Before I call Senator Costello, I welcome rang a ceathair from Scoil Mobhí in Glasnevin, who are on a school tour of Leinster House today with their múinteoir, Cillín MacDonnacha. Former Senator Marie Sherlock's son is among the students in this class. I wish them an enjoyable visit to Seanad Éireann and I hope they enjoy their time here today.
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Cancer Services
The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, is welcome this morning.
I thank the Minister of State for attending the Seanad.
Over the course of our lives, it is estimated that one in seven women will develop breast cancer. Each year in Ireland, there are approximately 3,600 new cases and around 23% of diagnosis occurs in women under the age of 50. Currently, BreastCheck is offered to women aged 50 to 69. I am aware that following submissions, including mine, HIQA is reviewing the expansion of the BreastCheck programme. What is the status of this review?
Looking beyond Ireland, we can learn from other countries' national breast screening programmes. Austria, for example, recommends starting screening at age 45, with an opt-in option available from age 40. In Iceland, Sweden, Türkiye and, further afield from Europe, Australia, national screening programmes are offered to women over 40. We need to be next. We need to be informing women if they have dense breasts, something that could easily be added to the BreastCheck screening service given that a mammogram identifies breast density, leaving women with an understanding that different methods of screening may be needed for them for accurate results. This too is already done in the US, Canada, France and Australia. It is vital that women of all ages check their breasts, know their own normal and attend their GP if they are concerned.
The message that early detection is vital in the fight against breast cancer is being communicated strongly and consistently. In 2013, when I presented to my GP with a lump, although he thought I was too young to have breast cancer, he had the good sense to exercise caution and referred me to the breast clinic at St. James's. On that day, I underwent a mammogram, an ultrasound and a biopsy. His caution saved my life. Early detection saves lives. I cannot say it enough. It is a message ingrained in our mindset, thankfully, due to the increased awareness and education surrounding breast cancer. However, if a woman is in her 20s or 30s, she may follow all the advice given, checking her breasts, knowing her normal and going to her GP if she finds something, but sometimes she is told not to worry because she is too young. Even when a woman is referred to the BreastCare clinic, she may be examined and sent home with the promise of a scan.
Take the case of Ziva Cussen, who was just 21 when she was referred to the BreastCare clinic by her GP. She was told not to worry and that she would be sent an appointment for a scan. Six months passed and Ziva was still waiting on this promised scan. The pain in her breast concerned her so much that she pushed for her scan. When she finally got it, her cancer had progressed to stage 4. Ziva did all the right things, but she was let down by a systematic failure. Muireann McColgan, who is 37, was 31 weeks pregnant when she expressed concerns. It was a midwife who urged her to seek a second opinion. When she originally presented, she was told that she was too young and that lumps and bumps during pregnancy were to be expected.
Ziva and Muireann are not isolated cases. I recently contacted a hospital on behalf of a 23-year-old girl who had waited over six months for her scan after attending a breast clinic. There was a family history. Thankfully, her lump was not cancerous, but the emotional stress experienced while waiting on the scans was simply unnecessary. Quite simply, when a woman in her 20s or 30s has an appointment at a BreastCare clinic, she should automatically have a scan on that day. No woman should have to walk around with a lump in her breast for six or seven months wondering and worrying, especially after having sat in the BreastCare clinic. Ziva and Muireann have been left feeling let down, asking what if they had been scanned earlier.
We need to move with the times. Cancer occurrences are increasing and younger women are being diagnosed more frequently. A screening programme offered to woman from the age of 40 is essential. Let women decide if they want to avail of it. Early detection saves lives, and we must continue to prioritise that message through both policy and practice. Diagnostic screening for younger women presenting with signs of breast cancer is essential and must be faster and more efficient.
I thank the Senator for raising this matter and sharing her own personal story. It was very brave.
I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. Successive national cancer strategies have delivered continuing improvements in our outcomes for cancer patients.
