Emer Higgins
Dublin Mid-West · Fine Gael · Ireland
“With regard to the background, and as the Senator has touched on, this project was designed on the basis of a 30-year operational lease, with the primary objective of delivering value for money over the lifetime of that lease.”
“Regarding the specific situation in Castlebar that the Senator has raised, Tusla has indicated that following careful consideration, including extensive negotiations, which he referred to, and legal mediation with the developers, it was unable to reach an agreement.”
“They came forward, often at enormous personal cost, and continued to seek answers and accountability when the very systems that should have protected them had failed. For many survivors of child sexual abuse, the abuse does not end when it stops.”
“The strongest projects are those that invest in feasibility studies, site assessments, stakeholder engagement and detailed design from the outset, because decisions made at the earliest stage often have the greatest impact on cost, quality and operational performance.”
“As a result, it made a significant uplift on its original offer. The additional increase sought could not be justified, however, when benchmarked against comparable projects across both Tusla and the HSE. That comes back to the value-for-money argument.”
“Justice Michael White for their significant work and acknowledge how deeply distressing the findings are. They reveal repeated missed opportunities, ignored warning signs and systemic failures that allowed abuse to occur over many years. Children who should have been protected were instead left vulnerable.”
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“I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The Minister for Transport has asked me to take it on his behalf. The Minister has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in respect of the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, under the Road Acts and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the operation and management of individual national roads is a matter for TII in conjunction with the local authorities concerned, in this case Laois County Council. TII ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and, most importantly, the NDP. The Government has earmarked €5.1 billion for capital spending on new national road projects from 2021 to 2030. That is all under the NDP.”
“So, too, will the alignment of school place provision with new housing developments, such as Oscar Traynor, and climate action objectives, including deep energy retrofit. The programme for Government recognises the importance of strong capital investment in the school building programme and supporting this with enhanced allocations through the national development plan process. The Department is committed to continuing to update An Foras Pátrúnachta in relation to the factors influencing capital investment for the new school, Gaelscoil Cholmcille.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Theachta. The Government absolutely values the Irish language. We have had a record level of investment in school buildings this year again. This will increase the number of school places, significantly increase provision for special education and upgrade and modernise our school infrastructure. The impact will be felt in communities right across the country, including in the Deputy's constituency. The key drivers of capital investment in the school sector are going to include demographic growth, particularly at post-primary level. Demographic growth absolutely covers the Oscar Traynor Woods site the Deputy has spoken about and all the new homes and families we will be welcoming there. Increased demand for special education needs provision will also be one of the key drivers.”
“As stated, we have confirmation now that an agreement is in place with Dublin City Council regarding a proposed land swap for this school. I hope that is welcome news to the Deputy, to Deputy McAuliffe, to the parents and to the school community.”
“The overall process is particularly valuable in facilitating a proportionate assessment of a school's accommodation upgrade needs relative to all other schools, and allowing effective prioritisation of capital investment. Prioritising allows the Department to keep a strong focus on the provision of additional capacity to cater for demographics, new housing developments and the roll-out of additional special classes for children with additional needs. This approach reflects the Department's fundamental objective of ensuring the availability of a school place for every child. The pace of delivery of additional residential developments in school planning areas like the Deputy's, along with the updated enrolment and demographic data, needs to be kept under review and to inform strategies.”
“The Department can identify opportunities to transform existing schools as part of energy retrofit projects, and the Department’s pathfinder programme has been developing effective solutions in this regard, as we plan for a future wider roll out. The plan for working this through at national scale will be informed by the outcome of an energy and condition survey of all schools which is currently under way and is due for completion by the middle of next year. The subsequent analysis of this significant amount of data will take some time but it will help determine priorities going forward in respect of retrofitting and refurbishment projects.”
“There are currently ten primary schools in this school planning area, with Gaelscoil Cholmcille being the only school providing all-Irish-medium education. All applications from schools for major capital works must be considered in the context of capacity requirements and climate action commitments. The priority of the Department continues to be the provision of required additional school places to meet demographic requirements as well as for children with special educational needs. The Department is required to manage the allocated capital funding across all schools in the country. The Department’s approach is to maximise the usage of existing capacity in schools and, in tandem with this, to manage the progression of the existing pipeline of projects within available budgets and in line with the Government’s infrastructure guidelines.”
