Mr. Dermot O'Leary:

We have provided two comprehensive submissions which, hopefully, members have read. I have a brief statement, as the Chairman asked. The NBRU, as the foremost front-line trade union, welcomes the opportunity to speak here today. I extend my condolences to all those who have been affected by this virus and to the families of the people who have lost their lives. The coronavirus has completely changed our world, as has been said many times. The reality of what passed as a so-called normal life in February 2020 has disappeared. As a society, we are now transforming into a new normal across many facets of how we go about our daily schedules.

Public transport, similar to other sectors, has changed dramatically from what it was previously. It should be noted and acknowledged that front-line transport workers have operated throughout the crisis in a manner that deserves the gratitude of all. Similar to all our front-line public service workers, they have been at the coalface, providing an essential service when many others disappeared. The valuable contribution from State-owned companies has acted as a beacon throughout the crisis. It is fortunate that workers' representatives such as the NBRU and other representative colleagues have been highlighting the value of having State-owned companies for many years.

The praise being heaped upon those same companies today should not allow for those who seek to undermine the companies to be let off the hook. Bus Éireann has a so-called commercial service with the most inappropriate name, Expressway. Like a myriad of other operators, it has continued to operate throughout the crisis, ferrying essential workers to their places of work. Many work in vital health services, others in essential retailer services, pharmacies, doctors' surgeries and retail services. In large parts of Ireland, many towns, villages and far-flung communities would have been left isolated and cut off were it not for Bus Éireann.

The reality is that Bus Éireann, not least because of its public ownership, would have been left isolated and cut off if it had done as others did and decided to step away from operating services. Bus Éireann has a social contract with its citizens. That should not be assumed as a given. The development of the motorway network and the increase in travel on interurban corridors created by these motorways springing up around the country brought an influx of mainly multinational companies to the market. One might think that if demand increases, supply needs to be increased too. However, we contend that the market is not there. It was saturated as a result of oversupply and this was done to drive Bus Éireann away from the commercial service that it is supposed to operate.

There are many other issues that I wish to cover and I hope the questions will allow me to do so. I will make two points. The recent debacle with face masks demonstrated clearly that input from front-line representatives such as the NBRU and other colleagues was severely lacking in the decision-making process. I do not know how much correspondence we wrote to relevant authorities, mainly the National Transport Authority but also the operating companies, seeking a place at the decision-making table where the face mask issue could have been dealt with much better than how it was ultimately dealt with. We have been calling for that since 1 May.

Capacity on public transport has reached 50%, up from 20%, and while public health advice will dictate the future of that, we cannot go back to the crushed loads that we had on buses and trains before the Covid crisis. I am heartened by one element in the programme for Government, namely, the commitment to establishing a stakeholders' forum at long last. Those people who shun us and treat us with disdain have nothing to be afraid of when it comes to the NBRU sitting at a table. We do not want to own public transport. We just want to influence and bring our expertise to bear. After all, without front-line transport staff, the transport system does not operate.