As the Deputy knows, the programme for Government includes a commitment to finalise and publish a policy framework for unmanned aircraft systems, otherwise known as drones. This will guide high-level strategic planning and development of the drone sector in Ireland through supporting growth, which we want, and innovation, which we also want, while ensuring safe and secure operations and managing environmental and other concerns. I am aware that this matter has come up in the Deputy's constituency, especially adjacent to the Blanchardstown Centre area. Work on the drafting of the policy framework has recently been finalised. When I say "recently" I mean I received the draft document last Friday. I am going to review that. I want to make sure I am content with it before I publish it. The policy framework sets out the vision, strategy and priorities for the development of the drone sector in Ireland. There are massive opportunities here and great benefits to it. The framework aims to guide high-level strategic planning and development of the sector in Ireland over the next decade by supporting growth and innovation, as I said. The framework also seeks to ensure safe and secure operations. Many of the issues that will be addressed by the policy framework fall directly within the remit of the Department of Transport. Some others cross over into areas of responsibility of other Departments. The policy framework has been developed through good cross-departmental engagement structures and it will be implemented through similar structures. The framework was informed by the work of an interagency steering group, its sub-working groups, a targeted stakeholder consultation held in 2022 and a public consultation held in 2024. The Deputy asked if I would like to get this published before the summer recess. Yes, I would. However, I want to review it properly. As I said, I only received it late last week. It will give clarity to the sector but it also highlights a lot of the benefits of the UAS sector to the general public.
Sentiment score: 0.33
I have not commenced my review. I appreciate the points the Deputy has made and take them into account. I listened with interest to a vox pop in Dublin West. I think it was on FM104 last week when I was in the car. There had been complaints made by some public representatives. Then there were interviews with people on the street in Blanchardstown and many of them had different views on the matter. Having said that, this is a sector that will grow. We are seeing the benefits with respect to the delivery of medical aids, lifebuoys and other things. There are great advantages to using drones in an appropriate way. I am aware they have been used for food deliveries and other things and the Dublin West area, especially Blanchardstown, is being used as a test area. We will be informed by people's experiences there. I have not commenced reviewing this. I will, in a short space of time, review it in detail and I am happy to receive further input. We have had the public consultation and I do not intend to open it up again. We need to provide clarity on this and the use of drones.
Sentiment score: 0.19
I am happy to engage with both Deputies on the issue of drones. I want to review the draft document and I will engage with them. I am sure we will be talking to the transport committee about that. This type of technology is here to stay. It is about how it interacts with our communities. There are also major benefits. The Ministers of State, Deputies Canney and Buttimer, have informed me about the use of drones in search and rescue. There are lots of good things there. With food deliveries it is generally people in the area ordering food. There are people who find it of benefit and others who find it butting in on their quality of life. There is good news on DART+ West and the whole plan with the withdrawal of the judicial review. I want to see this project advanced as quickly as possible. I know Deputy Currie is a big supporter of it, as am I. Deputy Moynihan has an interest in DART+ South West. There is also DART+ Coastal North. The previous Government committed to DART+ in general and it went through the first approval gate. Obviously, the capital review of the NDP is critical to delivery. These projects are critical to Dublin and the greater Dublin area, and I will keep the Deputies informed of progress.
Sentiment score: 0.31
The Deputy knows this project well. It is one of four proposed Luas tram extensions that have been identified by the NTA as part of the current statutory transport strategy for the greater Dublin area. This project is 3.9 km, just short of 4 km, but still extensive as it would extend the Dublin tram network from Broombridge to Finglas. This is eminently doable. The route will serve an estimated population of 56,000 by 2035 at four new stops, namely, St. Helena’s, Finglas village, St. Margaret’s Road and Charlestown. The Deputy has been a strong advocate for this and continues to be. The project will serve people beyond those communities through interchanges with the bus network and with rail services at Broombridge train station, which is on the planned DART+ West line. In addition, the project provides for a 350-vehicle park-and-ride facility at the St. Margaret’s Road stop, close to the M50-M2 interchange. Transport Infrastructure Ireland, as the sponsoring agency, prepared the preliminary business case for Luas Finglas, while the NTA, as the day-to-day approving authority, approved it for submission to the Department of Transport. In October 2024, the Government approved the project at approval gate 1 of the infrastructure guidelines. That was a very significant step. TII did not delay. The following month, it lodged a railway order application with An Bord Pleanála. I am pleased to say I understand the board has recently confirmed that a decision will be made before 30 September 2025. It is not often the board comes out with a definitive date like that. That in itself is very significant. Should the railway order be granted, the NTA will need to provide my Department with a procurement strategy for Luas Finglas, as is normal, under the infrastructure guidelines. Following ministerial approval, the project can enter the procurement stage. Subject to the planning decision, this project will be transformational for residents of the Deputy's constituency and the surrounding area, who will be able to link through the other networks.