“As the Deputy may be aware, the Department is examining demographic requirements across the country including in the context of current and planned residential development activity. Any major capital works for Gaelscoil Cholmcille will be considered in the context of the review of demographics for the Beaumont-Coolock Dublin 5 school planning area. As the Deputy will be well aware, Gaelscoil Cholmcille is a primary school in Coolock under the patronage of An Foras Pátrúnachta. The school had an enrolment in September 2024 of 221 pupils. The school has a current staffing allocation of a principal, ten mainstream class teachers, two special education teacher posts and one shared SET post. The school is located in the Beaumont-Coolock Dublin 5 school planning area.”
“I can hear the Deputy's frustration loud and clear about the fact this issue has gone on for a long time. It has been raised by him, by Deputy McAuliffe and by others in this Chamber on multiple occasions. I am here to take this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education. Quite a lengthy response has been provided, but I will skip to the bit that is going to be of most interest to the Deputy. He spoke about confusion over the site. What I have today is confirmation that an agreement is in place with Dublin City Council regarding a proposed land swap. This will facilitate any future development relating to the school based on the outcome of the national energy and conditions survey, evolving demographic requirement and allocated capital funds.”
“There have been record levels of investment in water services by Uisce Éireann in the last five years which will continue over the funding period of 2025-2029. The overall investment will deliver significant improvement in our public water and wastewater services. I am pleased the Deputy’s constituents will see the benefits of that.”
“With the existing wastewater infrastructure in the village overloaded and out of date, it is really positive that the works are now progressing on schedule to modernise and improve the performance of wastewater treatment in Macroom. The next phase of the project is now commencing. It will bring significant benefits to the communities the Deputy represents and the surrounding areas in terms of growth, health, environmental protection and improved water quality in the river as well. Uisce Éireann has a dedicated hotline and email address. I appreciate the Deputy has had trouble getting information from that. I am glad that there will be a meeting and a briefing set up with Uisce Éireann and all representatives from the area.”
“I appreciate the Deputy’s frustration about the lack of information from a State body or a body working on the ground. Ultimately, however, there is good news. The upgrade of the existing water treatment plant is a very welcome development for the residents and businesses represented by the Deputy. Uisce Éireann has committed to holding an elected representative briefing to mark this commencement. The Minister has been informed that an invitation will be issued shortly to all those in the Macroom municipal district and a communication on this has been sent to the Deputy directly. That is probably the best opportunity for the Deputy to engage directly with Uisce Éireann to be able to answer the specific questions he has about contractors and when ground will be broken.”
“In addition, Uisce Éireann also continues to progress a major €21 million upgrade to the Macroom wastewater treatment plant to protect the environment and support the long-term sustainable growth and development of Macroom. This project has reached a major milestone with more than 50% of the works now complete. Throughout 2025, Macroom residents will begin benefitting from the upgrade as part of the new wastewater treatment plant comes into operation, improving the quality of treated water discharged into the river. This year, the old wastewater treatment plant will be decommissioned, allowing the new infrastructure to become fully operational next year. These two projects represent major investment by Uisce Éireann to support the long-term sustainable growth and development of Macroom.”
“The Minister understands that Uisce Éireann provided an update on Macroom water treatment plant directly to the Deputy last month and has committed to continuing to provide updates to the Deputy as the works commence. Uisce Éireann has also committed to providing regular updates to the community and elected representatives regarding the progress of the water treatment plant upgrade. The Minister welcomes this upgrade of the water treatment plant which, he understands, supplies a population of more than 4,000 across County Cork. The proposed upgrade will address the frequent boil water notices that the people of Macroom have experienced over the last number of years.”
“However, the Minister has made inquiries and is informed by Uisce Éireann that an upgrade of the existing Macroom water treatment plant is planned to commence in the next few weeks. This upgrade will provide critical investment of more than €6.5 million which will benefit Macroom residents and businesses by ensuring compliance with current drinking water regulations, improving the drinking water quality and providing a safer more reliable water supply. The Macroom water supply is included on the Environmental Protection Agency's remedial action list, which identifies water supplies that need improvement. The planned upgrade will address these issues.”
