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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“The Minister for Health, along with the Government, will fully consider the HIQA report when it becomes available and the Minister will take any action that is deemed necessary to ensure, again, the quality and the safety of delivery of further and future urgent and emergency care services for the people of the mid-west.”
“I thank Senator Ryan for raising the matter and she is right that investment alone will not solve the problem. A wholehearted, collaborative approach around management, investment and patient flow is needed. She is correct; the people of the mid-west deserve access to responsive, urgent and safe emergency care. It is about the combination of increased capacity and reforms, which the Government is aiming to deliver. More beds and more investment at UHL are important and critical. The Senator made reference to the HIQA report. As she rightly said, the Government has asked HIQA to lead a review into urgent and emergency care in the mid-west, including consideration of the need for a second emergency department. The Government expects the HIQA interim report shortly, with a final report due some time around May of this year.”
“It is of great concern and something that we must continue to be vigilant about and work on, ensuring that we deliver for patients and staff in the mid-west. I apologise that the Minister was not here to take this Commencement matter.”
“Overall, 582 new inpatient beds will be delivered in the mid-west region between 2020 and 2031. Other measures to alleviate congestion include the extension of opening hours for medical assessment units and the delivery of a new surgical hub. On the question Senator Ryan raised about other hospitals in the area and emergency departments, opening hours have already been extended from 8 a.m. to midnight at the medical assessment units, MAUs, in Ennis and Nenagh hospitals and the waiting list action plan for 2025 will reduce waiting times for patients. In September 2021, the average time on the list in the mid-west was just under 16 months. By January 2025, the length of time waiting improved to less than six months. I thank the Senator again for raising this matter.”
“For the information of Members, the budget for UHL has increased by €224 million, or 84%, from €265 million in 2019 to more than €489 million last year. Staffing has increased by 43% since December 2019, including 62 more consultants, 192 more doctors and 442 more nurses and midwives. Between 2020 and 2023, €90.6 million in capital investment was assigned to UHL. A total of 166 new acute beds have opened in the mid-west region since January 2020, including a 16-bed unit delivered in 2024. The Government is providing for increased capacity, with a new 96-bed block due by the middle of this year and a second new rapid-build 16-bed unit later this year. Enabling works are under way for a second 96-bed block at UHL and a further 84 inpatient beds are planned through the acute hospital inpatient bed capacity expansion plan.”
“Ensuring that sufficient numbers of senior decision-makers are rostered to discharge patients throughout the entire week, including evenings, weekends and public holidays, is fundamental to managing patient flow. The public-only consultant contract, introduced in March 2023, provides for evening, extended out-of-hours and Saturday rostering. Attention must now focus on realising the benefits of this contract to increase access to services in the evenings and at weekends. The Government is committed to ensuring that every necessary measure is taken at UHL to ensure the smooth running of the hospital. UHL is being supported by a large ongoing programme of work to increase capacity in terms of staffing and beds.”
“As Senator Ryan rightly said, the impact on patients and their families is way too high and we cannot allow this to continue. On 18 February, the Minister for Health brought a memo to the Government regarding the situation set out in the report on urgent and emergency care this February, specifically on the spike in trolley numbers nationally after the bank holiday weekend. The Minister briefed the Cabinet on recent trends in poor patient flow and the build-up of inpatient congestion over weekends. Patient flow must be carefully managed seven days a week. The number of patients admitted and discharged must be kept balanced to avoid congestion, which results in patients waiting on a trolley for a bed.”
“I thank Senator Ryan for raising the matter of the emergency department in University Hospital Limerick. In the previous Seanad, the Leas-Chathaoirleach raised it continuously. Senator Ryan is correct, in that it is completely unacceptable. For those of us who do not live in the catchment area, it is beyond belief as to how we are continuously in a place where concern is expressed by Members and others about the hospital. In discussing this matter, we remember Aoife Johnston. I thank Senator Ryan for remembering her this morning. It is important to recognise that UHL has experienced high levels of congestion again this winter, with a peak of 91 patients on trolleys in the middle of January, as per the HSE TrolleyGAR figures.”
“Senator Cosgrove is right that there is a need for clarity around additional accommodation. As a former school teacher, I understand fully the school community and its needs. I am told the school has been approved to progress a traditional building project, which will deliver a significant suite of classrooms, specialist teaching spaces and provision for students with special educational needs. This project has been devolved to Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ETB for delivery and is at stage 2B, detailed design. Departmental officials will continue to engage with the ETB and appoint a design team to advance the project. The Department will also continue to liaise with the ETB on the school's accommodation needs pending delivery of the project.”
