Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will ask two questions of Mr. Coyne and make one comment about the Dublin Commuter Coalition. I also want to put on the record a very important point in response to a total misrepresentation of my community in Lucan. More than 7,000 people in the community did exactly what was asked of them and engaged in a public consultation on the redesign of Lucan village green. Just because they did not give the views that the previous speaker wanted to hear, does not mean that their views are not valid. I for one am proud that Fine Gael stood beside the people of Lucan, listened to them and came up with a solution whereby the village green will be redeveloped in an appropriate way that does not have a negative impact on businesses or those driving to enjoy the village.

I thank Mr. Coyne for his statement. It is great to see that there is such a modern, dynamic and solutions-oriented team of 3,600 people. I thank all of them for everything they do daily and, in particular, for what was done during the pandemic, which was a very scary time for everybody. Dublin Bus continued to provide an essential service and that should be noted.

My background is in the corporate world so I am very familiar with workforce planning, retention and recruitment strategies. I know that Dublin Bus is embarking on quite a high-profile aggressive hiring campaign at the moment. I would love to hear a bit about Dublin Bus's hiring plans and its retention strategies particularly for maintenance technicians and also drivers who I am sure are often targeted by the private sector because they have been so well trained.

This session and the previous one discussed climate change. Are there further plans for the electrification of the fleet? I raised this on a visit to Donnybrook Garage when I spoke to some of Mr. Coyne's colleagues. I think there is huge opportunity for a new depot on the outskirts of Dublin that would provide that level of turning power or being able to charge which would take longer in somewhere such as Grange Castle.

The main message I have taken from Dublin Commuter Coalition is around timing and that it has been lagging. I totally understand where they are coming from and share their views. As a Government Deputy, it is something I will continue to advocate for and am happy to work with the coalition. Mr. Coyne has two and a half minutes.