“I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for local government who would like to thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. It is a shame he was not here because were he here he could hear the passion with which the Deputy has spoken on behalf of his constituents. I thank him for bringing this important issue to the floor of the Dáil. The Deputy will appreciate that the operation of the public water supply, together with operational issues locally are matters for Uisce Éireann, which has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local level. Under section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013, neither the Minister nor the Department has operational function in the matter to which the Deputy refers.”
“I look forward to the continued implementation of the youth justice strategy, seeing that feedback we all had here brought to life and the development of a subsequent strategy to build on the successes we have already achieved. Deputy Coppinger said that parents and teachers are no match for social media companies. That is an interesting point. She went on to talk about that culture of toxic masculinity that, thankfully, is predominantly online and that we know is being spearheaded by particular individuals. She sought a response in terms of an education campaign for that. That is a very worthwhile suggestion. I will take it back to the relevant Minister.”
“Most young people simply need support and direction to put their lives on the right track. We know that young people can make better life decisions when given the chance. I strongly believe that improving outcomes for young people at risk of a life of criminality can make a real and long-term difference to the quality of life of these young people, their families and the entire community. We know that diversion is working. We know how to make improvements in the system and we will invest in those improvements. This Government, through the ongoing work of Minister and Minister of State, Deputy Collins, will resource and support interventions designed to improve the lives of our young people.”
“Deputy Currie alluded to that earlier. Youth services were allocated €18 million in 2020. Since then, the amount has doubled. It was allocated just over €36 million in Budget 2025. As well as increasing the footprint of YDPs around the country, this funding is increasing opportunities to access services. Making use of the increased funding, services can open at weekends and late at night. This was a recommendation not just of the YDPs but feedback from those accessing the services. We all want our communities to be safe places that provide young people with avenues to realise their potential. Youth justice interventions contribute to this environment. Youth justice is not a way around punishment or consequences. It is about redirecting that young people who may stray from the proper path.”
“The Minister of State, Deputy Collins, provided statistics that back this up, but we have also heard and know in our own constituencies about the lived experience of people who avail of these services and go down different paths as a result. I encourage all Deputies to continue to support their local YDPs and youth workers. The Government will be resolute in its support of YDPs. Two new YDPs have been commissioned in east Clare and north Tipperary. When these projects are fully open, which should be by the end of this year, we will have achieved full nationwide coverage of our youth diversion programme. This means that any child in the country who needs to avail of these services will be able to do so. This expansion has occurred in the context of and has been enabled by, substantial funding increases.”
“This evaluation confirms the vital role youth workers play in bringing the youth justice strategy to life. This evaluation acknowledged a great many positives, including a strong alignment between the youth justice policy and the objectives of individual YDPs. The people working in YDPs were found to be experienced and highly qualified. They reported strong levels of satisfaction in their work. This is brilliant because their work is so important. Key relationships such as those between youth justice workers and juvenile liaison officers are strong across the board and it is positive to see this being the case. The report also found that the range of interventions offered by YDPs continues to be responsive to the diverse and complex needs of individuals, their families and local communities. In short, we know that diversion works.”
“Once this feedback is received and evaluated, we will ensure that the strategy is as responsive and adaptable as can be to meet the needs of young people across the country. I commend the great work done by youth diversion projects, YDPs, around the country. YDPs are critical to how we connect with young people. Youth workers attached to YDPs can and do change lives every day across the country. The impact they have on young people cannot be overstated, and I am sure every Deputy is aware of the great work done by youth workers in their constituencies. It was great to hear people place on the record some really positive experiences regarding youth workers and community gardaí and the success of youth development projects in their constituencies. In 2023, an evaluation of youth development projects was published.”
“The strategy examines how youth justice policy might be more closely aligned to other child and youth policies and towards the promotion of community and local development. This approach echoes the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, which the Minister commenced this week. It is important to understand how the strategy is being delivered so that we can change our approach if needed. This is especially the case given the strategy is now at its mid point. It is the perfect time to have this debate and see what feedback can be taken on board. I understand that feedback has been sought from all stakeholders on what has worked well so far and on future priorities for the strategy’s implementation.”
