James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There are a number of issues with PSO routes. It would not be appropriate for me to discuss them in detail today. I will, however, correspond with the NTA in respect of them, particularly those outside the greater Dublin area.

My next question is for both delegations. I am someone who lives down the country yet travels to Dublin to do my work and job, which is a story that is very familiar to hundreds of thousands of Irish people, whether on a weekly or monthly basis. The options are quite limited, especially for anyone using the N7, to abandon one's car before hitting the M50 and then travelling on into Dublin city. This explains why many of the orbital road routes to the city are so choked up. I would love to see a far greater rolling out of public transport services. Before I hear a list of all of the existing services, I must state that we all know them. They are great, but there is much scope for improvement. I say that in the context of the goal of trying to reduce the number of cars on the roads in Dublin, which would automatically improve capacity for bus services. What is beyond the M50 at the moment is not good enough. Improvements must be made. What are the views of the witnesses?