Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, I welcome the Minister of State. It is timely that she is here. I thank Fine Gael for using Private Members' time to put forward a motion on transport. It is really important. I had actually tabled a Commencement matter in respect of this issue last week. Suddenly, this motion came up and I saw it as an opportunity. With Commencement matters, a Minister will come in and say something and it is finished whereas with a motion such as this, we will actually be required to make a decision today, hopefully.

The Minister of State is from the west. Many of the emails I have received in which concerns were expressed came from people from the west who travel up on the trains. I will speak to the amendment in particular. I have no difficulty with any of the contents of the motion, but the amendment seeks to insert into the body of the motion the phrase "collaborate with An Garda Síochána, the NTA and public transport stakeholders to establish a dedicated Transport Policing Unit on the public transport network”. I have not specified in the amendment that An Garda Síochána should be responsible for such a unit, although I think that would be the best option.Let me set out the context. Mr. Dermot O’Leary from the National Bus and Rail Union says what is happening is unmanageable and that the whole thing is chaotic. Therefore, I am deeply concerned about the front-line staff and passengers who are being exposed to threats of sexual assault and aggression on buses and trains, including the DART and Luas. The problem is occurring in both urban and rural areas all around the country.

We now know that drugs are being taken openly. Dealing and fighting should not have to be encountered by any member of the public travelling on the national transport corridors, wherever they are. We have heard reports on this subject from Irish Rail. It has been covered on the radio by Claire Byrne. RTÉ has covered it extensively in the past two weeks. The Minister of State, as with everybody here, will be aware of reports that Irish Rail toilets are being blocked up by people who are shooting up heroin and other drugs. It is happening along our transport corridors and it is simply unacceptable.

The general secretary of the National Bus and Rail Union, Mr. Dermot O’Leary, has said the staff have had enough and that it is now high time that something was done. He has made a call on the Legislature. I have given the union my commitment. I have no doubt that its members are tuned in tonight and are interested in our discussion and its outcome. I fully support the union’s members and the travelling public.

It is high time that we had zero tolerance of antisocial behaviour on our transport network. I am calling for dedicated and fully resourced public transport policing similar to that in the UK. I have examined the latter. It is very successful. It is evident from Liverpool, Manchester and Wales to Edinburgh and London. They have a very successful model. It might not be the model that best suits us, but it is certainly one we should consider. The travelling public need to be confident and assured that they can travel in safety. We should remember it is Government policy to encourage people to use sustainable forms of transport. All this simple amendment seeking to do is to be compatible with Government policy. Therefore, I hope it will attract support.

The public will not, and should not, continue to have to put up with what they have had to endure. They want a highly visible Garda or security presence on public support. They want to travel in comfort and safety. The reality, certainly after dark in the city of Dublin, is that many people are afraid to use public transport. That they have been made to feel this way is simply unacceptable, and no one should support it.

What am I asking? There is a need to take action. We need to get the thugs off our buses and trains, including the DART and Luas. We need to support the staff who work in these services and the travelling public who want to travel in safety. That is simply what I want to achieve.

This does not come as a surprise. I do not believe it comes as a surprise to the Minister of State, to be fair, nor do I believe it comes as a surprise to any Member of this House. There is a time for action, however. We can have some mechanism in this regard. I am not prescribing that An Garda Síochána has the function I advocate.

I acknowledge the additional budget of €2 million. There was a Commencement matter in the name of Senator Maria Byrne this morning and the relevant Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, responded. He stated: "I am pleased that budget 2022 provided an unprecedented allocation of over €2 billion in funding, reflecting the commitment of the Government to ensuring our communities are safe and that An Garda Síochána has the necessary resources for effective policing." This is to increase trust in public services and allow the public to use them. Also in his response, the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, stated:

I welcome the budget 2022 allocation of €2 million to the community safety innovation fund. The intention is that the operation of the fund will be reviewed and that further allocations will be [made].

He talked about the importance of people feeling safe.

I appeal to all sides of the House to agree with this simple amendment. I am not saying what I advocate can be achieved tomorrow, next week or next year, but let us work on it and plan for it. Let us give the unions, which are crying out for support, the travelling public and everyone else an opportunity to feel safe and work safely on our public transport network. I would appreciate support for this amendment.