Ms Anne Graham:

I gave an example in my opening statement of how we had gone about addressing the withdrawal of route 5. We examined the services that remained following the withdrawal of the route, the demand for services through all of the towns that were to be left behind and the different mechanisms we could use to provide additional services, for example, through an amendment of the PSO contract with Bus Éireann in order that the company could alter routes to provide services locally or through tendering for new PSO services or new rural transport services. This was done successfully in the case of route 5 to the extent that the service level improved for a number of towns formerly serviced by the route. We will carry out the same process if the three Expressway routes to which the Deputy referred are withdrawn.