I thank you for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment and I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Jacob, to the House.
It is clear that a full review of the DART service, particularly its operation times, is overdue. This service, which has been a tremendous success, has been in operation for over ten years. However, certain aspects of it need attention. The times of the last DART trains need to be reviewed with a view to extending them so that the DART is available as an extra traffic option late at night. From Monday to Saturday the last train from the nearest station to this House leaves at 11.18 p.m. for the north side of the city and at 11.22 p.m. for the south side. That is too early for people who are at parties, in pubs or working late. In most other European cities one can avail of public transport at a later hour. The various authorities should discuss this matter and agree to extend the DART's operation times. Perhaps we could introduce different times in summer and winter or when the licensing laws are changed. This issue must be looked at particularly when one considers that many licensed premises have extensions to 12.30 a.m. if not later.
We should link the DART service to the other transport facilities. There is vast room for improvement in the taxi service and in areas serviced by the Nitelink buses. A concerted effort to improve transport services only seems to be made at Christmas. I ask the Minister to provide the necessary extra funding to ensure that proper facilities and the necessary staff are provided.
We should also examine Sunday services on the DART, which are totally unsatisfactory. When it was first set up, work practices were different and people respected the Sabbath. That is no longer the case as people work on Sundays. The first DART on the north and south sides of the city runs at 9.30 a.m. or 9.45 a.m. That is not satisfactory for those who wish to avail of the service. We are trying to encourage more people to leave the car at home and use other transport. This morning my party members agreed to come to work by different transport methods. If we want to stop people from travelling into the city in cars and clogging up the system, we must encourage them to use the DART. On Sundays many tourists avail of transport facilities to catch trains or the boat at the North Wall. We must ensure a good Sunday service is available.
People who travel to Greystones have told me that extra rolling stock must be made available when the new service is extended there. People who get on the DART in Greystones may not notice the problem until they are close to Dublin. Extra rolling stock must be made available if the already overcrowded trains are not to become even more so. I know the Minister will agree with much of what I have said. Improvements will need money and also a sense of commitment to giving a better service. The DART service has been a great success and will, I hope, improve further with the laying of lines to the airport and the extension of the line to Greystones. The service is needed at times of the day when it is not available at present and I hope the Minister will reply positively to my suggestions.