“A subsequent ASA application was also received by the Department seeking provision of temporary accommodation of two mainstream classrooms and two toilet blocks in a modular build. Modern methods of construction including modular accommodation from the Department’s framework provide high-quality accommodation solutions for schools. The Department engaged with Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ETB with respect to the proposed modular accommodation with a view to providing the accommodation requested and adjusting the accommodation to be provided as part of the traditional construction project. I am informed that Department officials are continuing to engage with the ETB in this matter.”
“The impact of this will be felt in communities around the country. In the context of Senator Cosgrove's Commencement matter, Grange Post-Primary School currently has a traditional ASA school project in train consisting of three general classrooms, one music room, one science lab and preparation area, one graphics room, one home economics room, one construction room and preparation area, one special education classroom and one universal access toilet. This project is devolved to Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ETB, as the school’s patron, for delivery. The Senator asked specific questions. My information is that there have been particular technical issues with the project, including parking provision. Department officials are engaging with the design team to get required clarification on the parking issues.”
“The Department announced earlier this year that close to 90 projects, including 28 new school buildings, will be authorised to proceed from tender stage to construction over the course of 2024 and into this year. In total, around €800 million will be invested in these projects under the Department’s large-scale capital programme and additional accommodation scheme for essential classroom accommodation. Between projects currently under construction and projects moving to construction in this latest phase, investments by the Department of Education are adding over 550,000 sq. m of new and modernised capacity to our school estate. This is a record level of investment in school buildings. It will expand the number of school places, significantly increase provision for special education and upgrade and modernise our school infrastructure.”
“As Members will be aware, the purpose of the additional schools accommodation, ASA, scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation. Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested more than €5.7 billion in our schools, involving the completion of more than 1,150 school building projects. Construction is under way in approximately 300 other projects, which involve new school buildings, some of which are being delivered in phases. The 300 projects currently in construction involve a total State investment of more than €1.3 billion. More than €48 million has been invested in schools in County Sligo since 2020.”
“I congratulate the Leas-Chathaoirleach on her election and elevation to the position. She will bring distinction to the role. Comhghairdeas leat agus beir bua. I thank Senator Cosgrove for raising this matter. I apologise that I do not have a copy of the written reply for her. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Education. I will ask the Department to liaise with the Senator afterwards. I apologise sincerely to her that I do not have a script for her. As the Senator outlined, Grange Post-Primary School is in north Sligo. It is a growing school with an enrolment in 2023 of 223 students. It has initiated a 14-room extension request.”
“The Government, including me, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, is committed to road safety and to the target set out in the road safety strategy. Yesterday, we appointed a new chairperson of the RSA, Ms Anne Graham. We will see a new revamped RSA in the coming weeks and months. We are committed to achieving Vision Zero. I will work with the Senator and with all Members of the House to ensure implementation of that the Safe Route to Schools Programme, which is important for rural Ireland and which comes under my area in the Department of Rural and Community Development in the context of rural transport, so that students, teachers and parents can access school in safety across County Mayo.”
“Protection and renewal of existing national roads is a priority for the Government. The majority of funding allocated for Mayo in 2024 was utilised for this purpose. This funding is used for junction improvements, pavement renewal, road safety improvements, maintenance of structures such as bridges and the progression of minor improvement projects. In addition, in line with the NDP and Government policy, the TII will allocate national road funding for 2025 in a manner which seeks to achieve a number of outcomes, namely, protection and renewal of the existing national road network, progressing major projects which are near construction and progressing major projects which are at an earlier stage of the development pipeline. As I said, the allocation of funding is due in the coming weeks.”
“I thank Senator Duffy. He is right. Action is needed in terms of the simple asks such as changing traffic lights, traffic flow, orbital routes and easing congestion. It is not a mammoth ask and it should be done with ease. With regard to new national road projects, there was a funding constraint in 2024 as the bulk of the €5.1 billion allocated for new roads becomes available in the second half of the decade. I hope we will see an exponential increase in spending. However, a number of new road projects listed in the NDP have already been completed. As the Senator knows quite well, these are the upgraded N5 Westport to Turlough project and the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge project which is under construction and will greatly improve accessibility for people in Mayo.”