“That is why a core principle of the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027 involves embedding a multidisciplinary approach. The Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, opened this debate by outlining some of the work being done to progress the youth justice strategy. I will not repeat what he said, but I will discuss the strategy more generally to highlight the Government’s vision of youth justice. The Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027 provides a framework to address key ongoing challenges as well as new and emerging issues in the youth justice area. The focus of the strategy is very much on children in contact with the justice system but it also examines more closely why a proportion of young offenders go on to become adult offenders and how this can be better addressed.”
“The service currently provides funding to five community-based organisations to provide dedicated restorative justice programmes. In Budget 2025, the Probation Service received an additional €4 million aimed at expanding crime diversion programmes. Its total budget is now over €60 million. This money supports step-down facilities, restorative justice and community-based alternatives to imprisonment. These are all part of where that money is being spent. The Minister intends to set out a roadmap with a view to increasing the uptake and availability of community service orders, which will further contribute to the provision of non-custodial sanctions. In devising our approach to diversion, we must remember that no two young people are the same so the services we provide must be tailored to different needs.”
“We must be mindful of the fact that a multifaceted and agile approach is needed to support young people who may come to rely on the State for help. Of course, diverting young people away from crime is vital. However, it is important to address what the State can do when individuals do engage in criminal activity and are detected by An Garda Siochána. That is why we must continue to deliver restorative justice. This was mentioned a number of times today and yesterday. At its core, restorative justice aims to enable all those affected by an offence to participate in repairing the harm done and to find a positive way forward. The Probation Service delivers restorative justice directly and through several community-based organisations that receive referrals at specific points in the criminal justice process.”
“We have heard from now-elected TDs who are legal experts, who were involved in various football clubs and GAA clubs and who worked previously in home-school liaison services as youth workers and social workers. It is really useful for us to have that level of expertise in this House, for it to be shared on the floor of the Dáil and for it to be used to help to shape our strategies. Those of us who contributed to this debate did so with the very best motives. We all have that shared interest. It makes it clear that we need a whole-of-government approach. Things like sports clubs, youth cafes, education and social media all fall under the remit of different Departments, which is why the whole-of-government approach is so important.”
“I thank the Deputies for the opportunity to discuss efforts to divert young people from criminal offences and criminal activities. This is an issue of fundamental importance. It is very clear from the contributions both today and yesterday that this issue moves and impassions many Deputies across the House. All of us will agree that we must continue to provide opportunities for young people to contribute to society in a productive and meaningful way. This will benefit both the well-being of our young people as well as society in the overall context. The variety of contributions from Deputies not only shows the passion there is for this area but that they also had expertise and experiences themselves before they entered and indeed have gained some since entering the House.”
“This expertise is available to them and it can be used to help them shape their tenders, applications for competitions or smaller bids. It can also be used to help them source suppliers. That is an efficient use of Government resources.”
“I am happy to speak to it about that matter. It is worth noting that the feedback I have been getting is that local authorities often source locally. That is really positive. We need to ensure that this is baked into our frameworks going forward to make sure we are being socially aware and that transparency, value for money and efficiency are top priorities for all procurement, whether that is in the context of local authorities or the various Departments. We have a sourcing team to support any Department, local authority or bodies like the HSE when it comes to sourcing particular goods. I encourage more of our procurement experts in these entities to reach out to the sourcing department in the Office of Government Procurement because its staff are procurement professionals who have a great handle on this matter.”
“As part of that, it has received the Ethical Kitemark accreditation and is also included on the CIPS corporate ethical register, which is a really positive development.”
“I am absolutely happy to look at it and to sit down with the Deputy to discuss it. Data collection is a key issue of concern for me. I have tasked the Office of Government Procurement to look at how we can better collect those data. Looking right across the spectrum, from SMEs to social enterprises, it is important to consider how much is being tendered versus how much is actually used at the end of a project. The Deputy referred to ethical sourcing. The Office of Government Procurement has, as she will be aware, a sourcing division that employs 127 staff. All of those staff have successfully undergone ethical procurement training, which the Deputy might be interested to hear. The Chartered Institute of Procurement Supply, CIPS, has awarded the Office of Government Procurement certification in ethical procurement.”
“In September, in partnership with the European Commission, it ran a national strategic dialogue workshop on the use of green, socially responsible and innovative public procurement. The outcome of this dialogue was the publication of a roadmap towards the new national public procurement strategy. In parallel with this, the EU Commission launched a programme of review of its procurement regime. That has now commenced, and my Department has been active in engaging and collaborating with counterparts in other member states on this. The Commission has signalled that a draft text will emerge in 2026. It is quite likely that this might happen while Ireland holds the EU Presidency.”
