Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)

I will bring the Deputy's concerns back. As he knows quite well, the whole piece of the individual cards and the validators on Luas and rail is about ensuring there is not accidental double charging. I disagree with him on the uptake - 25,000 since 1 September is quite a significant uptake. Equally, it is important to recognise that since the launch over 9 million Leap cards have been issued, accounting for €2.7 billion in fare payments. The fundamental core architecture is nearly 20 years old and cannot absorb further functionality. We must work with the NTA to ensure it is accessible and practical and we have as many people using public transport as possible.

I will bring back the concerns the Deputy expressed because we share common ground. It is about accessible, affordable public transport and increasing usage. We must make it easier for people to use the card. This has been a successful scheme but I take the Deputy's point on board.

See this speech in context