The benefit of our strategic approach to cancer control is shown by the improvement in the number of patients living after receiving a cancer diagnosis, which currently is 220,000 compared with 150,000 when the strategy was brought to the Government in 2017. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in Ireland, accounting for approximately 30% of invasive cancers in women. Almost 4,000 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in Ireland in 2022. Of these, almost 60% were diagnosed at symptomatic breast disease clinics, SBDs, and one third were detected through screening. Fortunately, survival rates of breast cancer have improved. The most recent data indicate a five-year survival rate of 88% for people diagnosed between 2014 and 2018.
Of course the stage of diagnosis has a significant impact on survival rates and early diagnosis often leads to better outcomes. The Senator made that abundantly clear in her presentation, and in the case of the other women she spoke about as well. Symptomatic breast disease clinics are run in each of the designated cancer centres. In one networking centre, GPs or treating physicians can refer patients to an SBD when they have concerns. To support GPs in this referral process, the national cancer control programme, NCCP, developed a referral guideline and a referral form. This guideline facilitates GPs to identify the signs and symptoms most suspicious of cancer and covers all ages.
Each year approximately 45,000 women are seen in clinics. Patients who have been referred are triaged in SBDs, according to symptoms, as either urgent or non-urgent. Advances in cancer detection and treatment have been achieved with sustained investment in our health services. In budget 2025 an additional €23 million was secured for the national cancer strategy. This will mean over €105 million has been invested in the strategy since 2017. It has enabled recruitment of more than 670 staff to our national cancer services. The Government is committed to supporting our population screening programmes. The programme for Government identifies several priorities, including the BreastCheck programme. Page 87 of the programme for Government, under the heading of "cancer", states that the Government will extend the ages for the BreastCheck screening programme in line with updated standards from HIQA.
In budget 2025 some €2.8 million was allocated to the BreastCheck screening programme for new staff and resources to assist in expanding the footprint of the programme. An increase in staffing will allow additional capacity to meet increased demand. This is in addition to the significant investment in cancer screening in women's health that has been made in recent years.
The screening programme has changed over time according to the evidence. Most changes to Ireland's programme are facilitated through established evidence-driven protocols and the national screening advisory committee, NSAC. The independent expert group provides advice to the Minister for Health. Having a rigorous evidence-based process in place ensures our screening programmes are effective and quality assured. It also ensures that the benefits of screening outweigh the potential harms. The NSAC has requested that an assessment be undertaken of available evidence and the lowering of the age for BreastCheck programmes. HIQA will begin this project this year, as the Senator referenced in her contribution, and this will inform future decisions on the change in ages. There is a specific commitment in the programme for Government to look to extend the age for the BreastCheck screening programme in line with updated standards from HIQA. The Government remains committed to the implementation of the national cancer strategy in order to continue to build and improve services and better outcomes for patients, particularly women in terms of breast cancer.
I welcome to the Visitors' Gallery this morning students from St. Finian's Community College, Swords, County Dublin. We hope they have a wonderful day.
I welcome HIQA's movement on this. I hope the Government does the right thing and lowers the age for breast cancer screening to 40 and informs women on their breast density. However, with the systematic failures I have outlined where younger women were sent away from a breast care clinic, I do not feel I have received an answer. Generally, when a doctor refers a woman the lump has to be in her breast for eight weeks. She can then have a four-month wait before getting a breast care clinic appointment. That four-month wait means the patient has been six months waiting. If she waits another six months for a scan, that means she has waited a year. When cancer gets to stage 4, it is not going to be cured. I would like that to go back to the Minister. I would like further comment from her on that and further discussion on it because that whole piece is simply unacceptable. It cannot continue. I thank the Minister of State.
I thank Senator Costello for her contribution on this very important matter. I will bring the specific points she has raised to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, and her officials.
I will ask them to follow up with the Senator. She might email the Minister and her office directly on that particular point, but I certainly will follow it up. The officials will also have been watching this debate. It is a very important point.
