Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)

I thank the Deputy for that enlightening contribution which was humorous at times. Maybe the first thing Deputy Dooley should do is ring his former colleague, Noel Dempsey, to ask how it took this length of time and why it took someone in this Government to bring it to fruition. It is a bit rich for Deputy Dooley to complain that the card was launched by this Government when it had to take control of the situation and deliver it on behalf of the people in the greater Dublin area. We stand over the fact that it has been a great success.

The technology is very strong and among the best in the world. What has been missed by the media is that launches of similar cards were an iterative process. A number of launches are required, including in the case of London, and it can take between 11 and 17 launches because of the number of products that must be stabilised. This is a matter for the National Transport Authority, which will add different products and services over the coming months. In the second quarter of this year, we expect it to extend to more operators in the private area. Card sales and top-ups will be possible from Iarnród Éireann vending machines. Luas and Iarnród Éireann vending will be enabled for web collection and there will be an auto top-up facility for all operators, whereby direct debits can be made from bank details. A huge number of enhancements can be made and by the end of year everyone will see the value of the Leap Card, which is a fantastic facility for those commuting around Dublin. The volume of complaints has been very low. Deputy Dooley has been listening to various media complaints but the percentage of people happy with it is phenomenal. It is a great achievement to have in the city and I stand over the way it was launched. By the end of the year, that enhancements will show this to be a quality product.

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