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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“I thank Deputy Moynihan. The Government earmarked about €2.9 billion for the protection and renewal of the national road network as part of the National Development Plan 2021 to 2030. As the Deputy knows, the NDP is under review. That includes funding to renew pavement on the new network. In addition, €5.1 billion was earmarked for investment in new national roads projects. While the greater portion of the funding becomes available in the second half of the decade, I can confirm that approximately €600 million of Exchequer capital funds was provided to local authorities through TII for national roads in 2025. Of this, €74 million was allocated to Cork city and county councils.”
“It is customers who are paying for those journeys and it is their tax euros that are being invested in the system. I am happy to arrange a specific meeting between the Deputy and the NTA. I want the Deputy to give that feedback directly to the NTA about the preparation of additional enhancements. BusConnects will change things significantly right across the country, not just in Dublin. We are really focused on getting those projects under way and this Government will do it.”
“Regarding what the Green Party might say in Dublin West, the Green Party held the transport portfolio in the previous Government. Having said that, the Government is responsible for the delivery of all services across the board and we are heavily committed to public transport. That is why I mentioned earlier this evening the debate we had last week. We have seen a record number of public transport users and growth in every area, including Dublin West, but there are areas where there are pressures on commuters. I have said to all our operators, rail, Luas and bus, that the customer has to be first in this. I have said that to the NTA too. We can look at the projects and investment that are needed, but everything has to be focused on the customer.”
“The Deputy will have heard a number of other positive developments relating to additional services mentioned already this evening. We have to look at existing services and their reliability. I will bring the Deputy's intervention and feedback this evening directly to the NTA, which reports to me at the end of the day. It selects and approves the routes and route changes, but we need to make sure that it listens to public representatives too.”
“BusConnects is going to make a real difference. It was held up for many reasons. I would suggest that there were initially route design flaws in much of the BusConnects project when it was first published, but that has been rectified. As I said earlier in response to a question, we will see the first BusConnects corridor under construction this year. We have three that are through planning. Rather, 12 are through planning, but a number are being judicially reviewed, which is another story. The Deputy is right about the €97 that was spent in 2022. I have no idea what that was. As the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, said, it might have been to replace a wing mirror on a bus. Without being facetious about it, further investment is unquestionably needed. I know the Deputy's area very well. It is a major growth area. It is a young area too.”
“Due to a range of factors, including limited driver availability, a prioritised list of enhancements will be developed based on the most urgent needs. I would welcome the Deputy’s input into that.”
“Looking ahead, while no new enhancements have been introduced yet in 2025, plans are in place to extend route 40D to serve Hollywoodrath later this year. An additional €500,000 is also committed this year to specifically address punctuality and reliability issues on routes 37, 38 and 70. These improvements were rolled out in April and are already supporting more consistent services. Furthermore, phase 10 of the BusConnects network redesign, the B spine, is scheduled for late 2026 and will deliver significant improvements for Dublin West, subject to operational readiness and funding. In the interim, the NTA is working closely with operators to identify priority routes where capacity constraints are most pressing.”
“I thank Deputy Currie for her question. Since 2020, over €18.75 million has been invested in bus services alone in Dublin West, reflecting a really strong and ongoing commitment to improving public transport in the area. This includes funding for both new routes and enhancements to existing services. Notably, new routes introduced over the period include the L52, introduced in 2020, the C5 and C6, introduced in 2021, the high-frequency orbital N4, introduced in 2022, the W5, introduced in 2023, and most recently, the N2, introduced in 2024. Enhancements to existing services have been prioritised, with approximately €1.6 million allocated across the period. However, the most substantial enhancements were delivered in 2020, with more than €1.25 million invested that year to improve service levels and reliability.”
“The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, answered questions about the advancement of Local Link. That has been really significant. We have a great deal of work to do in this space, but real progress has been made. I will keep Deputies Neville and Ó Cearúil up to date. I will revert to them, post my meeting with the NTA, with specific timelines.”
