Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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565. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures being taken under the Transport Access for All Strategy to ensure universal accessibility across all modes of public transport; the level of funding allocated in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43386/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport.

From a policy perspective, I wish to advise the Deputy that the Department of An Taoiseach has established a unit within its Department which will focus on disability, reflecting a commitment in the Programme for Government to a step change in supports and services required by disabled people. In my role as Minister for Transport, I will be engaging with that unit with an emphasis on addressing the wider issues such as ensuring that all public transport operators provide safe and accessible access for all passengers.

My Department has also been engaging with colleagues across Government in the development of a new national human rights strategy for disabled people which will be finalised and published by the relevant Minister in due course.

As the Deputy will be aware, new public transport is accessible from the design stage. However, the real challenge is older infrastructure and facilities which may not be accessible, for example our Victorian era train stations. Since 2020, the Government has allocated increased levels of funding under the Public Transport Accessibility Retrofit programme going from from €7m in 2020 to €25m in 2025. As a result significant progress has been made towards improving accessibility on public transport. For example, the urban bus fleets are accessible as are most of the rural bus fleets and over 25% of the taxi fleet is now wheelchair accessible, up from 4% in 2014.

As Minister for Transport, I want to ensure that all public transport operators provide accessible and inclusive services for every passenger. I was pleased to attend the recent announcement by Irish Rail of the reduction in the period of advance notice to one hour at the 15 major train stations.

Under the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for promoting the development of integrated, accessible public transport networks and infrastructure. The NTA works with the relevant public transport operators, who have responsibility for day to day operational issues, to progressively make public transport more accessible.

In light of the NTA's responsibilities for accessible public transport, including managing the Public Transport Accessibility Retrofit Programme, I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.