Mr. Dermot O'Leary:

I will start where Deputy Joan Collins finished. The plan is, of course, the biggest change. In 2009 we had a big change with a major network review when Dublin Bus went from 180 routes down to 111 routes. This is approximately the current number of routes. The biggest change before that was, dare I say it, the disappearance of the tram. Again, there is a connection. In my submission I referred to us pushing Dublin out. We can talk about successive Governments, but Dublin has been pushed out and unfortunately an urban sprawl has been created. Linked to that, a situation has been created where it is commonplace for frequent services to be pulled out.

Deputy Joan Collins spoke of the plan being a fait accompli. I put it to every elected representative - and I meet lots of them, be they in this room or outside - that it is only a fait accompli if people believe it has become a fait accompli . I do not want to stretch too far outside the subject matter, but people power has worked before in this State on lots of occasions and for different reasons. It is up to people themselves and community leaders. Jarrett Walker said the plan should be substantial enough to win over elected officials and other community leaders. I suggest that Jarrett Walker does not know the Irish political system and how engaged people are with politics. I hope I am right when I say this.

The members' suspicions about the PSO have come through every contribution so far. There are major suspicions in this regard. I am glad to sit in the committee today with my colleagues and hear that elected representatives also have this concern. It means that something will be done and at least questions will be asked. Conversations can take place and hopefully we will contribute in a major way.

Senator Devine spoke of cherry-picking, which also comes through in every contribution today.

Sometimes people do not believe me when I say that there is no compulsion on the NTA to privatise, franchise or tender. There is no law in Europe that says it has to do it. Despite what people might say, there is no EU directive or regulation that says the Irish Government or any of the 28 EU member states must privatise or franchise any service. The Irish Government and Irish legislation dictate that the NTA has a choice. Senator Devine is right that this amounts to cherry-picking of a public service.

The Luas red line is packed at peak times. Taking out bus services and putting them up against the red line in the hope that the bus services will take people will not work. Deputy Joan Collins mentioned working-class areas, which I mentioned in my submission also. The 63 bus only comes once an hour now. She mentioned Crumlin, Drimnagh and Inchicore and services are being stripped out of all those areas, as they are in Rialto. The public representatives and ourselves will have to ensure that this is not a fait accompli. Ms Graham referred earlier, in what may have been a Freudian slip, to the "existing network" as opposed to the new network. That is the language of a fait accompliin anyone's game.