Written Answers Nos. 301-321
302. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the measures being taken to ensure that passengers who do not use a service (details supplied) have equal access to timely information on service disruptions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71942/25]
View answerAs 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 Irish Rail.
In light of the NTA’s responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
303. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide details of guidelines or requirements issued by the National Transport Authority to Irish Rail regarding the provision of service disruption information across multiple platforms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71943/25]
View answerAs 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 Irish Rail.
In light of the NTA’s responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
305. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport if he has requested a report from Iarnród Éireann on the persistent failure of real time passenger information display boards at Pearse Street, Tara Street, Connolly Station and the Northern commuter railway stations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71995/25]
View answerAs 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 query raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for Iarnród Éireann. I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
308. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport if he is aware that Leap card validation machines were not operational at Skerries railway station on 9 December 2025, resulting in commuters being unable to tag on or tag off; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71998/25]
View answerAs 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 issue specified in the query raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for Iarnród Éireann. I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
309. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the safeguards which are in place to ensure that passengers are not financially penalised through incorrect or maximum fares, where Leap card machines are unavailable due to equipment failure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71999/25]
View answerAs 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 responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation (PSO) contracts.
In light of the NTA's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
310. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Transport if he will address concerns regarding the NCT raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72018/25]
View answerThe Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Car Testing (NCT) service under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 and, as Minister, I have no function in respect of operational matters. However, my officials have engaged with the RSA on various aspects of the NCT service including quality control and monitoring.
Ireland is obliged to adhere to the minimum specified technical standards and intervals for carrying out periodic roadworthiness inspections on motor vehicles under EU law and the NCT is operated in line with the requirements of EU Directive 2014/45/EU. This is given effect in Irish law by means of the Road Traffic (National Car Test) Regulations 2017 (S.I. No. 415/2017), as amended. These Regulations also give effect to the EU Directive in respect of testing methods and pass/fail criteria. The NCT is designed for a particular purpose, which is to ascertain does a vehicle meet certain roadworthiness tests at a point in time.
Delivery of the NCT service is currently contracted out to a third-party supplier, with the contract managed and overseen by the RSA's customer operations directorate. The service is subject to a stringent regime of independent audits and inspections carried out by the AA. More than 99 per cent of tests reviewed are deemed to be fairly and correctly assessed. A dedicated internal audit team is in place to manage allegations, investigations, and complaints. This involves random surprise audits to review vehicles that had just completed a test. Auditors repeat critical elements of the test and identify if there are any discrepancies with the original test result.
The Deputy may also wish to note that the NCT is accredited to International Organization for Standardization standards. All NCT Inspectors are fully qualified mechanics who undertake an intensive three-week training programme delivered through classroom, practical and online training methods. All staff complete Code of Integrity training upon recruitment and on an annual basis thereafter. On-site and annual training programmes are delivered every year to staff to brief them on new technologies.
311. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Transport the number of learner drivers who failed to show up for their scheduled driving test appointment, by driving test centre, by month, from January 2025 to date in December 2025, in tabular form. [72021/25]
View answerUnder the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Driver Testing Service. This includes all application and scheduling matters. Neither I nor my officials are involved in the service at an operational level. Accordingly, the information requested is held by the RSA.
Given the RSA's responsibility in this matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the RSA for direct response. Please contact my office if a reply is not received within ten days.
312. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Transport to consider additional capacity on a bus service (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72022/25]
View answerAs 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 query raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for Dublin Bus. I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
313. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Transport if consideration will be given to the extremely busy and dangerous section of the Ring of Kerry road between Caherdaniel and O'Carroll's Cove by providing a footpath at the earliest possible date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72025/25]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to the National Roads Programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 and in line with the National Development Plan (NDP), the operation and management of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. This is also subject to the Infrastructure Guidelines and the necessary statutory approvals. In this context, TII is best placed to advise you in relation to the N70 between Caherdaniel and O'Carroll's Cove.
The Government is committed to reducing road deaths and creating safer roads for everyone in Ireland.
