EU Presidency
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-01
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Mark Ward (SF), Dublin Mid-West

I respect that I only mentioned the Garda community bus at the end of my question. I got a response this week from the Garda station saying the DMR west Garda community bus will be unavailable from the end of the month for the rest of the year due to the requirements of the EU Presidency. I met two groups in the area recently, the Quarryvale Butterflies and the Rowlagh women's hub, which are campaigning for an additional bus. The bus that was available was in Blanchardstown, across the River Liffey, and we have managed to get a new bus for that area, which we will use and share. The women were delighted and are still going to campaign for the additional bus.
They are really disappointed with the response I had to send to them this week indicating that the new bus we were getting for the whole of the DMR West was going to be taken for the EU Presidency. We are back to square one with no bus available. This bus is vital for community groups but also for building good, positive relationships with the Garda. I ask that the Minister do everything in his power to restore this bus and also look at funding for an additional bus for the area.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-01/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:06+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-01