Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I call for a debate with the Minister for Justice on the deployment of a dedicated public transport Garda unit. I have raised this issue many times in the House, including, most recently, on the Order of Business last week, following on from the debate in the Seanad on 25 January this year. I welcome the students in the Gallery. I am sure many of them use public transport in this city, including buses, Luas and DART services. All young people and everybody who uses public transport should be able to do so confident that it is not only reliable, efficient and affordable but also safe. The sad fact is that a survey completed by my colleagues and me concluded that most people do not feel safe on public transport. Nine out of ten people surveyed had witnessed antisocial behaviour and four out of ten had been a victim of such behaviour.

Following on from our debate on this issue, my colleagues and I have met with representatives of the Garda and the public transport providers, including Irish Rail and Dublin Bus. I bring to Members' attention SIPTU's long campaign on behalf of the more than 6,000 transport workers it represents for a dedicated public transport Garda unit. When I raised the issue last week, I specifically asked the Leader for a debate with the Minister for Justice.I did not get a reply. I would like a reply today and I would like it to be in the affirmative, that there will be a debate in this House with the Minister for Justice on this long outstanding issue.