Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Based on what I have heard today and the previous day, I am fascinated to discover that Bus Éireann, which services the entire State - we will discount the Dublin part of it - of about 3.4 million people who do not have any alternative comprehensive service, gets about €40 million. It works out at about €12 for every man, woman and child in the population. Bus Átha Cliath has two big advantages. The profitable and unprofitable are just thrown into one big maw, as it were. It gets €60 million to service 1.3 million people.

One would think the urban area would be much more economic, but in fact it requires a subsidy that is between three and four times higher per head of population than that spent on all the people who depend on the Bus Éireann service. It also has the big advantage that it can take the profitable with the unprofitable and it is all just thrown into one maw, whereas in the rural areas it is all separated between the economic, semi-economic, non-economic and so on. It is a pity the Minister is not here. When I asked the first question about policy directives, it was because I believe he thinks this is a good idea. I do not. I will not ask Ms Graham to comment on this.