Mr. Stephen Kent:

I will touch on the safety matter and the media reports on that. We took a lot of the survey extremely seriously. Actions we took straight away included writing to a number of transport spokespersons to advise them on a lot of the activities, safety regime and protocols we try to put in place and follow and which we also try to ensure apply to our contractors. We also wrote to all of our individual contractors reminding them of all of the criteria and stipulations within the contract and raising any issues regarding what they have to do. I will mention a couple of things that were done. When we put contracts in place, there are strict criteria which have to be met. We ensure the necessary insurance and certificates of vehicle roadworthiness are in place for every vehicle operating under the scheme. We ensure that all of the paperwork complies absolutely with what the RSA requires and that there is a valid public licence certificate and evidence of tax clearance. We try to ensure that everything is in place. Every contractor is also asked to perform in the same way that Bus Éireann operates in relation to its own vehicles. In other words, we look for maintenance programmes with checking intervals of not greater than six weeks to ensure that those are in place for contractors' vehicles. The critical point is that every contractor is responsible for the safety and maintenance of their own vehicles. At any point in time, we are still relying on somebody, as with a car which has gone through its test. It is tested at a point in time and it comes back after six weeks.

One has to have a culture and regime and the discipline to ensure one's vehicle is safe. We try to put that in. However, as a safeguard we undertake a number of independent checks. We contract an agency to ensure that one in five of those vehicles which are contracted on our behalf are tested. A quality assurance check is in place to ensure that everything in the contract on the condition and roadworthiness of the vehicle is addressed. If it is not and a vehicle is found through a test not to comply with the contract, a check is requested immediately. In fact, we go further and say that if the contractor does not do it, we are prepared to terminate the contract. We take the safety regime extremely seriously. In addition, we do a great deal with the drivers. We ensure that there is a safe delivery of the service under the scheme. As such, all contractors must have medical checks.

We liaise with the RSA directly on compliance and we have a very good relationship with the authority. We have engaged with the RSA in the months since the survey to ensure mitigation and an action plan are in place that the authority is also happy with. By and large, we continue to do that. It is a combination of ensuring vehicles within our scheme are safe and roadworthy. Our maintenance programmes adhere to that. We ensure that protocols are followed for all contractors. Since that letter, we have written individually to every contractor acting on our behalf to remind them of the safety issues in relation to the survey and of our expectation that they meet the standards. If a contractor is ever stopped by an RSA inspector, there is an obligation to advise us of any risk of which we should be aware. In relation to our own supervision, I note that people have referred to road inspectors. Road inspectors board vehicles on our behalf and perform vehicle checks right throughout the country. If they become aware of any issue, it is brought to our attention straight away. We bring that up straight away in the context of the enforcement of the contract to ensure those vehicles are there.

We are trying to enforce the whole culture of safety awareness, safety enforcement and making sure that everything complies with the legislation in all respects. That is what we try to do.