Mr. Tim Gaston:

I might come in on two things. The Deputy referred to network reviews. We have a group within the NTA whose sole purpose is to review the networks continually. We are taking on board comments being made in respect of the entire range of issues. As well as detailed discussion with Bus Éireann and looking at the bus loadings, we also take account of what other local provision there is in the area. With the NTA also having responsibility for rural transport, we are working increasingly to dovetail the services. As such, where a PSO operates or changes are introduced prior to that, we will discuss it with local transport co-ordination unit management to see and ensure that communities continue to be served. As such, networks are being reviewed on a regular basis and the two teams - our own and Bus Éireann's - meet on a very regular basis to see where we can bring about improvements. Improvements are not really driven by the bottom line either. They are actually about providing a better service through the day, through the week, through the time of day and in terms of the geography. Of course, we have to take account of changes in geography and the community. It is very much an ongoing process. If there are specific queries members want us to address, they should let us know and we will come back to them on those.

Fares for public service obligation services are determined by the authority. Again, we engage in detailed discussions with operators and model - in advance of a determination - the fare increases to see if they are appropriate and what will be the fare adjustment. We are in the middle of an exercise involving a number of areas of the country to see if we can move towards a more equitable fares basis nationally. It is a difficult challenge to meet, of course, and it is something that it will take a number of years to put in place. If one looks at our fares determination issued last year, one will see that in some areas there were very small increases as we are setting about rebalancing fares. It is something we look at very closely with the operators. While we look at the loadings, fares in Ireland are based, by and large, on distance. Within the eastern region, there is a zoning arrangement with Bus Éireann. Since we have rolled out the Leap card in the eastern region, significant discounts have been available to those who choose to use them to travel on Bus Éireann and other services.