Early diagnosis is very important in the case of cancer. Since the first national cancer strategy in 1996, detection and diagnosis at the earliest possible stage has been a key priority. Screening in the detection of cancer cases are often found in earlier stages than those detected through other pathways. BreastCheck, which is currently offered to women aged between 50 and 69, provides an opportunity for those cancers to be detected earlier. Over 155,000 women availed of BreastCheck in 2022. The work undertaken by the national cancer screening service will provide important evidence on the appropriate steps. As I stated, on the specific item raised by the Senator, the Government will look at extending the age groups covered by the BreastCheck screening programme, in line with updated HIQA standards.
On the additional point the Senator raised, I will bring it to the Minister's attention but I suggest that the Senator also follow up on it.
General Practitioner Services
I thank the Minister of State for being here to answer this question.
My query relates to Ballymore Eustace, a beautiful small town in County Kildare between Naas and Blessington. It has a population of 1,700 people and is growing all the time. In fact, it has the highest number of older people in Kildare, according to the most recent census. The issue I raise relates to the lack of adequate GP clinics. There was a full-time clinic in Ballymore Eustace and about 15 years ago, a GP based in Blessington, whose name I will not mention, took over the practice.
Initially, the agreement was that there would be four clinics a week in the HSE premises and that, therefore, the local population would miss one day. Over the first summer, however, without any consultation with the HSE or the local people, that was cut to two clinics, on Mondays and Tuesdays. Given that on bank holiday Mondays, the practice would not open, that meant there was a service of just one clinic morning a week, which is totally inadequate. The practice was trying to encourage everyone from Ballymore Eustace to go to Blessington, which is a distance away with poor public transport, and for people who did not or could not drive, it was a huge inconvenience.
A number people got together to organise a protest and to lobby on this. Rose Barrett O'Donoghue, a good friend of mind and somebody who is always to the forefront of trying to do what is right for Ballymore Eustace, spearheaded that, along with Muriel Maguire and the late Bernie Toomey. Eventually, they got another clinic, which meant there were three clinics a week, but given that one was held on Thursdays when the pharmacy was closed, it caused difficulties for people who attended the clinic and needed to get prescriptions. Covid-19 then came along and there was nothing for two years, including vaccinations. A doctor from Naas approached the HSE about coming, using the extra times and being able to give vaccinations, and the local population were delighted that this could happen. On the agreed day, however, when the doctor went to the clinic, the locks had been changed and the HSE said that it could not happen.
Eventually, after two years, here we are back down to two days on Mondays and Tuesdays . I feel very strongly about this issue and I recently met with Margaret Pearce and with Rose in that regard. A doctor is prepared to go in and give a full service in Ballymore Eustace but is precluded from doing so.
The fact that there are only two clinics per week, and on some weeks only one, means the population, which is growing, is not served. I feel strongly that the Minister of State is in a position to help deal with this and ensure the people of Ballymore Eustace get the full-time GP practice they need and deserve.
I thank Senator O'Loughlin for raising this matter. I am responding to this Commencement matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.
General practitioners are a vital part of our health service, providing care to patients throughout their lives as well as providing patients with access to the wider health service. GPs are private practitioners. The HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services and most GPs - currently over 2,550 - hold a General Medical Services, GMS, contract to provide GP services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. Accordingly, as self-employed practitioners, GPs themselves, rather than the HSE, choose where they establish their practices.
At present, the HSE advises that a GP primarily located in the Blessington practice provides a service in Ballymore Eustace two mornings a week, with additional emergency appointments provided there as required and appointments also available at the Blessington practice. It is understood the GP has capacity on those mornings to provide same-day appointments.
Senator O'Loughlin provided further information, which I will bring to the Minister. I am uncertain whether the Senator has had meetings with the HSE locally. I suggest she follow up directly with the Minister by communicating with her, in writing, the additional points she raised.
It is acknowledged that there is a need to increase the number of GP practices across the country to improve access to GP services. To this end, several measures have been undertaken in recent years to increase our GP workforce. Investment in general practice was increased by over €210 million per annum under the 2019 GP agreement, providing for increased GP payments, increased support for practices and new services. The 2023 agreement further increased investment, increasing GP payments again and providing €30 million specifically for new and increased practice supports.
