Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, to the House and thank him for attending.

Lorraine Clifford-Lee (Fianna Fail)
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Before I address the matter I planned to raise, I want to express solidarity with the people of Ukraine. We all woke up to the horrifying news that an invasion had occurred overnight. I send my solidarity to the Ukrainian ambassador, all Ukrainian nationals living in Ireland and everyone living in Ukraine, including Irish people who are still within the country's borders.

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to address my Commencement matter. I had directed it at the Department of Transport but I understand it was transferred to the Department of Justice for a response. A feasibility study on a dedicated transport police service needs to be carried out by the Department of Transport because it is an integral part of how we move forward with sustainable transport options. Intimidation and violence on our public transport services are widespread, in particular in Dublin, unfortunately. There have been various high-profile incidents. One in north Dublin springs to mind.

Unions representing transport workers have called for a dedicated transport police service for years because their workers feel intimidated while driving buses and trains. Over half of Irish women avoid public transport after dark and fear for their safety. The Travelling in a Woman's Shoes report found that women felt heavily responsible for their own safety while on public transport. These feelings are pushing women into cars and unsustainable transport modes or are keeping them away from travel and accessing health, education and social and cultural opportunities. That is highly regrettable. As we move forward, make Ireland a more sustainable place to live and provide sustainable transport options to all communities, a feasibility study needs to begin so that we can plan to ensure that all members of society feel safe and comfortable travelling on public transport.

Women in Dublin, in particular, feel very vulnerable to sexual harassment and assault while travelling on public transport. That is borne out by the findings of the Travelling in a Woman's Shoes report. Women are particularly vulnerable to verbal harassment and they have witnessed violent behaviour while on public transport. This issue will only get bigger and bigger as our population grows.

As I said, trade unions are in favour of having a transport police service to ensure everybody, including workers and those travelling on public transport, are safe. We are building housing, including apartment dwellings, with limited car parking spaces. People will not have the option to use private transport. We need to examine this issue in a holistic way. I know the work the Department of Justice is undertaking to make this country safer for women, which includes examining every aspect of that. I would appreciate if the Minister of State could give thought to this matter and include it in his deliberations prior to putting together a safety plan for women. I also ask him to liaise with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on the matter.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Clifford-Lee for raising the important matter of the feasibility of the establishment of a dedicated transport police service. On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy Helen McEntee, I express her thanks to the Senator for raising this important matter. Senator Clifford-Lee has raised this issue on numerous occasions in the House and behind the scenes with various Departments that have responsibility for this area.

Unfortunately, I cannot speak on behalf of the Department of Transport, but I will address the matter from the perspective of the Department of Justice. The Senator will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is, by law, responsible for the management and control of An Garda Síochána and the effective and efficient use of Garda resources to combat crime and keep our communities safe. As the Senator is aware, the Minister for Justice is unable to intervene in these independent operational and policing matters.The Minister is assured by the Garda Commissioner that the management keeps the distribution of resources, including Garda members and units, under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends, to ensure their optimum use. The Minister has been informed by the Garda Commissioner and Garda authorities that it is not proposed to establish a specialist or dedicated public transport policing unit at this time.

However, I can assure the Senator that gardaí employ a range of policing tools to respond to incidents involving antisocial behaviour on our public transport network. Most recently, in January of this year the assistant commissioner of the Dublin metropolitan region, DMR, launched Operation Saul to provide a safe environment for commuters utilising public transport services in the DMR, together with reassuring residents, visitors and the business community in Dublin that it is a safe place to visit, socialise, conduct business and enjoy amenities. Operation Saul currently operates in DMR south central, north central and south divisions, but plans are ongoing to extend this operation to all of the DMR region. The aim of Operation Saul is to co-ordinate and manage all working resources in each Garda division to deliver both an overt and covert policing presence around the environs of Luas, DART and bus services in Dublin on a regular and, where necessary, a daily basis.

As at 15 February more than 130 overt and covert patrols have been conducted on various public transport in the DMR since the inception of Operation Saul. These patrols have resulted in a number of detections and ongoing investigations under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, as amended, the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001, the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997, as amended, and under the Criminal Justice Public Order Act 1994, as amended.

Each chief superintendent in the DMR ensures regular collaboration under Operation Saul with partner agencies in order to ensure success and sustainability of the initiative. Operation Saul is also subject to a performance and assurance review by the assistant commissioner of the DMR and her senior management team to identity any trends or issues that may require effective correction as soon as possible. I am also informed that a range of regional and local operations are also in place to prevent and detect antisocial incidents arising. One such example is Operation Twin Track which was a community engagement and rail safety policing initiative conducted by gardaí in partnership with other public transportation stakeholders with the purpose of providing high visibility policing of rail and light rail transport within the DMR and nationwide, and to deliver crime prevention advice. A multiagency review was conducted to examine the effectiveness of this operation and it was agreed that An Garda Síochána will continue to proactively engage with public transportation stakeholders and providers to conduct further similar operations.

Lorraine Clifford-Lee (Fianna Fail)
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That is positive to hear but I still believe a feasibility study should be undertaken in conjunction with the Minister of State's Department and the Department of Transport. It is not acceptable that workers and people using public transport are being attacked and feel vulnerable and that women are avoiding public transport. It needs to be a safe space for women. You are particularly vulnerable if you are on a bus or in a carriage on a DART and something kicks off, especially when you take into account that Irish Rail has unmanned railway stations throughout the country, including in Dublin. If something occurs, there is nobody in the station to raise the alarm with the gardaí. It is a very worrying situation but I hope the Minister of State will take this message and incorporate it into the plan that his Department is developing, and liaise with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I again thank Senator Clifford-Lee for bringing up this important matter. I will, of course, bring her concerns to the attention of both the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, and the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, in my own Department. On behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, I thank the Senator for raising this important issue.

I understand that Garda management engages extensively on an ongoing basis with the transport operators, including the National Transport Authority, Irish Rail and TransDev Ireland which operates Luas, and provides a high visibility presence through a co-ordinated approach. Of course budget 2022 reflects this commitment with an unprecedented allocation of more than €2 billion in Garda funding for the coming year. This funding will include provision for an additional 800 new garda recruits and 400 garda staff which will help continue the actions of An Garda Síochána towards the civilianisation of An Garda Síochána and moving gardaí from desk duty back onto front line services.