Mr. Stephen Kent:

The answer at the moment is to continue to get drivers in. From our point of view, there is only so much we can do as an operator ourselves, because we are trying to deal with the scale and the training requirements. Even when we take drivers in, we have got to get them used to routes and the size of buses. It is a significant undertaking.

We are also petitioning. I have gone to Ministers because I believe there is a role for some of the Government agencies as well. We hear from a number of operators, as the committee is hearing today, that there is an opportunity for growth in services by BusConnects, Connecting Ireland, and for the expansion of the school transport scheme. If the figures are aggregated, they would probably add up to a need for thousands of new drivers to come into the system in the next five years. The committee has heard today of big numbers even in the past year. For me, there is an opportunity of partnering with agencies like the education and training boards to help facilitate some of that. That is the dialogue that we are getting into, because if we could do that, we would be better able to meet the needs quicker. That obviously requires funding.