Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I might come back to that separately. I want to ask some further questions. One relates to treating like with like. For example, there is anecdotal evidence about the number of sick days taken and it was, let us say, a very unfavourable figure. A number of bus drivers have told me they have been passed fit to go back to work by their doctors or hospital but when they present for work, they are put through a further battery of tests, which means they must stay on welfare. Is that regime applied on a like-for-like basis? There is supposed to be a national standard and public safety is the most important aspect. Is the standard applied evenly, depending on whether the operator is Bus Éireann or a private driver? How is the standard monitored, as there is the suggestion of costs being a factor? A letter I received also mentioned the cutting of pay. The point is that sometimes people do not have the option to go back to work and are prevented by the company from doing so.