Sentiment score: 0.24
I have been many times in the Deputy's constituency and in Finglas. I want to see this project move forward to construction and delivery. We have a couple of hurdles but not big ones. We have to get through planning. Should that be granted, there is then the procurement strategy for Luas Finglas under the infrastructure guidelines. Ministerial approval will follow that and the project can then enter the procurement stage. As is the case with all projects, this will go through Government consent and must receive approval at gate 3. The project has a lot going for it. The construction is relatively simple for the very reason the Deputy highlighted. The railway corridor is there. The population and housing have developed around it and will allow us to develop more. Transport-oriented development is what we want for new homes and businesses. I await with interest the decision prior to 30 September and look forward to working with the Deputy directly to deliver this project for Finglas.
Sentiment score: 0.17
That point is a very good one. TII has built up excellent expertise and knowledge in delivery of those projects. Expansion of the Luas network needs to be looked at in the round and that is being done. Deputy McAuliffe mentioned MetroLink and we expect that to come out of planning with a final decision - not a draft decision - in the month of July. That would be a transformational project for the north Dublin area from the airport right into the city through Ballymun, and indeed beyond. The challenge and opportunity for the Government and everyone in the House is that many of these projects are now coming through planning, including DART+ South West, DART+ West and DART+ Coastal North. All of those projects will be coming through. Moreover, BusConnects will start this year. Twelve projects have come through An Bord Pleanála. Four or five of them are unencumbered by judicial review. I have two tenders back in already. We expect to award a contract on the first one, which will see construction on the first BusConnects corridor happening this year. That is what the public wants to see. It wants to see investment in public transport infrastructure - bus, rail, Luas and metro.
Sentiment score: 0.16
I propose to take Questions Nos. 97, 98 and 102 together. I thank an Teachta Ó Cearúil. For background, the next generation ticketing project, led by the NTA, is for a new, modern public transport ticketing system that will facilitate a variety of payment methods for passengers, including contactless. In April 2024, the NTA with Government approval entered into a multiyear framework agreement for next generation ticketing with Indra Sistemas S.A. to deliver this project. The initial focus is on the greater Dublin area and it will be rolled out across four phases. This is a major, complex project, with a capital cost of over €160 million - €160 million in Exchequer funds is being invested in this project - to implement it in the greater Dublin area alone, covering the costs of the enabling works to install new equipment for transport operators and the costs for the NTA team delivery team overseeing the project. Phase 1 of the project in the greater Dublin area is due to launch in summer 2027. I am happy to be able to give that date. We will need to keep a close eye on the progress being made. That will be significant because it will test contactless payment on a small number of new validators or ticket machines. Phase 2 will be ready for summer 2028, allowing passengers on Dublin Bus and Luas services to use the next generation ticketing technology, including contactless payments on validators. The NTA and Indra are currently planning phase 3, which is implementation across Iarnród Éireann's train services, and phase 4, which is implementation on commuter bus services in and out of Dublin. The NTA will be in a better position to provide timelines once planning is complete. The timelines are not bad. It is summer 2027 for phase 1. I would like to see that shortening for phases 2, 3 and 4. The fundamental thing is to get the IT system in place. This will be account-based as well. It will be better than the system in Britain, which people might be used to if they use tap-on and tap-off, because they will also be able to have accounts. I am interrogating those timelines. This would be transformative for our transport system across all bus, rail, Luas and DART services. In the meantime, and as an interim measure, Iarnród Éireann already provides for passengers to download a QR code to their phone, removing the need for a physical ticket on longer journeys. Obviously, we have the Leap card as well, which I use. In addition, the NTA's barcode-based app, TFI Go, already allows customers to buy a range of tickets for bus services outside Dublin, including on all Bus Éireann public service obligation services, Dublin commuter routes operated by Go-Ahead Ireland and all local link rural services nationwide. As part of the young adult fares scheme, 27 private bus operators already sell their tickets on the TFI Go app. It is good news that this is being advanced. It is a significant investment on behalf of our people, but it is a critical project. I am not at all questioning the complexities involved, but I want to interrogate those timelines further. If we can get phase 1 going by summer 2027, I would be content with that. However, I am not sure I want to wait until summer 2028 for phase 2. I do not yet have timeframes for phases 3 and 4. I will meet with the NTA to discuss this matter shortly. I have already met with the NTA a number of times in respect of it. The Government is committed to this. I want to see it in place; done correctly, obviously, and in a timely fashion.
