Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North-West, Fianna Fail)
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170. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport for an update on the core bus corridor project from Ballymun to the City centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51812/25]

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 to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including the Ballymun to City Centre Core Bus Corridor.

BusConnects is a transformative programme of investment in the bus system, providing better bus services across our cities. It is the largest investment in the bus system in the history of the State, and is managed by the NTA.

BusConnects is the NTA's plan 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 our cities.

An Coimisiún Pleanála has approved all 12 Core Bus Corridor planning applications, with the Ballymun / Finglas to City Centre Core Bus Corridor Scheme being approved in March 2024. This Proposed Scheme will have an overall length of approximately 11km and is comprised of two main sections in terms of the route it follows, namely:

• Ballymun to City Centre; and
• Finglas to Phibsborough.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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171. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the strategies planned by his Department to increase the number of bus drivers in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51680/25]

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 agencies and transport operators including Bus Éireann, 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 wider 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.