Mr. Kevin Thompstone:

As a number of the committee members have mentioned, we have had a number of briefings with Oireachtas Members in the wider region. We had very good engagement with them. On 6 May we would have presented to the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Naughton. She was accompanied by advisers and Department officials. We had a good engagement that day. We have shared all the documentation the members have, namely, the business case from March, the more detailed presentation in May and the Excel model that backs everything up, with the Minister for Transport and senior members of Government. We have a meeting scheduled, the latest date I have for it 16 July, with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and we look forward to that engagement.

As I emphasised, we are here today to talk about the need for an action plan. We cannot just wait and leave it to the market. That action plan has to be put together now. We cannot wait until all the public health issues are resolved. Now is the time to plan. That plan must be multiannual; it cannot be just for a winter period or a summer period. It has to be in line with the forecasted recovery, which in the most optimistic scenario is looking like 2024. It also has to be funded. There is a defined period of time for this.