“Thankfully, because this Government is still committed to free travel for our seniors, there will be no requirement for cash payments for most of them. As the Deputies know, a commitment made by the previous Government and this one is that people with free travel will be able to bring a companion with them, and it is being rolled out right now. Later this year, probably in September, we will bring forward free travel for those between the ages of five and eight. The purpose of this is to recognise that costs are high too for families. We also want kids who are using buses, etc., to get used to doing so in order that it becomes a habit. We had record public transport passenger journeys last year. We want to try to exceed that this year. People are responding in that regard right across urban and rural locations.”
“I thank both Deputies for their support. I will meet the NTA and Indra Sistemas, which is developing this system. I will try to secure more specific timelines from the company. It has been very helpful so far. Work is progressing very well. On the contractual arrangements, I do not have that detail right now. I commit to reverting to both Deputies with an update on this after I meet with the NTA and Indra Sistemas. If we look at other innovations that have taken place, the Leap card was a big step forward from what we had before. The 90-minute fare is very useful. The interaction of the Leap card between all of our transport operators as well is useful. It is not too many years ago that this option was not available to people.”
“In major release 4, the NTA will extend contactless bank card payments and barcode tickets to commuter and other bus services in the Dublin commuter zone. There are four phases, as I have stated, and four different releases. I will be meeting the NTA on this to see if there is any way we can shrink the timelines. However, it is welcome that it will start in summer 2027.”
“This involves installing new validators, initially across the Dublin city bus and Luas networks. This will take some time to complete, which is fair enough, and will involve replacing all of the validators on 1,300-plus buses and approximately 400 validators across 69 stops in the tram network. I understand there is a complexity involved, particularly when you are keeping Leap cards, free travel and all of the existing measures in place, such as the TFI Go app and others I mentioned. You are introducing a new system while you are operating the existing one. Effectively, you then move into major release 3, which brings in Iarnród Éireann, or Irish Rail. That is a separate release owing to the specific complexity of installing and removing station gates. This will involve quite a lot of physical work on our rail network.”
“Deputy Neville may have missed the final part of my answer. TFI has the TFI Go app in place, and we have Leap cards as an interim measure as well. The point is taken, however. Many of the resources will be used in implementing this new system. Obviously, some will be used to design it but most will be used to implement it. I have a more detailed breakdown of the major release phases. Phase 1, which, as I mentioned, is scheduled for summer 2027, will introduce a small number of new ticketing machines for a combination of bus, tram and train services. That is to test and improve the functionality of the validators. It is right and proper that this is done before committing to a larger scale development. We then get to the major release 2, assuming the test phase of the major release 1 works well.”
“I am not at all questioning the complexities involved, but I want to interrogate those timelines further. If we can get phase 1 going by summer 2027, I would be content with that. However, I am not sure I want to wait until summer 2028 for phase 2. I do not yet have timeframes for phases 3 and 4. I will meet with the NTA to discuss this matter shortly. I have already met with the NTA a number of times in respect of it. The Government is committed to this. I want to see it in place; done correctly, obviously, and in a timely fashion.”
“In the meantime, and as an interim measure, Iarnród Éireann already provides for passengers to download a QR code to their phone, removing the need for a physical ticket on longer journeys. Obviously, we have the Leap card as well, which I use. In addition, the NTA's barcode-based app, TFI Go, already allows customers to buy a range of tickets for bus services outside Dublin, including on all Bus Éireann public service obligation services, Dublin commuter routes operated by Go-Ahead Ireland and all local link rural services nationwide. As part of the young adult fares scheme, 27 private bus operators already sell their tickets on the TFI Go app. It is good news that this is being advanced. It is a significant investment on behalf of our people, but it is a critical project.”
