Mr. Martin Nolan:

I wish to make one further point about the routes we are changing. There are very small passenger numbers in the places from which we are pulling out. For example, in Athy we have three passengers on each service. It is more about revenue and the slice of the market we can have in the future. We look at our costs constantly and are an efficient operator. We were as efficient as our European peers, according to independent studies conducted in the late 2000s. Our efficiency ratios have since gone well off the scale. We are well up on that side of the house.

On school transport, there can be a small surplus. We held a meeting devoted to this topic last year and have added transparency to the system since. Ours was the first semi-State company to allow the Comptroller and Auditor General to examine its books. There will be more developments in that regard, but all of the money ring-fenced for school transport goes back into the service. For example, we will be buying additional vehicles this year, IT systems and so forth.