Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I echo the supports for BusConnects. It is a very important project for Dublin in particular. It cannot come soon enough.

I wish to speak about the urgent need for security personnel on public transport services in north Dublin, in particular during evening hours. I thank my local colleague Councillor Supriya Singh, who has raised this matter at many local forums, including Dublin City Council's own north-central area committee. I commend Councillor Singh on her ongoing strong advocacy for our local communities. Her motion passed unanimously at the north-central area committee. It called for the deployment of An Garda Síochána or security personnel on DART and bus services as part of the community safety programme. It is an issue of growing concern, particularly in areas such as Raheny, Donaghmede, Belmayne and Clongriffin, but the progress on the issue seems to be very slow.

Let us be clear: this is not an hypothetical issue. We have had a steady stream of incidents, including violent attacks at both Raheny and Clongriffin DART stations within the past year. These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a pattern of escalating anti-social behaviour that, if we do not address it, will erode public confidence in the safety of our transport system. This affects everyone but particularly women, older people and those travelling alone in the evening time. How can we encourage women to switch to or even use public transport if they do not feel safe? It is a public service and a safety issue. Safety on public transport must be treated as a basic right, not a privilege. We have written to the NTA on this issue seeking an update but to date there appears to be little or no tangible progress. Meanwhile, security personnel were deployed on some southside routes last year. Why the delay on the northside of the city? When will we see a proper security presence on the ground, on buses and on trains in our communities? The travelling public deserve more than assurances. They need real action on safety.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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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.

Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for the update. I welcome in particular the public transport safety working group because all the important players are around the table with the aim of ensuring the safety of passengers. The NTA does its own public transport passenger security reports. I understand that it surveys users. Although the general day-to-day experience is very good, almost half of public transport users in 2024 claimed they felt unsafe at least once on public transport. It is just not good enough that 42% of bus users and 44% of DART users feel unsafe in the evening. Those statistics will not put us in a position whereby we can encourage people to change their mode of transport and use public transport.

The Minister of State mentioned the commitment in the programme for Government, which is very welcome. I appreciate that it will take time, but the sooner we can see the legislation coming through the Dáil to establish the force, the better. People will have confidence once they see those measures coming through. The Dublin city task force also made it clear that the visibility of policing and security in the city centre is so important in order to have confidence in Dublin city. Public transport - buses, DART and Luas services - coming in and out of the city safely and securely at all times is a big part of that.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I look forward to hearing from him about the personnel deployed by the operators on the northside. As he says in his response, it is a matter for the operators, but there is a question mark as to why the southside's services are manned but the northside's services are not.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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I again reassure Deputy Ó Muirí that security and the visibility of policing on the public transport system and in city centres is critical. He is correct that there needs to be a commitment from the operators on the northside piece. I reassure him that the Minister for Transport, the Department, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and I, as well as the Government, are acutely aware of how important it is for transport staff and the travelling public to feel safe. We are strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable, realistic and safe sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal.

The NTA and An Garda Síochána work closely with all public transport operators, who take the safety and security of both passengers and staff very seriously, to promote order and safety on board. The Government is satisfied that each of the operators has increased its safety measures and introduced a number of initiatives in recent years to help to combat antisocial behaviour. For example, Irish Rail has contracted a security service provider for security across the network and developed a surge security action plan. It has also developed its relationship with An Garda Síochána to include access to 20 rapid response hubs that were created. The Luas has more than 50 full-time dedicated security staff, employed by Transdev, who work alongside revenue protection officers and customer assurance officers. Dublin Bus has three dedicated mobile security units that are in operation every day of the week, from midday to midnight.

What is important is that there is a commitment and engagement to reinforce the relationship between communities and An Garda Síochána. I reiterate the point about visibility. The Government fully supports this work and the ongoing engagement. We will continue to progress the legislation. I thank Deputy Ó Muirí for raising these concerns. I will convey the points he made to the relevant people.