“The regional spatial and economic strategy for the northern and western region sets out that the Northern and Western Regional Assembly will support the collaborative preparation of local transport plans. This work will be led by the local authorities in conjunction with the NTA and other stakeholders to prepare local transport plans for selected settlements, including Ballina and Castlebar. Furthermore, the NTA, in conjunction with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, has developed an advice note which sets out a methodology on how to assess the opportunities and constraints for sustainable transport within an area. This area-based transport assessment methodology has been designed as a key input into local transport plans. I thank the Senator for raising the matter and congratulate him on his election to Seanad Éireann.”
“The Safe Routes to School Programme was launched in March 2021 with the aim of supporting walking, scooting and cycling to primary and post-primary schools, and creating safer walking and cycling routes within communities, through the provision of infrastructure interventions. It is important that we continue collectively to alleviate congestion at school gates, with over €290 million being expended nationally by the Department of Transport for active travel measures and with €3 million being allocated to the county of Mayo. It is important that we understand there is a need for a greater working relationship with local authorities and the Senator mentioned that in his contribution. I concur with the Senator regarding the local transport plans and working with each local authority.”
“The Senator raised the issue of connectivity and the meeting in Ballina last night and it is important we get that balance right. As Members will be aware, a reduction in the speed limit for local, regional and rural roads came into effect on 7 February, reducing the default speed limits from 80 km/h to 60 km/h. TII and An Garda Síochána agreed the new locations for the roll-out of average speed camera zones will commence. One of these locations is on the N5 in Swinford, County Mayo. In addition, one new static safety camera, one of 12, was installed on the N17 at Claremorris. Senator Duffy raised the issue of schools.”
“Following on from this, Mayo County Council prepared and tendered a brief for the provision of technical adviser services to carry out phases 1 to 4 of the TII project management guidelines. Tenders were returned in late 2024. Subject to the available funding, it is hoped to award the technical adviser contract and proceed with a feasibility study. The current national framework for road safety is set out in the Government’s fifth Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030. In 2024, 18 people died on our roads in County Mayo. That is 18 too many, and an increase of seven on 2023. This year, to date, 24 people have died on our roads nationally. Two of these deaths have occurred in County Mayo. Every fatality is one too many, as I have said, which has an effect on families and communities.”
“Following on from this, Mayo County Council prepared and tendered a brief for the provision of technical adviser services. The technical advisers were appointed in February 2024. A virtual public consultation was held between 13 November and 2 December 2024 to aid in the development of options. Work is continuing on the selection of assessment of potential options with an anticipated selection of a preferred route in late 2025. I agree with Senator Duffy regarding the N26 being the gateway to the north west. The Senator makes a good point on the importance of that route, the N26. It is important that we upgrade it to national standard and I thank the Senator for raising that matter. The N58 Foxford transport project received scope and strategic assessment approval in March 2024.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh. Thank you for your welcome. I thank Senator Duffy. As Minister of State, it is great to be here in Seanad Éireann, my second home, and thank you for the welcome. I am taking the Commencement matter for Senator Duffy on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. I thank the Senator for raising the important matter of the upgrades of the N26 and N58 in Mayo. In total, approximately €411 million of Exchequer capital funding was provided for national roads through Transport Infrastructure Ireland to local authorities in 2024. That included approximately €23 million for national roads in Mayo. National road allocations for 2025 will be announced in the coming months. I confirm that the N26 Foxford to Mount Falcon project received approval to progress the scheme to route option selection in July 2023.”
“I thank the Deputy Daly for tabling this motion and for the contribution of all Members during the debate. Mar fhocal scoir, as a practising constituency public representative, I understand fully the annoyance and frustration at delays and the consequences of that. As his party's Members know, the Government is not opposing this motion. Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach.”
“The Government recognises the significant impact that long waiting times for drive tests are having on people across our country, particularly those residing in rural areas, as we have heard in the debate, where public transport may be limited. It is important, however, that we not compromise testing standards and that we instead ensure that recruitment delivers sufficient testing capacity of an appropriate standard to support safe road use. As the current recruitment campaign is well advanced, additional capacity will enter the system in the coming months and we expect to see wait times progressively reduce towards the target level of at least ten weeks. As the Minister outlined, seeing tangible progress on this issue, which is impacting on all of our constituents, is a foremost priority for him and the Department.”
