I will raise a local public transport issue. Buses that appear due on the app are being cancelled minutes prior to their scheduled arrival with people at bus stops waiting for them. The next scheduled bus does not then meet the schedule, arrives late and is too full to take on board any other passengers. These are very regular experiences of my constituents in Dublin South-West, especially with the new S4, S6 and S8 routes. These buses are meant to ferry people to college, work and family commitments. My question relates to the NTA. Does the Taoiseach agree that the previous Minister did not take a sufficiently hands-on approach with the NTA to listen to the criticisms of the public and to communicate with them properly? Does he agree that we need a much more responsive and direct approach with the NTA to ensure a reliable public transport system, which is the cornerstone of any successful public transport?

I agree with the Deputy. I believe the NTA has a huge agenda. There needs to be stronger engagement with both the Government and the Oireachtas, and maybe much more time could be saved, including in the development of BusConnects, for example. As I have said repeatedly, the scenario seems to involve publishing the worst possible plan, which ignites the greatest degree of opposition from neighbourhoods and residential areas, and then – hey presto – following consultation, a much-diluted plan emerges. All of that is happening in the name of the State. That must not continue, as I have said to the NTA myself. There has to be a different approach, an approach that is more cognisant of people’s needs but also their anxieties. From my experience, too many residents end up in tears when a letter comes in the door stating that half their garden is to be taken, without proper consultation. We need better, streamlined bus services and we need to create the conditions for that. We need to consider a refreshing, new type of approach.