Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
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318. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures he plans to take to address punctuality issues on the 304a bus in Limerick city; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63817/25]

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; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators, in this case Bus Éireann.

The performance of all public transport operators is monitored by the NTA as part of their contractual arrangements. These contractual arrangements allow for not just the monitoring of performance by the NTA and the publication by it of annual performance reports, but importantly, the contracts also allow for the imposition of financial penalties where performance does not meet the required standard.

I can assure you that my Department is committed to providing investment in our public transport network and that I am supportive of the Governments goals in delivering an accessible, affordable and reliable public transport network throughout the country, including in Limerick City.

In light of the above, I have referred the Deputy's question to Bus Eireann for direct response. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days