I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for facilitating me. My question concerns the withdrawal and cessation of the Airport Hopper public transport bus service from Tallaght to Dublin Airport, which ceased without warning very recently. My key concerns are that there was a lack of public communication of the fact that the service was going to cease and that passengers were not informed that it was ceasing, which left them stranded on the day. From correspondence I have had, the NTA appears to have been unaware of this, which indicates some kind of gap in regulatory oversight. What happened has left a commuting gap in Dublin South-West. There is now no direct public transport link to the airport from Tallaght, Templeogue or Rathfarnham. Alternatives require multiple transfers, which are quite costly. The cessation of the service has had a disproportionate impact on workers at the airport from my constituency, some of whom relied exclusively on it.

Will the Tánaiste ask the Minister for Transport to intervene directly with the NTA to explore a replacement service? Will he seek confirmation on whether any existing bus operators are considering operating a service to fill the gap? Will he push for short-term measures, such as extending existing Dublin Bus services, or other operational services, to provide and fill the gap from Tallaght and Templeogue to the airport?

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue for his constituents. As he said, it concerns not just people who need to go to the airport to go on trips but those who need to get to the airport on a very frequent basis for work, and the impact the withdrawal of the Airport Hopper service has had on them. From what the Deputy said, I am particularly concerned about what seems to be a lack of proper communication with his constituents, and the lack of awareness on the part of the NTA. He certainly got my attention when he said that. In the first instance, I will ask the Minister for Transport to speak to the NTA on this to find out how that happened - it should not have happened - and to see what can be done to fill the gap along the lines of the suggestions the Deputy made.