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.”
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“There are many people in the agricultural sector, in the farming sector, who are really changing practices very well and are leading by example. This can actually help and I would like to see some of the particular examples scaled up. I am genuinely anxious to get this published. It is not in my gift alone; we have to do it in conjunction with two sister Departments. I want to do that before Christmas. It would inform a very good debate in the Oireachtas at committee but also, I would suggest, in plenary in this Chamber.”
“I appreciate that the Deputy is asking the question slightly in the dark because he has seen phase 1, but he has not seen the phase 2 report. I am genuinely anxious to get this report published so people can see what is in it. The Deputy mentioned the intensification of farming in certain areas. There are options in the report and certain scenarios are laid out in it, so it is not directing us as policymakers to do A, B, C or D. It is a very significant piece of work that has been done and it will absolutely guide us going forward. I will use this opportunity to say in the context of looking at land use that while people focus on agriculture it is important to note that agricultural emissions reduced again last year.”
“When you look within the report, you see that the survey of land ownership is quite incomplete. That is not a criticism of the work done but it is about getting the data. One would think that if 78% of land is in private ownership, then 22% is in public ownership, but it does not stack up that way. More work needs to be done on that but I do intend to publish it. It is not just up to me, by the way. We need to publish it in conjunction with the Departments of agriculture and housing. I want that done before Christmas.”
“I assure the Deputy I am not sitting on the report. It deserves scrutiny and that actions be taken from it. That is the work I am doing with the Minister, Deputy Heydon, and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan. When we publish it, we will be able to show some exemplar projects in this country. Geraldine Tallon and her team looked across Europe at community-based, land-based projects and examples in Ireland came to the fore. Our job is to scale this up. I would like to see this go to the Oireachtas committee. It would be a good idea for the committee to look at and scrutinise it. The phase 2 report can guide us all as policymakers with regard to real community-based, land-based initiatives we can take. The Deputy mentioned the 78% of landholdings in private ownership.”
“While A Living Land is not an articulation of Government policy or strategy on land use, given the many economic, environmental and social considerations to be balanced when considering land use, the report will inform and support future considerations. The report also outlines the importance of Government leadership in leveraging the role of State-owned lands to achieve integrated land use objectives and the role that public bodies can play in this. I am working with ministerial colleagues with a view to publishing the report very shortly. I expect to publish it in advance of the end of this year. It is a detailed report. There is very good work in it and practical examples that we could scale up across the country.”
“The purpose of phase 2 was to compile an evidence base and to present a framework to inform and support policymakers like us and landholders in decisions about future land use in the context of achieving Ireland’s agricultural, socioeconomic, climate and environmental objectives. As part of the review process, the citizen engagement working group proposed that there should be a focus on what can be learned from existing and emerging place-based pilots and programmes. The review highlights learning from multiple excellent examples of creative and inspiring community- and farm-level projects that are addressing and delivering on environmental and socioeconomic objectives. Analysis of national and international best practice is a key feature of this report.”
“I thank the Deputy. The programme for Government, Securing Ireland’s Future, recommitted to the national land use review. The first phase, led by the EPA, was published in March 2023 and focused on evidence gathering. The final report for phase 2 - the report the Deputy referred to - is entitled A Living Land and has been received by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Heydon; the Minister of State with responsibility for housing, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan; and myself for consideration. I was also briefed directly on it and met Geraldine Tallon, chair of the oversight group, who carried out some excellent work. I thank her for the work she has done.”
“We are putting that €3.5 billion into equity in ESB and EirGrid to enable them to leverage to invest further in our grid and deliver projects like the North-South interconnector, which is absolutely needed for resilience and to drive down energy prices in this country. We need that investment in our grid but I assure the Deputy that those who need assistance will get it. I have met the energy companies directly. A number, like Electric Ireland and Yuno Energy, did not put up their prices but they have re-established the hardship funds at my request to assist households that need assistance most.”
“I think we agree this is an issue. I know this is an issue and the Government is aware this is an issue. We have already taken measures, which I outlined in my initial response, but we have to go further. Work is happening at an EU-wide level. We have to look at the electricity market design and the Regulation on Wholesale Energy Market Integrity and Transparency. They are matters I have raised at European Council meetings. There are discussions at European level. We need to expand renewables and ensure the households that need assistance get it. Energy credits could not be sustained into the future. Supports worth €3.5 billion were given. I would rather invest that money in structural reforms.”
