Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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1110. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures in place to deal with and to curb anti-social behaviour on the rail networks including Iarnród Éireann and Luas; his plans to introduce additional measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36217/18]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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There were 45.5 million passenger journeys in 2017 on Iarnród Éireann, the vast majority of which occurred without incident.

The safety and security of passengers and staff, including arrangements to deal with anti-social behaviour on trains, are matters first and foremost for Iarnród Éireann, in conjunction with, as appropriate, An Garda Síochána. On the Luas, these are matters for the transport operator (Transdev) in conjunction with, as appropriate, An Garda Síochána.

I am, however, concerned to ensure that the necessary arrangements are in place to ensure the safety of all passengers and staff travelling and working on our rail network.  Therefore, I recently wrote to Irish Rail and the Railway Safety Advisory Council (RSAC) to seek their views on the issue of anti-social behaviour on the rail network.

In its response, Irish Rail outlined a number of measures that the company has taken in an effort to safeguard the security of passengers and staff, particularly during this busy summer period. These measures have included the allocation of additional security and supervisory operatives, particularly at night and in certain areas, as well as more resources for centralised CCTV monitoring stations. The company also stated that it works closely with An Garda Síochána on anti-social behaviour in general and receives the full support of the Gardaí. The RSAC recommended the establishment of a dedicated unit of An Garda Síochána to police our rail network on occasions when the possibility of anti-social behaviour is high.

I have also written to the Minister for Justice to seek his views as to how we might best address the issue of anti-social behaviour on our transport system, in particular on the Irish Rail network. I have asked that the Minister consider this issue in conjunction with An Garda Síochána, given that the allocation of all Garda resources, including the manner in which Garda personnel are deployed, is solely a decision for the Garda Commissioner and his management team.