Jerry Buttimer
Cork South-Central · Fine Gael · Ireland
“Its priority is to provide scheduled public transport services on the TFI network. It works with event organisers, operators, local authorities and An Garda Síochána to provide additional transport supports where it is possible to do so.”
“I commit to relaying the points the Senator has made on the floor of the House, and has conveyed to me in private, to the Department of Transport. To be fair to the Senator, it was not only this morning that he has articulated this. The travelling supporters of Kerry and Mayo deserve additional transport.”
“I understand from the company that the Expressway team is currently examining whether additional services on route 22 will be added on the morning of Sunday, 26 July.”
“In this case, for Kerry and Mayo, as the Senator rightly said, it will see a high demand for scheduled and additional services. The Senator has outlined the volume of tickets sales. This is the busiest time for scheduled intercity services anyway, given that it is peak summer time, and that is a priority.”
“I understand from speaking to Irish Rail that it hopes to be in a position to confirm the number of additional services later this week - I am hoping this will be today or tomorrow - and it will advise customers as soon as these services are available to book.”
“The Senator mentioned Sneem and Ventry. He and I will remember our great friends, the late, great John Egan and Paudie O'Shea, as well as the Senator's brother Tim. I get emotional because they were great GAA people. Cork and Kerry have the best supporters of the GAA.”
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“By expanding the public transport network and increasing service levels, as outlined in policies like Connecting Ireland and BusConnects, we are aiming to achieve more balanced regional development and greater connectivity for all public transport users. BusConnects has already achieved significant success in transforming Dublin's public transport network, notwithstanding the challenges the Deputies have articulated. Recently, research carried out for the NTA by Ipsos B&A showed that four in five customers have expressed satisfaction with the services of BusConnects and 45% believe the bus service has improved. I know we have a journey to travel. The NTA and Department will continue to collaborate with operators and customers to enhance the punctuality and reliability of services throughout the network redesign.”
“Deputy Murphy might forward that to me because it is important that we bring feedback to the NTA. I assure the Deputies that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and I, and the Department, fully recognise that transport connectivity is hugely important for people who live, work and study. Deputy Boyd Barrett mentioned the link to Heuston Station. It beggars belief that there is no link from Heuston Station to the colleges he referred to. From a Government point of view, public transport connectivity is key to revitalising our villages, towns and urban centres.”
“I take the points the Deputies raised on behalf of people who want to use public transport. We must give them certainty and a guarantee that public transport will work for them.”
“The NTA continues to monitor this issue and to stress to operators the need for timely inputs of cancellations where they occur. Deputy Boyd Barrett spoke about the issue of apps. Tomorrow, in Question Time in the Dáil, there will be a number of questions on the apps. It is unacceptable for people to have to rely on different forms of information where there is an app available that should have, in real time, the pertinent, relevant information. I will bring the Deputies' points about the S6 route back to the Department. I am not familiar with the route because it is not in my locality but I will certainly look at the Instagram account and feed it back to the NTA. It is unacceptable for someone to wait in subzero temperatures for half an hour for a bus to Maynooth and for it not to show up.”
“New local and radial services, such as the 23, 24, 73, 82 and L89 services, now serve areas including Ballymun, Finglas, Charlestown, Walkinstown and Liffey Valley. Following feedback from passengers and local representatives, alignment changes were made to a number of these routes and the NTA is reviewing further amendments to the routes to tackle challenges to reliability. With regard to ghost buses, when a service is cancelled the operator is required to cancel the service on the system that monitors bus locations and feeds the real-time information system. While that generally does happen, there have been some occurrences where the relevant operator personnel did not input the cancellation in a timely manner.”
“It is unacceptable that buses have to be cancelled. It has an impact on passengers. That is unacceptable. The frequent occurrence of this is in part because of the high volume of traffic. There are a variety of reasons, but it is important to recognise that the NTA has a responsibility in this matter. Phase 7 of BusConnects, the F spine, is a good example of the responsiveness of the NTA to the challenging environment in Dublin. The most extensive phase of BusConnects to date, phase 7, was launched on 19 October. While that involved the removal of some services, new services and changes have been introduced, including the 24-hour spines F1, F2, 80 and F3, which aim to enhance connectivity across the capital and support Dublin's growing night-time economy.”