According to the Irish College of General Practitioners, it has received almost 1,800 applications for the 2025 GP training programme. This is more than in any previous year and beats the previous record set the previous year. This reflects positively on the steps taken to increase the attraction of general practice as a career. The number of doctors entering GP training increased by 80% between 2019 and 2024. From 2024 onwards, 350 new-entrant training places have been made available, with 346 new entrants to GP training last year, a 21% increase on the previous year’s intake of 286. The number of GPs graduating has increased in recent years and will further increase significantly in the coming years due to the increased number of new entrants.
In addition, recruitment of GPs from abroad continues under the international medical graduate, IMG, rural GP programme. As of November last year, 119 IMG GPs were in practice and funding has been provided to recruit up to 250 more GPs into Ireland this year. Placement of these GPs is targeted at rural and deprived urban areas.
It should be mentioned that there are significant supports in place for practices in rural areas. These supports were increased under the 2019 GP agreement. Furthermore, a strategic review of general practice is under way which is examining issues related to GP capacity. It will specifically consider possible mechanisms to attract more GPs to rural and under-served areas. When completed, a report will be presented to the Minister for Health containing recommended actions for a more sustainable general practice across the country.
While a GP cannot be directed to open a practice in Ballymore Eustace, increasing our GP workforce should see access to GP services improved for all patients, including those in the area in question and surrounding areas.
I ask Senator O'Loughlin to elaborate on the chronology regarding the provision of GP services in Ballymore Eustace to give some further context. I will respond and perhaps the Senator will then follow up with the Minister.
I thank the Minister of State for his response. He stated that additional emergency appointments are provided in Ballymore Eustace as required, with appointments also available at the Blessington practice. My understanding is that additional emergency appointments are not being given.
There are no same-day appointments in the Blessington practice. Some people have had to wait weeks for that. I appreciate there are some areas where there is a shortage of available GPs. The Minister of State's response was that while a GP cannot be directed to open a practice in Ballymore Eustace, there is a GP who wants to do that. I question how one GP can hold on to a contract that has been reduced from four clinics to two, with one of them on a Monday. That is absolutely wrong. It is being ignored by the HSE. That practice is just driving the practice into Blessington. Many people I know in Ballymore Eustace are using Vista and out-of-hours services, so something is wrong. I will respond with an email to the Minister and copy the Minister of State on it. I will also contact the HSE directly. I thought it was important enough to bring up as a Commencement matter here.
Once again I thank Senator O'Loughlin for raising this important issue. As mentioned, GPs are self-employed practitioners and cannot be directed to open a practice in a particular area. Several measures have been taken in recent years, however, to increase GP capacity and improve access to services. The increased investment in general practice under both the 2019 and 2023 GP agreements means improved fees and supports to attract more doctors into general practice. The positive impact of this is being seen in the increased number of doctors applying for and undertaking GP training and the number of applications received this year. The increased availability of GP training places will see the number of GP graduates continue to increase over the coming years. The Department of Health previously estimated that, from 2023 to 2027, between 1.5 and 3 GPs will be on board for every expected GP retirement. The ongoing recruitment of GPs under the international medical graduate programme is placing GPs in deprived areas and rapidly increasing access to GPs in those areas.
In terms of the context of the matters and the particular point the Senator raises, an email from her to the Minister and following up with the HSE is the way to further address this matter.
I thank the Minister of State. I welcome guests in the Gallery. From Conradh na Gaeilge we have Julian de Spáinn and Kate Ní Dhúbhlaoich as well as príomhoide Ghaelscoil Eoin, Cristín Ní Chairealláin and Karen Hinkson-Deeney, a fifth-class parent. We welcome them here.
