Dublin Transport Authority (Amendment) Bill 2026: Second Stage
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-26
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Michael Collins (II), Cork South-West

I am onto the NTA. I am on the board. I should not have to come to the Minister of State. I am there as a volunteer to deliver for people through the right channels, not to be running to the Minister of State's door every five minutes. I will go to the Minister of State, though. I appreciate that and anyone who offers an open door. I am not coming here to criticise. I am coming here to create solutions. There are solutions there. There is not a need to be blowing a budget here and there because we cannot get every little corner in the country serviced. I respect that. However, the corners that can be serviced with the service that is already there need to be looked into. The Minister of State said his door was open, but the problem is that the door of the NTA is rammed shut. There is something up against it because we cannot open it and cannot get a discussion open on little loops to further enhance a service that is already in existence or answers to the questions about why it tendered for Dunmanway, Clonakilty, Grange and Timoleague and could not deliver. Why did it tender for Bantry, Kealkill and Macroom if it could not deliver? That is wrong. That has to be overturned and looked at.
I plead with the Minister of State to look at the Castlestownhend loop and the Mizen loop because, while I will not say I have given up, I have banged so much on that door that my knuckles are worn. The NTA is not listening and will not open that door. I want to meet with it. As I am a member, I want to bring it before the transport committee to answer questions. However, that is not the way it should happen. There should be dialogue between the public representatives and the system that we have, which is the NTA. Now, the Government wants to give it more powers. I am very concerned about giving it more liberty and power when it cannot cope with the power that it has at the moment. I ask the Minister of State to look at those areas that I spoke about. I am not trying to throw a spanner in the works and say that everything is negative, but there is certainty a lot of frustration out there about services that were promised and not delivered and others that could be issued or extended.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:04+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-26