“Public transport plays a key role in delivery of this goal. As I said, it is unacceptable that members of the travelling public, as both Deputies articulated, have experienced no buses, ghost buses or late buses. The reply given to them outlines a variety of reasons for bus cancellations, which will be available on the record of the House. The issue of staff availability is an issue that is ongoing. It is not just about Dublin; it is in Cork as well. The most frequent reason for bus cancellations on routes is related to traffic congestion and traffic delays. The key point I will make to all is that it is not about lack of investment by the Government. The Government is committed to public transport, which has been seen in the budgetary allocation. I appreciate that this is discommoding for members of the travelling public.”
“I thank the Deputies. I am taking the matter for the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, who apologises that he cannot be here. As both of them know quite well, the Minister has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport, but neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operations of the public transport service. That rests with the NTA, which both Deputies articulated. I will not insult them by telling them that. I appreciate and acknowledge the remarks they both made in the context of the experience of commuters and the travelling public. It highlights the importance of the need for BusConnects to be completed. I assure both of them that the Government is committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options.”
“I look forward to working with the Deputy on this. The Government is committed to tackling educational disadvantage and reducing child poverty. I thank her for raising the matter.”
“The new DEIS strategy to be published this year will set a future roadmap that will support children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage. It is to be hoped it will empower them to reach their full potential. The strategy will focus on improving opportunity and achievement levels for children and young people, but it will also ensure that in the school community we can develop more innovative approaches to tackling educational disadvantage and tackle that intergenerational piece we have to keep working at. The point is, which maybe goes back to what the Deputy is trying to say, it should be a flexible system of supports to ensure the school can receive the right support at the right time for the student, person, pupil or child, whether they are a teenager or primary school student.”
“The development of the DEIS plus scheme will be a further positive step in our commitment to lifting more children out of poverty and giving them the future they deserve. I will take back the points the Deputy made. I genuinely share some of the views she has. We get that because we are on the ground. We are in the classroom and the school community. We are engaging with home school liaisons. I am a former director of adult education and taught the applied leaving certificate. There is also the issue of school completion. It is not just about the funding piece. We cannot say that we will allocate X amount of money and then just throw that at it. That does not always work, as we both know.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising many pertinent points, which I do not disagree with. She is right that it is not just about funding. During my own career, it was not just about funding. This is about that wraparound service and that engagement. It is not just about being able to measure but being able to have students reach their full potential. It is not just about literacy and numeracy. The Deputy mentioned the arts but it is also the socialisation piece and, for example, the hot school meals programme. She is right. I will make the point that the Government is committed, in a cross-departmental way, to tackling child poverty. We see education as the enabler to achieve that.”
“The work is focused on informing key policy development. I look forward to working with the Deputy on the matter. I will bring her remarks back to the Minister.”
“The new DEIS programme will target a cohort of schools with high concentrations of children and young people experiencing that intergenerational disadvantage, where there is a significant gap in outcomes and there are barriers to those children and young people achieving their potential. I see this in my own Department, where we invest millions of euro every year. We really need to have a serious conversation about that intergenerational piece. A DEIS plus design advisory group was established by the Department to inform the development of the DEIS plus scheme. This group includes principals, home school community liaisons and school completion programme co-ordinators who work directly with children and young people experiencing high intergenerational disadvantage. In 2024 and 2025, the Department carried out consultation workshops.”
“However, this research has also highlighted that important differences in outcomes persist for students who experience very high levels of deprivation. That is why it is important to note that the Government is committed to introducing a DEIS plus scheme to provide additional supports to schools with the highest levels of students at most risk of educational disadvantage. I hope this will take on board the Deputy's point about following the student. It will also be a model that tackles disadvantage. At its core, it must be able to be assessed in the right way. As a teacher of many years, I agree with the Deputy on that. She made reference to the intergenerational piece.”
“At its core, this strategy will focus on improving the opportunities and achievement levels of children at risk of educational disadvantage, developing more innovative approaches to tackling education disadvantage and working towards a more flexible system of supports to ensure that a school can receive the right support at the right time. The Minister is committed to narrowing the performance gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools and introducing innovative solutions to address disadvantage. Recent research, including the OECD review of resourcing schools to address educational disadvantage in Ireland, has highlighted the role of the DEIS programme in providing an education system that consistently outperforms many other OECD countries but also exhibits relative socioeconomic fairness, making it one of the stronger performers globally.”
