Mr. Ultan Courtney:

I cannot answer that question today, but I will return to the Senator. We will always examine the issue.

Because working buses have not been replaced for a couple of years, the fleet is slightly older. The newest bus is six years old. It is slipping and we do not want it to happen because if it continues to slip, problems will arise. It could be marginal, affecting just 1% or 2%, when a bus does not turn up, breaks down or goes in for repair. There is no better statement about a modern city than it having a modern, clean, efficient, effective and continuous bus service, where when a bus pulls up and people see it as something good and opt to go on it. In general, despite the few years when we did not receive replacements, the fleet looks good. In the past two years there have been 160 buses provided and there is a commitment to provide approximately another 90 per year in the next few years. We will push hard because people say we have surplus revenue which we should return to the Government. It is very important to argue that it should be put into a modern fleet, which we need.