances, it has really just covered that inflationary amount. That has to be managed well, and it will be. In the coming weeks, we will be announcing the allocations.”