“When schools did not attain DEIS status, they were completely discommoded. There was a disconnect. That was a mistake. Supplementing universal supports, the DEIS programme provides a fair and targeted way to address concentrated educational disadvantage that promotes equity and meets the needs of children and young people. The DEIS programme currently supports almost 1,200 primary and post-primary schools, reaching approximately 260,000 students with an annual investment of €180 million. This year's budget allocates an additional €16.5 million, which will rise to €48 million in next year's budget, to support the implementation of a new DEIS strategy and introduce the DEIS plus scheme, which will commence this year. The new DEIS strategy, which will include the DEIS plus scheme, will be published in the first quarter of this year.”
“The Minister, Deputy Naughton, sends her apologies. For my part, I was a teacher for 17 years. I fully concur with many of the comments the Deputy has made. She is right that the importance of this issue is such that it requires a rigorous and methodical approach and evaluation by everybody. I have always been of the same view as the Deputy that it is about following the student. She is right about that and I agree with her. I thank her for raising this very important issue. Educational disadvantage is a key priority for the Minister and the wider Government. The DEIS programme is a key policy initiative for addressing concentrated disadvantage at school level. Where I disagree with the Deputy is that I think it has worked quite well. The Deputy is right that it is not a panacea for everything but it has worked quite well.”
“The Senator is right that it is about ensuring that all students can engage and we, as adults, can have that meaningful engagement with our language and culture. It is an important direction of travel for the Government. I will go back to the point I made earlier: it is about the alignment of the language within that CEFR umbrella. I will certainly bring the Senator’s points back. I have listened to what he said. We will go back to the NCCA, look at the progress and take the Senator’s points on board.”
“Gabhaim míle buíochas leis an Seanadóir. Tá an plean gnímh tosaithe amach. Tá sé sách maith agus nua. The publication of the action plan is the first. It is a new direction and a significant milestone in the teaching, learning and use of Irish, ár dteanga dhúchais, in both Irish- and English-medium schools. I share the Senator’s ambition of all of us having that grá but also the ability to have that conversation. We are fortunate that both the policy and action plan reflect the Government. Tá an Rialtas ag tabhairt tacaíochta don Ghaeilge, go mór mór sa bhuiséad agus sa phlean gnímh nua sa sectoral plan a bhí foilsithe inné ag an Roinn ina n-oibrím mar Aire Stáit. The Government is supporting the Irish language with the Minister.”
“As part of this phased approach, the National Council of Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, has commenced a process towards the alignment of leaving certificate Irish to the CEFR. This work is taking place as part of the ongoing senior cycle redevelopment programme. The first meeting of the NCCA subject development group for leaving certificate Irish was held in September. It is also intended that the NCCA will advance work on achieving closer alignment of the Irish curriculum with the CEFR across the primary, junior cycle and senior cycle sector. I hear what the Senator is saying and I will certainly bring his remarks back to the Minister and the Department. It is about getting it right at the beginning. Tús maith leath na hoibre. The Senator makes a fair point.”
“The programme for Government contains a commitment to work towards the alignment of the school curricula at the different levels with the CEFR. In line with this commitment, the new Action Plan for Irish includes an action on working towards a learning Irish-language curriculum, associated teaching supports and assessment arrangements within that CEFR to enhance spoken Irish in schools. The inclusion of this action gives recognition to the potential of CEFR to support the effective teaching and learning of Irish. The alignment of language curriculums with the CEFR is complex and, therefore, a phased approach is being adopted to align the curriculum for Irish with the CEFR.”
“The action plan also places a strong focus on better co-ordination and use of the supports and resources for teaching and learning Irish trough collaboration across relevant Departments, State agencies and Irish language organisations. Work has commenced on the implementation of the action plan. Implementation supports will include professional learning opportunities for teachers, the development of resources and greater opportunities for children and young people to use Irish. A key focus will be on offering tacaíocht and supporting teachers to share effective practice and have better access to end use of resources. The important point is the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, CEFR. It provides an internationally recognised framework for language leaming.”
“The action plan focuses on actions that are most likely to be effective and make a difference within a two-year timeframe, namely the period 2025 to 2027. It was informed by an extensive consultation with national schools and the various stakeholders. Discussions, díospóireachtaí, with children and young people, na daoine óga, were a key part of the consultation, and their views are strongly reflected in the action plan, an plean gnímh. It is important the action plan focuses on the key elements that make a difference to language learning in terms of mindset, teaching Irish as a language, opportunities to use Irish and the use of approaches that ensure that all children and daoine óga experience success in their learning.”
