Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will start with a matter to which nearly every speaker has referred, namely, Expressway services. Being a rural Deputy, I am aware of the importance of such services. I come from Kilkenny. Expressway services are important for connectivity in rural Ireland. We have PSO lines, many of which go to Dublin. The format for Expressway should be changed. I am speaking about the south east. I accept a bus starting in Waterford, stopping in Kilkenny and Carlow and going straight to Dublin is an express bus but, as Deputy Cullinane said, I do not accept a bus that starts in Waterford and stops in Ballyhale, Mullinavat, Paulstown and Gowran, which are all little towns in Kilkenny, and connects up the whole way is an express bus. This involves nine stops. That is not an express bus. That is a different criterion and the sooner the NTA or the Minister - whoever is in charge of this - changes the statement that it is an express bus, the better. It is not an express bus. I can understand an express bus involving getting on in one place, having two stops and then heading on to Dublin. The reason I am saying this is because of the PSO. My understanding is that under the law, we cannot subsidise an Expressway route but if the criteria were changed, it could be looked at. Due to the ongoing negotiations and the possible breakdown of the talks between Bus Éireann and the unions, I fear that we will lose services in rural Ireland. The Minister needs to meet the parties. I know the matter has nothing to do with the Department.

The Minister must get these people around the table. He must get in representatives of the National Transport Authority, the unions and Bus Éireann and sit around the table with them. The free travel is another issue. It has been frozen since 2010. Figures were mentioned and that can be looked at. At least half the money could be got from those and the unions and Bus Éireann could work out the other problems they have. Can the witness influence this so that connectivity can be kept in rural Ireland in order to keep it alive? The Government is talking about keeping rural Ireland alive but unless people have services every day to go to colleges, the airport or shopping, we will see more isolation, particularly with older people.