Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome and thank the representatives of the authority for coming before us today. The issue I am keen to raise with the authority relates to the Kerry Flyer and what I see as the displacement of private operators from school transport routes by this publicly-funded organisation. I thank the authority for making reference to this issue in the opening statement.

I note that there is an air of "it's not our problem" about the statement, but I certainly feel that it is the NTA's problem. I know, Ms Graham, that we have discussed this previously. In my view, what is going on here is completely unacceptable. We have private entrepreneurs, business people, who are effectively being put out of business by a body that is heavily subsidised by the State. Our efforts to date, over the last number of months, to try to get answers and hold somebody to account, have been met with a collective "pass the buck" from a range of organisations. Members of the Oireachtas from County Kerry feel that there has been buy-in from everyone here in terms of saying that what is going on is completely wrong.

Is Ms Graham concerned about what is happening here? Is this how she envisaged from the outset the use of funding that she is giving under the rural transport programme? Is this how she envisaged it being spent?

What level of investigation has Ms Graham engaged in to ascertain where the money that she is delivering has been spent? Has she investigated precisely what activities are covered by the money she is giving here to this company? Does she see this as the role she was expecting this company to deliver? What does she say to the private operators who have been forced out of business or are in fear of being forced out of business because of the actions of a body that her authority is funding? Could I get answers to those initial questions? I have further questions, Chairman.