“The NTA and Indra are currently planning phase 3, which is implementation across Iarnród Éireann's train services, and phase 4, which is implementation on commuter bus services in and out of Dublin. The NTA will be in a better position to provide timelines once planning is complete. The timelines are not bad. It is summer 2027 for phase 1. I would like to see that shortening for phases 2, 3 and 4. The fundamental thing is to get the IT system in place. This will be account-based as well. It will be better than the system in Britain, which people might be used to if they use tap-on and tap-off, because they will also be able to have accounts. I am interrogating those timelines. This would be transformative for our transport system across all bus, rail, Luas and DART services.”
“This is a major, complex project, with a capital cost of over €160 million - €160 million in Exchequer funds is being invested in this project - to implement it in the greater Dublin area alone, covering the costs of the enabling works to install new equipment for transport operators and the costs for the NTA team delivery team overseeing the project. Phase 1 of the project in the greater Dublin area is due to launch in summer 2027. I am happy to be able to give that date. We will need to keep a close eye on the progress being made. That will be significant because it will test contactless payment on a small number of new validators or ticket machines. Phase 2 will be ready for summer 2028, allowing passengers on Dublin Bus and Luas services to use the next generation ticketing technology, including contactless payments on validators.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 97, 98 and 102 together. I thank an Teachta Ó Cearúil. For background, the next generation ticketing project, led by the NTA, is for a new, modern public transport ticketing system that will facilitate a variety of payment methods for passengers, including contactless. In April 2024, the NTA with Government approval entered into a multiyear framework agreement for next generation ticketing with Indra Sistemas S.A. to deliver this project. The initial focus is on the greater Dublin area and it will be rolled out across four phases.”
“Four or five of them are unencumbered by judicial review. I have two tenders back in already. We expect to award a contract on the first one, which will see construction on the first BusConnects corridor happening this year. That is what the public wants to see. It wants to see investment in public transport infrastructure - bus, rail, Luas and metro.”
“That point is a very good one. TII has built up excellent expertise and knowledge in delivery of those projects. Expansion of the Luas network needs to be looked at in the round and that is being done. Deputy McAuliffe mentioned MetroLink and we expect that to come out of planning with a final decision - not a draft decision - in the month of July. That would be a transformational project for the north Dublin area from the airport right into the city through Ballymun, and indeed beyond. The challenge and opportunity for the Government and everyone in the House is that many of these projects are now coming through planning, including DART+ South West, DART+ West and DART+ Coastal North. All of those projects will be coming through. Moreover, BusConnects will start this year. Twelve projects have come through An Bord Pleanála.”
“I await with interest the decision prior to 30 September and look forward to working with the Deputy directly to deliver this project for Finglas.”
“I have been many times in the Deputy's constituency and in Finglas. I want to see this project move forward to construction and delivery. We have a couple of hurdles but not big ones. We have to get through planning. Should that be granted, there is then the procurement strategy for Luas Finglas under the infrastructure guidelines. Ministerial approval will follow that and the project can then enter the procurement stage. As is the case with all projects, this will go through Government consent and must receive approval at gate 3. The project has a lot going for it. The construction is relatively simple for the very reason the Deputy highlighted. The railway corridor is there. The population and housing have developed around it and will allow us to develop more. Transport-oriented development is what we want for new homes and businesses.”
“Should the railway order be granted, the NTA will need to provide my Department with a procurement strategy for Luas Finglas, as is normal, under the infrastructure guidelines. Following ministerial approval, the project can enter the procurement stage. Subject to the planning decision, this project will be transformational for residents of the Deputy's constituency and the surrounding area, who will be able to link through the other networks.”
“In addition, the project provides for a 350-vehicle park-and-ride facility at the St. Margaret’s Road stop, close to the M50-M2 interchange. Transport Infrastructure Ireland, as the sponsoring agency, prepared the preliminary business case for Luas Finglas, while the NTA, as the day-to-day approving authority, approved it for submission to the Department of Transport. In October 2024, the Government approved the project at approval gate 1 of the infrastructure guidelines. That was a very significant step. TII did not delay. The following month, it lodged a railway order application with An Bord Pleanála. I am pleased to say I understand the board has recently confirmed that a decision will be made before 30 September 2025. It is not often the board comes out with a definitive date like that. That in itself is very significant.”
