Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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141. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on the rollout of BusConnects for Cork including route numbers 2a, 14a, 14b, 17 and 38; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34075/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, as Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including BusConnects Cork.

BusConnects is the NTA's programme to greatly improve bus services in all our cities. It is a key part of the Government's policies to improve public transport and address climate change in Cork and other cities.

The NTA submitted the Preliminary Business Case for the programme to my Department in January 2025. Officials in my Department are currently reviewing this business case. In line with the Infrastructure Guidelines, the Preliminary Business Case is also going through an external assurance process and will be reviewed by the Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation’s Major Projects Advisory Group before being submitted to Cabinet for consideration. If approved by Cabinet at Approval Gate 1 of the Infrastructure Guidelines, this will allow the programme to enter the planning process.

Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct reply on bus route numbers 2a, 14a, 14b, 17 and 38. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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142. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will start discussions with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment regarding the possibility of adding bus mechanics to the critical skills VISA list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34071/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware the Programme for Government (PfG) has committed to "Work to enhance and support the delivery of a skilled workforce to maintain and operate public transport vehicles".

My Department chairs the Public Transport Workforce Taskforce which aims to progress this PfG commitment and to identify options to assist with resolving challenges regarding the recruitment of drivers and mechanics/craftworkers. The taskforce includes representatives from the school transport section in the Department of Education, relevant transport operators and agencies, and training bodies. The aim of the taskforce is to work collaboratively to identify contributing factors to the recruitment issues, and put forward an action plan with recommendations and measures to create a pipeline of workers to address these issues. Officials in my department will also continue to engage with other stakeholders, including the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, during the preparation of the action plan.

In line with this work, the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Employment signed regulations on 11 April 2025 extending the general employment permit quotas for HGV/Bus mechanics and vehicle repairers, increasing the total number of quotas available for these roles by 200 permits.