“About 42% of our electricity generation last year was through renewables but we need to expand that further, and indeed we will. I will look at the structure of the network charges. There is a conversation in Europe on the spark gap and the fact we tag retail prices across Europe to the wholesale gas price, even though we are expanding our renewables. That is a European conversation because energy costs across Europe are a real issue for households and businesses. We are committing to doing everything we can to stabilise and bring prices down.”
“I have detailed some of the initial supports, which are targeted at households that need them. The retrofit programme is critical in helping us to decarbonise and making permanent savings for households and businesses. That programme will ratchet up even further. We established a task force in June this year. I always said there would be an interim report in advance of the budget to inform budgetary measures for this year. That is not all of the work required. Energy prices are too high. There are reasons for that in Ireland. We are an islanded nation with a dispersed population. We need to invest further in our grid, which we discussed last night during the debate on the ESB Bill. We need to continue to expand renewables to have cheaper, greener energy in our system. We are doing well on that.”
“These are permanent changes. Analysis carried out by my Department and the SEAI indicates that a household can save between €750 and €1,120 per annum by making changes to their house through the retrofit programme. I recently met with the four largest energy suppliers and, following these constructive meetings, the suppliers committed to ensuring that hardship funds and focused measures will now be in place for any customers who find themselves in difficulty this winter.”
“That equates to an increase of more than 15% and will provide an additional €140 to over 460,000 households during the annual fuel allowance season. As the Deputy may know, eligibility for the payment has been expanded to include those in receipt of the working family payment, approximately 50,000 extra households. These are targeted support measures. The budget provided a record capital allocation of €558 million for the SEAI. That is for its retrofitting programme and energy upgrades including solar PV. It supports the delivery of our national retrofit programme, which has retrofitted nearly 260,000 homes already. That is a permanent measure. It is an €89 million increase on last year's budget allocation. That means more funding than ever is now available to make homes warmer, healthier, more comfortable and less expensive to heat.”
“Deputy Ahern should not really have given way. I thank Deputy Daly. First, this is an interim report. It outlines a lot of actions that are to be taken. Many have been taken. It was published in advance of the budget so that we could look at the short-term measures we could take. We acknowledge the increased energy cost pressures on businesses and households and commit to bringing forward measures to contain energy costs and, importantly, to also tackle energy poverty. We have already acted on that commitment. The 9% VAT currently applied to electricity and gas has been extended to 2030, resulting in a saving of approximately €100 per annum for the average household. The fuel allowance has been increased to €38 per week from January 2026.”
“I move the following Further Revised Estimate: Vote 33 — Culture, Communications and Sport (Further Revised Estimate) That a sum not exceeding €1,164,069,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2025, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport including certain services administered by that Office, and for payment of certain subsidies and grants and that a sum not exceeding €24,788,000 be granted by way of the application for capital supply services of unspent appropriations, the surrender of which may be deferred under Section 91 of the Finance Act 2004.”
“We are on the cusp of a significant level of investment and output through renewable energy when, last year, over 41% of our electricity was generated through renewable sources. We intend, through these and other measures, including successful auctions we have had in relation to onshore renewables as recently as a number of weeks ago, to further expand the renewables base we have and work towards reaching our target of 80% renewables by 2030. I thank the Deputies for their amendments but I am not in a position to accept them.”
“The proposed new section 10 would place specific reporting requirements on the ESB relating to the use of funds invested by the Government by way of the capital stock subscriptions. The proposed new section 11 would, like the proposed subsection 4(c) and amendment No. 1, prevent any borrowing activity that would lead to any increases in electricity tariffs. I have already responded to the points as to why we cannot accept them. I thank the Deputies for their support for this legislation. It is critical and important. Everyone in this House recognises the urgent need for increased investment in our grid to ensure that we can continue to expand renewables and drive costs down for domestic and business customers.”
“The proposed new subsection (8) specifies that nothing in the Bill should be construed to allow the sale or transfer of capital stock to anyone other than the relevant Ministers and the employees of the ESB, or the trustees on their behalf. It is already the case that stock in the ESB can only be owned by the Ministers, employees and their trustees through the ESOP. Employees can only sell their stock shares to other employees, the ESOP trustee or to the ESB in a closed market. Any shares purchased by the ESB are cancelled. The proposed new subsection (9) would involve the creation of a prioritisation framework that would require the investment provided by Government through capital stock subscriptions to be used only for projects that contribute to specific use or specified uses, while excluding upgrades or connections for data centres.”