“The Deputy knows this project well. It is one of four proposed Luas tram extensions that have been identified by the NTA as part of the current statutory transport strategy for the greater Dublin area. This project is 3.9 km, just short of 4 km, but still extensive as it would extend the Dublin tram network from Broombridge to Finglas. This is eminently doable. The route will serve an estimated population of 56,000 by 2035 at four new stops, namely, St. Helena’s, Finglas village, St. Margaret’s Road and Charlestown. The Deputy has been a strong advocate for this and continues to be. The project will serve people beyond those communities through interchanges with the bus network and with rail services at Broombridge train station, which is on the planned DART+ West line.”
“I know Deputy Currie is a big supporter of it, as am I. Deputy Moynihan has an interest in DART+ South West. There is also DART+ Coastal North. The previous Government committed to DART+ in general and it went through the first approval gate. Obviously, the capital review of the NDP is critical to delivery. These projects are critical to Dublin and the greater Dublin area, and I will keep the Deputies informed of progress.”
“I am happy to engage with both Deputies on the issue of drones. I want to review the draft document and I will engage with them. I am sure we will be talking to the transport committee about that. This type of technology is here to stay. It is about how it interacts with our communities. There are also major benefits. The Ministers of State, Deputies Canney and Buttimer, have informed me about the use of drones in search and rescue. There are lots of good things there. With food deliveries it is generally people in the area ordering food. There are people who find it of benefit and others who find it butting in on their quality of life. There is good news on DART+ West and the whole plan with the withdrawal of the judicial review. I want to see this project advanced as quickly as possible.”
“I have not commenced reviewing this. I will, in a short space of time, review it in detail and I am happy to receive further input. We have had the public consultation and I do not intend to open it up again. We need to provide clarity on this and the use of drones.”
“I have not commenced my review. I appreciate the points the Deputy has made and take them into account. I listened with interest to a vox pop in Dublin West. I think it was on FM104 last week when I was in the car. There had been complaints made by some public representatives. Then there were interviews with people on the street in Blanchardstown and many of them had different views on the matter. Having said that, this is a sector that will grow. We are seeing the benefits with respect to the delivery of medical aids, lifebuoys and other things. There are great advantages to using drones in an appropriate way. I am aware they have been used for food deliveries and other things and the Dublin West area, especially Blanchardstown, is being used as a test area. We will be informed by people's experiences there.”
“The framework was informed by the work of an interagency steering group, its sub-working groups, a targeted stakeholder consultation held in 2022 and a public consultation held in 2024. The Deputy asked if I would like to get this published before the summer recess. Yes, I would. However, I want to review it properly. As I said, I only received it late last week. It will give clarity to the sector but it also highlights a lot of the benefits of the UAS sector to the general public.”
“The policy framework sets out the vision, strategy and priorities for the development of the drone sector in Ireland. There are massive opportunities here and great benefits to it. The framework aims to guide high-level strategic planning and development of the sector in Ireland over the next decade by supporting growth and innovation, as I said. The framework also seeks to ensure safe and secure operations. Many of the issues that will be addressed by the policy framework fall directly within the remit of the Department of Transport. Some others cross over into areas of responsibility of other Departments. The policy framework has been developed through good cross-departmental engagement structures and it will be implemented through similar structures.”