“A key ambition of mine, as Minister of State in the Department, is to make public procurement more accessible for SMEs in the interests of making it easier for them to tender for Government business. That is why I am asking for their feedback through the survey and through workshops we will be running in different regions. Ultimately, this consultation will inform our strategy, which we expect to be innovative, sustainable and transparent around public procurement that supports competition, ethics and value for money. Groundwork has already begun on this. In June 2024, my Department published a policy statement, Developing a New Public Procurement Strategy for Ireland.”
“I thank Deputy Farrell. The programme for Government includes a commitment to review the public procurement process to make it more transparent and to encourage greater participation by SMEs and other entities the Deputy has just spoken about. Working towards this aim and in the interests of setting out the strategic direction of public procurement for the next five years, my Department is developing a first national public procurement strategy. Last week, I launched a public consultation, which is being run by the Office of Government Procurement, that will inform this strategy. The consultation is open for eight weeks – there are seven weeks left at this point – and I encourage SMEs and social enterprises to use this opportunity to help shape the public procurement system.”
“We are committed to continuing to invest in this sector, in particular through additional investment in the upcoming budget 2026, to achieve our combined objectives of affordable, accessible and quality early learning and childcare.”
“The Building Blocks capital programme under the national development plan is being designed to meet current and long-term early learning and childcare infrastructure needs. There is also work under way to develop a national plan to further enhance Irish language provision in early learning and childcare sectors, which will be published later this year. There is ongoing work to review a legislative and regulatory framework for school-age children and a strengthened inspection system and to have appropriate enforcement powers as well. The early learning and childcare sector is absolutely a public good and has benefits right across society. In recognition of this, the Government has agreed a really ambitious new plan and programme of work that is allowing us to build on the significant progress made over recent years.”
“Work is under way to implement Nurturing Skills, the workforce plan for the sector for 2021 to 2028, with commitments to developing career pathways, promoting careers in the sector and supporting staff recruitment. That all complements recent achievements and the future plans to improve pay and conditions of employment in the sector. There is also work under way to finalise an action plan for administrative and regulatory simplification. That follows on from detailed engagement with the sector last year and an independent review by INDECON of the end-to-end processes linked to departmental funding schemes. Planning work is under way for a new State agency to support the delivery of early learning and childcare, and that presents an opportunity to revolutionise the sector.”
“In addition to planned reforms to the funding model and increases in the levels of supply referred to by the Minister, Deputy Foley, a wider and ambitious reform agenda is under way in the area of early learning and childcare through the implementation of a range of other policies and programmes that deserve special mention. For example, work is under way to develop the new implementation plan for the First 5 strategy, which covers 2026 to 2028, and implement phase 2 of the national action plan for childminding, which runs from 2021 to 2028. Continued work is under way to implement the recommendations in Partnership for the Public Good, the report of the expert group for a new funding model.”
“We have more providers opening their doors and fewer providers leaving the market. There has also been international recognition of our efforts, with the European Commission recently endorsing the approach of the Government and welcoming what it called the substantial progress we have made. While noting these strong indicators of progress, this Government has not shied away from the challenges that continue to persist in the sector, including high out-of-pocket costs for parents, the poor pay and working conditions for educators and practitioners and, ultimately, the lack of supply of places in certain areas and for certain cohorts, which featured frequently during this debate. The Government has, in the new programme for Government, set out a pathway to address these challenges.”
“For example, data from the early years sectoral profile survey shows that between 2022 and 2023, the estimated number of enrolments in service rose by 8%, as did the estimated number of staff in early learning and childcare, so we can see it is growing in tandem and is at a good trajectory and rate. Core funding application data shows that between years one and two of the scheme, capacity in the sector also increased by almost 8%, with analysis showing that increased capacity is the type of capacity with the highest demand relative to supply. Data from Tusla on service closures and new service registrations showed a net increase of 226 in the overall number of services in 2024. It has also, importantly, shown the lowest number of service closures in the past six years.”