“This reform will take time to deliver but detailed work on how it will be implemented is under way and will be presented to the Government by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, at the appropriate juncture. In the long term, this radical restructuring of the organisation will help ensure a singular focus on delivering high-quality public services within the responsible body while allowing the public interest body to focus on public interest work. This is why the motion is important. The restructuring will mark a transformation in how road safety interventions have been delivered over the past decade and can make a significant contribution to the achievement of our 2030 targets under the road safety strategy in the coming years.”
“There is a final element of the Opposition motion that I would like to address, namely, the call for the Government to conduct an urgent review of the capacity of the RSA to deliver the driver testing service. I commend Ms Anne Graham, the new RSA chairperson, and wish her well. As Members are aware, such a review was commissioned at the beginning of 2024 and presented to the Government last November. The core recommendation emerging from that review was that the RSA be split into two separate and independent bodies responsible for, respectively, the provision of customer services, such as driver testing, and the delivery of wider public interest work, such as road safety campaigns and education.”
“The RSA has introduced IT system improvements to maximise the number of test slots utilised and reduce the amount of tests lost to cancellations and no-shows. Once a person has been invited to book a test, he or she can now book slots released at short notice following a cancellation on the MyRoadSafety portal. Such slots are added every day. The new system has seen the overall percentage of testing slots utilised increase from 95% to over 98%. Deputies may wish to know that the RSA has transparently published monthly information on the driver testing service on the CSO website, including the breakdown of waiting times and distribution of testing capacity by test centre. Members made reference to the RSA.”
“The RSA has been required to put a plan in place to achieve that target as soon as possible. The additional capacity will help address the systemic mismatch between supply and demand that has developed in recent years as our population has grown. However, it is also important to acknowledge the steps taken by the RSA and efforts by individual testers to mitigate the impact on people to the greatest extent possible while the current recruitment campaign is ongoing. There was extensive voluntary working of overtime by driver testers last year to help meet demand during 2024, including at weekends, and this is continuing. I thank and commend them. To support this, the RSA ran an incentivisation programme for overtime during 2024 and a similar offering is under consideration for 2025. Deputy O'Flynn raised the issue of no-shows.”
“The RSA is confident that the permanent positions now on offer will attract and retain more testers than was the case for the temporary sanction. That the sanction will remain in place permanently will allow the RSA to fill vacancies as they arise, and in response to demand, up to the ceiling of 200 on an ongoing basis. I hope Members will be impressed by the fact that interest in the recent competition was quite high, with 1,400 people applying at the initial stage and over 300 making it through to the final driving assessment stage. I am informed by the RSA that it intends to commence training of the first tranche of new recruits in early March, with onboarding to continue with additional trainees over the coming months. I hope and expect that we will see sustained progress towards the ten-week wait time target in the months ahead.”
“As already outlined by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, this temporary sanction was the correct decision at the time, ensuring that permanent staffing decisions were not taken while the service was experiencing a post-pandemic distortion and that capacity to deal with immediate demand was created while a longer term assessment of capacity requirements was conducted. Under this temporary sanction, significant progress was made between August 2023 and April 2024, with wait times halving from 30 weeks to 15 weeks. Progress that was made under the previous sanction before the loss of testing capacity gives us confidence and hope that the additional capacity now entering the service on a permanent basis will deliver improved waiting times for everyone on a sustained basis going forward, which is the key point.”
“As the Minister outlined in his opening remarks, the population of our country has increased significantly. This has placed additional demand on the driver testing service with a record number of applications received last year. While the operation of the services is the statutory remit of the RSA, the Government has sought to support them in meeting this demand through a number of staffing sanctions in recent years, most recently the 70 additional driver testers sanctioned on a permanent basis last autumn. There is a sanctioned headcount of 200 today. The doubling of the staffing sanction in just over two years reflects our commitment to addressing this issue. Prior to this, as Members will be aware, the RSA requested sanction for 75 testers on a temporary basis, which was approved by the then Minister in March 2023.”
“We cannot go back to those days where we handed out driver's licences. The depth of feeling on this issue is one I understand fully. I have people in my own office about it every day of the week. All of us are in agreement that we need to deliver decisively on the issue of service provision and on the long-standing issue of making a reliable high-quality driver testing service available in our State regardless of where someone lives. Not only is achieving the ten-week target time important for the learner driver's experience of the service, it is also a vital component of delivering on our road safety strategy and the ambition to halve road deaths and serious injuries this decade. Ensuring that all of our drivers are well trained and equipped for the challenges of modern driving makes us all feel safer on the roads.”
