Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister has allocated €3 million to working capital for the BMO project.

I note the Minister did not allocate a single euro to the public transport obligation, PSO, despite the fact that public transport is in dire need of significant investment. That probably shows us what we have known all along. While the Minister might argue over the word, outsourcing is a means to the end goal of privatisation. It is very disappointing that the Minister did not seek to give an allocation to the PSO when he got the extra money. He is giving more money to speed up the process of privatisation to the detriment of Bus Éireann and the public transport network. He knows himself in doing that and by outsourcing the most profitable routes that he is weakening Bus Éireann's business model and reducing its revenue which would enable it to fund less profitable routes. Could the Minister make a statement in that regard? It is clear that he is following that agenda and doing it in stages.

I am surprised extra funding was not provided, given the increasing need for security on the public transport network, in Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann, something that has been in the media so much of late. Workers have had to endure more frequent assaults and attacks and they are vulnerable. The current security arrangements are not sufficient.

I too welcome the allocation of €200,000 for the rail accessibility app. Will the funding be sufficient to get the app up and running or will extra funding be required? We had a report on disability and we had the groups in here before the committee. All of them flagged up the nightmare of trying to go about their daily business on public transport. As Deputy Troy said, due to the lack of staff one must give 24 hours notice, and 48 hours notice at the weekend, and one cannot decide on the day that one will make a journey. The lack of staff at train stations is part of the problem. If I think of anything else I will come back in later.