Mr. Martin Dunne:

To be honest, I cannot give the Deputy an answer off the top of my head as to how many vehicles there are in the north east. I can state all new vehicles are prioritised, whereby the oldest ones are replaced across the country on a fair and equitable basis.

That will also be the case in respect of the 47 vehicles that will enter the fleet. All of the older vehicles nationwide will be decommissioned, with the result that the oldest vehicles will date from 2007. Replacement will proceed in an equitable manner across the country based on the information available from the fleet management systems and in conjunction with performance managers on the ground.