Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. While safety and security on public transport is a top priority, antisocial behaviour is a wider societal issue impacting many sectors of society, as the events of last week showed.

In response to the Deputy's specific question, I will begin by clarifying that neither Dublin Bus nor Go-Ahead Ireland employs private security personnel. However, Irish Rail, Bus Éireann and Luas do employ such services and the cost was slightly more than €52 million since 2018. In the context of providing increased security measures on public transport, I understand that the National Transport Authority, NTA, is reviewing operator security plans, priorities and the availability of funding. These measures would supplement the resources of An Garda Síochána, with which each of the public transport operators report an excellent working relationship. Joint operations with An Garda Síochána are now commonplace for all operators. An example of this is the recent operation twin tracks which took place on 15 November. This involved high visibility and protective Garda patrols of Luas and DART services across Dublin, as well as on several intercity rail services.

More broadly, from January to October this year, as part of the ongoing operation Saul, 593 arrests were made on public transport in the greater Dublin area, resulting in more than 1,000 charges. In addition, a Garda transport hub began operations in the national train control centre at Heuston Station last May, allowing An Garda Síochána to have oversight of all public transport networks. My Department and the NTA also engage regularly with operators on the issue of safety and security on public transport and each of the operators continues to invest in improving and adapting its policies to best ensure the safety of both staff and passengers.

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