Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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535. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to outline the proposed timeline for preparation of the planned new National Policy Statement on Shared Mobility; how he plans to consult with commercial shared mobility providers as part of this process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21107/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to advise the Deputy that significant progress has been made on developing the new policy statement, and that a final draft is now under consideration. This statement will be a product of collective commitments under the National Sustainable Mobility Policy (SMP), and the Climate Action Plans 2023 and 2024, while also reflecting the increased ambition in this area as part of the Programme for Government 2025.

The a key aim of the statement is to signal Government intent on a national direction for shared mobility, with a particular focus on the development of shared mobility hubs; and to outline an initial pathway for supporting developments in this area as well as the use of shared mobility services across Ireland.

To inform this new Policy Statement, a public consultation process was held between March and May last year, accompanied by an Issues Paper www.gov.ie/en/department-of-transport/consultations/public-consultation-shared-mobility-hubs-issues-paper/ to elicit views on the development of related services. Approximately 100 submissions were received by my Department in response to this consultation, including several from commercial shared mobility providers. In addition, my officials met with shared mobility providers and other stakeholders on 1 October last year to discuss the findings from the consultation and to seek their insights on the issues, challenges and opportunities identified.

The Department continued to engage with various shared mobility operators as work on the Policy Statement progressed, and representatives from the industry have also been invited to participate in the Department's upcoming Sustainable Mobility Stakeholder Forum in May.

The input of stakeholders, including shared mobility providers, has been highly valuable in developing an overall direction on shared mobility at a national level. Following the publication of the statement, my department will continue to engage closely with shared mobility operators in achieving the associated policy goals, and any related actions that may be included in the new SMP Action Plan - which is being developed this year for the period 2026 to 2030.