“This is the first time that such policies have been put in place to support ár dteanga dhúchais, Gaeilge, sna scoileanna taobh amuigh den Ghaeltacht. This is an important policy that shows the ambition of the Government and, in particular, Ministers Calleary and Naughton, regarding the new action plan for English-medium schools. It will support the excellent work being done in our bunscoileanna and in our ardscoileanna in implementing existing curriculum specifications to provide a better learning experiences of Irish and to increase its use among children and young people. We have seen an increase in Government funding in the budget. We have also seen an increase in the comhrá agus díospóireacht. Mar a dúirt an Seanadóir, tá an Uachtarán nua líofa agus is ambasadóir iontach í ar son an teanga.”
“Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Seanadóir Noonan agus gabhaim buíochas leis as an díospóireacht seo a chur os comhair an Tí. Táim ag caint ar phlean gnímh don Ghaeilge, go mór mór sna scoileanna ina bhfuil an Béarla mar chéad teanga. Cloisim tuairimí an tSeanadóra. Táim ag éisteacht leis. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for education. In recognising what the Senator said, it is important to acknowledge that we continue to make progress in terms of the advancement of the action plan for Irish in English-medium schools. The action plan was launched in November, together with the new policy on Irish-medium education. I am fully sure that the launch of these two policies was a major achievement.”
“The commencement of section 6 will also complete the commencement of all sections of the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014 in relation to the registration and re-registration of births. I thank Senator Keogan again for raising this matter.”
“I thank Senator Keogan for raising the matter. We all welcome the commencement of section 6, which will provide an opportunity for all father's names to be recorded in the register of births. As Senator Keogan knows, the number of birth registrations that do not contain a father's name is very low. It stands at less than 3%. However, it is the Government's view that, where possible, all children should have the right to know the details of both of their parents. I remind everybody in the House that the new section will allow for circumstances whereby the mother can provide a statutory declaration to the registrar if she is unable to provide a name of the father. This provides a welcome safeguard for the mother and a mechanism whereby the registrar or superintendent registrar will have oversight of the implementation of this provision.”
“Training material, relevant documentation and updated forms have been provided to local registration staff, and technical issues around incorporating the IT system-related requirements of the changes into the existing civil registration computer system have been finalised. I am pleased to inform the Senator that following the completion of the training and technical upgrades, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, signed the order to commence section 6 as and from yesterday, Wednesday, 10 December 2025. Officials from the Department of Social Protection are available and happy to engage further with the Senator on the matter.”
“However, prior to the commencement of the provisions in 2020, a technical error was discovered in the relevant amending legislation. This error was corrected in the recently enacted Civil Registration (Electronic Registration) Act 2024. This Act was signed into law by the President in July of last year. The Senator will appreciate that given the passage of time since the initial training relating to this provision was delivered, officials in the Department of Social Protection, in consultation with the HSE, determined that further training would be required to ensure operational readiness prior to the commencement of the legislation. A further nationwide training programme for registration staff has been completed by the General Register Office.”
“Prior to the amendment of section 22, where the mother was not married to the father of the child, there was no requirement on her to provide the details of the father of her child. The amended section 22 sets out a process whereby the mother must inform the registrar of the name and contact details of the man she wishes to name as the father of her child. A letter informing the man that he has been named by the mother will be sent to him from the registration office. Registration of the father will then be dependent on the man acknowledging paternity of the child within 28 days of receipt of the letter. Commencement of these provisions was subject to preparatory work and training of the registrars in the HSE by the General Register Office. An initial training program was delivered in early 2020.”
“These sections amended how births were re-registered and addressed the issue of the provision of details of a father, as highlighted by the Senator, as well as addressing issues facing registration staff at local office level, such as allowing for birth registrations in circumstances where a parent could not attend to sign the register of births due to reasons of hardship. Section 6 of the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014, as referred to by the Senator, introduces new provisions that require a mother not married to the father of her child to provide his particulars to a registrar when she is registering the birth. Section 6 amends section 22 of the Civil Registration Act 2004.”
“These sections include important amendments to marriage legislation, which dealt with issues around marriages-of-convenience cases, and they have proven effective in reducing the number of such cases in the State. The Act also provided for an expansion to the list of persons who could register a death in the State. These sections relating to marriages and deaths have been commenced since 2015. The sections relating to changes to birth registration were contained in sections 5 to 7, inclusive, and 9.”