“What we have done, not just through the equity investment in the ESB but the further equity investment we will make in EirGrid, is reduce the amount of borrowing required to allow both organisations to leverage off the capital investment. The CRU sets out the network tariff to align with the grid investment plans. As such, it would not be appropriate to legislate to restrict activities related to the network. Amendment No. 2 relates to section 3. The Deputies outlined its content. I thank them for the suggested addition, but I propose to reject this amendment also. The proposed new section 7(d) would require an independent audit of the employee share ownership plan, ESOP, as the approved scheme and for the findings to be published within three months.”
“I hope and expect we will get support to commence and complete that consented project, which is critical to the all-Ireland electricity network and to our citizens on this island North and South. The proposed new section 4(c) would prevent any borrowing activity by the ESB that could lead to domestic increases in electricity tariff rates beyond inflation and require the ESB to publish an annual statement confirming compliance. Under its legal mandate, it is the CRU, as the independent regulator, which is responsible for the network tariffs and grid investment plans. Network charges are a primary manner in which grid infrastructure is funded.”
“We will look at things such as network charges and length of borrowing repayments to reduce that charge on customers. To be helpful, and this is just a guide, the average annual increase for a typical domestic customer's network tariff will be around €6 over the five years to 2030. This does not mean the overall energy bills will rise by the equivalent amount because some of the investments will drive lower overall system costs. One significant investment that will drive down overall electricity costs is the North-South interconnector, which needs to be delivered. It will be a major project to deliver grid resilience and expansion and will drive down costs for households.”
“The combined efforts of the CRU and my officials will result in very significant and appropriate oversight of this Government investment on behalf of our people. It will ensure value for money and, most importantly, expedient delivery of the critical grid infrastructure we need to support families, our citizens and businesses in the State. On the impact of the ESB's borrowing on consumer energy prices, the amount charged to customers by electricity suppliers, including network charges, are a matter for the supplying company. We have oral questions tomorrow morning on this, but I will say that we have already published the national energy affordability task force interim report. We have taken some measures already in the budget. There are further longer term measures we will be working on towards publication of the final report in 2026.”
“As part of this agreement, ESB Networks will be required to deliver a quarterly report to me in relation to its ongoing expenditure, its project management and project delivery of the core infrastructural projects of PR 6. First, it is the investment in the quantum of money we need to invest and then it is about making sure it is delivered upon because this is absolutely critical. That will be reported to me directly as Minister. It will of course be open to ESB Networks, EirGrid and others to come in front of the Oireachtas committee, and rightly so. In addition to the oversight by my Department, the CRU, under the PR 6 guidelines, will also require a significant increase in reporting by ESB Networks on its expenditure and programme delivery.”
“While there are still challenges, it is important we recognise that things have been done well, although we need to do better. We need to meet the critical demand for increased power supply that is there for both residential and business customers. The new subsection (b) will place specific reporting requirements on the ESB regarding its borrowing. Its borrowing is already outlined and published in its annual report and accounts, which are audited. In light of the significant investment by the State, and as part of the ongoing engagement with the ESB, we will develop a share subscription agreement that will require ESB Networks to provide significant detail on how it is financing, and the financing of its programme of investment, including its debt raising.”
“We are considering how this matter can be reviewed but as it currently stands under EU law, connection and supply must be carried out in a non-discriminatory manner. That is prescribed in EU law. However, we are currently considering how this can be reviewed and I will be happy to share that information once that review has been concluded. Within price review 6, we will have 29 very significant projects for onshore network development planned by ESB Networks, ESBN, and EirGrid within the period of the investment programme. The vast majority of these will serve the multiple needs I mentioned - security of supply, gird resilience and grid expansion - enabling us to bring additional renewable energy generation and distribution into our grid. Ireland is a European leader in the integration of renewables into our grid.”
“I genuinely recognise the positive intent of what is proposed to ensure the network development priorities will prioritise the connection and supply of hospitals, Garda stations and houses. PR6, when the Deputies see it published, will identify exactly what this grid investment is underpinning. That is underpinning the houses that we need. It is underpinning the social infrastructure, the schools, the industrial infrastructure that we need and the future growth. To present the argument that the amendments here are about us trying to stop Government investing in a grid purely to allow further growth in data centres is not correct. On PR6, the Deputies have seen the draft decision and the final decision should be out shortly. The Deputies will see how that is clearly itemised.”
