Ms Anne Graham:

We are considering that option. It is not something we would mandate the operator to do, but it is something we might consider to provide services in the interim. It would, however, require tendering for those services and also determing whether it would be possible to get a fleet of buses, as well as drivers. The committee need to be aware that some operators, certainly in the Dublin region, are finding it difficult to recruit drivers. We are, therefore, coming up against a possible capacity issue in even delivering bus services because of that recruitment issue.