John O'Mahony (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am conscious that Senator Feighan wants to come in as well. I do not want our questions to overlap. I have an observation for the Minister. He mentioned that PSO funding has been increased. I previously helped local communities in disputes when Expressway services were bypassing particular villages. A solution was found that was agreeable to all sides to establish connectivity to Expressway services. I ask the Minister to leave aside the industrial dispute for a moment. Is he saying he will increase the PSO subsidy sufficiently to solve all the problems around the country? The issue for Bus Éireann, particularly in rural Ireland, is that its Expressway services cannot compete because they have to call to every town and village. I imagine that if all these issues are to be solved, the solution will involve a drastic increase in PSO services. The Minister spoke about a passenger-centred approach in the context of the announcement that the Athlone-Westport service is to be discontinued. Is he saying that the people along the route will not be disadvantaged by the closure of that service? Will a PSO service be put in to replace this service?