Sentiment score: 0.19
Deputy Neville may have missed the final part of my answer. TFI has the TFI Go app in place, and we have Leap cards as an interim measure as well. The point is taken, however. Many of the resources will be used in implementing this new system. Obviously, some will be used to design it but most will be used to implement it. I have a more detailed breakdown of the major release phases. Phase 1, which, as I mentioned, is scheduled for summer 2027, will introduce a small number of new ticketing machines for a combination of bus, tram and train services. That is to test and improve the functionality of the validators. It is right and proper that this is done before committing to a larger scale development. We then get to the major release 2, assuming the test phase of the major release 1 works well. This involves installing new validators, initially across the Dublin city bus and Luas networks. This will take some time to complete, which is fair enough, and will involve replacing all of the validators on 1,300-plus buses and approximately 400 validators across 69 stops in the tram network. I understand there is a complexity involved, particularly when you are keeping Leap cards, free travel and all of the existing measures in place, such as the TFI Go app and others I mentioned. You are introducing a new system while you are operating the existing one. Effectively, you then move into major release 3, which brings in Iarnród Éireann, or Irish Rail. That is a separate release owing to the specific complexity of installing and removing station gates. This will involve quite a lot of physical work on our rail network. In major release 4, the NTA will extend contactless bank card payments and barcode tickets to commuter and other bus services in the Dublin commuter zone. There are four phases, as I have stated, and four different releases. I will be meeting the NTA on this to see if there is any way we can shrink the timelines. However, it is welcome that it will start in summer 2027.
Sentiment score: 0.12
I thank both Deputies for their support. I will meet the NTA and Indra Sistemas, which is developing this system. I will try to secure more specific timelines from the company. It has been very helpful so far. Work is progressing very well. On the contractual arrangements, I do not have that detail right now. I commit to reverting to both Deputies with an update on this after I meet with the NTA and Indra Sistemas. If we look at other innovations that have taken place, the Leap card was a big step forward from what we had before. The 90-minute fare is very useful. The interaction of the Leap card between all of our transport operators as well is useful. It is not too many years ago that this option was not available to people. Thankfully, because this Government is still committed to free travel for our seniors, there will be no requirement for cash payments for most of them. As the Deputies know, a commitment made by the previous Government and this one is that people with free travel will be able to bring a companion with them, and it is being rolled out right now. Later this year, probably in September, we will bring forward free travel for those between the ages of five and eight. The purpose of this is to recognise that costs are high too for families. We also want kids who are using buses, etc., to get used to doing so in order that it becomes a habit. We had record public transport passenger journeys last year. We want to try to exceed that this year. People are responding in that regard right across urban and rural locations. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, answered questions about the advancement of Local Link. That has been really significant. We have a great deal of work to do in this space, but real progress has been made. I will keep Deputies Neville and Ó Cearúil up to date. I will revert to them, post my meeting with the NTA, with specific timelines.
Sentiment score: 0.26
I thank Deputy Currie for her question. Since 2020, over €18.75 million has been invested in bus services alone in Dublin West, reflecting a really strong and ongoing commitment to improving public transport in the area. This includes funding for both new routes and enhancements to existing services. Notably, new routes introduced over the period include the L52, introduced in 2020, the C5 and C6, introduced in 2021, the high-frequency orbital N4, introduced in 2022, the W5, introduced in 2023, and most recently, the N2, introduced in 2024. Enhancements to existing services have been prioritised, with approximately €1.6 million allocated across the period. However, the most substantial enhancements were delivered in 2020, with more than €1.25 million invested that year to improve service levels and reliability. Looking ahead, while no new enhancements have been introduced yet in 2025, plans are in place to extend route 40D to serve Hollywoodrath later this year. An additional €500,000 is also committed this year to specifically address punctuality and reliability issues on routes 37, 38 and 70. These improvements were rolled out in April and are already supporting more consistent services. Furthermore, phase 10 of the BusConnects network redesign, the B spine, is scheduled for late 2026 and will deliver significant improvements for Dublin West, subject to operational readiness and funding. In the interim, the NTA is working closely with operators to identify priority routes where capacity constraints are most pressing. Due to a range of factors, including limited driver availability, a prioritised list of enhancements will be developed based on the most urgent needs. I would welcome the Deputy’s input into that.
