Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will follow on from where my colleague concluded because Kilkenny and Carlow are very close. I will ask about rural transport services. With the carbon taxes being introduced and the proposal that they will increase over the next ten years, all of us will be looking to public transport. It will be the NTA's job in the next ten years to deal with that as best it can and to provide a service to rural Ireland in particular. It looks after Dublin and the other cities. I am becoming the same as Deputy Deering in that we had a fight to retain services from Waterford to Dublin. They go through Mullinavat and Thomastown. We still have a service there, but will it be improved? We also have a service from Limerick to Callan and Castlecomer. We had to fight for that route. Our guests were at the meetings that took place and we managed to retain some type of service. What about the future? We are seeking to support public transport in rural Ireland. Does the NTA see its role as providing that service, and a better, more efficient and more regular service, now that we are moving to a downturn in our carbon footprint?