“I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Calleary, as she knows. This is a very important issue. I acknowledge that she has raised it in the House already by way of Commencement matter and that the Minister responded to her at the time. The Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014 principally amends and extends the Civil Registration Act 2004. As was previously outlined to the Senator, the Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill was signed into law on 4 December 2014. This Act principally amends and extends the Civil Registration Act 2004 and contains 36 sections.”
“I compliment former Minister Eamon Ryan who believed transport connectivity was very important to people in rural Ireland. The Senator referred this morning to Abbeydorney and other parts of Kerry. I could give him a list of where we have seen new or enhanced services across Kerry, but he is correct that there are still gaps that we must work to fill. For me, it is about bringing life back to the villages, towns and communities he spoke about this morning, particularly Abbeydorney.”
“I thank the Senator again for raising the matter and being an advocate of connectivity. In recent years in County Kerry, for which he has been a strong advocate and champion, we have seen considerable investment in the rural transport programme, with funding having increased by 71% between 2023 and 2024 to over €4.7 million. Passenger numbers on the regular rural service routes in Kerry have seen a 41% increase year on year. I take the Senator's point regarding deficits that exist. I am fully committed to delivering a more sustainable, inclusive and accessible transport system for the benefit of current and future generations. I was very much struck by the point he made to the effect that social connection is not a luxury. It is not.”
“Unlike the traditional fixed-route services model, the smart DRT model allows passengers to request pick-ups and drop-offs anywhere within the operating zone, offering greater flexibility and accessibility. Earlier this month, the NTA also announced the phased introduction of contactless payments on TFI Local Link services, beginning with a pilot in Tipperary, a major milestone in improving accessibility and convenience. To go back to the Senator's fundamental point, it is a matter of local need and community response. I will certainly relay to the Minister the Senator's concerns regarding the lack of a service in Abbeydorney. I look forward to engaging further with the NTA and the Senator on the matter.”
“A key objective of Connecting Ireland is to implement non-fixed-route public transport services. As demand for public transport increases, it is important to explore alternative options that complement our existing public transport offerings. With funding under the Climate Action Fund, the NTA is developing smart DRT services in three locations during 2025 and 2026. The Smart DRT pilot involves the use of technology to provide demand-responsive services that can be offered both on demand and in a pre-planned way. Smart DRT is an enabler of the more efficient use of vehicles. The Anseo app was launched in Achill in July 2025 and is now operational in Killarney and the north east of Limerick city.”
“Demand-responsive transport, DRT, is important in meeting both transport disadvantage and climate challenges by catering for users with mobility limitations as well as those in dispersed, low-density housing in rural areas. It addresses the point the Senator rightly made, which was that social connection is not a luxury. DRT services, as a concept, have existed in our country for some time. TFI Local Link currently operates approximately 1,000 DRT services. These are primarily focused on providing public transport services in rural or isolated areas, such as the one referred to in Kerry. Users can contact their Local Link office to book a service along a specific route with a specific schedule, typically a day in advance. I take the Senator's point on the twice-per-month arrangement. We will have a chat about that again.”
“One of the key plans for enhancing the existing transport network across Ireland falls under the NTA's Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan, which aims to develop an integrated, accessible and sustainable network of public transport offerings across Ireland. Under this hugely successful programme, over 180 new or enhanced services have been rolled out since 2022. These services have connected 240 new towns and villages to the public transport network, with 61 new connections established to healthcare facilities and 41 new connections to higher education facilities. These increased services have led to exponential growth in passenger numbers, which have seen a five-fold increase since 2022, with a record weekly high of over 125,000 passenger journeys recorded in November 2025. We all agree this is a significant number.”
“In saying that, I reassure the Senator that the Government is strongly committed to providing public transport services in rural areas and piloting new transport initiatives for people of all ages and abilities living in them. With a third of Irish people living outside the cities and main towns, investment in our Local Link rural transport services remains a priority for me, my Department and the NTA. As the Deputy knows quite well, the rural transport programme, now operating under the Local Link brand, has been providing scheduled and demand-responsive public transport services across the country for many years. Funding for the rural transport programme has increased significantly, from €16 million three years ago to €31 million for 2026.”
