288. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the measures being taken by his Department and the National Transport Authority to ensure future electric bus procurements are aligned with the delivery of charging infrastructure. [65203/26]

289. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport to provide the analysis and assessment underpinning the assertion that purchasing battery electric buses while the necessary charging infrastructure was in train represented better value for the State than deferring or adjusting the timing of their purchase to more closely align delivery of the buses with completion of that infrastructure, including the methodology, assumptions and projected inflation or indexation costs used in that assessment. [65204/26]

290. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport whether the assessment of the financial implications of purchasing battery electric buses while the necessary charging infrastructure was in train included depreciation in the value of buses during periods in which they remained in storage and unavailable for operational service; if so, the depreciation amount included; and if not, the reason this cost was excluded. [65205/26]

291. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport whether the assessment of the financial implications of purchasing battery electric buses while the necessary charging infrastructure was in train included the opportunity cost or cost of capital associated with Exchequer funding being committed to assets before they could enter operational service; if so, to provide the methodology and amount attributed to this cost; and if not, the reason this cost was excluded. [65206/26]

292. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport to provide the costs incurred to date as a consequence of battery electric buses being purchased but remaining unavailable for operational service pending completion of the necessary charging infrastructure, including storage, servicing, maintenance, insurance and any other associated costs, by year and cost category, in tabular form. [65207/26]

293. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the full value for money comparison undertaken between purchasing battery electric buses while the necessary charging infrastructure was in train and adjusting the timing of bus purchases to more closely align their delivery with completion of that infrastructure, including purchase price inflation or indexation, depreciation, storage, servicing, maintenance, insurance, opportunity or financing costs and any other costs included in the assessment, in tabular form. [65208/26]

294. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport whether a comprehensive financial assessment has been undertaken of the impact of delayed deployment of battery electric buses purchased by the National Transport Authority while the necessary charging infrastructure was in train; the date on which any such assessment was completed; whether his Department considered the full economic cost of holding buses which were not available for operational service, including depreciation and opportunity cost; and to provide a copy of the assessment. [65209/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 288 to 294, inclusive, together.

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including the provision and upgrade of public bus fleets and bus depots.

Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct reply. Please contact my private office if the Deputy does not receive a reply within 10 working days.

Pending a more detailed response, I note that electric buses are currently in operation in the urban public transport fleets in Dublin, Limerick and Athlone. The electrification of the bus fleet is a key part of the BusConnects programmes and in our investment in public transport across the country more generally, helping to make a sustainable mode of travel even more sustainable.

As of today, over 250 battery-electric buses have been accepted into the Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann fleets across the country, including the operation of our first fully electric services in Limerick and Athlone. There are 90 zero-emission double-deck battery-electric buses awaiting deployment pending the bringing on stream of charging infrastructure, of which 36 are destined for the GDA and 54 destined for Galway. Plans are in place for all GDA-bound buses to be in service by the end of this year, while all buses destined for Galway are currently programmed to enter service across late 2026 and early 2027.

There can be a 12-to-48-month timeline when ordering a new electric bus, while installing charging infrastructure typically requires securing planning approval and subsequent procurement of charger supplier and installation. Achieving full alignment between the delivery of the new electric bus fleet and the charger installations is challenging.

To help address the mismatched timelines of charging capacity and fleet delivery in future, the NTA plans to award a new national electric bus charging infrastructure framework shortly. This framework, from which suppliers can be accessed for depot electrification projects anywhere in the country in the future, will replace the fragmented, project-by-project procurement approach to date.