769. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on the outcome of the recent public consultation to allow pets on public transport. [25754/26]

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.

As the Deputy will be aware the NTA launched a 4-week public consultation, closing 20th March 2026, on a proposed consolidated policy for the carriage of pets across the PSO network, including bus, rail and Luas services. The NTA will review the feedback before finalising the policy.

In light of the NTA’s responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.