Mr. Dermot O'Leary:

The Deputy referred to direct awards. From the trade union side, we favour a return to the situation where we were in discussions to facilitate the entry of private operators into the market. Unfortunately, time has long since passed. A decision is a decision. Evidence from some European countries is that the initial tender is competitive and, of course, it would be. My colleague, Mr. Noone, referred to the simple fact that a pension liability attaches to both Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann, which does not attach to a private company bidding or tendering for routes. Inevitably, the cost increases in the second and subsequent tenders for bus routes across Europe.