Scoileanna Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta
Gabhaim míle buíochas leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Moynihan, as a bheith anseo inniu. Bhí mé ag súil leis an Aire sinsearach ach tuigim go bhfuil sí gafa le cúrsaí eile ar maidin agus táim fíorbhuíoch de as a bheith anseo agus a chuid ama a thabhairt dúinn sa Seanad. Tá plean, mar is eol ag an Aire Stáit, ag an Roinn i leith Ghaelcholáiste don scoilcheantar Bhaile Átha Cliath 2, 4, 6 agus 8. Chuirfinn fáilte roimh Ghaelcholáiste sa cheantar. Tá mac agam atá ag tógáil dhá bhus ag taisteal trasna na cathrach gach lá. Cinnte, b'fhearr liom dá mbeadh Gaelscolaíocht ar fáil dó go háitiúil. Mura miste ag an Aire Stáit, níl agam inniu ach cúpla ceist mar gheall ar an bplean atá faoi lánseol ag an Roinn. I am going to switch to English now. I can see the relief on the Minister of State's face and that is okay.
As he knows, a need has been identified and accepted by the Department of Education for a Gaelcholáiste in the school district of Dublin 2, 4, 6 and 8. A plan was announced by the former Minister, Deputy Foley, in September of last year. I raised this issue a few weeks ago and I thank the Minister of State for being here to address some outstanding questions about the plan the Department has to initially merge Synge Street CBS with a new Gaelcholáiste. As I understand it, the school patron, the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, and the board of the existing school have been briefed and it is expected the 2026 intake will be twofold, namely, a cohort of boys for the CBS and a cohort of boys and girls for the new Gaelcholáiste.
The questions I have are largely based on the importance of total immersion when it comes to learning a language and to Gaelscolaíocht.
Learning and teaching Irish are most successful by total immersion. Anecdotally, we hear of people who leave secondary school with more French or Spanish than Irish. Those who listen to Raidió na Gaeltachta or who spend time in a Gaeltacht every summer or, better yet, who attend their local Gaelscoil or Gaelcholáiste will, by and large, have a better grasp of the language and a greater love and appreciation for it. If we still have a cohort of people wishing to raise their families through Irish, be that by speaking Irish at home or sending their children to the local Gaelscoil or Gaelcholáiste, that minority should be protected and supported in the same way the language should be.
I have questions. A line in the statement issued by the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, ERST, on 19 March stated "these students [in the Gaelcholáiste] ... will be accommodated in another building on the school's campus for their first year". What does this mean? Are those students in their second year to be accommodated in the same building as the students learning through the medium of English? Will they be moved in second year? Will they stay in another independent building in second year and onwards until the main building is vacant?
A deputy principal is to be appointed to develop the Gaelcholáiste. I assume that will not happen until June. In the meantime, who is overseeing policy for the students who will have to be recruited and enrolled before October of this year? Will an Irish-speaking board be established to develop the Gaelcholáiste? The current board of Synge Street CBS was appointed to manage a school that operates through English. Will a new board or a development committee, at the very least, be established for the new school with people who have expertise in Irish-medium education and are fluent in Irish? I understand that an extension is to be built or is being worked on. Is that expected to allow for the total immersion of the students in the Gaelcholáiste? Will the current teachers be teaching across both codes? Are they fluent in Irish?
The catchment area is a lot bigger than the postcodes of Dublin 2, 4, 6 and 8. Many of the parents of children in Scoil Mológa in Dublin 6W have been involved in the campaign since the beginning. The families and children from Dublin 6W and 12 will form part of the new school community, which means there is a greater need for the school in the area. It is important to highlight that nobody in the Gaelcholáiste campaign would have signed up for a hybrid model of education on a campus where Irish is not the only spoken language. By way of reminder, the D2468 campaign was set up after a failed bid to acquire the old greyhound stadium in Harold's Cross. The families who were a part of the campaign for a Gaelcholáiste when it began may not sign up for the 2026 enrolment.
