Mr. Hugh Creegan:

My recollection is that the service from Belfast to Dublin and from Cork to Dublin was the subject of a tender process. It was not the case that somebody willy-nilly walked in to do it. That is my understanding.

With regard to the other areas of the network, we got information from Irish Rail that this was just loss making, full stop. I cannot recollect whether or not it had run a tender competition which identified that. I think it had but I cannot say that with total certainty. One way or another, it became clear that it was a loss-making activity, and at a time when we are struggling to find the funding to roll out all the Local Link services that the Senator has heard mentioned here and so on, it became difficult for us to say, "Let us put the money into the catering services." We have not been able to do so, and that is the position on it.