Parliamentary questions

203. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to concerns related to the lack of capacity in the electricity grid at Shannon Airport to allow for a significant expansion of electric cars to be leased by car rental companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68603/25]

204. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the forthcoming publication of an EU legislative proposal on a battery EV (BEV) purchase mandate for corporate fleets on 10 December 2025; if he is concerned about the knock on impact on our domestic car rental companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68604/25]

205. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Transport if he is conscious of the unique challenges faced by the car rental industry in rolling out zero emission cars, specifically in relation to charging infrastructure and the lack of capacity in the grid system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68605/25]

206. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Transport his views on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68611/25]

207. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Transport if the NTA has considered piloting audio technology in taxis to assist the visually impaired; the steps being taken to improve accessibility in taxis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68612/25]

208. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Transport his view on supporting the use of private residential on-street EV charging in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68649/25]

209. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Transport his view on fixed-rate fare taxi charges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68650/25]

210. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Transport his view on whether Bus Connects will be complete by 2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68651/25]

211. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Transport his view on bringing the vacant property at Ranelagh Luas station back into use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68653/25]

212. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Transport when the new DART carriages will be rolled out; the expected additional capacity they will provide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68671/25]

213. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Transport if the NTA have examined the reliability and punctuality of the 15 Dublin Bus route; the process in place for when a bus is cancelled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68672/25]

214. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that Aer Lingus provides a high standard of customer service; and if he will address concerns that the airline is reluctant to compensate passengers for damaged luggage (details supplied). [68678/25]

215. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the staffing levels assigned to the processing of foreign driving licence exchange applications in each of the past three years, broken down by grade; whether any additional staffing or resources have been approved in 2024 or 2025 to address current backlogs; the ICT or administrative changes planned for the National Driver Licence Service i…

216. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the current performance targets for the processing of foreign driving licence exchange applications; the percentage of applications that met these targets in each quarter of the past two years; the number of complaints received in the past twelve months in relation to delays or lack of communication regarding foreign driving licence exchange…

217. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport in light of his Department’s statutory oversight of the Road Safety Authority under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the regular reports his Department receives on National Driver Licence Service performance in relation to foreign driving licence exchange applications; the key risks, backlogs or performance deficits identified in 2024 and…

218. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the procedures his Department has in place to ensure that urgent foreign driving licence exchange applications are prioritised where delay prevents a person from taking up or continuing in employment; the criteria used to classify an application as urgent; the number of urgent cases identified in 2024 and 2025; the average processing time fo…

219. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the average incident-clearance times recorded on the N40 South Ring Road in the past twelve months; the protocols in place for rapid clearance of minor collisions or obstructions; and whether his Department has evaluated the operational requirement for a dedicated peak-hour traffic-management presence to minimise network-wide delays. [68759/…

220. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport to provide the average time required to complete environmental assessment processes, including Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropriate Assessment, for major transport infrastructure projects commenced in each of the past five years; and to detail any reforms underway to reduce delays in these assessment stages. [68802/25]

221. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport to provide the average duration of Environmental Impact Assessment processes for all Transport Infrastructure Ireland projects with an expected total cost above 200 million euro commenced since 2020; and the measures taken by his Department to address delays at this stage of project development. [68803/25]

222. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport to provide the average duration of Appropriate Assessment processes for all National Transport Authority projects with an expected total cost above 200 million euro commenced since 2020, and to outline any steps taken by his Department to improve the efficiency of these assessments. [68804/25]

223. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Transport if the Ring of Kerry road between Sneem and Castlecove can be upgraded before a serious accident takes place there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68861/25]

224. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Transport the reason crucial Luas Finglas and DART South-West projects have been delayed in favour of funding roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68883/25]

225. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Transport his views on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68884/25]

226. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Transport for a progress report on matters pertaining to the pension entitlements and arrangements for retired CIÉ workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68885/25]

227. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the reason his Department does not require the National Transport Authority to collect and report local breakdowns, repeat incidents, and repair costs relating to vandalism of public bus shelters; the reason this information is not monitored at Department level despite annual public funding; and the steps he will now take to ensure full tran…