“This legislation will help to underpin price review 6, which is our investment in the electricity grid and in the network over the course of the remainder of this decade. I thank the Deputies for the suggested additions but I am not in a position to accept either of those amendments. In relation to pre-legislative scrutiny, I wrote to the committee seeking a waiver. That was granted by the committee. I thank the committee for doing that. I think it was recognised that this is urgent and important legislation. The Deputies explained their new proposed subsection (4). That would bring about a prioritisation framework that would require investment in the grid along certain prioritisations.”
“I thank my colleagues for amendments Nos. 1 and 2, which I am taking together. At the outset, I appreciate the support for this important legislation. We are about to embark on the largest and most significant investment in the grid infrastructure, pretty much in the history of the State and certainly since rural electrification. This Bill is an important part of that because it allows an increase in borrowing and it allows for the first time an equity injection in ESB, which will reduce the overall borrowing cost for it. Unquestionably, we have a country that continues to grow. We have a population, thankfully, that continues to grow. We have full employment in this country. We have an economy that is the envy of most of Europe. I accept we still have challenges. There is no doubt about that.”
“Already, there are more than 26,000 people employed across the energy and retrofitting sectors, with thousands of others working across our transport networks and in aviation. The budget is a good start for this Government and a good start for the country in relation to the new Government's term. We are investing in our people and infrastructure and protecting those who need our assistance.”
“The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment has received an allocation of €500 million for projects which will focus on developing new markets to accelerate the decarbonisation of Ireland's energy system, in particular for biomethane and district heating. These are two areas where we have vast potential in the near term to deliver more clean energy generation. Certainly with district heating, I am absolutely convinced that in a very short space of time, we can accelerate the use of district heating across the country. At its core, budget 2026 seeks to protect the jobs of today and create the jobs of tomorrow. The transport and energy sectors have a huge rule to play in this.”
“Those retrofitting programmes ensure that we have permanent savings for families, and that we are using heat and electricity appropriately. We estimate that the average savings per household are in the region of €1,000. It is critically important that we are going to be able to expand that further. The Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund was established as part of budget 2025. It and the Future Ireland Fund were mentioned yesterday by one of our colleagues. By the end of next year, we will have about €24 billion in those two funds. They are the windfall surpluses we have put away to invest in our infrastructure.”
“Critically, in respect of energy affordability and retrofitting, with the assistance of the Minister for Social Protection, the Department of Social Protection has brought forward significant measures to increase the fuel allowance and to extend it to over 50,000 additional households in receipt of the working family payment. We have also secured a five-year reduction in VAT on electricity and gas, at a cost of about €254 million. For households, that is an average saving of about €100. Indeed, we do need to do more, which is why retrofitting is so critically important. For 2026 we have allocated just short of €560 million for retrofitting. That will support 65,000 retrofit upgrades in 2026. So far we have retrofitted nearly 186,000 homes.”
“We have retained the grants within that with assistance from our colleagues, the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Chambers, we have ensured that benefit in kind, BIK, supports, reliefs and grants are in place. Energy, climate and environment are a critically important area for us. This budget gives us €1.1 billion for next year. This is in addition to the €3.5 billion which we will be investing in ESB Networks and EirGrid. It is the first time they will receive separate equity from the State. It will allow them to leverage up to invest between €16 billion and €18 billion over this five-year period in the resilience of our grid, ensuring we have more renewable energy in our grid, and expansion, distribution and generation.”
“We are committing €362.6 million for walking and cycling infrastructure, including greenways and, importantly, the safe routes to school, in which there are currently 412 schools participating. In aviation, €39.6 million will support regional airports and ensure continued connectivity across Ireland. A total of €162.5 million is allocated to the Irish Coast Guard and the maritime sector, which the Minister of State, Deputy Canney will also reference in his remarks. On electric vehicles, we have substantial supports. We have reached our target this year of overall EV usage in the country of 196,000 vehicles. We are now expanding our EV charging network.”
“These include programmes that people will know well such as the DART+ programme, DART+ West and DART+ Coastal North. In Cork, phase 1 of the area commuter rail programme advances with double tracking and signalling. In Dublin, construction will begin on two BusConnects core bus corridors. On road safety, which is critical, an increase of €211 million brings the allocation for national and regional and local road networks and road safety measures to €1.72 billion. This supports maintenance and repair of roads and new strategic projects right across the country. People will agree that our active travel programme has been very successful also. It is changing how communities interact and travel.”
