Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As a non-Dublin person, I thank our guests from the different companies for being here. I wish to express the frustration that Members of the Houses have. That should be obvious in light of the number of people attending the meeting. I have been provided with requests from 14 councillors and Members of the Oireachtas, who cannot be here today. With the Chairman's permission, I will make my representations to the organisations and they can get back to me and the people I name rather than delaying proceedings.

There are challenges. I am smiling because there are crises, emergencies and challenges. I appreciate that and I thank the staff of Go-Ahead Ireland and Dublin Bus for the work they do and for the courtesy shown. Staff members have raised a number of issues in the context of safety. I was at the National Bus and Rail Union conference when those present were seeking a dedicated public transport service. My question to the NTA is in the context of accountability in the context of Dublin Bus and the other Bus company. What is the NTA's role in that?

This issue is not just about Dublin. I accept, however, that this meeting relates to Dublin. I hope we can come back to the matter in terms of BusConnects in Cork. I thank the NTA in that regard. I will not delay the meeting. I have a document that I will give to each organisation. I thank representatives for being here. I ask them to express my thanks to their staff; they are exceptional people who do a lot of work in a very crowded and pressurised environment.