Ms Anne Graham:

To start with the question about resources, we have a current budget assigned for PSO services that has been fully allocated to our existing contracts. Similarly under the rural transport programme, even following the restructuring, the funding associated with rural transport is allocated to services being provided. We would need further funding in order to be able to provide additional services, which is what we want to do. We will put our proposals to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to assist us. If we had more funding, we could provide more services. That is the position we want to be in, to grow rural transport services and respond quickly to the challenges posed by the withdrawal of commercial services, not just Bus Éireann services but also those provided by other commercial operators.

We support the setting up of a local working group because it gives us an opportunity to meet a group of representatives and work with them on solutions. We have solutions we can put forward, but they know their areas and the demand for services better than we do. That is why it is a working group and we will work together on the proposals to make sure as many links as possible with current services to the main urban centres such as Dublin can be retained to ensure also that students can access their colleges.

The Department of Social Protection manages the free travel pass scheme and the budget associated with it has been capped for several years. Any new service, whether commercial or subsidised and provided by us under contract, cannot avail of further funding from the Department. Some new commercial services cannot seek any compensation for carrying free travel pass holders. They decide whether to charge or accept the free travel pass.