Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 February 2026
266. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department requires the National Transport Authority to collect and report vandalism data for public transport infrastructure on a county-by-county or local authority basis; if not, the policy rationale for permitting exclusively national-level reporting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16048/26]
View answer267. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the total annual expenditure incurred by the National Transport Authority in each of the past five years in respect of vandalism-related repair and replacement costs for bus shelters; whether this expenditure is reported to his Department in aggregated or disaggregated form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16049/26]
View answer270. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether local authorities are provided with incident-level or location-specific data in respect of vandalism to bus shelters within their administrative areas; and if not, whether the Minister considers the absence of such local reporting consistent with transparency and value-for-money principles. [16052/26]
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 the development and maintenance of public transport infrastructure, and services provided under public service obligation (PSO) contracts.
The NTA is required to submit annual reports, strategy statements, financial accounts, and other documentation that enable the Department to assess its performance. Anti-social behaviour of any kind is a serious matter, and the NTA present the data and statistics on anti-social behaviour incidences as part of the Public Transport Safety Working Group, which was most recently held by my Department on 11th February.
The Programme for Government sets out a clear commitment: that a Transport Security Force will operate under the NTA with powers similar to those held by Airport Police and Customs Officers.
The ongoing work to establish it involves careful and informed consideration of the most appropriate model for the Force, with all key stakeholders fully engaged – the NTA, operators, trade unions, passenger groups, An Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice. This engagement includes their attendance at the Public Transport Safety Working Group,
My Department and the NTA are actively progressing the legislative proposals required to deliver on the Government’s commitment to establish a Transport Security Force, and the introduction of this Force will require the development of primary legislation, which can have a significant lead time, but it will be expedited, with a view to making progress on its foundations during 2026.
For further detail on vandalism data, including reporting categorisation and expenditure incurred by graffiti remediation works, the NTA are best placed to respond.
In light of this, 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.