“Gabhaim mo bhuíochas leis an Teachta Ó Dálaigh as an rún seo a chur os ár gcomhair agus gabhaim buíochas freisin le gach Ball a thacaigh agus a labhair ar an tairiscint seo. I commend Deputy Daly on tabling the motion. Members will be aware the Government is not opposing the motion. All of us on all sides of the House share the frustration and annoyance around the difficulties being experienced by people in our constituencies, neighbours, family members and friends. I thank Members for their contributions to the debate. I am conscious of the disparity in test delays. Deputy Daly will appreciate my next comment. My late mother was a recipient of the Sylvester Barrett licensing, which we heard of earlier. It is unacceptable that we have a situation where people are experiencing inordinate delays.”
“Further, through initiatives such as the implementation of new ticketing technologies, we are taking steps to enhance capacity and improve the overall transport experience for members. On behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, I again thank Deputy Whitmore for raising these matters this morning. I assure her that I will bring her concerns back. It is important that we listen, hear and engage.”
“The programme has led to a substantial increase in service levels. Customer satisfaction research into phases 1 to 4 of the network redesign project shows an 80% level of user satisfaction. There is, however, a piece that we need to get right. I concur with Deputy Whitmore in that regard. I can reassure her that the NTA and the Department of Transport will continue to work closely with the operators to enhance the punctuality and reliability of public transport services, both on existing routes and in the new services which continue to be rolled out. As I mentioned earlier, I have been advised that the NTA is liaising and working closely with Go-Ahead Ireland to improve service delivery on the impacted routes and that improvements have already taken place.”
“By expanding the public transport network and increasing service levels, as outlined in policies like Connecting Ireland and BusConnects, and as committed to in the programme for Government, the Government will aim to achieve with the providers more balanced regional development and greater connectivity for all public transport users. I can assure Deputy Whitmore that I will take the points she has made with regard to the 84X, X1 and X2 bus services and bring them back to the Department, which I hope will liaise with the providers and the NTA. BusConnects has already achieved significant success in transforming Dublin's public transport network. In the latest progress report, published in the summer, comparisons were made between network redesign phases 1 to 5a before launch, from quarter 4 of 2019, and after launch, from 2023.”
“I thank Deputy Whitmore again for her contribution and for bringing the matter to the House. I assure her I fully recognise that transport connectivity is hugely important for the people who live, work and study in the areas she has mentioned and across urban and rural areas. It is vital and key to revitalising our villages, towns and urban centres. I accept the challenges we have heard this morning and I will work with the Deputy to bring the issues she has raised back to the Department. I fully agree with the Deputy that reliability is critical. That is the end of the discussion; it has to be.”
“I have been advised the latest reports indicate a significant improvement in the situation. I will be interested to hear the Deputy's reply on that. I reassure her that all of us - the Department of Transport, the NTA and the public transport operators - must work to ensure the customer has a reliable service, as she has outlined, and the resources will meet passenger demand. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter.”
“I understand the Department of Transport is engaging with the NTA regarding recent issues concerning particular bus services that are, as outlined by Deputy Whitmore, operated by Go-Ahead Ireland across some of its greater Dublin area routes. I am advised these issues are linked to fleet reliability issues across its network of services in Dublin due to a shortfall of mechanics. As the Deputy rightly said, the company has advertised for this role. This has had a knock-on impact on the routes launched in the Bray and Greystones area on 26 January as part of phase 6a of the BusConnects network redesign programme. The NTA will continue to monitor the situation closely. It is receiving daily reports from Go-Ahead Ireland on service availability by route.”
“The Bray to city centre core bus corridor will support integrated sustainable transport usage through infrastructure improvements for active travel and the provision of enhanced bus priority measures for all services that will use the corridor. The aim of these works is to provide improved bus, cycling and walking infrastructure on this key access corridor in the Dublin region, which will enable and deliver efficient, safe and integrated sustainable transport movement along the corridor. The core bus corridor scheme is a key measure that delivers on commitments within the National Development Plan 2021-2030, the Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy 2022-2042, the climate action plan and the National Planning Framework 2040.”