Noting the above position, I have referred your question to TII for a direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
314. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Transport if consideration will be given to the fact that the first section of the South Kerry Greenway is scheduled to open on 19 December 2025 and Glenbeigh village is not Greenway ready; if he will expedite the works including traffic calming measures, resurface road, new footpaths, pedestrian crossing, public lighting, carparking and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72026/25]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to Greenways. There has a significant amount of investment for Greenway schemes in County Kerry with €8,250,000 allocated in 2025.
In line with Section 32 (2) of the Roads Act 1993, the planning, design, and construction of individual Greenways is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Investment in Greenway and National Roads Active Travel projects is also subject to the requirements of the Infrastructure Guidelines and necessary statutory approvals.
Noting the above position, I have referred your question, on this occasion, to TII for a direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
315. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Transport if consideration will be given to the fact that the first section of the South Kerry Greenway is scheduled to open on 19 December 2025 and Cahersiveen town is not Greenway ready; if he will expedite the works including traffic calming measures, resurface road, new footpaths, pedestrian crossing, public lighting, carparking and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72027/25]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to Greenways. There has a significant amount of investment for Greenway schemes in County Kerry with €8,250,000 allocated in 2025.
In line with Section 32 (2) of the Roads Act 1993, the planning, design, and construction of individual Greenways is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Investment in Greenway and National Roads Active Travel projects is also subject to the requirements of the Infrastructure Guidelines and necessary statutory approvals.
Noting the above position, I have referred your question, on this occasion, to TII for a direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
316. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Transport the amount his Department has spent on translation services from a company (details supplied) for the years 2020 to 2025 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72077/25]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that no expenditure has been incurred on translation services from Translink for the years 2020 to 2025 to date.
317. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport whether any work has been undertaken on safety concerns with electric vehicles. [72082/25]
View answerAs Minister of State for International & Road Transport, Logistics, Rail & Ports, I wish to advise that all new vehicles must comply with EU Type Approval standards, which specify the requirements for equipment to be sold and registered in the EU.
While EU Type Approval outlines the requirements and standards for each vehicle type, it does not prescribe how specific systems should operate. This applies not only to electric vehicle-specific systems, but also to more general controls such as indicators, lighting, windscreen wipers, handbrakes and air-conditioning systems. The operation of both mandatory and optional driver assistance and safety systems can also vary significantly from one vehicle to another.
All vehicle owners should familiarise themselves with the operating methods of the systems in their own vehicle. The operation of these systems may differ from vehicles the owner has previously driven. Details of system operation are outlined in the vehicle user manual and should be available to be demonstrated by motor dealers.
Under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the promotion of public awareness of road safety and of measures, including the advancement of education, relating to the promotion of the safe use of roads. I have therefore referred the Deputy's questions to the RSA for direct reply in relation to an information campaign. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response is not received within 10 days.
318. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport the current number of drivers for Bus Éireann’s PSO route delivery in Cork city; and the number considered a full cohort. [72156/25]
View answerAs 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 query raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for Bus Éireann. I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
319. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport the number of complaints received by the NTA for the PSO route in Cork city. [72157/25]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, my role concerns overall policy direction and funding for public transport. Day-to-day operational matters, including addressing performance-related complaints, are the statutory responsibility of the National Transport Authority (NTA), working with the relevant transport providers.
For this reason, I have referred the Deputy’s question to the NTA so they may address the specific operational query raised. Please contact my private office, if a response is not received within ten working days.
320. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport the number of meetings his office has held this year where Cork’s bus service was on the agenda. [72158/25]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, my office has held the 2 meetings this year where Cork’s bus service was on the agenda. The first meeting was with the Chair & CEO Bus Éireann on the 3rd April. The second meeting was with the NTA Chair on the 29th Sept 2025.
321. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Transport the progress made over the past 12 months on each of his Department’s Programme for Government commitments, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72204/25]
View answerDeputy,
The Department of Transport's progress on Programme for Government commitments over the past 12 months is set out below in tabular form. The Department published its Statement of Strategy and Implementation Plan on 30th September 2025 and the NDP Sectoral Investment Plan for Transport on 26th November 2025, which provide the strategic direction and framework for delivery of the commitments tabulated below.
Please see attached.
strategic direction and framework