“Together, these measures provide a firm foundation to advance the Government’s commitment to establishing a sustainable funding model for the public service obligation programme as set out in the programme for Government. I will turn to disability measures. As we committed in the national human rights strategy for disabled persons, we are providing record levels of funding toward accessibility retrofit programmes to fund upgrades on older stations. Last week, I convened the ministerial accessible transport forum to meet disability groups to discuss the priority transport actions. We are also progressing transformative infrastructure projects, each designed to provide better transport options to passengers and to decarbonise our transport systems.”
“It is a critical fund for us to be able to subsidise public transport across the country and to make sure our fares remain affordable and accessible for people. These services are not just about transport. They are about connectivity, inclusion and social cohesion, especially for those in rural areas and those who rely on public transport every day. In 2024, we reached a milestone of 1 million daily journeys and 343 million public transport journeys for the whole year, a 10.6% increase from 2023. We have recently extended free transport to include children under the age of nine and with the assistance of my good friend and colleague, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, we introduced free travel for over-70s companions.”
“Fundamentally, this Government knows that a strong economy is vital to creating a flourishing society, providing opportunities to our citizens and providing the resources we need to provide the important social services. This has been reflected in both the Department of Transport and the Department of climate. I have prioritised measures to accelerate Ireland's green transition and to provide better services to citizens across the country. Turning first to transport, I am pleased to confirm that the budget for next year will be €4.74 billion, an increase of €840 million relative to last year. A key highlight is the unprecedented increase of over 43% in the core allocation to public service obligation transport, which now stands at €940 million.”
“Tá mé lánsásta a bheith anseo inniu, mar Aire Iompair agus Aire Aeráide, Fuinnimh agus Comhshaoil, chun an cháinaisnéis a phlé. I am pleased to discuss next year's budget across the Departments of Transport and Climate, Energy and the Environment. Budget 2026 provides almost €6 billion in investment in these Departments. Is í seo an infheistíocht is mó in iompar poiblí, fuinneamh agus comhshaol riamh. Tá níos mó daoine ag úsáid iompar poiblí ná riamh. Tá níos mó daoine ag baint leas as deontais fhuinnimh chomh maith. Is mian liom leanúnachas a fheiceáil ionas go mbeidh an dul chun cinn atá déanta ag leanúint ar aghaidh. Is é sin an fáth a bhfuil an buiséad seo chomh tábhachtach. Caithfidh muid oibriú go crua chun seachadadh a dhéanamh dár muintir fud fad na tíre.”
“I move: (1) THAT section 291A of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997) be amended, in subsection (6)(a), by the substitution of the following subparagraph for subparagraph (i): “(i) any allowances to be made to a company under section 284 as applied by this section, and any balancing allowances (within the meaning of section 288) to be made to a company in respect of a specified intangible asset or specified intangible assets, and”. (2) THAT paragraph (1) of this Resolution shall have effect as respects any event referred to in section 288(1) of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997) which occurs on or after 8 October 2025. (3) IT is hereby declared that it is expedient in the public interest that this Resolution shall have statutory effect under the provisions of the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act 1927 (No.”
“The price of a pack of 20 cigarettes in the most popular price category, assuming the full increase is passed through to the final retail price, will increase to €18.95. The excise duty component of this price will be €11.33 and the total tax, inclusive of VAT, will be €14.88, which represents approximately 78.51% of the price of a pack of cigarettes. The pro rata increase on the price of a typical pouch of roll-your-own tobacco will increase by 69 cent to €27.66.”
“.... .... Rate of tax at €541.758 per kilogram. Fine-cut tobacco for the rolling of cigarettes .... .... .... .... Rate of tax at €521.201 per kilogram. Other smoking tobacco .... .... .... .... Rate of tax at €375.847 per kilogram. ". (2) IT is hereby declared that it is expedient in the public interest that this Resolution shall have statutory effect under the provisions of the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act 1927 (No. 7 of 1927). Financial resolution No. 1 provides for excise duty increases on tobacco products with effect from midnight tonight. The increase amounts to 50 cent, VAT inclusive, on a pack of 20 cigarettes in the most popular price category together with the pro rata increases for other tobacco products.”