“I thank Senator Kennelly for raising the important matter of the Local Link, particularly around Abbeydorney. He is right. It is about connectivity and opportunity. It is a success story. As the Senator knows, the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport but we do not have involvement in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. The statutory responsibility for that rests with the National Transport Authority. The NTA works with the public transport operators, which deliver the services and which have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters.”
“It is about giving us that capacity. I make the point again that it is about safety on our roads and us as first responders acting in a safe manner. We have seen and we are seeing work being done. We will take the views that the Senator brought back to the RSA. It is about ensuring we make fully informed choices to assist all of us as road users in the best way forward. I thank the Senator for raising the matter this morning.”
“I again thank Senator Gallagher for raising the matter. As I explained in my reply to him, there is a movement by the Government and the RSA in terms of the transposition of the directive published in November. As he knows, it will take two years to be transposed. That gives us an opportunity to consult widely. This morning has been a useful exercise. I hope the Irish Heart Foundation can be involved in that. As you look at the road safety strategy, it is about committing to renewing and enhancing the learning to drive curriculum but also that piece of knowledge. I think we all share Senator Gallagher's desire to ensure that the drivers on our road are as well trained as possible and that all safety matters are considered. As the Senator said, God forbid that any of us may be in that position. How do we handle that?”
“For example, where an airbag has been deployed or where a seatbelt has caused damage to a victim's ribs, it may be dangerous to perform CPR. In that case, it is part of the whole movement around further knowledge that we all need to have. In that regard there would also be a requirement on the driver to be able to assess the injuries to a victim and to know when it is safe to perform CPR. It goes back to the fundamental point about the added value that we saw with defibrillators. There is merit in what the Senator is proposing because we have all come across road accidents. We have all been in that situation where people rush to help. People want to do what is best, but it is about that training and skill acquisition. There is significant merit in what the Senator proposes.”
“This action is being led by the RSA and I understand work is advancing. The RSA is working in partnership with international third level institutions to identify best international practice with a view to making recommendations in relation to improving how driver testing is conducted in Ireland. I understand as part of this work that the issue of CPR and how it could be implemented is being considered. There are significant merits in the Senator's proposal that all drivers should have a basic knowledge of CPR. We must recognise that there may be times when dealing with a victim of a road traffic accident where it may not be appropriate to perform CPR. That comes back to the point the Senator made about the knowledge we all need to have.”
“Moreover, once these requirements for the practical driving test are transposed, there will be a need to ensure consistency with the theory test and this may present an opportune moment to consider advocating what the Senator is suggesting and adding CPR to that test. In addition to these regulatory and legislative matters, the Senator may wish to note the work that is currently under way under the Government's road safety strategy. In July of this year, phase 2 of the action plan was published. This sets out 12 primary actions which have the potential to deliver transformative changes in relation to road safety. A key action under this action plan is action 7A which states that we will enhance the learning to drive programme based on evidence from international best practice, in tandem with improvements in the driving test.”
“Under the new driving licence directive at EU level, driving test candidates, including those seeking a B licence, will be required, among other things, to have knowledge of the measures which the driver can take to assist road accident victims where necessary. This will include a basic knowledge of first aid, in particular CPR. This is set out under Annex Il, 2e(ii) of the new directive. This directive was published in November 2025 and it is planned for it to be transposed into Irish law, by way of new regulations, over the next two years. This transposition will ensure that the requirement in relation to assisting road accident victims where necessary will be transposed into Irish national law in the most appropriate way.”
“As the Senator will be aware, for those seeking a category B licence, the current theory test constitutes a series of 40 questions designed to check a candidate's knowledge of topics, including the rules of the road, risk perception, ecodriving, hazard awareness and safe driving behaviour. There is currently no requirement under the EU directive or in Irish law for a candidate for a B licence during a diver theory test to demonstrate they have a knowledge of CPR. However, it should be noted that truck and bus driver are required to have basic first aid knowledge. The Senator makes good points and there is merit in what he is suggesting and proposing. I am speaking in a personal capacity here.”
“I thank the Senator for raising the matter, which is a very important one. I join him in commending the volunteers in our communities. He is right the growth of defibrillator provision has been of extraordinary value to our communities. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. As the Senator knows, the Road Safety Authority, RSA, has statutory responsibility for the national driver testing service under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006. The driver theory test is a requirement under EU law. Annex Il of the driver licensing directive sets out in detail the requirements for the driver theory test. These requirements have been transposed into Irish law in full accordance with the EU directive.”