Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentations. Bus Éireann buys diesel in advance at €1.20 per litre. The price of diesel is now down to 99.8 cent a litre in places. When it falls lower than that, will the company buy enough in bulk in order that it might save a great deal of money down the road? The price of oil is expected to fall to somewhere between $22 and $24 dollars. When the opportunity arises, will the company make sure it buys enough diesel in advance? A group appeared before the committee recently to discuss natural gas and Ireland's move to a low-carbon economy. They said buses would move to natural gas. Is Bus Éireann buying buses with that facility? It costs €18,000 to install the relevant technology.

On school transport, why was the old school rule abolished? It is causing many problems around the country. Another problem that crops up here and there, which I am sure every Deputy has encountered, is children attending schools that are further away from them than others. I am familiar with cases of bullying and other problems which meant the children had to move to other schools and they had to pay for their bus tickets. Is any change proposed in this regard?

The NTA is just waggling along with the Local Link service in County Leitrim and parts of County Roscommon and nothing is being done. We have been told schemes would be announced but nothing has happened. When will the service be provided? Who is making up the rules preventing buses from pulling up in different places? The approval of the local authority is needed. Who introduced that rule, which is causing problems?

I return to matters involving Bus Éireann. There are new rules for orange, yellow and red weather alerts.

I understand that during the flooding, if there were three to four inches of water on the road, there was an instruction not drive. I must compliment Mr. Nolan on how Bus Éireann staff dealt with a problem in Roscommon as the bus went round about to help children. Why is it the case that in adverse weather conditions of frost, rain or storm, the Bus Éireann school bus is stopped but the private operator will pick up the children? Different rules seem to apply.

I wish to put a question on tendering to both the witnesses from Bus Éireann and the National Roads Authority. Do the witnesses think the new procurement procedures fly in the face of common sense in that the detail of the description of how one cleans the bus and so on means that one is awarded more marks and therefore secures the tender, making an ass of the procurement system?