Sentiment score: 0.28
BusConnects is going to make a real difference. It was held up for many reasons. I would suggest that there were initially route design flaws in much of the BusConnects project when it was first published, but that has been rectified. As I said earlier in response to a question, we will see the first BusConnects corridor under construction this year. We have three that are through planning. Rather, 12 are through planning, but a number are being judicially reviewed, which is another story. The Deputy is right about the €97 that was spent in 2022. I have no idea what that was. As the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, said, it might have been to replace a wing mirror on a bus. Without being facetious about it, further investment is unquestionably needed. I know the Deputy's area very well. It is a major growth area. It is a young area too. The Deputy will have heard a number of other positive developments relating to additional services mentioned already this evening. We have to look at existing services and their reliability. I will bring the Deputy's intervention and feedback this evening directly to the NTA, which reports to me at the end of the day. It selects and approves the routes and route changes, but we need to make sure that it listens to public representatives too.
Sentiment score: 0.10
I was.
Sentiment score: 0.00
Regarding what the Green Party might say in Dublin West, the Green Party held the transport portfolio in the previous Government. Having said that, the Government is responsible for the delivery of all services across the board and we are heavily committed to public transport. That is why I mentioned earlier this evening the debate we had last week. We have seen a record number of public transport users and growth in every area, including Dublin West, but there are areas where there are pressures on commuters. I have said to all our operators, rail, Luas and bus, that the customer has to be first in this. I have said that to the NTA too. We can look at the projects and investment that are needed, but everything has to be focused on the customer. It is customers who are paying for those journeys and it is their tax euros that are being invested in the system. I am happy to arrange a specific meeting between the Deputy and the NTA. I want the Deputy to give that feedback directly to the NTA about the preparation of additional enhancements. BusConnects will change things significantly right across the country, not just in Dublin. We are really focused on getting those projects under way and this Government will do it.
Sentiment score: 0.21
I thank Deputy Moynihan. The Government earmarked about €2.9 billion for the protection and renewal of the national road network as part of the National Development Plan 2021 to 2030. As the Deputy knows, the NDP is under review. That includes funding to renew pavement on the new network. In addition, €5.1 billion was earmarked for investment in new national roads projects. While the greater portion of the funding becomes available in the second half of the decade, I can confirm that approximately €600 million of Exchequer capital funds was provided to local authorities through TII for national roads in 2025. Of this, €74 million was allocated to Cork city and county councils. As part of the current NDP, the N22 road between Cork and Kerry has seen significant development in recent years, not least with the completion of the Baile Bhuirne to Macroom project. In conjunction with the N22 Farranfore to Killarney project, which is being developed, this will deliver greatly improved connectivity between Cork and Kerry. In regard to the section between Macroom and Ballincollig, while it has not been possible so far to allocate funding for pavement works this year, funding has been provided for road safety schemes at Castlemore and Kilcondy. In addition, funding has been provided for a fixed safety camera pilot on the route. With regard to future investment, the programme for Government commits to increasing funding for protection and renewal. This should allow the pace of road pavement renewal to be stepped up, including the section east of Macroom to Ballincollig. What I am basically saying is that I am aware of the really poor state of this section of road. The Deputy has mentioned it and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, mentioned it to me again this evening. I am glad Deputy Moynihan asked this question. We need to be more active with our agencies in making sure, as I said to a previous Deputy, that the feedback from public representatives on behalf of their constituents is actually listened to. This section of road needs to be attended to. We will have an increased roads programme for next year and we will try to secure additional funding to make sure this section of road is attended to.
Sentiment score: 0.20
I know the volume of traffic on the N22 is high and increasing. The paving is poor. The Deputy mentioned potholes. Following his intervention through this parliamentary question, I will make direct contact to see what remedial works can be done in the interim. I cannot say if funding will be reallocated later this year. We have just recently allocated the 2025 funding but I will ask. Good work is being done on other parts of the N22 but I want to make sure this section is not forgotten about. I will contact TII in this regard, particularly to see what can be done with the local authority in the interim this year. The fixed camera is working to reduce speed in that area. I do not know if a specific submission was received from the local authority, but I will find out for him and take this matter up with TII. I will keep him informed of the feedback from that meeting.
Sentiment score: 0.04
The Deputy may take from the fact that we have done a lot of the preparatory work on design and preparation for the schemes in Castlemore and Kilcondy that we want to see them proceed to the next stage. That will be the logical step going forward into 2026. We will make sure that happens. The Ministers of State, Deputies Canney and Buttimer, and I have increased our roads funding this year by about €92 million. We received that draft funding package quite late because the Government had only come in, yet we were able to effect an increase. We will have a more significant increase in our roads programme next year. Government colleagues' interventions, including the Deputy's, regarding what is important in their own areas will be taken in the round because they are the people elected by their constituents. I will reference the particular section east of Macroom to Ballincollig with TII and I will revert to the Deputy.
Sentiment score: 0.22