Written Answers Nos. 198-218
212. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether the Government has conducted a legal or regulatory assessment concerning Ireland's international civil aviation obligations in relation to the operation, certification and oversight of State or military aircraft utilised in support of An Garda Síochána operations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36230/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that Military and State aircraft operating in support of An Garda Síochána are exempt from civil aviation obligations as governed by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA)and international bodies such as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Under international law (Article 3 of the Chicago Convention), military, customs, and police services are classified as "State aircraft" and fall outside civil aviation frameworks.
The operation, certification, and oversight of the Garda Air Support Unit aircraft are governed by military frameworks and a cross-departmental Service Level Agreement (SLA) between An Garda Síochána, the Irish Air Corps, the Department of Defence, and the Department of Justice.
213. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Defence to provide a copy of the recent correspondence issued by the Minister for Public Expenditure; National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to her Department referred to in media reports (details supplied); if she will provide details of the percentage reduction(s) in spending in her Department referenced in the correspondence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36402/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn April, Government agreed that additional funding of €646 million will be provided to the Department of Education and Youth in 2026. It was further agreed that €446 million of this additional funding will be provided by way of a levy from 2027, calculated on the current expenditure REV 2026 allocations of Votes other than the Department of Education and Youth.
As recently advised by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (DPEIPSRD), a levy will apply to current expenditure in the Defence Vote Group in 2027. This measure reflects the need to moderate the rate of expenditure growth across other Departments to facilitate Government’s decision to reprioritise and provide additional investment to the Education sector within the agreed overall fiscal framework.
The overall framework for the levy has been determined on a whole-of-Government basis, with allocations structured to safeguard priority areas of expenditure including pension funding.
My Department is required to prepare and submit efficiency and reform proposals to the DPEIPSRD by 17 July in order to meet its levy target. These proposals will form a key component of the forthcoming Budget 2027 process. In line with the specified timelines, work is ongoing within the Department to assess all available options.
As this deliberative process is currently underway across my Department, it is not possible at this stage to provide a definitive breakdown of the specific areas within the Defence Vote to which the levy will be applied.
214. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Defence if she will provide a breakdown of spending on advertising that was funded or overseen by her Department, and bodies under its aegis, in each of the past five years, including a breakdown by medium, that is, radio, television and social media, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36486/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy in respect of advertising undertaken by my Department for the period 2021 to 2025 is set out in the following table.
|
Year |
|
Radio |
Online/Social Media |
TV |
Miscellaneous Costs |
|
2021 |
€97,957.92 |
€29,844.20 |
€13,624.15 |
- |
- |
|
2022 |
€92,678.50 |
€30,577.04 |
€31,953.20 |
- |
€1,033.20 |
|
2023 |
€78,754.06 |
€31,072.62 |
€20,143.50 |
- |
- |
|
2024 |
€149,413.80 |
€369 |
€275 |
- |
€67.65 |
|
2025 |
€59,483.92 |
€25,788.70 |
€34,178.15 |
- |
€67.65 |
None of the bodies under the aegis of my Department incurred advertising expenditure in the period concerned.
215. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Transport the actions his Department is taking to address the rise in anti-social behaviour on public transport, noting that Iarnród Éireann received more than a thousand reports of such incidents on its services last year; and the measures being put in place to ensure the safety of passengers and staff across rail, bus and Luas services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35614/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAnti-social behaviour is a broad societal issue, to which public transport is unfortunately not immune, and it is those passengers and staff who regularly use and work within our public transport network who are most directly impacted by any safety or security incidents that may occur on the network.
Across the network, all public transport operators are continuing to expend significant resources introducing measures to counter the impact of antisocial behaviour.
Iarnód Éireann has established enhanced joint protocols with Gardaí both nationally and locally, which have been implemented through Operation Fanacht. This has included the establishment of rapid response support hubs in 20 locations for Intercity services, with staff having direct lines to Gardaí for incident support.
All onboard staff have dedicated phone numbers for each of the hub locations in the event they require assistance, meaning that should on-board staff request assistance by calling ahead to the next Garda Rapid Response Hub, they will receive priority service to deal with any issue. Additionally, for Intercity services, there are 1448 cameras and 138 cab cameras, with a dedicated monitoring team in place.
Bus Éireann has invested in extensive CCTV coverage throughout its fleet for the protection of passengers and staff and driver security screens are fitted to the entire low-floor, single-deck, and double-deck bus fleet. All hubs are also monitored by CCTV.
Dublin Bus has maintained its Safer Journeys Team, a mobile unit dedicated to enhancing safety on-board their fleet, covering North Dublin, South Dublin, and Central Dublin. The entire Dublin Bus fleet is fully fitted with CCTV cameras with up to eleven internal cameras and three external cameras fitted on the more modern vehicles in the fleet. Each vehicle is also equipped with a radio which facilitates immediate contact to a Central Control Centre. In cases of serious incidents on board a bus, central control co-ordinate with emergency services, such as the Gardaí and Ambulance Services, if required. Security screens are provided on all vehicles for driver safety and should always be utilised for maximum protection. There are also emergency "audible alarms" in place onboard all Dublin Bus Vehicles which can be activated by driver and Emergency "silent alarms" which can be activated by driver to contact Central Control and takes priority over all other calls.
All operators continue to have strong relationships with An Garda Síochána, who ultimately assist in supporting these incidences. The NTA organises an Anti-Social Behaviour Forum, which public transport operators and An Garda Síochána attend.
The Department of Transport continues to work closely with industry stakeholders to identify measures to improve passenger safety across the public transport network. And in this regard we have continued to hold a public transport safety working group, with representatives from the public transport operators, the commercial bus sector, the NTA, unions, An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice, and passenger representative groups.
We will continue to engage with operators and unions on the matter, and will continue to work with all stakeholders to provide safe, sustainable public transport.
In addition, my Department and the NTA are actively progressing the policy and 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.
I fully support all the ongoing positive work to progress towards creating a safer public transport network for staff and passengers. In the meantime, we are committed to delivering a safe and secure public transport system, and we will maintain momentum on all fronts until the Transport Security Force is in place.
216. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Transport the amount of agricultural land that has been the subject of compulsory purchase orders for greenways; and at what cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35743/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to Greenways. 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.
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.
217. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Transport the reason for spending €3 million on a temporary train station for the 2027 tournament (details supplied); where the funds are drawn from; if funds ringfenced for other projects are being diverted to pay for a temporary train station; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35810/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including the construction of the temporary station at Adare in County Limerick.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct, detailed reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten days.
Pending this more detailed response I would note that the temporary station at Adare is set to support thousands of spectators travelling to and from the Ryder Cup in September 2027.
The temporary station consists of a platform and external concourse. Construction is expected to take six months and is being progressed alongside works on the reinstatement of the Limerick to Foynes freight line, which is expected to be complete in October 2026.
218. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Transport if his Department or any bodies and agencies under its aegis use, or have in the past used, software and or products from a company (details supplied); the duration and cost of the contract; and the services they avail of from the company. [35875/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department does not use software or any products from the company details supplied in the parliamentary question.
I have referred the Deputy’s question to the bodies and agencies under the remit of my Department for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
