Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for being here. I also thank them and all of their staff for their dedicated hard work and for the public service they provide. My first question is for Mr. Kent of Bus Éireann, which is the main operator in County Meath. There are 66 driver vacancies and 12 mechanic vacancies. Are they equally dispersed around the country or are they concentrated more in Dublin and Cork? What are the contributory factors in that regard and what is Bus Éireann doing in response? What would Bus Éireann ask of this committee and the Government in this context? Is there something this committee or the Government can do to address the identified challenges for the sector as a whole, in order to get to the place we all agree we need to get to?