Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will come in briefly if I may, Chairman. I thank Mr. Spratt for agreeing to arrange a meeting with him and some of his senior colleagues. I will try to organise some Members so we can get it done quickly. That would be very helpful.

I wish to point out an issue concerning the luxury coach sector. I believe there is an anomaly vis-à-visthe coach service in Northern Ireland, which does tours around Ireland. We are very grateful for that, but there is a substantial difference in VAT between Irish coach tourism and private bus operators compared to those in the North of Ireland. Perhaps that is something the Department could look at in terms of competition given the significant advantage to operators based in the North.

There are no open windows on buses any more so they require air to be recirculated through the air conditioning system. Some newer buses may have the ability to easily put on HEPA filters but it is a more involved job for older buses, as it requires a modification of the existing air circulation system. Perhaps that is something the Department needs to examine in terms of passenger safety.

The cost of adding a HEPA filter is not too expensive, between €700 and €900, but it is probably a lot more to put the filters into older buses. Such an initiative should be considered. We must try to get our fleet up to standard and get a reasonable level of infection prevention in the private bus sector.