Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. I join the Deputy in thanking Councillor Singh for her advocacy and proactivity on the matter. The Deputy is right: antisocial behaviour on our public transport system needs to be addressed.

It has been tolerated for far too long. While the Minister for Transport has no responsibility for policy and funding, as that is a matter for the NTA, the programme for Government has a strong commitment to the creation of a transport security force under the National Transport Authority, which would operate and have similar powers to airport police and customs officers. While recent years have seen significant progress on investment in safety measures, antisocial behaviour on public transport remains a serious issue, and it is those who regularly use and work within the public transport network who are most directly impacted by safety or security incidents on the network. I commend Dermot O'Leary of the NBRU for his advocacy and work. The establishment of a transport security force will play a central role in helping to tackle this important issue.

Work in the Department of Transport is ongoing to identify the necessary legislative proposals to progress the transport security force commitment, in conjunction with the NTA. The work involves making measured and informed decisions regarding the appropriate model for the transport security force, which is in the preliminary stages of the deliberative process. It is important to note that neither the airport police nor customs officers have the powers provided to An Garda Síochána, and the introduction of such a force will require the development of legislation. Nonetheless, the Government commitment to delivering a safe and secure public transport network, and the ongoing interim work on public transport safety, will continue, as will the continued support and funding for operator measures, such as the Dublin Bus Safer Journeys Team pilot scheme.

The Department of Transport engages regularly with the NTA and public transport operators on the safety and security of the network. Throughout these discussions, operators have continuously stressed their strong and close working relationships with An Garda Síochána on these matters. It is important to note that decisions regarding the policing of public transport and the allocation of Garda resources are matters for the Minister of Justice and the Garda Commissioner. The allocation of security staff employed by the various operators, such as Dublin Bus, Irish Rail and Transdev, are matters for the operators. In the case of Dublin Bus, for example, resources are allocated throughout the day to areas in line with front-line worker feedback, reports received from the public and data on passenger usage.

A great deal of work to tackle antisocial behaviour on public transport has already commenced, including the establishment of a public transport safety working group. The public transport safety working group was established in 2024 to identify measures to improve passenger and staff safety across the public transport network, and includes representatives from across the public transport sector, operating companies, unions, the NTA, An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and passenger representative groups. The main focus of the group is to create a public transport safety charter and to progress the NTA safety and security implementation plan.

The Department of Transport continues to work closely with industry stakeholders to identify measures to improve passenger safety across the public transport network. In this regard, communication with stakeholders such as that which takes place at the public transport safety working group will play an important role in the planning and implementation of the Government commitment to create a transport security force.

I give Deputy Ó Muirí a commitment that I will come back to him with the timeline for the northside personnel. I will inform the NTA and the Department of Transport of the issues he raises. Work is ongoing on the commitment to ensure the optimised deployment of resources across the public transport network to meet passenger requirements. I again thank the Deputy for raising the matter this morning.

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