Cuirim na ceisteanna seo inniu mar tá baol ann nach mbeidh na tuismitheoirí atá bainteach leis an bhfeachtas sásta leis an bplean dhátheangach mar atá sé, agus táim fíorbhuíoch go bhfuil an tAire Stáit anseo agus go bhfuil sé sásta na ceisteanna seo a fhreagairt. Gabhaim buíochas leis.
I thank the Senator for her question. While I might be able to bluff my way through with some Irish, it is of great embarrassment to me that I am unable to respond to the Senator in Irish. Tá brón orm.
I have an official statement from the Department. I will refer to the Senator's questions at the end of my contribution. The Department is fully supportive and remains committed to the establishment of the Gaelcholáiste in the south of Dublin city. The Department is currently working with the Edmund Rice Schools Trust as patron of Synge Street CBS and the school management to ensure there is continued and clear engagement on a successful transition of Synge Street CBS from an all-boys English-medium school to a coeducational Gaelcholáiste on a phased basis from September 2026. There has been a growing need for a Gaelcholáiste in the south of Dublin city to serve the five Gaelscoileanna in the area, one of which is Bunscoil Synge Street, which is located beside Synge Street CBS and transitioned from an English-medium school to a Gaelscoil in recent years. The first phase of this transition will involve the first year intake only. Provision is also being made for students currently learning through English to enable them to complete their academic journey through the school.
In respect of staff engagements, staff from the Department of Education visited the school recently and met teaching staff and others to discuss their career opportunities and the best options as the school transitions to a Gaelcholáiste on a phased basis. Staff from Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta and Gaelscolaíochta, COGG, and Oide, the Department of Education-funded teacher professional learning service, also met the staff and outlined the professional learning opportunities available to staff to support them in teaching through the medium of Irish, including with language competency, and both agencies will be available to provide support to staff who are interested in remaining in the school and teaching through Irish. These supports for staff will continue as the project moves forward.
With respect to board representation, the existing board of management for Synge Street CBS will remain in place for the duration of its term in accordance with the articles of management of the school. In relation to the intake policy for the school, this is a matter for the patrons of the school, which is the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, to agree in conjunction with other relevant parties. The Department is aware of the need to provide an immersion educational experience for the students in the new Gaelcholáiste. It is recognised that this may be challenging as the school transitions from an English-medium school to an Irish-medium setting. However, the Department is committed to working with the school, the relevant staff, the bodies, the patrons and all concerned.
As regards the issues raised by the Senator, she asked me five specific questions. I will get clear answers to these questions from the Department and respond directly to her, if that is okay.
I welcome our guests in the Visitors Gallery. They are the pupils from rang a ceathair in Scoil Mobhí in Glasnevin who are on a tour of Leinster House this morning with their muínteoir, Cillín MacDonnacha. The son of former Senator Marie Sherlock is among the pupils in the class. I wish them an enjoyable visit to the Seanad.
I thank the Minister of State for his response. I am grateful that he will go back with the five questions because they are key to moving this issue forward. There is not a whole lot of detail in the statement, as we can see. The Minister of State said the first phase of the transition will involve first year intake only, so I wonder when the details of the second phase will be announced. Those children will keep going in the school and not just stop going to school after first year. They need a plan for six years. The Minister of State also said that professional learning opportunities have been outlined for the staff there. If staff are not fluent in Irish in a teaching capacity, it is going to be very difficult to transition over and suddenly start teaching through Irish, so I would like more detail on what the professional learning opportunities are going to be. I would be very surprised if teachers not fluent in Irish would be in a position to become fluent. Teachers do need to be fluent to teach through Irish.
The only other thing I would like to add and put on the record is a request for a meeting with the Gaelcholáiste group. It has made a couple of requests to the Department but has not received an answer. It would be beneficial to the Department to get feedback from the parents and the people involved in the group. At the end of the day, they are experts in the Irish language and in teaching through Irish, so it would be useful for planning the school and establishing some sort of a board or planning policy for the new school.
