Mr. Gerry Mullins:

In respect of airlines, we are all familiar with the example of Ryanair. Before 1984 we had one airline in this country and there were two million passengers per year. By 2009 there were four airlines and 80 million passengers per year. Would anybody seriously want to go back to the days before the arrival of Ryanair? The answer is no. Some people who worked in Aer Lingus would like to do so and I am sure they endured great pain, but the good to wider society and the welfare of the people on this island and living in other jurisdictions was enhanced immeasurably.

Similarly, in the road haulage sector in 1969 there were 1,094 trucks on the road, while in 2007 there were over 27,000. Again, one is talking about thousands of extra jobs, a much more efficient society and lower costs. That is what we will bring to the public transport system if the PSO tendering process goes the way we hope it will. It is not just the CTTC which is calling for it. We are in good company. Fine Gael's transport policy before the last general election-----