“I move: (1) THAT for the purposes of the tax charged by virtue of section 72 of the Finance Act 2005 (No. 5 of 2005), that Act be amended, with effect as on and from 8 October 2025, by the substitution of the following for Schedule 2 to that Act (amended by section 70 of the Finance Act 2024 (No. 43 of 2024)): “SCHEDULE 2 RATES OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS TAX (With effect as on and from 8 October 2025) Description of Product Rate of Tax Cigarettes .... .... .... .... .... Rate of tax at- (a) except where paragraph (b) applies, €483.50 per thousand together with an amount equal to 8.78 per cent of the price at which the cigarettes are sold by retail, or (b) €533.99 per thousand in respect of cigarettes sold by retail where the rate of tax would be less than that rate had the rate been calculated in accordance with paragraph (a). Cigars .... ....”
“Iarnród Éireann's security spending is up 41% and this equates to around €11 million in 2025. Twenty rapid response hubs have been established across the inner-city network. Dublin Bus has expanded its safer journey team to three units in north, south and central Dublin. There are 11 internal CCTV cameras on all buses, with three external CCTV cameras fitted on the modern fleet vehicles. Bus Éireann has CCTV across its fleet, with 24-7 emergency support available. The Luas has 58 full-time security staff who wear body cameras and patrol the Red and Green lines. There are certain blackspots. Dublin Bus, in particular, has responded to this issue and there is a particular focus to stamp out antisocial behaviour. Such behaviour is not acceptable anywhere and particularly not on our public transport network. It should be stamped out.”
“I genuinely thank the Deputy for his support for this force. If we can work together in a collegial way across the House, we will be able to advance the legislation quicker. We will need a fair wind to be able to have it all passed by next year and have recruitment for the force in place. It will have to be rolled out on a phased basis. It is my earnest desire to have the force in place in 2027. Iarnród Éireann security spending is up 41%. To answer the Deputy's earlier question, when this force is in place, I do not see it being the case that every other private security presence will be stood down. I think we could potentially work with that network to look at people who are already qualified to work in these roles. I just want to put a few things on the record.”
“Many of those who have a perception of a lack of safety are people who do not actually use public transport. Basically, this issue is putting people off using public transport too. The addition of a dedicated, uniformed transport security force, working closely with An Garda Síochána, will make a significant difference in this regard. I will say more and give the details in my next response regarding the current spending on private security to supplement the Garda.”
“I think there are ways of doing that and ways perhaps of running recruitment or looking at potential routes to recruitment alongside the legislation. We have to get the operational structures set in place. Consolidation of the legal aspects will be complex but the operational ones should not be. This is why I have already had discussions with the NTA and An Garda Síochána and direct meetings with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. The Department of justice is very supportive of what we are doing. The Deputy is right in what he said about perception. Looking at the 2024 report published in April, which the Deputy referred to, 90% of passengers said they feel safe on public transport in the early mornings or day time, but that drops to 70% in the evening.”
“The Garda has been very successful over the past 18 months in Operation Saul with the number of arrests and convictions the Garda has made, and this operation is specifically focused on our public transport network. I commend the Garda on the work it has done. We are working to a tight enough timeframe. We will need legislation to come into the House. We will have to consolidate many of the by-laws that already exist. That is a piece of work that is being done right now. Timeframe-wise, and I think I have said it before, I would love to have the legislation passed by the end of next year with the co-operation of the House. If we can do it sooner, it will require pre-legislative scrutiny in the Joint Committee on Transport.”
“I have met the Minister for justice, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, on this issue too. Since assuming office, collectively, I think I have met all those stakeholders at least twice. Another meeting is scheduled very shortly to get a progress update. We will deliver this. It will operate under the NTA, with powers similar to those held by the airport police and customs officers. Other additions are required, because if we look at the airport police, in particular, that force operates on a specific campus. A transport security force would be able to pursue and would have to be able to detain. We will have to work very closely with An Garda Síochána as well.”
“I thank the Deputy for his support for this initiative. It is important we ensure there is safety on our public transport network right across the country. I want to assure him that we are actively progressing the legislative proposals required to deliver on the programme for Government commitment to establish that transport security force. I have worked very closely with the NTA. I met its chairperson this week and this will form part of the agenda. The work involves careful and informed consideration of the most appropriate model for the force. I am bottoming that out right now. We have looked at the options and we have key stakeholders engaged, including the NTA, operators, trade unions, passenger groups, An Garda Síochána and the Department of justice. I have met all these groups.”