I will take the questions the Senator has posed back to the Department. It is greatly important. This is a major change in direction for Synge Street CBS. It is all-encompassing because there are the teachers who have been there for many years and done great work. This is a major new departure for them. What we will need will be clear guidance. Obviously, with this starting in September 2026, the Senator is quite right that it will be just the first year of school for those students. We must ensure they understand that this is their school for the next six years, right through until they do their leaving certificate.
I will take back the points raised by the Senator. As regards a meeting, I will endeavour to see if we can get that organised. Communication is very important in this major development for Synge Street CBS. The school is in our national history. I live many miles from the school but we still know about it because it has been spoken about in many roles. It is important that we get this right. Communication with the Department and all the relevant bodies is very important to bring everybody on board. After this Commencement matter debate, I will endeavour to get the information to the Senator and to see if we can get direct engagement from the Department too.
Public Transport
I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Emer Higgins.
I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to deal with this Commencement matter. For the record, I am asking the Minister for Transport to make a statement on his proposal to establish a transport security force. I am also asking whether city and county councillors are being considered for inclusion in the public transport safety working group. I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport and that Department.
I will set out some concerns about this issue. I acknowledge the programme for Government contains a clear commitment to establish a new transport police service with powers of arrest. This is the key focus of successful transport policing. If the service does not have powers of arrest, it cannot be effective. It is interesting to note there are differences in nuance with regard to the view of the Minister for Justice, which he stated prior to taking up the role, and the view of the Minister for Transport. I am sure it will all gel together. The practicalities have to be looked at. Clearly, there are demands on the resources of An Garda Síochána and this must be a consideration in the mix. We have the rise of antisocial behaviour on our public transport network which is simply unacceptable and must be tackled. The Minister of State knows this, everyone knows this, and any public representative will say we have constant complaints about antisocial behaviour and violence. There can be no place for this on our public transport, or no place or tolerance for it in our community.
It is always important to state our public transport network is also a place of work. It is a place of employment. Our transport unions such as Fórsa and the bus and rail unions are deeply concerned about the protection of their members who work in public transport. They are also concerned about passengers. Passengers and transport staff are fearful. In some cases they are terrified in their place of work or on their choice of transport. Their personal safety is of great concern to them. Many of them in our cities, particularly in Dublin, have lost confidence , which is a terrible thing to say. They have lost confidence in using public transport at certain points, at certain times and in certain places. The transport network is an important place and we need to ensure the absolute safety of all its users and that they have confidence in it. SIPTU and other trade unions have, of course, been great advocates of respect for transport workers and this campaign has been run very successfully. I acknowledge the responsible manner in which it has dealt with the consultation process with the Departments of Transport and Justice and An Garda Síochána.
We must make the public transport network safe for everyone. I understand the NTA, the unions, An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and passenger representative groups have worked collaboratively to try to address this issue. This is important. It has been suggested this transport security force would operate in a similar manner, and have similar powers, to the airport police or customs officers. I hope the Minister of State will raise this again with the Department. We must now proceed with whatever course of action the Government has decided on. We must go with it. The Government must identify the necessary legislative proposals and alterations to enable the establishment of this transport security force, whatever shape it will take. We must stamp out antisocial behaviour and violence on our transport network. When I speak about the transport network I am speaking about buses, the Luas, the DART and all rail line services, which are very important. The real issue is that the programme for Government contains a clear commitment, which I had a look at today, to establish a new transport police service with powers of arrest. There has to be a sanction, otherwise it will not be effective.
I thank Senator Boyhan for his question. If the House will indulge me, I would like to put on the record of Seanad Éireann my thanks to Senator Boyhan for his recent collaboration with officials of the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform on legislation going through the Houses.
I welcome the opportunity to discuss this very important topic with Members of the House today. I am taking this debate on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I want to clarify the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding for public transport but neither the Minister nor departmental officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. That being said, we are all aware that antisocial behaviour is a broad societal issue to which the public transport service is not immune.
