Mr. Hugh Creegan:

The fleet has increased from about 980 just two years ago to 1,125. That is a considerable increase within that period and we know that more buses are needed.

To respond to Deputy Munster's queries, the key question she asked at the beginning was whether we should have consulted communities before we ever drew up any plan. We found from myriad consultations that the best way to start was with something which had been developed and to have something which people could review, comment on and give feedback on. Going out with just a blank sheet of paper often does not help as it usually ends up causing far more annoyance than going out with an unfinished draft proposal to look for people's views. That is where we are. We went out with a proposal with which there were still issues that had to be sorted out to look for feedback. I hope that when we revise it later this summer, we will have addressed a lot of the concerns raised.