“In my previous role, as a Minister of State in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, I did a lot of work on that, and I was happy to sign one of those employment regulation orders. The new negotiations by the Joint Labour Committee are at an advanced stage and further improvements in pay are expected later this year through the updated employment regulation orders. These negotiations are being supported by €55 million in additional State funding, which has been ring-fenced for this purpose. Ultimately, all our available data points to an expanding sector.”
“There has been a 78% increase in the number of children who benefit from the scheme more broadly in the past two years alone. Extended support for graduate-led provision outside the ECCE programme has also happened, and there is greater stability and sustainability in the sector. That is because of a minimum core funding allocation of €14,000, which is now in place. There is greater operational and financial transparency in the use of public funding and, importantly, in response to the issues with retention in childcare providers, there have been two consecutive rounds of employment regulation orders, which have resulted in improved pay for an estimated 70% and 50% of those working in sector.”
“Among the achievements since then are the high participation rates in core funding among services. Some 93% of providers are participating in year 3 of the scheme and there are a higher number of providers in absolute terms compared with other years. Senator Kyne raised the issue of the 7% who have not opted in and how we can support parents who may have faced an increase in fees as a result, as Senator Sarah O’Reilly noted. I will take this back to the Minister. However, a fee freeze is in place for the vast majority of services, namely, the ones that have signed up. There has been a 29% increase in the number of services offering the national childcare scheme and a 66% increase in the number of children supported to access the scheme to sponsorship arrangements.”
“I welcome the opportunity to discuss the really important issue of early learning and childcare. It was great to be able to watch the debate and see so many Senators contribute to what is a really important topic for so many families. It is clear from the discussions that we all recognise the importance of early learning and childcare for children and their families as well as for society and the wider economy. In her opening statement, the Minister, Deputy Foley, described the constituent parts of Together for Better, the Government’s funding model for early learning and childcare, which has an allocation of €1.25 billion in 2025 alone. She also summarised how this funding model has brought benefits to children and their families, educators and practitioners, as well as providers since it was first introduced in September 2022.”
“We have fully fitted CCTV cameras, text alert systems and control centres, all of which have been introduced recently. Regarding city and county councillors, I know the Tallaght community forum is in operation when it comes to bus services there. City and county councillors have a role in that. The Senator is right that this issue needs to be reviewed at a broader level. The Minister of Transport was previously the Minister with responsibility for local government and I am sure, given that background, that he will be willing to take the Senator's feedback on board. I will pass it along.”
“Senator Boyhan has made a really good point. To reiterate, the creation of the transport security force is a priority for the Government. As the Senator has said, it is important to note the introduction of the force is going to require the development of legislation which, as all of us in this House know, may take significant time. Nonetheless, the Government's commitment to delivering a safe and secure public transport network and the outgoing interim work on public transport safety will continue, as will the continued support and funding for operator measures, such as the recent extension of the Dublin Bus security pilot scheme. Across the network, all public transport operators are continuing to extend significant resources.”
“That is why we will be maintaining strong links with An Garda Síochána because that is where it is most important to help to tackle this important issue when it comes to physically being on trains. I will point out that there were really good days of action on this in the past year. The Government, the Department of Transport and all stakeholders will continue to develop these new policies and mechanisms to increase safety, decrease incidents of antisocial behaviour across the public transport network and bring to life exactly what the Senator has said today.”
“The Department of Transport continues to work closely with industry stakeholders to identify measures to improve passenger safety across the public transport network. In this regard, the safety working group will play an important role when it comes to the planning and implementation of the Government's commitment to create a transport security force. The Department will also engage with a number of key stakeholders as this work progresses. As the programme for Government clearly outlines, it is envisaged that the transport security force will operate in a manner - as I have said - similar to airport police and customs officers. The continued work of the NTA and each of the public transport operators to promote the safety and security of passengers and staff will be of the utmost importance.”
“He also mentioned SIPTU and other unions that have run a campaign around respect in public transport workplaces which is to be welcomed. The public transport safety working group also includes representatives from the public transport sector, operating companies, unions, the National Transport Authority, An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and passenger representative groups. The main focus of this group is the creation of a public transport safety charter to progress the NTA safety and security implementation plan. While I understand it is intended that members of the public transport safety working group will help to inform policymakers on ways to reduce the number of antisocial incidents we see happening in our public transport network, it will also feed into this overall commitment from the programme for Government.”