To help tackle this critical issue, there is - as the Senator said - a very strong commitment under the programme for Government to create a transport security force under the National Transport Authority, NTA. This force would operate and have similar powers to airport police and customs officers. I reassure the House this is a priority for the Government and work has already commenced in the Department of Transport on identifying the necessary legislative proposals to progress this matter.
While in recent years we have seen significant progress on investment in safety measures, as the Senator has said, antisocial behaviour remains a serious issue. It is those who regularly use and work within our public transport network who are most impacted by any safety or security incident on the network. The establishment of the transport security force will play a central role in helping to tackle this important issue.
A great deal of work on tackling the issue of antisocial behaviour specifically on public transport has already commenced and includes the establishment of the public transport safety working group, to which the Senator has referred. The public transport safety working group was established last year to identify measures to improve passenger and staff safety across the public network. The Senator specifically called out the public transport and our places of work. He also mentioned SIPTU and other unions that have run a campaign around respect in public transport workplaces which is to be welcomed.
The public transport safety working group also includes representatives from the public transport sector, operating companies, unions, the National Transport Authority, An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and passenger representative groups. The main focus of this group is the creation of a public transport safety charter to progress the NTA safety and security implementation plan. While I understand it is intended that members of the public transport safety working group will help to inform policymakers on ways to reduce the number of antisocial incidents we see happening in our public transport network, it will also feed into this overall commitment from the programme for Government.
The Department of Transport continues to work closely with industry stakeholders to identify measures to improve passenger safety across the public transport network. In this regard, the safety working group will play an important role when it comes to the planning and implementation of the Government's commitment to create a transport security force. The Department will also engage with a number of key stakeholders as this work progresses.
As the programme for Government clearly outlines, it is envisaged that the transport security force will operate in a manner - as I have said - similar to airport police and customs officers. The continued work of the NTA and each of the public transport operators to promote the safety and security of passengers and staff will be of the utmost importance. That is why we will be maintaining strong links with An Garda Síochána because that is where it is most important to help to tackle this important issue when it comes to physically being on trains. I will point out that there were really good days of action on this in the past year.
The Government, the Department of Transport and all stakeholders will continue to develop these new policies and mechanisms to increase safety, decrease incidents of antisocial behaviour across the public transport network and bring to life exactly what the Senator has said today.
I thank the Minister of State for that comprehensive overview of the situation and I think there is heart in that. I wish to reiterate two things. Let us get on and proceed as quickly as we can with identifying the necessary legislative proposals because such proposals will be needed, as the Minister of State has already told the House. Let us also see the necessary requirements established for the transport security force.
The Minister of State did not manage to touch on the final piece which was the sitting county councillors. Sitting county councillors - the Minister of State knows this very well as someone who served in local government for years - are central to community policing. They are also central as community stakeholders and advocates for the community. I believe there is a role there, be it on this working group or some other group or through a liaison of the Department itself, for some representatives of sitting county councillors to be engaged and treated as legitimate stakeholders in this process. The Minister of State might think about that and see what opportunities there are in the future where we could incorporate them.
Senator Boyhan has made a really good point. To reiterate, the creation of the transport security force is a priority for the Government. As the Senator has said, it is important to note the introduction of the force is going to require the development of legislation which, as all of us in this House know, may take significant time. Nonetheless, the Government's commitment to delivering a safe and secure public transport network and the outgoing interim work on public transport safety will continue, as will the continued support and funding for operator measures, such as the recent extension of the Dublin Bus security pilot scheme.
Across the network, all public transport operators are continuing to extend significant resources. We have fully fitted CCTV cameras, text alert systems and control centres, all of which have been introduced recently.
Regarding city and county councillors, I know the Tallaght community forum is in operation when it comes to bus services there. City and county councillors have a role in that.
The Senator is right that this issue needs to be reviewed at a broader level. The Minister of Transport was previously the Minister with responsibility for local government and I am sure, given that background, that he will be willing to take the Senator's feedback on board. I will pass it along.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 11.20 a.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 11.30 a.m.
Sitting suspended at 11.20 a.m. and resumed at 11.30 a.m.