Questions

362. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to concerns regarding the lack of clear and audible public address announcements at DART stations particularly in relation to service delays and platform changes; the standards in place to ensure accessibility for passengers who are visually impaired; the steps being taken to improve the clarity and reliability of announcement…

363. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Transport to provide a list of all DART stations indicating whether a fully functioning audible public address announcement system is in place at each station; whether any stations currently have partial or non-functioning systems; the timeline for remediation where deficiencies exist, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6582/26]

364. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to ongoing and seriously dangerous driving behaviour at a location (details supplied) particularly during school arrival and departure times; the measures currently in place, or planned by his Department in conjunction with the National Transport Authority and local authorities to improve road safety at this location; whether …

365. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Transport the measures his Department is taking to address dangerous driving behaviour in the vicinity of primary and post-primary schools nationwide; whether any targeted road safety or driver awareness campaigns are planned or underway focusing on school zones and student safety; the way in which these initiatives are being coordinated with local authorities and An …

366. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Transport the role of the Marine Survey Office in investigating fatalities or serious incidents involving Irish-registered fishing vessels; the number of such investigations initiated in the past five years; whether all incidents involving loss of life have been fully investigated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6590/26]

367. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Transport the way in which his Department and the Marine Survey Office ensure that skippers and crew of fishing vessels operating from Irish ports have the necessary training and certification for safe operation, including radio communications and emergency procedures; whether language and communication barriers have been identified as a safety risk; and if he will ma…

368. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Transport if he is aware of concerns from harbour authorities that sunken or poorly maintained inshore fishing vessels pose a risk to commercial shipping lanes, particularly where vessels have sunk or could sink in dredged channels; the protocols which apply for ensuring such vessels are insured and recoverable; and the person or body which ultimately bears the cost o…

369. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Transport the schemes funded through his Department which subsidise public transport; if such apply to non-PSO operators; the allocation of such, by scheme and by allocation to operator, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6621/26]

370. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Transport to engage with the Road Safety Authority to prohibit the use of LED automatic high-beam dipping systems, given the danger they pose to motorists on rural roads; and to restrict the use of LED headlight bulbs in vehicles that were not originally designed or approved for such lighting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6622/26]

283. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider the creation of a new direct route from Ongar village to Blanchardstown village; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5129/26]

284. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider the extension of train routes from Dublin 15 to Dublin city centre beyond Connolly Station at weekends to stops within the city; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5130/26]

285. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Transport when he will sanction the increase in payment for those in receipt of the Pre-1951 CIÉ employees’ pension scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5175/26]

286. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Transport when legislation will be introduced so that a regime of routine or random physical inspections of aircraft landing in Ireland can be introduced particularly in relation to the use of Shannon airport by the US military [5211/26]

287. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Transport if the agreement reached between the CIÉ Group and the company's trade union group (details supplied) in relation to CIÉ's pension schemes means any increases will be back paid to the date of the agreement in August 2025. [5213/26]

288. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Transport the expected timeline for publication of statutory measures and the commencement of public consultation as per the agreement between the CIÉ Group and the company's trade union (details supplied) in relation to CIÉ's pension schemes in August 2025. [5214/26]

289. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Transport the current average waiting times for driving tests, broken down by licence category, HGV, bus and other commercial categories, by test centre, for each of the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5237/26]

290. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Transport whether he will provide a comparison between average waiting times for private car driving tests and for commercial driving tests, including HGV and bus licences; the extent to which these waiting times differ; and the reasons for any disparity. [5238/26]

291. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Transport whether driving testers within the RSA have been reassigned from commercial driving tests to private car driving tests in order to reduce overall waiting-time averages; if so, when this practice commenced; and the impact it has had on waiting times for commercial licence applicants. [5239/26]

292. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Transport the number of commercial driving tests (HGV and bus) conducted by the Road Safety Authority in each month of the past two years; the way in which this compares with private car tests over the same period; and if he will outline the reasons for any significant changes. [5240/26]

293. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Transport whether any driving test centres have had periods during which no commercial driving tests were scheduled or conducted; the reasons for this; and the steps being taken to ensure available testing capacity for professional drivers is fully utilised. [5241/26]

294. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Transport whether he has assessed the impact of prolonged waiting times for HGV and bus driving tests on labour shortages within the road haulage and public transport sectors; and if so, the findings of that assessment. [5242/26]

295. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Transport the target waiting times that apply specifically to commercial driving tests; whether these targets are being met; and if not, the corrective measures being planned. [5243/26]

296. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Transport the engagement he or his Department has had with representative bodies in the road haulage sector regarding delays in commercial driving tests; and the actions that have been agreed, arising from this engagement. [5244/26]

297. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Transport whether consideration has been given to establishing a dedicated commercial driving test stream within the Road Safety Authority to ensure professional drivers are not disadvantaged by overall demand for private car tests; and if not, the reason. [5245/26]

298. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Transport the oversight mechanisms in place to ensure that reported improvements in national driving-test waiting times accurately reflect waiting times across all licence categories, including commercial drivers. [5246/26]