“BusConnects is a transformative programme of investment in the bus system to provide better bus services across our cities. It is the largest investment in the bus system in the history of the State and is managed by the NTA. The aim of the network is to improve the existing Transport for Ireland system through enhanced services with high-frequency spines and new orbital and radial routes. Phase 6a involves the E-spine of the BusConnects network redesign project. It was launched on 26 January 2025 and includes the introduction of two 24-hour spines - routes E1 and E2 - which serve areas including Bray, the city centre, Ballymun and Santry. It also provides new local and Xpress routes including L1, L2, L3, L12, L14, L15, L26, L27, X1 and X2 serving Greystones, Newcastle, Kilternan, Blackrock and more.”
“This package includes funding for the continuation of the various fare initiatives, such as the young adult card and the 90-minute fare until the end of 2025. Funding has also been provided to extend free child fares on PSO services to include those aged five to eight years old and to support the roll-out of new and enhanced bus and rail services under programmes such as BusConnects and Connecting Ireland. The Deputy is right when she says that we can have all those wonderful measures but if the service is not reliable and there is an issue with buses not being on time or not turning up, all of that counts for nothing. I concur as a Member who lives in an urban constituency and understands the importance of the issues the Deputy is speaking of. The Deputy is right and I will bring that back this afternoon.”
“The NTA has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and works with the public transport operators that deliver the services and have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters. That said, I reassure the Deputy that, as outlined in the programme for Government, Securing Ireland’s Future, the Government is strongly committed to enhancing transportation networks and infrastructure development and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. To support this objective, under budget 2025 the Department of Transport secured €658.442 million of funding for PSO and TFI Local Link services. This represents an increase from €613.813 million in 2024.”
“I thank Deputy Whitmore for raising this very important matter. I concur completely that the biggest need is for bus services to be reliable and on time. We share the belief that should not just be an aspiration but a reality for the consumer, the travelling public. I thank the Deputy and appreciate the issues she has outlined in her contribution. I commit to bringing the issues she has raised back to the Department. I have not got all the answers for her this morning as I am taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. I clarify at the beginning that the Minister for Transport 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 operation of public transport services.”
“Catfishing cannot be allowed or condoned in any shape or form. The people affected are not anonymous. They are people we all know. They are victims and we need to ensure they are protected. I thank the Deputy for bringing this matter to the House. I look forward to working with him and the Department of Justice in ensuring we can enhance whatever suite of measures we need and protect the people we need to. I thank the Deputy.”
“Simple precautions, such as verifying online identities, being cautious with personal information and reporting suspicious behaviour can help mitigate risks. Nobody should feel unsafe or deceived when engaging online. It is important we strike a balance between protecting legitimate anonymity and preventing the exploitation of others. The points made by the Deputy are ones we need to take cognisance of. As legislators, we have a duty to ensure victims of online deception have the protections they need, including that suite of measures the Deputy spoke about, and that those who engage in catfishing are held accountable for their actions. This discussion is an important step in ensuring our laws continue to evolve in response to the challenges of the digital age. The Deputy is right.”
“I reiterate that online catfishing is not a trivial issue. It is a very serious matter that has a real and lasting impact on the victim both emotionally and financially. The anonymity the Internet affords cannot be an excuse for deception and harm. I fully agree with the thrust of what the Deputy said. While we have strong legislative measures in place, we must continue to assess whether further steps are needed. I hope this debate will be a stepping stone and starting point. The enforcement of our existing laws is critical and public awareness must remain a priority. Education campaigns, guidance from regulators such as Coimisiún na Meán and vigilance from online platforms are all essential components of the broader strategy. At the same time, personal responsibility is key.”
“Education and awareness also play a vital role in ensuring Internet users, particularly young people, recognise the signs of deceptive behaviour and protect themselves accordingly. This debate is an opportunity to reflect on any remaining gaps in our legal and regulatory framework. The Deputy highlighted a number of these, in particular the issue that catfishing is not against the law. It is important we all ensure our response remains robust and that victims of online impersonation have the protections and recourse they deserve.”
“Coimisiún na Meán, the new media regulator, has recently adopted its online safety code, which mandates video-sharing platforms to curb harmful content and introduce stronger reporting mechanisms. We all share the view that some of those entities could do a lot more work in that area. In addition, our criminal justice framework has been strengthened. The Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023 has broadened harassment laws to include impersonation and the unauthorised disclosure of private information. The Harassment and Harmful Communications Act, or Coco’s Law, further criminalised abusive online behaviour while existing fraud legislation already penalises impersonation for financial gain. It is essential these laws are fully utilised and enforced.”