Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the three chairmen designate here and wish them well with their portfolios.

Irish Rail removed the ticket checkers on some of the routes in my area. Can the company stand behind that policy? On some trains that led to overcrowding and anti-social behaviour on carriages. There are also people freeloading, taking advantage of not being checked on the routes. Is that policy being reviewed?

On a larger scale, following the break-up of CIE, Irish Rail divided itself into two operations, infrastructure management and railway undertaking. Has this been of benefit to the company? How many people are employed at executive level in each company? Was it necessary to create two tiers of executives again? Does having these two separate operations provide value for money? There is a feeling at the lower levels that this is not delivering what it was intended to deliver. We could do with more drivers. When does Mr. Allen expect the rail review to be published?

Bus Éireann has come through a tumultuous and traumatic time with regard to the strike. I am glad to see that has been resolved. I am not sure whether all are in agreement with the cuts that have been implemented but I hear that management is working on it. One of the big issues was the Expressway routes. I have to reiterate that there is unfair competition when the National Transport Authority, NTA and the Department talk about a Cork to Dublin route for the private operator. Such an operator can fill his bus in Cork city and go straight to Dublin whereas the Expressway has to, and will I hope continue to, stop off at some of the major towns between Cork and Dublin. That adds to the cost and maybe the time but it is an invaluable service. The concern is that it gets no aid or funding for it even though it is obliged to accept the free travel pass, whereas the private operators are not. That creates unfair competition putting Expressway in jeopardy. Will there be any talks to resolve that discrepancy? Knowing the public transport service, I know there will always be strikes and this will become a thorn in our sides again. What is being done to resolve a problem of competition in future?

With pride in delivering a bus service Mr. Murphy mentioned the school bus runs but every year there are areas where those runs are reformulated at the direction of the Department of Education and Skills and in this case the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan. Nothing has been done about that. Families are in turmoil and have to send their children to different schools because they did not make the first roll for the ticketing system. Does the Department speak to people on the ground? There is no point implementing policy without being practical. Is there any co-ordination between Bus Éireann officials on the ground and the Department? In east Cork historically there was a parish catchment area where pupils went to Fermoy. Now, because of changes in the Department's rules parents are told to send the children over the border to County Waterford. If Mr. Murphy knew anything about the GAA he would know that it is not done to send people from one county to be educated in another county. I am referring to the historic connection. No thought went into these changes.

I will let my colleagues deal with Dublin Bus. My final question is on climate change and related issues. This may be one for Irish Rail.

I remember not so many years ago that when the port of Cork was relocating, its original proposal was refused by An Bord Pleanála. One of the reasons was the lack of a proper rail service. I thought it was extraordinary. Regarding getting many HGVs on the rail tracks, that is fine if one is travelling from the top of Sweden down to Spain where there is very little roll-on, roll-off activity. This country is a small nation. Where is Irish Rail with regard to the movement of heavy goods? Does it see it expanding its activities in that area?