“As the Deputy knows, the programme for Government includes a commitment to finalise and publish a policy framework for unmanned aircraft systems, otherwise known as drones. This will guide high-level strategic planning and development of the drone sector in Ireland through supporting growth, which we want, and innovation, which we also want, while ensuring safe and secure operations and managing environmental and other concerns. I am aware that this matter has come up in the Deputy's constituency, especially adjacent to the Blanchardstown Centre area. Work on the drafting of the policy framework has recently been finalised. When I say "recently" I mean I received the draft document last Friday. I am going to review that. I want to make sure I am content with it before I publish it.”
“When serious allegations and complaints like this are made, I, as Minister, take them seriously. It behoves us to afford the time to carry out a proper investigation and interrogate the data given to us. We are in regular contact with all air operators. With Irish airspace being one of the main entry points across the Atlantic, I instructed Department officials to further remind all air carriers and operators of their responsibilities under international and domestic Irish law and of notification procedures. We receive many notifications of flight manifests and so on. I take this seriously. I mentioned media reports, and yes, complaints have been made. The people who made the complaints deserve that they be properly investigated. We will do that. I cannot give a definite timeframe for the conclusion of that work.”
“A lot has been made of the increased number of exemptions. People try to link that somewhat to the start of the conflict in the Middle East, particularly in Gaza and Israel. From October 2023, there has been an increase in exemptions granted to Irish-registered aircraft operating outside of Ireland. A substantial number of Irish aircraft operate in other territories. This increase is linked to the Scandinavian operation of the SAS Group, particularly SAS Connect, an Irish-based airline. This subsidiary of SAS Group operates a fleet of 30 aircraft with bases in Copenhagen, London, Heathrow and Stockholm. A lot of these exemptions are nothing to do with Irish sovereign territory or airspace; it is Irish-registered aircraft flying elsewhere. The type of exemptions granted are not for munitions of war at all.”
“Unfortunately, the nature of the examination genuinely means it is not possible right now for me to provide a completion date but I assure the House that officials are working diligently towards its conclusion.”
“Any exemption granted is not a permission to carry munitions of war from one foreign state to another. It is only in respect of the operation of such a flight through Irish sovereign territory. The granting of an exemption permits entry to and exit from Irish sovereign territory. When an application for an exemption is refused, the flight must redirect. I am aware of media reports that allege several air operators have flown through Irish sovereign territory while carrying munitions of war without the required permission. My officials have engaged in examining those allegations, communicating with the air operators concerned, collating the information and scrutinising the data gathered. We are committed to completing this examination to a standard that will support any further action that may be necessitated. These are allegations.”
“I am aware of the regulations and the legislation. The Chicago convention of 1944 is the main international treaty that governs the operation of international civil aviation. Article 35 of that convention provides that no civil aircraft may carry munitions of war in the sovereign territory of a state without that state's permission. That provision is implemented in Irish law in the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders 1973 and 1989. Under these orders, the carriage of munitions of war is prohibited on any civil aircraft in Irish sovereign territory unless I in my role as Minister for Transport have granted an exemption that permits it. From October 2023 to date, no applications have been received and no exemptions have been granted for the carriage of munitions of war to any point in Israel.”
“In 2024, operators were fined just short of €1.5 million by the NTA for not meeting their service level agreements. We have to continually watch this to ensure that we have a reliable, punctual service.”
“The transparency around this is there. The operators have to report on service level agreements. When specific issues arise, a lot of the time I see that people will tweet the NTA on X, send emails or whatever. I get text messages regularly, including from my daughter if a bus does not show up when she is travelling to DCU, so I know from my family that this happens from time to time. There can be understandable reasons for this. We need to build up the human resources within each of the operators. Go-Ahead Ireland has very specific issues relating to staffing. What I was not happy about at the time - and it was early in my tenure - was the fact that I had no sight of those issues to know that its resources were that tight. It has addressed that matter since, and fair play to it for doing so. Fines are levied.”
“The Deputy is right to raise complaints, certainly, but let us not lose sight of the fact that we had a record number of passenger journeys last year. We are at about 1 million public transport passenger journeys every day now.”
