Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I remind Senators, six weeks ahead of the local elections, of the old cliché that perception is everything in politics. It is not about the reality. Even Irish Rural Link has been chilled to the bone. I am shocked by the statements of the Minister, Deputy Leo Varadkar, because it is a proven fact throughout the world that public services, particularly bus and rail services, are not expected to make a profit. There is an obligation on the Government of the day to provide social services for the people they represent. That is the bottom line. This does not take in any way from their being efficient or run efficiently. A cost benefit analysis was carried out approximately a decade ago by consultants employed by the then Fianna Fáil Government which showed that irrespective of whether there would be increased numbers, the Dublin-Sligo rail service would never be viable.