Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

That is fair. I thank all of the witnesses for appearing. First, I acknowledge what we have heard in the opening statements about how responsive and flexible transport companies have been in meeting the recruitment challenges that exist in this sector. We have heard that terms and conditions have been improved, as have wages. There have been positively aggressive recruitment campaigns, including looking oversea for skills. I do not think we can say that the transport companies present today are not doing everything they can to meet the skills shortage, but it is clear we have a challenge. From the opening statements and from what I hear, this is on the mechanic side in particular, and we need to see a State response to encourage more people into mechanic apprenticeships. However, I acknowledge the work that has been done. It is still challenging but it was very challenging a couple of years ago. It is clear that the trend is going in the right direction and the companies are doing everything they can.

I will speak for a moment about the meeting we had a couple of weeks ago with SIPTU regarding its Respect Transport Workers campaign. Again, it is important to get the tone correct. This is not to overstate the issue. As a public transport user, I seldom, if ever, experience anything negative on our public transport system. I think that is the experience of the majority of people. However, Mr. Hann in his opening statement said that one incident is one too many and can have a huge impact. I have a direct question on the forum that has been discussed with the Department of Transport. Is this the much-delayed transport forum that was set down in the 2008 Act or is it a more informal forum being set up? Is it the view of the transport companies that we need a dedicated unit within An Garda Síochána for transport workers and the transport sector? If there is time, I would like to come back in with some other questions.