“There is still work to be done. We are adding new routes. As everyone knows, in all sectors, but particularly around drivers and mechanics, there have been shortages of workers because it is a very competitive environment. We have commenced further recruitment across all our transport operators. We started the review in spring. Two of the main reasons for buses not showing up are, one, late notification by operators of cancelled and curtailed services, with that resulting in incorrect information being given to customers, and, two, technical issues with the older bus automatic vehicle location equipment. That equipment is being replaced with live data on each bus. This will improve the service greatly from 2026. We have to continue to monitor the situation.”
“In my supplementary reply, I will provide a little more detail of what will happen in the coming period. I have initial information from review; I do not have the completed information on it. If there are any particular matters relating to Wicklow or anywhere else as regards buses not showing up, I want to know about it.”
“In addition, Go-Ahead Ireland has completed overseas recruitment, with ten engineers expected to start in September. The NTA monitors the performance of all public transport operators, as the Deputy will know. Under existing contractual arrangements, financial penalties apply where performance falls below agreed standards. The NTA continues to engage with Go-Ahead Ireland to enhance service reliability. Having said that, things will happen but we need to ensure as best as possible that punctuality and reliability and, underpinning that, affordability happen. I instructed the NTA to carry out a review of the ghost bus phenomenon, for want of a better phrase, and I continue to keep that positive pressure on in my supporting role as Minister to make sure that people can be assured that buses which are scheduled arrive on time.”
“We will all be travelling on buses together soon. I use the bus a lot but not in Wicklow. I am aware, as the Deputy obviously is, that Go-Ahead Ireland has experienced difficulties in maintaining service levels, particularly in the first quarter of this year, primarily due to a shortage of mechanics. In response, the company took a number of remedial actions, including bringing in additional mechanics from Britain and securing further technical support from external sources. I understand that the situation has improved significantly since then, not necessarily on every route, with fleet availability returning to normal within a relatively short period. Go-Ahead Ireland has reported that since January, eight new engineering staff have joined the company and 129 drivers have started in the driving school.”
“It has three dedicated units operating in north, south and central Dublin. As of February 2025, Bus Éireann operates a mobile security unit. The Luas also has its own security force. That will continue while we continue to prepare legislation to establish the force.”
“We have a public transport safety working group on which unions, workers and operators are represented. I have met these representatives. We will be discussing this in more detail. I assure the Deputy that, when the proposals in this regard become clear, I will be seeking their input. I do not have an exact timeframe for the Deputy. Suffice it to say that this is an important priority. We first have to agree the way forward as regards the structure of the force. It will operate under the NTA but we need to consider its interaction with An Garda Síochána, from which it will be separate. We will then need to draft legislation. In the meantime, An Garda Síochána is working on this. Security spending in Iarnród Éireann was up 41% in 2025. It is the same with Dublin Bus.”
“It will support the work of An Garda Síochána but, working with the operators, it will particularly focus on the black spots, the areas where the predominance of antisocial behaviour occurs, in order to stamp that out at the start.”
“I agree on that point. An Garda Síochána is doing a good job already. The Deputy will be aware of Operation Saul. That is under way. To take the Dublin metropolitan region, the area in which we have the best data in this regard, as an example, there are gardaí delivering both overt and covert policing on bus, Luas, DART and other train services. In 2024, the operation resulted in 754 arrests, 1,289 charges preferred and 280 summonses. Between 1 January 2025 and 21 March 2025, there were 194 arrests and 381 charges preferred, so the Garda is doing its job. The Government committed to providing additional gardaí in the programme for Government and we intend to fulfil that commitment. The transport security force will have a very specific role.”
“I will be looking for the co-operation and assistance of all parties in this regard because most will see the benefits of the creation of this force, which will be an additional resource to the very good work already being done by An Garda Síochána. We need to make sure that, as we continue to expand our public transport system, this force will be in place on all public transport operators, whether on road, trains or the Luas.”